Fundamental 10. 

Future Things

Many may believe and think we all should steer clear of such a “tricky” subject as the “end of the world.”  But intelligent people shouldn’t ignore what the Bible says about prophecy just because the world is full of fake prophets who belong in the supermarket tabloids.

Jesus had a great deal to say about the future!

God has a plan for the future, which includes the end of the world, as we know it and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.  The focal point of God’s future plan is the Second Coming of Christ, which will happen unexpectedly (Matthew 24:44).

 Judgment and eternal life in hell await unbelievers (Revelation 20:15).   All those who have believed in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in heaven, which Jesus is preparing for us (John 14: 1-3).

One of the most fascinating features of the Bible is that it tells what is ahead for our world.  Both Old Testament and New Testament contend that history is moving to a climax and that the sovereign God is in control.  Helmut Thielicke, in his book The Waiting Father, sums up this truth in a magnificent way:

• When the drama of history is over, Jesus Christ will stand alone upon the stage.  All the great figures of history – Pharaoh, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Churchill, Stalin, Johnson, Mao Tse-Tung – will realize they have been bit actors in a drama produced by Another.

We all think about the future.  It’s in our blood. Literally.  The eternal God, who made us in His image, built into every human being a desire for the eternal.  We hunger for that which goes beyond us.

Yet we’re also stuck in the present – limited in our bodies and in our minds as earthly beings.  That’s in our blood, too.  King Solomon expressed his frustration with this human paradox when he wrote: 

“I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:10-11.

Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets looked forward to “the Day of the Lord” and to the intervention of God in reclaiming the world and bringing the resolution of evil.  For those who worship God it will be a day of glorious hope; for those who serve evil and turn from God, final judgment will come.

The prophets envisioned a picture of security for God’s people—a time when nations would serve the God of Israel and a time when the law would be written on their hearts.

Their prophecies centered on the ”coming of the Messiah” who would rule the world in righteousness.

In the last days the mountains of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. (Isaiah. 2:2) 

He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.  They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore

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. (Isaiah 2:4) 

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.    (Jeremiah 31:31). 

Welcome to the End

Just as surely as we can trust the rest of what the Bible has to say, we can trust its information about prophecy (it comes from God Himself).  And the main message to keep in mind about The End is this:

• Our God is alive.

• He is coming back to earth.

• An eternal destiny of heaven or hell awaits us all.

There’s an enormous range of viewpoints on the “end times” among scholars.  Most disagreements focus on when.

Two terms describe the coming Deliverer in the Old Testament prophecies.  The Suffering Servant – Zechariah 9:9 already meticulously fulfilled.  The Reigning King – Zechariah 9:10 “He will proclaim peace to the nations.  His rule will extend from sea to sea”.

• The first coming pictures the Messiah as the Suffering Servant. The prophet Isaiah (Isa. 53) lists fifteen specific details that were fulfilled exactly in Jesus’ death.  Verses 3-12 speak of His suffering, rejection by His people, silence before His accusers, taking our sins on Himself, being treated unjustly, burial with rich people, and His resurrection from the dead.

It has been said that the odds of just eight prophecies fulfilled in exact detail are one in ten.  This first coming of Christ in Bethlehem, as the Suffering Servant, answered the hope of God’s people for a Messiah who would bring forgiveness and redemption for His people.

Through the cross and the Resurrection, Satan has been judicially conquered so that “by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).  But let us not forget, that Satan is still, temporarily, “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and he actively continues to oppose Christ and His church.

• At the second coming of Christ, He will come as the Reigning King: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end” (Isa. 9:6-7). 

The final rule of God in Christ will be consummated in this future second coming.  The prophets used both terms, the Suffering Servant and the Reigning King.  They “searched intently and with the greatest care” the details of the Redeemer’s coming without fully comprehending how and when their prophecies would be fulfilled.

1 Peter 1:10-12 – “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and the circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.  It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.  Even angels long to look into these things.”

Zechariah most explicitly told of both aspects, saying the King would arrive “righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey… He will proclaim peace to the nations.  His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”  Zechariah 9:9-10

When we’re thinking through future things, we have to focus on what we already know.

• We know that God is in charge.

• We know that He created the heavens and the earth, and that He is in the process of working out His eternal plan for all things.

• We know that all three Persons in the Godhead – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – are involved in the human history from Creation to completion.

We also know that God has chosen to make His Son the centerpiece of that human history.  Consider these facts about Jesus:

• Jesus is the Source of all Creation (John 1: 1-3)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

• Jesus holds Creation together (Colossians 1:17)

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

• Jesus is the Redeemer of sinful man (Ephesians 1:7)

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. 

• Jesus will bring to resolution God’s plan for human history (1 Corinthians 15:24)

Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.  

Christ the Beginning, Christ the End

Jesus is the Beginning and the End of all things here on earth.  He was involved in making the earth—and He will return to remake it.

When the future seems uncertain, we need to remember Jesus’ words about Himself:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:6)

Since in Jesus we “know personally” the Beginning and the End of all things, we can live confidently. 

Jesus is Coming

The glorious and incontestable fact that Jesus is coming the second time is the Christian’s firm hope.  However, the revealed details take some thought and study.

Jesus’ own description of His “Second Coming” cannot be equaled.  “I will come back and take you to be with me that you may be where I am” (John 14:3) 

“Immediately after the distress of those days… the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky . . . They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (Matthew 24: 29-30).

Remember at His ascension into heaven while the disciples stared heavenward, two men dressed in white stood beside them and said: “Men of Galilee…why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:10-11).

Paul also emphasized it:  “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

The second coming of Christ is the great expectation of the church.  And, as Christians we should, with Paul, love to look for that “blessed hope [and] the glorious appearing of our Great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

His coming is an incentive for holy living.

“And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28)

“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3) 

Neither the prophets nor the apostles mention the return of Christ for “speculative” purposes, but always as a motive for practical daily holiness.

This doctrine could be summarized with Peter’s words:  “…What kind of people ought you to be?  You ought to live holy and godly lives.” (2 Peter 3:11)  

The Tribulation

Some events prior to the second coming of Christ are included in the New Testament even though the writers also saw the Second Coming as imminent, not speculative, the next event.

Jesus gave a preview of some of these “end times” in His words on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24; Mark13; Luke 21).

The Tribulation is one inevitable thing that will precede Jesus’s coming. (Revelation 7:14).

…And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Satan’s longtime and persistent opposition to God’s work will accelerate to an extreme and be seen by all.

At this time the appearance of a being called the “Antichrist” will increase his opposition to God and Christ.  Before this person appears, the “spirit of antichrist” will be seen.

In fact, his presence was noted already in apostolic times: “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.  This is how we know it is the last hour”. (1 John 2:18).

Of this Antichrist John asked, “Who is the liar?  It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22) 

There are considerable differences of opinion among Bible scholars.  Some feel the descriptions given in Daniel 11:37 – He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all; and 2 Thessalonians 2:4 – He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God, refer to this same Antichrist.

One thing stands out:  those verses, along with a description of “the beast” in Revelation 13:3,13,16-17, present several striking similarities.

Satan will empower the Antichrist to act supernaturally with a view to deceiving and persuading men.  He may act as an ecclesiastical leader, manipulate religion for his own ends, and claim the worship due God.  He will also demand political allegiance and exercise economic pressure to force compliance.

(Revelation 13:16-17)

It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Those who try to oppose him will face trouble so great that unless God shortened the days no one would survive. 

(Matthew 24:21-22)

For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now –and never to be equaled again.  “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened”. 

Bible scholars give three differing views concerning whether believers will go through the final “Great Tribulation” or be taken to be with Christ before it.

1. The pretribulation view holds that Christ will return for His church before the Great Tribulation, thus allowing believers to escape the worst horror. Now called “the Rapture,” this view cites Revelation 7:14.  “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation.”

This Tribulation appears to coincide with the Seventy “Sevens” mentioned in Daniel’s prophecy:  “He [the prince that is to come, or Antichrist] will confirm a covenant with many [with Israel] for one ‘seven’.  In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering [in the temple at Jerusalem].  And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” (Daniel 9:27) 

By comparing the whole prophecy (Daniel 9) with parallel passages, these “sevens” are “sevens” of years, not days, according to pretribulation interpretation.  Thus, the Tribulation will be a literal seven-year period, ruled by the Antichrist, just before his final defeat by Christ. 

2. The midtribulation view holds that the Rapture will take place in the middle of the seventieth “seven,” three-and a-half years after its beginning.

3. The posttribulation view interprets Christ’s coming for His saints and His revelation (coming with His saints) as one and the same event, occurring just after the Tribulation.

The Millennium 

Another related and important question has to do with the period of 1,000 years (alluded to as the Millennium by scholars) and foretold in the Scripture, specifically by John in Revelation 20:1-10).

Three stages characterize this period, beginning with Christ reigning in peace as told in verses 1 – 4.  Satan is bound and can no longer deceive people for this 1,000 year period.

• Premillennialists believe Christ will come to reign for a literal 1,000 years on earth.  Finally Satan will be bound and can no longer deceive the nations.

The Millennium then is an extension and visible expression of Christ’s reigning in the hearts of His people on earth and in heaven.  Some see it as a fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel, involving the restoration of the Jews to their homeland as a nation and reestablishment of a literal throne, king, temple, and sacrificial system.

The second period John shows us in Revelation 20:4-6.  During this time, the martyrs “who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God…came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (v.4).

In Revelation 20:7-10, the third period sees the end of the 1000 years.  Satan is released and, with his cohorts, seeks to organize nations against God.  But quickly he and those with him are summarily overcome by God and thrown into the lake of fire for eternal torment. 

• Amillennialist believe the idea of a literal Millennium cannot be harmonized with the whole of biblical eschatology. (The study of end things).  They view the Millennium as only a symbol of the ideal church, not a literal reign.  The Millennium, then, will be a visible expression of Christ’s reign in the hearts of His people or the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel, involving the restoration of the Jews to their homeland.

• Postmillennialists see the influence of the Gospel as an increasing force for good that eventually leads to righteousness and peace on earth.  The missionary task of the church, they claim, includes he ultimate Christianization of society.

But whatever points of view one takes on the Tribulation, the Rapture, and the Millennium, it is thrilling to realize we all agree on the great, glorious, and incontestable fact that Jesus is coming again!!! 

Resurrection:  Believers and Unbelievers 

Extraordinary things will take place at the coming of Christ.

The resurrection of the believing dead will occur, and we [believers] who are still alive will be changed and “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 5:53).

The resurrection of the dead is emphasized in the New Testament, but it is taught throughout Scripture.  Job said: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.  I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another” (Job 19:25-27).

David anticipated this resurrection (Psalms 17:15), and Daniel mentioned it (Dan. 12: 1-3).  Jesus taught it repeatedly and emphasized that it will include all people: “A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:28-29).

The resurrection will be a physical rather than a merely spiritual event as evidenced by the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:44) and by that of Jesus Himself (Luke 24:39).

The resurrection of the body is part of our total redemption. (Romans 8:23) – …we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

A Christian should not long to be delivered from the body, with all of its weaknesses and problems, but should long for the body’s redemption.  Paul refers to our resurrection bodies as “clothed with our heavenly dwelling,” or “an eternal house” not built by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:2,4)

Our resurrection bodies will not be identical to the ones we have now, but they will be closely related to them.  The disciples, for example, recognized Jesus by the scars in His hands and side (John 20:27).

Believers will be resurrected at the coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16).  This will be the first resurrection (John 5:28-29), of which Paul wanted to be part  (Philippians 3:11).  It is literally the resurrection “out of the dead.”  That is, the righteous will be raised from among the wicked.

There is indication of a time lapse between the resurrection of believers to glory and the resurrection of unbelieves to judgment.  Though we cannot be dogmatic as to the exact length of this interval, at least 1,000 years will separate the two resurrections. 

It is appropriate to look again at the complete account from Revelation:  “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God.  They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their forehead or their hands. 

They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)  This is the first resurrection.  Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection.  The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6) 

Where are the Dead before the Resurrection? 

What about the condition of the dead believers before they are resurrected?

Some have inferred that the soul is without a body and that believers are in a condition of conscious joy.  Others note that God is timeless, and therefore to be present with God is to be out of the timeline, as we know it.  Regardless, Paul was willing “to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).  He said, referring to death, ”I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” . (Phil 1:23).

Dead believers are at rest:  “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord . . . they will rest from their labor” (Rev. 14:13).

The scriptures affirm the conscious existence of both the wicked and the righteous after death and before their resurrection, but give few details.  Unbelievers, however, await the resurrection in a state of suffering

(Luke 16:24) – So he called to him, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.” 

Death is frequently described in the Bible as sleep. In the Old Testament the term sleep is applied to all the dead, but in the New Testament it applies mostly to the righteous dead.  Paul used the word only of believers.  This term does not apply to the soul or spirit; it does not imply total unconsciousness until the resurrection.

It rather implies unconsciousness with reference to earthly life, for which consciousness of the body is necessary.

The dead are “asleep” so far as this world is concerned, but this in no way implies that they are asleep or unconscious to the other world or that their spirits are totally unconscious.

“Soul-sleep” (in which souls of the dead are to be at rest until Christ’s return) is taught nowhere in Scripture. 

Passages quoted to prove this doctrine refer primarily to bodily or physical life.  All that has been said about the state of the righteous dead bear this out.

The consciousness of the unrighteous dead is also clearly taught.  They are in prison (1 Peter 3:19), “After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits” which would be unnecessary if they were unconscious.  The story of the rich man and Lazars (Luke 16:19 – 31), whatever else it may or may not teach, shows that the unrighteous dead experience conscious suffering and punishment.

Evidence of Purgatory

The passages cited regarding what happens to people after they die give no evidence of purgatory.  A person dies either as one who has been redeemed or as one who is under judgment.  After death there is no passing over from one condition to the other.  Final judgment or redemption simply settles what has already begun at the time of death.

The Bible says more about the condition of the dead than about their location.

In the Old Testament the souls of all the dead are spoken of as going to sheol, which is translated grave, hell or pit:  “You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let hour Holy One see decay” (Psalms 16:10)

Sheol is a place of sorrow.  “The snares of death [sheol] confronted me,” said David (2 Samuel 22:6).

Hades, translated hell and grave, is the New Testament equivalent of sheol.  Other New Testament terms for the intermediate state include paradise (Luke 23:43) Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise,” and Abraham’s side (Luke 16:22) “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side…”

The Judgment

The intermediate state will be succeeded at last by the final judgment, toward which all history is heading. 

God is he Ruler of all men, the Lawgiver, and the final judge.  Sometimes the Bible mentions God (the Father) as judge: “God the judge of all” (Hebrews 12:23); and sometimes it mentions Christ as judge: “…Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead” (2 Timothy 4:1).

The relationship of the Father and the Son in judgment is made clear: “He [God, the Father] has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man [Christ] he has appointed.  He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

God is judging men and nations continually, but there will be a final judgment that all previous judgments foreshadow.  It will be an extension of past and present judgments.  An unbeliever “stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18).

The purpose of final judgment will not be to ascertain the quality of an individual’s character but rather to disclose his character and to assign him to the eternal place corresponding to what he is because of his trust or lack of trust in God.

Several future judgments are mentioned in Scripture.

The judgment of the living nations (Matthew 25: 31-46), according to Premillennialists, will take place at the return of Christ with His saints.  It will lead to the setting up of the millennial kingdom.

Believers will be judged, but not with unbelievers:  “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Plainly stated, the final judgment does not decide a believer’s salvation, but it appraises his works.

A Christian, in this judgment, can suffer loss of reward.  “William Evans writes in his book, The Great Doctrines of the Bible, “This is a judgment, not for destiny, but for adjustment, for reward or loss, according to our works, for position in the kingdom – every man according as his work shall be.”

The final judgment of the unsaved will be at the Great White Throne of God.  John describes it: “I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.  Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Another book was opened, which is the book of life.  The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (Revelation 20:11 – 12).

The final judgment of Satan will occur just before that of the Great White Throne:  “The devil, who deceived them [men], was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 20:10).  Presumably, Satan’s angels will be judged at the same time, for Jesus spoke of “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

HELL  

The final destiny of the wicked is hell.  This awesome place is described in various ways.  It is a place or state of everlasting fire (Mark 9:43; Matthew 25:41). It is spoken of as a lake of burning sulfur  (Revelation 20;10). 

Hell is conceived of as outer darkness (Matthew 8:12). It is described as a place of eternal torment and punishment (Revelation 14:10-11).  If figurative language is involved, it is obviously symbolic of something so awful no one in his right mind could be indifferent to avoiding it.

1. H. Strong in his book Theology describes hell this way: “the loss of all good, whether physical or spiritual, and the misery of an evil conscience banished from God and the society of the holy and dwelling under God’s positive curse forever.”

Nowhere in Scripture is there any trace of the idea that hell is a kind of “Jolly Boy’s Club”. Any such flippant notion is Satan’s lie. Hell, the “blackest darkness . . . forever” (Jude 13) utter aloneness.

1. S. Lewis defined hell as ”nothing but yourself for all eternity!” This is not the whole truth about hell, but it describes one of its most awful aspects.

A good resting place for our understanding about hell is God’s holiness.  Could He let Hitler go without paying for the consequences of his sin?  God’s character revolts at any sin, not only the gross ones.

There is no biblical evidence for believing in the final restoration of the lost or in the universal salvation of all men.  Perhaps the clearest disproof of these notions, as well as of final annihilation, is the fact that the same word, eternal, is used to describe both punishment and life: “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).

However we may try to qualify the word so that it means “age-long” rather than “everlasting”, we must apply the same qualification to the destinies of the righteous and the wicked.

We cannot, consistently, deny eternal punishment without also denying eternal life.  And “eternal life” is everlasting life.  Eternal certainly means “everlasting” when it is applied to God.  Why should it mean anything else when it modifies “punishment”?

There are, however, degrees of punishment in hell and of reward in heaven.  Christians, at “the judgment seat of Christ” in heaven, will suffer loss of reward because their works of “wood, hay or straw” will not stand the test of fire (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).  Simply stated, their capacity for enjoyment, though unlimited in duration, will be less than that of other Christians.

God, in His love, has done everything necessary to redeem man.

(Remember His admonition to Adam and Eve:  “Don’t eat!”)  His justice requires that He punish sin, but His love provides salvation freely for all who will accept it.

Those in hell are there because they refused or ignored God’s love; they are solely responsible for their condition.

Heaven

The final destiny of the righteousness is heaven.  Heaven is most simply defined as where God is.  It is a place of rest (Hebrews 4:9), of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17) of purity (Revelation 21:27), of worship (Revelation 19:1, of fellowship with others (Hebrews 12:23), and of being with God (Revelation 21:3). “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4)

Believers may receive one or more crowns – the crown of life (James 1:12), the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4), and the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8).  Those who have been won for Christ through our witness become our crown of rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19).  Through all of this, the center of heaven will be God Himself, the Lord of heaven.

Those around His throne are pictured as being in such awe that they cast their crown before Him, and say, “You worthy, our Lord and God” (Revelation 4:11).

Everything in heaven will be new:  “The earth and everything in it will be laid bare … But … we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:10, 13).  John reports: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.  (Revelation 21:1-2)

God’s kingdom will be established when “at the name of Jesus every knee should  [shall] bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Phillipians 2:10-11)

The kingdom of this world shall be the kingdom of our Lord, and He shall reign forever and ever.  His will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

Imagine this sight:  “[I saw] someone ‘like a son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet . . . His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.  His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters” (Revelation 1:13-15).

This is our hope – to see with our resurrection eyes the Lord Jesus, a sight that outstrips our comprehension.

Heaven could never be the boring experience of strumming a harp on a cloud, as some facetiously characterize it.  It will be the most dynamic, expanding, exhilarating, experience conceivable.

Our problem now is that, with our finite minds, we cannot imagine it.

In the classic words of John Newton’s hymn, Amazing Grace:

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years 

Bright shinning as the sun, 

We’ve no less days to Sing God’s praise 

            Than when we’d first begun.”

 

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