Heaven Isn’t a World Without Borders

Few Christians will cross as many borders as missionaries do. Whether we’re talking about lines on a map, airport checkpoints, or customs counters in distant lands, borders are a part of life. When we think about the reach of the gospel, it may be tempting to see borders as arbitrary obstacles to that goal, or even as primitive relics of another age that society needs progress beyond. But when we study what God tells us in His word, it’s clear that a world without borders is not a divine ideal, but an all too human one. Borders are a part of how God has arranged the world. So, as people who send and those who go, it’s crucial that we understand borders and gates from a biblical perspective, since mission work happens within the reality of different nations.

These days, discussions about borders and gates tends to center on immigration, where the debate see-saws between compassion and control. The Bible doesn’t lay out a specific playbook for today’s immigration laws, but it does give us solid guidance on nations, boundaries, hospitality, and foreign missions. It talks about borders that protect and define communities, and gates that open to welcome and build relationships. Both are part of God’s plan to unite every tribe, language, and nation in Christ’s kingdom.

Nations and Boundaries in God’s Design

The dispersion of different groups of people throughout the world is a part of God's providence. At Babel, He scattered the nations to curb human pride and humble a unity that was rooted in rebellion. Moses sang about how God “fixed the borders of the peoples” (Deuteronomy 32:8), and Paul told the Athenians that God “determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26). These boundaries aren’t just arbitrary historical events; they’re part of God’s plan so that nations might seek Him.

Israel’s allotments in the promised land reflected this idea. The tribes received specific territories, and the nation was commanded to reject idolatry and maintain its unique identity (Deuteronomy 7). When Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls, it was not to in order to shut out compassion but to preserve a people devoted to God. When understood correctly, borders safeguard a people’s integrity, allowing faith and obedience to flourish.

The Value of Borders

Borders are a loving provision because, without them, the weak can be taken advantage of by the strong. They help prevent chaos, exploitation, and harmful influences. Plus, they maintain the uniqueness of cultures, which isn’t a problem to be fixed, but a blessing from God to appreciate. The gospel doesn’t erase cultural differences; it redeems them. In the end, the church won’t look like one blended culture but a glorious mosaic from “every tribe and tongue and nation” (Revelation 7:9).

Ignoring borders in the name of compassion misses the point of God’s design. Nations exist under His rule, and their wellbeing is something to uphold. This too is compassionate. A world without borders isn’t a biblical goal. In fact, it resembles the Babel-like unity in rebellion that God stands against.

The Value of Gates

But walls aren’t meant to be prisons. Gates are there to be opened. Israel’s laws had provisions for foreigners to join the community, whether through gleaning rights in the fields (Leviticus 23:22) or full conversion like Ruth the Moabite. Hospitality wasn’t just a nice gesture; it was an act of justice and trust in God’s provision.

The New Testament broadens this understanding. Jesus praised outsiders’ faith, told the story of a Samaritan who showed kindness, and instructed His followers to claim His inheritance from among all nations (Matthew 28:19–20). The apostles welcomed Gentiles without making them conform to Jewish laws. So, hospitality isn’t just about being nice; it’s recognizing that God calls people from all backgrounds into fellowship with His Son.

Mission, Not Mass Migration

The church’s main mission isn’t to gerrymander the Kingdom of God. The Great Commission is a command to go, not as a strategy for blending cultures. The church is called to reach out across the globe so that people can be transformed by the gospel in their own contexts. The vision in Revelation 7 won’t come from erasing borders but from preaching Christ at the gates until every nation acknowledges Him as Lord.

Church history shows how God’s blessed this approach. When Hudson Taylor went to China in the 19th century, he didn’t aim to turn Chinese people into Englishmen. He wore their clothes, learned their language, and lived among them, respecting their God-given uniqueness while sharing Christ. His work didn’t erase cultural boundaries; instead, it showed that Christianity can take root within cultures without flattening them.

This perspective helps guard against an idealized view of migration, as if the spread of the gospel relies solely on population movements. While compassion and welcome are important, the core of the church’s mission is to send workers into the harvest, plant the gospel, and see nations transformed from within.

Borders, Gates and the Future of the Church

A biblical view holds borders and gates together:

• Sovereignty and order: Nations have the God-given right to protect their borders. Without this, both justice and culture can break down.
• Lawful hospitality: Gates open in ways that are lawful and intentional, welcoming strangers without compromising the community’s integrity.
• Mission over politics: The church’s big job isn’t to write immigration laws but to proclaim the gospel to everyone, everywhere.

The Scriptures encourage us to honor both borders and gates. In fact, in John’s vision of the new heavens and the new earth, both walls and gates remain a feature of the church’s future (Revelation 21:12). Borders protect, while gates welcome, serving God’s larger plan. But neither is the ultimate goal. The end that history is moving towards isn’t a uniform world or a walled-off fortress; it’s redeemed humanity—a countless multitude from every nation, standing united before the throne, gloriously distinct yet one in Christ.

Christians should appreciate the value of borders, practice the act of hospitality at the gates, and always remember the greater mission: to go, to send, and to share until that vision becomes reality.