Heaven

by Randy Alcorn

  WILL WE EXPERIENCE HUNGER, AND WILL WE DIGEST FOOD?

  Will we get hungry on the New Earth? Some people say no because we're told, "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst" (Revelation 7:16). But this doesn't mean that we'll lack an appetite or desire; it means our desires will be met. We will never go hungry or go thirsty. To find pleasure in eating as­sumes we desire to eat. Hunger and thirst are good things if food and drink are freely available, and God assures us that on the New Earth they always will be.

  Did Adam and Eve hunger in Eden? Presumably. Will we thirst on the New Earth? "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water" (Revelation 7:17). God doesn't say we won't need to drink. Rather, he says he will lead us to drink. The natural stimu­lus to motivate drinking is thirst. We will presumably thirst for water, as we will thirst for God. But our thirst will never go unsatisfied. God created hunger and thirst, and he intends for them to be satisfied, not obliterated.

  Paul quotes the Corinthians: "You say, 'Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food.' This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them" (1 Corinthians 6:13, NLT). Some people think God is saying here that we won't eat and won't have stomachs or digestive systems. But in context Paul is simply saying that the old body will die, so we shouldn't let the desires of that body control us. Naturally, if we're not embodied in the intermediate Heaven, we won't have stomachs or eat food there. But Paul isn't saying that our resur­rected bodies won't have stomachs and that we won't eat food on the New Earth.

  Some people argue that we won't eat or drink in Heaven because they're aghast at the thought of digestion and elimination. Could God make it so our new bodies wouldn't go through the same digestive and elimination processes they do now? Certainly. Will he? We don't know. But no aspect of our God-created physiology can be bad. To imagine otherwise is Christoplatonism again. Did Adam and Eve experience digestion and elimination in a perfect world? Of course. Jesus never sinned, but his body functioned just as ours do.

  HOW WILL FOOD TASTE?

  Only two people lived before the Fall. This means only two people have ever eaten food at its best, with their capacity to taste at its best.

  The great wine Christ made and served at the wedding of Cana was a fore­taste of that best of wines he will provide for us on the New Earth. Even in this cursed world, Scripture is filled with more feasts than fasts. Who created our taste buds? Who determined what we like and what we don't? God did. The food we eat is from God's hand. Our resurrected bodies will have resurrected taste buds. We can trust that the food we eat on the New Earth, some of it fa­miliar and some of it brand-new, will taste better than anything we've ever eaten here.

  Food isn't just functional. We could get nourishment, after all, by mixing everything together in a blender, with no regard to color or texture or taste. Food is also for our enjoyment—not only its consumption but also its prepara­tion and presentation. Shouldn't we expect boundless creativity in these as well? (If you've seen the marvelous movie Babette's Feast, you know what I mean.)

  Reformer John Calvin wrote, "If we consider to what end God created foods, we shall find that he wished not only to provide for our necessities, but also for our pleasure and recreation.... With herbs, trees and fruits, besides the various uses he gives us of them, it was his will to rejoice our sight by their beauty, and to give us yet another pleasure in their odours."229

  We won't "need" fine meals; we don't need them now. But we enjoy them now for the same reason we'll enjoy them then—because God made us to enjoy them and to glorify him as we eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:31).

  WILL WE EAT MEAT?

  God's provision of food for people and animals was clearly indicated when he said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and ev­ery tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food" (Genesis 1:29-30).

  You are going now, said they, to the paradise of God, wherein you shallsee the tree of life, and eat of the never-fading fruit there of.

  JOHN BUNYAN

  It appears that neither people nor animals ate meat until after the Flood, when God said, "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:3). It makes sense that people and animals wouldnt eat meat before the Fall, when living beings didn't die. But why weren't animals eaten between the Fall and the Flood? Perhaps it was still unthinkable so close to Eden, when animals were to be cared for, not killed and eaten. Consider that the genealogies of Genesis 5 indicate that Noah's father, Lamech, was born before Adam died! Perhaps until after the Flood, animals still held a remnant of intelligence not sufficiently dissipated by the Fall.

  As mentioned in chapter 12, some people argue that animals died before the Fall.230 But this conclusion seems to be driven by assumptions about the earth's age and interpretations of the fossil record, not from biblical texts. Scripture ties all death to Adam: "Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin" (Romans 5:12). The "creation was subjected to frustration" and is in "bond­age to decay" because of humanity's sin and will be delivered through human­ity's resurrection (Romans 8:19-23). Whether blessing or curse, whether life or death, what is first true of mankind then extends to animals. This suggests ani­mal death did not precede human death.

  If animal death preceded human sin and death, so did animal suffering. In­deed, advocates of this position picture not only animals devouring and killing each other before the Fall but also people eating animals. But how does this rec­oncile with Genesis 9:3, where God says, "Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (emphasis added)?

  Would God call "very good" a realm in which animals suffered, died, and devoured one another? Surely the repeated redemptive promise that one day animals will live in peace with each other is at least to a degree a return to Edenic conditions, though it's certainly more than that (Isaiah 11:6-9).

  If, as I believe, animal death was the result of the Fall and the Curse, once the Curse has been lifted on the New Earth, animals will no longer die. Just as they fell under mankind, so they will rise under mankind (Romans 8:21). This suggests people may become vegetarians on the New Earth, as they apparently were in Eden and during the time before the Flood.

  How then should we understand this great text: "On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines" (Isaiah 25:6)? One possibility is that this refers to the Millennium, where Christ reigns but the world is still under the Curse and therefore animals still die. The other possibility is that it refers to the New Earth. But we are told on the New Earth "There will be no more death . . . or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4). The text doesn't specify "no more human death or pain."

  So how could there be meat without animal death? Many people—I'm not one of them—eat meat substitutes and prefer the taste to real meat. How hard would it be for God to create far better substitutes that do qualify as meat in every sense of taste and texture, without coming from dead animals? This may stretch the meaning of "meat" and may seem unnatural, but wouldn't it be more natural than animals dying when we're told there will be no more death?

  During the Millennium or on the New Earth, or both, fishermen will spread their nets and catch fish (Ezekiel 47:9-10). Either this is catch-and-release, purely for sport, or it suggests fish will still be eaten. Jesus ate fish in a resurrected body. However, that was on an unresurrected Earth, still under the Curse. Hunting and killing animals is legitimate and sometimes necessary on the present Earth. However, to the degree that hunting animals involves their fear, suffering, or death, it wouldn't fit with the biblical descripti
on of the New Earth, where not only people but also animals live in peace and harmony: "The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. . . . They will neither harm nor destroy" (Isaiah 65:25). We're told animals' eating habits will change—why not ours?

  The food chain may seem natural to us, but I believe it violates God's origi­nal design. No more curse and death means no more food chain involving living creatures. As radical a shift as that may seem, it will likely be a return to God's original design.

  So, on the New Earth, we may consume a wonderful array of fruits and veg­etables, perhaps supplemented by "meat" that doesn't require death—some­thing that tastes better but isn't animal flesh. If the product of the Curse and death can taste good to fallen taste buds, how much better will God's specially designed foods smell and taste to resurrected senses?

  WILL WE DRINK COFFEE IN HEAVEN?

  I'll address this question not simply for the benefit of coffee lovers but because it's a revealing test of whether we're more influenced by biblical teaching or Christoplatonism. Someone may say, "I sure hope there'll be coffee in heaven." But it's a statement that few would attempt to defend biblically.

  But consider the facts. God made coffee. Coffee grows on Earth, which God made for mankind, put under our management, and filled with resources for our use. When God evaluated his creation, he deemed coffee trees, along with all else, to be "very good." Many people throughout history have enjoyed coffee—even in a fallen world where neither coffee nor our taste buds are at their best.

  God tells us that he "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17). Does "everything" include coffee? Paul also says, "For every­thing God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer" (1 Tim­othy 4:4-5). Again, does "everything" include coffee?

  Given these biblical perspectives—and realizing that caffeine addiction or anything else that's unhealthy simply won't exist on the New Earth—can you think of any persuasive reason why coffee trees and coffee drinking wouldn't be part of the resurrected Earth?

  Will the New Earth have fewer resources for human enjoyment than Eden did or than the world under the Curse offers? If you're tempted to say, "But in Heaven our minds will be on spiritual things, not coffee," your Christoplatonism detector should go off. It's fine if you don't like coffee, but to suggest that coffee is inherently unspiritual is . . . well, heresy. It directly contradicts the Scriptures just cited. God made the physical and spiritual realms not to oppose each other but to be united in bringing glory to him.

  On the New Earth, we will "drink . . . from the spring of the water of life" (Revelation 21:6). God will prepare for us "a banquet of aged wine . . . the finest of wines" (Isaiah 25:6). Not only will we drink water and wine, we'll eat from fruit trees (Revelation 22:2), and there's every reason to believe we'll drink juice made from the twelve fruits from the tree of life. So, along with drinking water, wine, and fruit juice, is there any reason to suppose we wouldn't drink coffee or tea? Can you imagine drinking coffee or tea with Jesus on the New Earth? If you can't, why not?

  If for health reasons you shouldn't drink coffee now, then don't. But aside from personal preference, the only compelling reason for not having coffee in Heaven would be if coffee were sinful or harmful. But it won't be. If drinking coffee would be unspiritual on the New Earth, then it must be unspiritual now. And unless someone's a caffeine addict, under bondage to coffee and not to Christ, or if a person's health is at stake, there's simply no biblical basis for be­lieving drinking coffee is sinful. Those who shouldn't consume alcohol or caffeine now will be freed from addiction on the New Earth. Adverse health effects simply won't exist.

  Those who for reasons of allergies, weight problems, or addictions can't reg­ularly consume peanuts, chocolate, coffee, and wine—and countless other foods and drinks—may look forward to enjoying them on the New Earth. To be free from sin, death, and bondage on the New Earth will mean that we'll enjoy more pleasures, not fewer. And the God who delights in our pleasures will be glori­fied in our grateful praise.

  SHOULD WE LOOK FORWARD TO FEASTS?

  You and I have never eaten food in a world untouched by the Fall and the Curse.The palate and taste buds were injured in the Fall, as were all food sources. The best-tasting food we've ever eaten wasn't nearly as good as it must have tasted in Eden or as it will on the New Earth.

  The person who's eaten the widest variety of meals on Earth still hasn't tasted countless others. How many special dishes will you discover on the New Earth? As yet, you may not have tasted your favorite meal—and if you have, it didn't taste as good as it will there. The best meals you'll ever eat are all still ahead of you on the New Earth.

  If it seems trivial or unspiritual to anticipate such things, remember that it's God who promises that on the New Earth we will sit at tables, at banquets and feasts, and enjoy the finest foods and drinks. And to top it off, our Father prom­ises that he himselfwill prepare for us the finest foods (Isaiah 25:6).

  Don't you think he wants us to look forward to eating at his table?

  CHAPTER 31

  WILL WE BE CAPABLE OF SINNING?

  People have said to me, "Heaven will be perfect, but a sinless environment doesn't mean we can't sin; Adam and Eve proved that. They lived in a sin­less place, yet they sinned."

  It's true that Satan tempted them, but he too originally was a perfect being living in a perfect environment, beholding God himself. Not only was there no sin in Heaven; there was no sin in the universe. Yet Satan sinned. Hence, Heaven's perfection, it seems, doesn't guarantee there'll be no future sin.

  Some people also argue that being human demands free choice, and there­fore we must have the capacity to choose evil in Heaven. If that's true, then we could experience another Fall.

  Clearly, this is a question of great importance.

  CAN WE KNOW WE WON'T SIN?

  Christ promises on the New Earth, "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4). Since "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), the promise of no more death is a promise of no more sin. Those who will never die can never sin, since sinners always die. Sin causes mourning, crying, and pain. If those will never occur again, then sin can never occur again.

  Consider the last part of Revelation 21:4: "For the old order of things has passed away." What follows the word for explains Heaven's lack of death, mourning, crying, and pain. These are part of an old order of things that will forever be behind us. The sin that caused them will be no longer. We need not fear a second Fall.

  Scripture emphasizes that Christ died once to deal with sin and will never again need to die (Hebrews 9:26-28; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18). We'll have the very righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). We won't sin in Heaven for the same reason God doesn't: He cannot sin. Our eternal inability to sin has been purchased by Christ's blood.

  "For by a single offering [himself] he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14, ESV). On the cross, validated by his resur­rection, our Savior purchased our perfection_/or all time.

  "Nothing impure will ever enter it [the New Jerusalem], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Revelation 21:27). The passage doesn't say: "If someone becomes impure or shameful or deceitful, that person will be evicted." There's an absolute contrast between sinners and the righteous. That Satan and evildoers are cast forever into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10 and 21:8) shows an eternal separation of evil from the New Earth. Heaven will be completely devoid of evil, with no threat of becoming tainted. Three times in the final two chapters of Scripture, we're told that those still in their sins have no access to Heaven, and never will (Revelation 21:8,27; 22:15).

  That evil will have no footing in Heaven and no leverage to affect us is fur­ther indicat
ed by Jesus when he says, "The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace. . . . Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:41-43, empha­sis added).

  Hebrews 9:26 says with an air of finality that Christ sacrificed himself "to put away sin" (NASB) or "to do away with sin" (NIV). Sin will be a thing of the past.

  We'll be raised "incorruptible" (1 Corinthians 15:52, NKJV). Incorruptible is a stronger word than uncorrupted. Our risen bodies, and by implication our new beings, will be immune to corruption. Since the wages of sin is death, if we can­not die, then we cannot sin.

  "Anyone who has died has been freed from sin" (Romans 6:7). Christ will not allow us to be vulnerable to the very thing he died to deliver us from. Since our righteousness is rooted in Christ, who is eternally righteous, we can never lose it.

  WILL WE HAVE FREE WILL IN HEAVEN?

  Some people believe that if we have free will in Heaven, we'll have to be free to sin, as were the first humans. But Adam and Eve's situation was different. They were innocent but had not been made righteous by Christ. We, on the other hand, become righteous through Christ's atonement: "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19). To suggest we could have Christ's righteousness yet sin is to say Christ could sin. God completely delivers us from sin—including vulnera­bility to sin.

  Even now we may "participate in the divine nature and escape the corrup­tion in the world caused by evil desires" (2 Peter 1:4). In Heaven there will be no evil desires, and no corruption, and we will fully participate in the sinless perfec­tion of God.