Heaven

by Randy Alcorn

  I love the seasons, each of them. The crisp fall air, the brilliant yellows, or­anges, and reds, the long good-bye to summer. The snow blankets of winter, the freshness and erupting beauty of spring, the inviting warmth of summer. Who are all those from? "God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season" (Jere­miah 5:24).

  Will there still be seasons on the New Earth? Why wouldn't there be? Some people argue that because fall and winter are about dying, we won't experience them in Heaven because there will be no death there. I'm not convinced that seasons and their distinctive beauties are the result of the Fall. God is depicted as the seasons' Creator, and we're not told they didn't predate the Fall (Genesis 8:22). The "no more death" of Revelation 21 applies to living creatures, people and animals, but not necessarily to all vegetation. Even if it does, God can cer­tainly create a cycle of seasonable beauty apart from death.

  WILL WE MISS THINGS FROM THE OLD EARTH?

  Have you ever bought an economy ticket for a flight but because of overbooking or some other reason been upgraded to first class? Did you regret the upgrade? Did you spend your time wondering, What am I missing out on by not being in the back of the plane?

  The liabilities of economy class are removed in first class, but the assets aren't. You go from little legroom to lots of legroom, from an adequate chair to a comfortable one, maybe even one with a footrest. Rather than just a sandwich, you get a meal, on real plates. The flight attendants keep filling your cup, give you a great dessert, and offer a hot hand towel. In other words, it's not just that the bad things about economy seats are minimized; it's that all the good things are made better.

  The upgrade from the old Earth to the New Earth will be vastly superior to that from economy to first class. (It may feel more like an upgrade to first class from the baggage hold.) Gone will be sin, the Curse, death, and suffering. In every way we will recognize that the New Earth is better—in no sense could it ever be worse.

  If we would miss something from our old lives and the old Earth, it would be available to us on the New Earth. Why? Because we will experience all God intends for us. He fashions us to want precisely what he will give us, so what he gives us will be exactly what we want.

  SECTION NINE

  WHAT WITT OUR LIVES BE LIKE?

  CHAPTER 28

  WILL WE BE OURSELVES?

  In Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge was terrified when he saw a phantom.

  "Who are you?" Scrooge asked.

  "Ask me who I was," the ghost replied.

  "Who were you then?" said Scrooge. . . .

  "In life I was your partner, Jacob Marley"205

  Disembodied spirits aren't who they once were. Continuity of identity ulti­mately requires bodily resurrection.

  In the movie 2010, David Bowman appears in ghostly form. When asked who he is, he replies, "I was David Bowman."

  Unless we grasp the resurrection, we won't believe that we'll continue to be ourselves in the afterlife. We are physical beings. If the eternal Heaven is a dis­embodied state, then our humanity will either be diminished or transcended, and we will never again be ourselves after we die.

  Contrast Jacob Marley and David Bowman with Job and Jesus. Job said, "In my flesh I will see God;... I, and not another" (Job 19:26-27). The risen Christ said, "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself] Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have" (Luke 24:39).

  Jesus called people in Heaven by name, including Lazarus in the present Heaven (Luke 16:25) and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the eternal Heaven (Matthew 8:11). A name denotes a distinct identity, an individual. The fact that people in Heaven can be called by the same name they had on Earth demon­strates they remain the same people. In Heaven I'll be Randy Alcorn—without the bad parts—forever. If you know Jesus, you'll be you—without the bad parts—forever.

  WILL WE BE UNIQUE?

  Just as our genetic code and fingerprints are unique now, we should expect the same of our new bodies. Individual identity is an essential aspect of personhood. God is the creator of individual identities and personalities. He makes no two snowflakes, much less two people, alike. Not even "identical twins" are identical. Individuality preceded sin and the Curse. Individuality was God's plan from the beginning.

  Heaven's inhabitants don't simply rejoice over nameless multitudes coming to God. They rejoice over each and every person (Luke 15:4-7,10). That's a powerful affirmation of Heaven's view of each person as a separate individual whose life is observed and cared for one at a time.

  When Moses and Elijah appeared out of Heaven to stand with Christ at his transfiguration, the disciples with Christ recognized Moses and Elijah as the distinct individuals they were, the same men they were on Earth, infused with holiness.

  When we're told we'll sit at a banquet and eat with Abraham and Isaac and others, we will be sitting, eating beside, talking with, and laughing with not a general assembly, but particular individuals (Matthew 8:11).

  In his book The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis expressed his awe at the diver­sity with which God created us: "If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than o n e . . . . Your soul has a cu­rious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the divine substance, or a key to unlock one of the doors in the house with many mansions. For it is not humanity in the abstract that is to be saved, but you—you, the individual reader, John Stubbs or Janet Smith.... Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it—made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand."206

  What makes youjow? It's not only your body but also your memory, personality traits, gifts, passions, preferences, and interests. In the final resurrection, I believe all of these facets will be restored and amplified, untarnished by sin and the Curse.

  Do you remember a time when you really felt good about yourself? Not in pride or arrogance, but when you sensed you honored God, helped the needy, were faithful, humble, and servant-hearted, like Jesus? Do you remember when you encouraged someone? when you experienced who you were meant to be?when you were running or swimming or working and felt you were strong enough to go on forever (even though later you could hardly get out of bed)? That was a little taste of who you'll be in Heaven.

  As C. S. Lewis expressed it in his space trilogy, we have become "bent" (sin­ful) versions of what God intended. Your deceitfulness, laziness, lust, deafness, disability, and disease are not the real you. They are temporary perversions that will be eliminated. They're the cancer that the Great Physician will surgically remove. His redemptive work is such that never again will they return.

  When you're on the New Earth, for the first time you'll be the person God created you to be.

  WILL WE BECOME ANGELS?

  I'm often asked if people, particularly children, become angels when they die. The answer is no. Death is a relocation of the same person from one place to an­other. The place changes, but the person remains the same. The same person who becomes absent from his or her body becomes present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). The person who departs is the one who goes to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23).

  Angels are angels. Humans are humans. Angels are beings with their own his­tories and memories, with distinct identities, reflected in the fact that they have personal names, such as Michael and Gabriel. Under God's direction, they serve us on Earth (Hebrews 1:14). Michael the archangel serves under God, and the other angels, in various positions, serve under Michael (Daniel 10:13; Revelation 12:7). In Heaven human beings will govern angels (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

  The fact that angels have served us on Earth will make meeting them in Heaven particularly fascinating. They may have been with us from childhood, protecting us, standing by us, doing whatever they could on our behalf (Mat­thew 18:10). They may have witnessed virtually every moment of our lives. Be­sides God himself, no one could know us better.

  What w
ill it be like not only to have them show us around the intermediate Heaven but also to walk and talk with them on the New Earth? What stories will they tell us, including what really happened that day at the lake thirty-five years ago when we almost drowned? They've guarded us, gone to fierce battle for us, served as God's agents in answer to prayers. How great it will be to get to know these brilliant ancient creatures who've lived with God from their cre­ation. We'll consult them as well as advise them, realizing they too can learn from us, God's image-bearers. Will an angel who guarded us be placed under our management?

  If we really believed angels were with us daily, here and now, wouldn't it mo­tivate us to make wiser choices? Wouldn't we feel an accountability to holy be­ings who serve us as God's representatives?

  Despite what some popular books say, there's no biblical basis for trying to make contact with angels now. We're to ask God, not angels, for wisdom (James 1:5). As Scripture says and as I portray in my novels Dominion, LordFoulgrin's Letters, and The Ishbane Conspiracy, Satan's servants can "masquerade as servants of righteousness" and bring us messages that appear to be from God but aren't (2 Corinthians 11:15).

  Nevertheless, because Scripture teaches that one or more of God's angels may be in the room with me now, every once in a while I say "Thank you" out loud. And sometimes I add, "I look forward to meeting you." I can't wait to hear their stories.

  We won't be angels, but we'll be with angels—and that'll be far better.

  WILL WE HAVE EMOTIONS?

  In Scripture, God is said to enjoy, love, laugh, take delight, and rejoice, as well as be angry, happy, jealous, and glad. Rather than viewing these actions and descriptors as mere anthropomorphisms, we should consider that our emotions are derived from God's. While we should always avoid creating God in our im­age, the fact remains we are created in his. Therefore, our emotions are a reflec­tion of and sometimes (because of our sin) a distortion of God's emotions. To be like God means to have and express emotions. Hence, we should expect that in Heaven emotions will exist for God's glory and our good.

  In Heaven we'll exercise not only intellect but also emotions (Revelation 6:10; 7:10). Even angels respond emotionally (Revelation 7:11-12; 18:1-24). Emotions are part of our God-created humanity, not sinful baggage to be de­stroyed. We should anticipate pure and accurately informed emotions guided by reality. Our present emotions are skewed by sin, but they'll be delivered from it.

  Will we cry in Heaven? The Bible says, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain" (Revelation 21:4, NASB, emphasis added). These are the tears of suffering over sin and death, the tears of oppressed people, the cries of the poor, the widow, the orphaned, the unborn, and the persecuted. God will wipe away the tears of racial injustice. Such crying shall be no more.

  The verse primarily addresses not tears per se but the tears coming from in­justice and sorrow. Hence, we might shed tears of joy in Heaven. Can you imag­ine joy flooding your eyes as you meet Christ, for example, and as you're reunited with loved ones? I can.

  We know that people in Heaven have lots of feelings—all good ones. We're told of banquets, feasts, and singing. People will laugh there (Luke 6:21). Feasting, singing, and rejoicing involve feelings. Feelings aren't part of the Curse; they're part of how God made human beings from the beginning. Our present emotions are bent by sin, but they will forever be straightened again when God removes the Curse.

  Many people have a hard time with their feelings. In Heaven we'll be free to feel intensely, never afraid of our feelings.

  One writer says of our life in Heaven, "We will live on a perpetual and exhil­arating high akin to the feeling we have now when we shout 'Yes!' at a great vic­tory" 207 I'm not so sure. Living constantly at a fever pitch of exhilaration would eclipse special moments of joy. Certainly in Heaven we won't experience sad­ness, but that doesn't require each moment's joy to be exactly equal to the rest. Will our emotions be more intense sometimes than others? I believe they will. We experience an ebb and flow to our lives. That rhythm is part of being human and finite—and we'll always be both.

  WILL WE HAVE DESIRES?

  We'll have many desires in Heaven, but they won't be unholy desires. Every­thing we want will be good. Our desires will please God. All will be right with the world, nothing forbidden. When a father cooks steaks on the barbecue grill, he wants his family to listen to them sizzle and eagerly desire to eat them. God created our desires and every object we desire. He loves it when our mouths wa­ter for what he's prepared for us. When we enjoy it, we'll be enjoying him.

  One of the greatest things about Heaven is that we'll no longer have to bat­tle our desires. They'll always be pure, attending to their proper objects. We'll enjoy food without gluttony and eating disorders. We'll express admiration and affection without lust, fornication, or betrayal. Those simply won't exist.

  I tried to express that in my novel Safely Home. When one of the characters reaches Heaven, he has a conversation with the King: "I feel like I'm drinking from the Source of the Stream. Does this mean I'll feel no more longing?" The King—the Source—replies, "You will have the sweet longing of desire that can be fulfilled and shall be, again and again and again. [Heaven] is not the absence of longing but its fulfillment. Heaven is not the absence of itches; it is the satis­fying scratch for every itch."208

  Not long after we finish one meal, we start looking forward to the next. When a fun ride is over, we want to go on it again. Anticipation, desire, is a big part of joy. Since we'll be resurrected people in a resurrected universe, why would that change?

  Christianity is unique in its perspective of our desires, teaching that they will be sanctified and fulfilled on the New Earth. Conversely, the Buddhist con­cept of deliverance teaches that one day people's desires will be eliminated. That's radically different. Christianity teaches that Jesus takes our sins away while redeeming our desires. Desire is an essential part of humanity, a part that God built into people before sin cast its dark shadow on earth. I'm looking forward to having my desires redeemed. (Even now, as redeemed children of Godwe get tastes or that, don t we?)

  When Christ calls me Home I shall go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from school.

  ADONIRAM JUDSON

  Won't it be wonderful to be free from uncertainty about our desires? We often wonder, Is it good or bad for me to want this thing or that award or his approval or her appreciation? Sometimes I don't know which desires are right and which arent. 1 long to be released from the uncertainty and the doubt. I long to be capable of always wanting what's good and right.

  In C. S. Lewis's The Last Battle, his characters arrive in New Narnia. Lucy says, "I've a feeling we've got to the country where everything is allowed."209 Augustine expressed a similar thought: "Love God and do as you please."210 We will love God wholeheartedly—and therefore will want to do only what pleases him.

  God placed just one restriction on Adam and Eve in Eden, and when they disregarded it, the universe unraveled. On the New Earth, that test will no lon­ger be before us. God's law, the expression of his attributes, will be written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). No rules will be needed, for our hearts will be given over to God. David said, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Why? Because when we delight in God and abide in him, whatever we want will be exactly what he wants for us.

  What we should do will at last be identical with what we want to do. There will be no difference between duty and joy.

  WILL WE MAINTAIN OUR OWN

  IDENTITIES?

  You will be you in Heaven. Who else would you be? If Bob, a man on Earth, is no longer Bob when he gets to Heaven, then, in fact, Bob did not go to Heaven. If when I arrive in Heaven I'm not the same person with the same identity, his­tory, and memory, then / didn't go to Heaven.

  The resurrected Jesus did not become someone else; he remained who he was befor
e his resurrection: "It is I myself!" (Luke 24:39). In John's Gospel, Jesus deals with Mary, Thomas, and Peter in very personal ways, drawing on his previous knowledge of them (John 20:10-18,24-29; 21:15-22). His knowl­edge and relationships from his pre-resurrected state carried over. When Thomas said, "My Lord and my God," he knew he was speaking to the same Jesus he'd followed. When John said, "It is the Lord," he meant, "It's really him—the Jesus we have known" (John 21:4-7).

  If we weren't ourselves in the afterlife, then we couldn't be held accountable for what we did in this life. The Judgment would be meaningless. If Barbara is no longer Barbara, she can't be rewarded or held accountable for anything Barbara did. She'd have to say, "But that wasn't me." The doctrines of judgment and eternal rewards depend on people's retaining their distinct identities from this life to the next.

  Bruce Milne writes, "We can banish all fear of being absorbed into the 'All' which Buddhism holds before us, or reincarnated in some other life form as in the post-mortem prospect of Hinduism. . . . The self with which we were en­dowed by the Creator in his gift of life to us, the self whose worth was secured forever in the self-substitution of God for us on the cross, that self will endure into eternity. Death cannot destroy us."211

  Some people read "you may participate in the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4) and imagine that we will all become indistinguishable from God. But to imag­ine we'll lose our personal identities is a Hindu belief, not a Christian one. The verse in 2 Peter means that we're covered with Christ's righteousness. We'll par­ticipate in God's holiness yet fully retain our God-crafted individuality.