Randy Alcorn
Revelation 21, 22 (from Genesis 1, 2)
When we die, it is not the end of a relationship. It is merely the interruption of a relationship and a grand reunion awaits us in the presence of God. Death transports us into the presence of God.
We will be transformed and unable to sin any longer as we stand in the presence of God. We will instead worship and glorify Him forever.
Heaven is not a place of ignorance. Rather it is a place of perspective, of understanding the purposes of God and the greater plan of God.
Satan, however, deceives us about heaven and what it will be like just like he deceives us about everything else in our lives. It is for this reason that so many of us have a view of heaven that is unattractive due to a faulty understanding of heaven.
Heaven will be a redeemed earth much like the earth that we now enjoy without all the sin and corruption we now experience. And we will then be able to see the face of God (Revelation 21:4) which we cannot now do.
In heaven we will receive the ultimate gift of Christ as our portion along with all things together with Him. Christ will be our primary joy, the source of all. And everything else will be a secondary joy, derived from Christ Himself.
Things are beautiful because God is beautiful. Things are powerful because God is powerful. Things are interesting because God is interesting.
We are to be looking forward to heaven because we are looking forward to being with God. We are going to love heaven precisely because we love the Creator, the Inhabitant of heaven.
God created the world to be majestic and glorious filled with worshipers of Him. But sin entered the world and corrupted all things. But God, in heaven, will recreate the world he originally meant for us to live in with new bodies that are free from sin as they were meant to be.
We will sit at table and eat and drink and laugh and play with saints from all generations.
God made us as human beings that would be composed of body and spirit that weren’t made to be separated (Genesis 2:7). That is why the resurrection is so significant.
There will be nations and kings in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:14). The heavenly city will be accessible to all as many go in and out. Culture will be redeemed from what happened to it after the fall. Just like God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden, He will in the new heaven and earth dwell with us.
We will see again and have access too the tree of life that Adam and Eve were cut off from when God banned them from the Garden of Eden.
We will worship God through serving Him and we will reign forever and ever.
God will redeem all of creation, we along with everything else that was subjected to futility (Romans 8:20).
…that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:7
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