Heaven

by Randy Alcorn

  Why couldn't we tumble while climbing on the New Earth? Won't there be gravity? Adam and Eve couldn't die, but couldn't they skin their knees? God didn't originally create bodies without nerve endings, did he? Perhaps they could fall, do minor damage, and then heal quickly. We're told that on the New Earth there'll be no more death, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4). But we're also told, "The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2). No one will suffer or die on the New Earth, but this passage suggests that there might be enough minor damage to require healing.

  But even if there's absolutely no injury, fear of injury and death aren't essen­tial to excitement, are they? If you knew that in thirty years there hadn't been a single fatality on a roller coaster, couldn't you still be thrilled by the ride? When our daughters were small, they experienced the thrill of rides at the fair as I held them tightly. The fun was in moving fast, spinning around, feeling the wind on their faces. In the same way, couldn't we parachute from a plane and have an ex­hilarating free fall even if we knew there was a zero percent chance of dying? (Some of us might consider that more fun, not less.)

  I believe our resurrection bodies will have adrenaline and the ability to feel. On the New Earth we may experience adventures that make our current moun­tain climbs, surfing, skydiving, and upside-down roller coaster rides seem tame. Why do I say this? It's more than wishful thinking. It's an argument from de­sign. We take pleasure in exhilarating experiences not because of sin but be­cause God wired us this way. We weren't made to sit all day in dark rooms, watching actors pretend to live and athletes do what we can't. We were made to live vibrant lives. Some of us are physically limited, and others are emotionally unable to handle too much excitement. But those are just temporary conditions. There's a new world coming—and a new us.

  Because God's design wasn't an accident—because he doesn't make mis­takes—we can be sure that excitement and exhilaration will be more, not less, a part of our experience in Heaven than it is now.

  Skydiving without a parachute? Maybe, maybe not. Scuba diving without an air tank? I hope so. Will we be able to tolerate diving to depths of hundreds of feet without special equipment? We know that our resurrection bodies will be superior. Won't it be fantastic to test their limits and to invent new technolo­gies that extend our ability to explore and enjoy God in the mighty realms he makes?

  Those who know God and believe his promise of bodily resurrection can dream great dreams.

  One day we will live those dreams.

  CHAPTER 43

  WILL OUR DREAMS BE FULFILLED AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES REGAINED?

  Many people believe this life is all there is. Their philosophy? "You only go around once on this earth, so grab for whatever you can."

  If you're a child of God, you do notjust "go around once" on Earth. You don't get just one earthly life. You get another—one far better and without end. You'll inhabit the New Earth! You'll live with the God you cherish and the people you love as an undying person on an undying Earth. Those who go to Hell are the ones who go around only once on this earth.

  We use the term eternal life without thinking what it means. Life is an earthly existence in which we work, rest, play, and relate to each other in ways that include the cultivation and enjoyment of culture. Yet we have redefined eternal life to mean an off-Earth existence stripped of the defining properties of what we know life to be. Eternal life will be enjoying forever what life on Earth is at its finest moments, what it was intended to be. Since in Heaven we'll finally experience life at its best, it would be more accurate to call our present existence the beforelife rather than what follows the afterlife.

  WILL UNFULFILLED DREAMS BE REALIZED IN HEAVEN?

  Without an eternal perspective, without understanding the reality that the best is yet to come, we assume that people who die young, who are handicapped, who aren't healthy, who don't get married, or who don't [fill in the blank] will inevitably miss out on the best life has to offer. But the theology underlying those assumptions is fatally flawed. We're presuming that our present Earth, bodies, culture, relationships, and lives are superior to those of the New Earth.

  What are we thinking?

  One day Nanci read me letters we'd never before seen translated, written in 1920 by her grandmother Ana Swanson to her family in Sweden. Ana suffered severe health problems. While she was in Montana, cared for by relatives, her husband, Edwin, was in Oregon, working and caring for their seven children day and night. Ana's letters tell how Edwin wore himself out, got sick, and died. Because Ana was too weak to care for her younger children, they, including Nanci's mother, Adele, were given up for adoption. Ana's letters reflect her bro­ken heart, her nagging guilt. . . and her faith in God.

  Nanci and I were overcome with tears as we read those letters. What tragic lives. What inconsolable disappointment and pain. Ana and Edwin loved Jesus. They once had great dreams for their lives and family. But poor health, misfor­tune, separation, and death forever stripped them of each other, their children, and their dreams.

  Or did it?

  As Nanci and I talked, we considered what God might choose to give this broken family on the New Earth. Perhaps they'll go together to places they would have gone if health and finances had allowed. Certainly Ana won't be plagued by illness, fatigue, grief, anxiety, and guilt. Isn't it likely their gracious God, who delights in redemption and renewal and restoration, will give them wonderful family times they were robbed of on the old Earth? Perhaps the God of second chances won't merely comfort Ana by removing her grief for what she lost. Perhaps he will in some way actually restore what she lost. Our God won't just take away suffering; he'll compensate by giving us greater de­lights than if there had been no suffering. He doesn't merely wipe away tears; he replaces those tears with corresponding joys. Hence, "our present suffer­ings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

  I believe the New Earth will offer us opportunities we wished for but never had. God's original plan was that human beings would live happy and fulfilling lives on Earth. If our current lives are our only chances at that, God's plan has been thwarted. Consider the injustice—many honest, faithful people never got to live fulfilling lives, while some dishonest and unfaithful people seemed to fare much better.

  But God is not unjust, and this is not our only chance at life on Earth. The doctrine of the New Earth clearly demonstrates that. Do we have further bibli­cal support for this? I believe we do, in the same passage we looked at earlier about laughter in Heaven.

  Luke the physician tells of a great number of people who came to Jesus "to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all" (Luke 6:18-19). Consider what was going through Christ's mind as he dealt with these image-bearers plagued by sickness, poverty, and spiritual oppression. He knew the world was full of people whom he wouldn't heal in this life. He also knew that the same people he healed would one day grow weak again and die, leaving their families wailing over their graves. W h a t could Jesus say to such people? Luke tells us: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven" (Luke 6:20-23).

  Jesus tells the hungry they'll be satisfied. Those whose eyes are swollen with tears will laugh. Those persecuted should leap for joy now. Why? Because of theirgreat reward in Heaven later.

  For three things I thank God every day of my life: thanks that he has vouchsafed me knowledge of his works; deep thanks that he has set in my darkness the lamp of faith; deep, deepest thanks that I have another life to look forward to—a life joyous with light and flowers and heavenly song.

>   HELEN KELLER

  Where will Heaven be? In the parallel passage Jesus says, " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:3-5). Earth is the setting for God’s ultimate comfort, for his reversal of life’s injustices and tragedies.We will live on what we inherit—the earth. All the blessings Jesus promised will be ours in the place we will live—the New Earth.

  That's one reason I believe that on the New Earth Ana and Edwin Swanson and their children will be able to experience much of what they didn't on the old Earth. God promises to make upfor the heartbreaks of this earth

  Are you living with the disappointment of unfulfilled dreams? In Heaven you'll find their fulfillment! Did poverty, poor health, war, or lack of time pre­vent you from pursuing an adventure or dream? Did you never get to finish building that boat or painting that picture or writing that book—or reading that pile of books? Good news. On the New Earth you will have a second chance to do what you dreamed of doing—and far more besides.

  I tried to express this perspective in Safely Home, where I tell the story of Li Quan, a brilliant Chinese man whose dream was to write and teach in a univer­sity. Persecution for his faith in Christ robbed him of that opportunity. He worked instead as an assistant locksmith, in faithfulness and humility. H e never saw his dreams fulfilled on Earth. But later in Heaven, as I imagined it, Christ gives Li Quan an assignment—to write and teach.324

  We don't want to live as some other kind of creatures in some other world. What we want is to be sinless, healthy people living on Earth, but without war, conflict, disease, disappointment, and death. We want to live in the kind of world where our dreams, the deepest longings of our hearts, really do come true.

  That is exactly what God's Word promises us.

  Our failure to grasp this hurts us in countless ways. We become discouraged, supposing that if we're handicapped, we'll never know the joy of running in a meadow or the pleasure of swimming. Or if we aren't married—or don't have a good marriage—we'll never know the joy of marriage.

  On the New Earth, in perfect bodies, we'll run through meadows and swim in lakes. We'll have the most exciting and fulfilling marriage there's ever been, a marriage so glorious and complete there will be no purpose for another. Jesus himself will be our bridegroom!

  The smartest person God ever created in this world may never have learned to read because he or she had no opportunity. The most musically gifted person may never have touched a musical instrument. The greatest athlete may never have competed in a game. The sport you're best at may be a sport you've never tried, your favorite hobby one you've never thought of. Living under the Curse means we miss countless opportunities. The reversing of the Curse, and the res­urrection of our bodies and our Earth, mean we'll regain lost opportunities and inherit many more besides.

  WHAT JOY WILL WE FIND IN NEW OPPORTUNITIES?

  Joni Eareckson Tada writes from her wheelchair, "I haven't been cheated out of being a complete person—I'm just going through a forty-year delay, and God is with me even through that. Being 'glorified'—I know the meaning of that now. It's the time, after my death here, when I'll be on my feet dancing."325

  Peter Toon expresses the disappointment we often feel—and the hope we can have:

  The most tragic strain in human existence lies in the fact that the pleasure which we find in the things of this life, however good that pleasure may be in itself, is always taken away from us. The things for which men strive hardly ever turn out to be as satisfying as they expected, and in the rare cases in which they do, sooner or later they are snatched away.. . . For the Christian, all those partial, broken and fleeting perfections which he glimpses in the world around him, which wither in his grasp and he snatches away from him even while they wither, are found again, perfect, complete and lasting in the absolute beauty of God.326

  God is big enough not only to fulfill your dreams but also to expand them as you anticipate Heaven. When you experience disappointment and loss as you faithfully serve God here, remember: the loss is temporary. The gains will be eternal. Every day on the New Earth will be a new opportunity to live out the dreams that matter most.

  Certainly, some of our dreams are unworthy, and they'll be forgotten. But I think there's every reason to believe most of our God-honoring dreams that were unfulfilled on the old Earth will be fulfilled on the New Earth. If a young girl dies, will she miss out on doing fun and significant things on Earth she otherwise would have done? The standard response is, "To be with Jesus is better by far." That answer is correct but incomplete. Why? Because God has a future for us not just in the present Heaven but also as resurrected people on the New Earth.

  When we're young, we dream of becoming astronauts, professional athletes, or great musicians. As we get older, our dreams shrink and "realism" sinks in: We'll never be able to fulfill most of our dreams. The death of idealism robs us of our youthfulness and vitality. We become cynical and lose the sense of awe and wonder our dreams once infused us with.

  But when we realize that God calls us to be like children and that he'll give us a new universe and unlimited time, then we suddenly "get it." We realize we'll have opportunity to fulfill our dreams. In fact, we'll develop bigger dreams than we ever had—and fulfill those too. Our dreams will expand, not shrink. When the Curse is reversed, shrunken dreams will be revived and enhanced. Perhaps that's part of what it means to become like a little child and why childlikeness is necessary for Heaven. Children aren't disillusioned, hopeless, and cynical. Their dreams are great and broad. They don't list a hundred reasons why their dreams can't come true. Their dreams fuel their imagination and bring them joy. And eternal life on a New Earth means opportunity to fulfill every worthy dream.

  At the end of Peter Jackson's production of The Return of the King, Bilbo Baggins—extremely old, decrepit, and weak-minded—is invited to board an Elven ship to sail from Middle Earth to Valinor (a sort of intermediate Heaven). He smiles, and a youthful energy returns to his eyes as he says, "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure."

  For the Christian, death is not the end of adventure but a doorway from a world where dreams and adventures shrink, to a world where dreams and ad­ventures forever expand.

  As we head toward our future on the New Earth, we'll lose time and count­less opportunities here—but we'll regain them there. And the better we use our time and opportunity for God's glory now, the greater will be our opportunities there (Luke 16:11-12; 19:17).

  HOW SHOULD THE PROMISE OF COMPENSATION AFFECT US?

  The lack of an eternal perspective sets us up not only for discouragement but also for sin. We tell ourselves, If I don't experience an intimate relationship now, I never will. Or If I don't have the means to go there, I never will. Then we feel des­perate, tempted to take shortcuts to get what we want (what we thinkwe want). We're tempted toward fornication, dishonesty, or theft. Or we live in regret, greed, and envy. But if we understand that we'll actually live in a new heavens and New Earth, a new universe full of new opportunities, then we can forgo certain pleasures and experiences now, knowing we can enjoy them later.

  As I say in my book The Law of Rewards, it's by giving up various pleasures, possessions, and power now that we obtain them in the next world. So, it's not only virtuous for us to make sacrifices for the needy now; it's also wise. Jesus said if we help the needy who can't repay us, "You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous" (Luke 14:14). The treasures we lay up in Heaven will be ours to enjoy forever (Matthew 6:19-20).

  If we're Christians, we get two opportunities to live on Earth. This first one is but a dot. It begins, it ends. It's brief. The second opportunity will be a line, extending on forever. We all live in the dot. But if we're smart, we'll be living for the line.327

  We're told "in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness"
(2 Peter 3:13). Yet how many of us are truly looking forward to the New Earth? Consciously? Daily? In your idle moments, when your mind gravitates to whatever excites and interests you most, what do you think about? A new car? A movie? A business opportu­nity? A chance to get rich? An attractive man or woman? A fun vacation? Or the New Earth?

  Likely, you look forward to many things more than the New Earth. Yet liv­ing there with Jesus should be right at the top of our lists.

  Anticipating resurrected bodies and a resurrected Earth should greatly en­courage all who live with illness, disability, and the liabilities of old age. Some of you are bedridden, some are in wheelchairs. Others are weary, confused, un­able to do what you long to. But for those who know Jesus, all that will change. The Lord we long for, the world we long for, the relationships and body and mind we long for, will forever be ours.

  IS THE BEST YET TO BE?

  The opening lines of Robert Browning's poem "Rabbi Ben Ezra" resonate with many people:

  Grow old along with me!

  The best is yet to be,

  The last of life, for which thefirst was made.

  Unfortunately, an older couple reaches a time when those blissful words ring hol­low. Disease, senility, incapacitation, or accidents inevitably come, eventually bringing death. With death comes separation from one's beloved, a heartbreaking ending. Then Browning's lovely words may haunt us. Old age and the "last of life," romanticized in the poem, can be brutal, devastating, sad, and lonely.

  Nanci and I both watched our dear mothers die, then watched helplessly as our fathers got old and frail, in body and mind. From a human perspective, it felt hopeless because they'd been at their physical and mental peaks many years earlier, and all they could do was slide. But a biblical perspective changed everything for us. Scripture reminded us that God had a purpose for our par­ents and that after a brief period of deterioration, they would go to Heaven and immediately be relieved of their hardships. Then one day God will raise them, and they'll have new minds and bodies, ready to start fresh again on a New Earth.