Heaven (42 page)

We'll discover what no one else has ever seen. We'll share our dis­coveries together, grabbing each other by the hand and
saying, "You can't be­lieve what Jesus made—an animal I've never dreamed of. You've got to come see it!"

We'll discover some things on our own, and we'll enjoy things that others have discovered. We'll get to share our finds.

Unlike the hypothetical experience of your arriving late to your vacation des­tination, you won't have missed out on the beginning
of the New Earth. You will be
there first
—with everyone else. When someone asks, "Remember when God made the New Earth and brought the New Jerusalem down out of Heaven
and came to dwell among us in the new world he built for us?" all of us will nod our heads and say, "Sure, I remember—how
could I ever forget?
I was there!"

What will it be like for those who died weak and elderly to take their first steps in their resurrected bodies? In C. S. Lewis's
The Last Battle,
on entering heaven Lord Digory says he and Lady Polly have been "unstiffened."
²⁷⁴
He adds, "We stopped feeling old." I look forward to seeing my mother and father "unstiffened" again—and to being completely
unstiffened myself!

How glorious it will be for grandchildren and grandparents—and great­grandchildren and great-grandparents who never knew each
other before—to enjoy youth together in the cities, fields, hillsides, and waters of the New Earth. To walk together, discover
together, be amazed together—and praise Jesus together.

WILL WE WITNESS TOGETHER GOD'S NEW CREATION?

In
The Magician's Nephew,
C. S. Lewis portrays two children, a few adults, and a horse transported from Earth to an unknown place. It's the darkness
and silence that precedes the day of Narnia's creation. They watch in wonder as this beauti­ful new world is masterfully shaped
by the creator, Asian the lion, who sings it into existence.
²⁷⁵

God asked Job, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? . . . On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while
the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7).

The picture is of angels, created beings, witnessing God's creation of the first Earth. I believe Scripture makes clear that
we'll have the privilege that was experienced by the fictional characters in
The Magician's Nephew
and by the real angelic beings who witnessed the creation of the first Earth: We will actually witness the creation of the
New Earth.

In John's vision, after he saw humanity's resurrection, he saw "a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away. . . . I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God" (Revelation
21:1-2).

Although Scripture doesn't state this, the New Earth's creation might un­fold in stages just as the old Earth's creation did.
The first Earth was raw and uninhabitable, dark and empty (Genesis 1:2). God then created light, and on subsequent days he
created water, sky, clouds, dry ground, vegetation, seed-bearing plants and trees, sun and moon and stars, and the entire
celestial heav­ens. Then he made the sea creatures, birds, and the rest of the animals, domestic and wild. Finally, he fashioned
the man.

God may form the ground of the New Earth directly from the old. He may form the waters of the new from the old. Romans 8 implies
he will form the plants and animals of the New Earth from the old Earth, just as he will form our resurrected bodies out of
genetic material from our old ones.

This time, however, new mankind will preexist the New Earth. But as he did for Adam and Eve, God will prepare it for us before
we step foot on it. Perhaps on the sixth day of the new creation, instead of being formed from the dust to begin civilization,
new men and women—who have beheld the new creation—will be brought down in the great city to settle on the New Earth, to continue
and expand civilization to the glory of God.

Perhaps we'll watch God at work for another creative week, beholding his unfolding wonders one by one. Of course, since the
forming of the New Earth is a resurrection of the old Earth, not a creation from nothing, its creation may be instantaneous.
Either way, it will be spectacular, and we will watch and
ooh
and
aah
and applaud.

Just as God presented Eve to Adam in Eden, so he will bring Christ's bride to the second Adam, Christ, on the New Earth.

We will behold the wondrous creation of the New Earth—and then we will descend to live in that place, reigning forever with
our beloved King Jesus.

CHAPTER 37

HOW WILL WE RELATE TO EACH OTHER?

W
ill relationships with people be less important to us in Heaven than they are now? If the reason we valued a relationship
stemmed from sin and the Curse, of course, we'd want no part of it in that evil way. But on the New Earth all relationships
will be rooted in righteousness. More than ever, we'll value human relationships that draw us toward God.

Joy comes from shared experiences, as every reading group, fan club, or so­cial organization testifies. I remember a weekend
I spent at a conference center high on a hill, in a thick forest. The view from the mountain was breathtaking. So what did
I do? After ten minutes of enjoying it and thanking God for it, I called my wife. Then my daughters. Then my friend Steve.
I just wanted to share the joy with those I loved.

God designed us to need other people. We are made in his image, and he himself is a plurality—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness'" (Genesis 1:26). Father, Son, and Spirit take pleasure in
each other's companionship. Jesus spoke to his Father while "full of joy through the Holy Spirit" (Luke 10:21). Similarly,
God has created us to take pleasure in his companionship, and in each other's.

Any vision of the afterlife that doesn't involve a society of human beings in meaningful relationship denies God's decree
that it isn't good for human beings to be without others of their kind. It also denies innumerable Scripture passages that
clearly reveal human society on the New Earth (e.g., Revelation 21:24-26; 22:2).

HOW WILL WE TREAT EACH OTHER?

We'll experience all the best of human relationships, with none of the worst. The burdens and tragedies of life will be lifted
from us. We'll be free of what dis­pleases God and damages relationships. No abortion clinics or psychiatric wards. No missing
children. No rape or abuse. No drug rehabilitation centers. No bigotry, muggings, or killings. No worry, depression, or economic
downturns. No wars. No unemployment. No anguish over failure and miscommunication. No pretense or wearing masks. No cliques.
No hidden agendas, backroom deals, betrayals, secret ambitions, plots, or schemes.

Imagine mealtimes full of stories, laughter, and joy without fear of insensitivity, inappropriate behavior, anger, gossip,
lust, jealousy, hurt feelings, or any­thing that eclipses joy. That will be Heaven.

Jonathan Edwards anticipated Heaven's joyful relationships:

No inhabitants of that blessed world will ever be grieved with the thought that they are slighted by those that they love,
or that their love is not fully and fondly returned. . . . There shall be no such thing as flattery or insincerity in heaven,
but there perfect sincerity shall reign through all in all. Everyone will be just what he seems to be, and will really have
all the love that he seems to have. It will not be as in this world, where comparatively few things are what they seem to
be, and where professions are often made lightly and without meaning. But there, every expression of love shall come from
the bottom of the heart, and all that is professed shall be really and truly felt.
²⁷⁶

WILL ALL PEOPLE BE EQUAL?

All people are equal in worth, but they differ in gifting and performance. God is the creator of diversity and diversity means
"inequality" of gifting (1 Corinthi­ans 12:14-20). Because God promises to reward people differently according to their differing
levels of faithfulness in this life, we should not expect equality of possessions and positions in Heaven.

If everyone were equal in Heaven in all respects, it would mean we'd have no role models, no heroes, no one to look up to,
no thrill of hearing wise words from someone we deeply admire. I'm not equal to Hudson Taylor, Susanna Wesley, George Mueller,
or C. S. Lewis. I want to follow their examples, but I don't need to be their equals.

There's no reason to believe we'll all be equally tall or strong or that we'll have the same gifts, talents, or intellectual
capacities. If we all had the same gifts, they wouldn't be special. If you can do some things better than I can, and I than
you, then we'll have something to offer each other.

We live in a culture that worships equality, but we err when we reduce equality to sameness. It's illogical to assume everyone
in Heaven will be able to com pose a concerto with equal skill or be able to throw a ball as far as everyone else. In a perfect
world, Adam was bigger and stronger than Eve, and Eve had beauty, sensitivities, and abilities Adam didn't. In other words,
diversity— not conformity—characterizes a perfect world.

We can sit for hours listening to the

interesting conversation of a learned

man. . . . If these pleasures are so exquisite

here below, where, after all, the wisest know

so little, what shall we say of those same

pleasures in heaven?

J. BOUDREAU

Scripture is clear that we'll have different rewards and positions in Heaven, according to our faithful service in this life.
Since everyone will be happy, what could be the nature of these differences? Jonathan Edwards said, "The saints are like so
many vessels of different sizes cast into a sea of happiness where every vessel is full: this is ternal life, for a man ever
to have his capacity filled. But after all 'tis left to God's sovereign pleasure, 'tis his prerogative to de­termine the largeness
of the vessel."
²⁷⁷

A pint jar and a quart jar can both be full, but the larger jar contains more. Likewise, in Heaven all of us will be full
of joy, but some may have a larger ca­pacity for joy, having been stretched through their dependence on God in this life.
John Bunyan said it well: "He who is most in the bosom of God, and who so acts for him here, he is the man who will be best
able to enjoy most of God in the kingdom of heaven."

WILL WE HAVE PRIVACY?

Some people understand Heaven as a place of complete communal living, where we'll always be with others and there will be
no privacy.

Scripture speaks of having our own individual dwelling places, which indi­cates privacy (Luke 16:9). In the context of the
New Earth, God says, "To his servants he will give another name" (Isaiah 65:15). Similarly, Jesus says, "I will also give
him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it" (Revelation 2:17). A name known only to
the recipient and God is private, indicating God will relate to us as individuals, not just as one large group.

C. S. Lewis asked, "What can be more a man's own than this new name which even in eternity remains a secret between God and
him? And what shall we take this secrecy to mean? Surely, that each of the redeemed shall forever know and praise some one
aspect of the divine beauty better than any other creature can. Why else were individuals created but that God, loving all
infi­nitely, should love each differently?"
²⁷⁸

Our different personalities, rewards, positions, and names in Heaven speak not only of our individuality but also of how God
finds unique reasons to love us. I love my wife and daughters, and I love different things about each.

We're like unique instruments, played by an orchestra to produce one beau­tiful sound, rich in its variety. We all have our
unique part in glorifying God. We bring something singular and vital to the concert of praise.

WILL THERE BE PRIVATE OWNERSHIP?

The fourteenth-century
Theologica Germanica
says, "In Heaven there is no ownership. If any there took upon him to call anything his own, he would straightway be thrust
out into hell and become an evil spirit."
²⁷⁹

Similarly, several Christian authors state, without biblical references, that people won't own anything in heaven. But what
about the different dwelling places believers will have in Heaven (Luke 16:4, 9)? What about the treasures Christ commanded
us to store up for ourselves in Heaven (Matthew 6:20)? What about the different crowns and rewards God will hand out according
to our works (2 Corinthians 5:10)?

Will your crown be as much mine as yours? Of course not. What about the white stone God promises to give to overcomers, with
the individual's new name written on it, a name no one else will know (Revelation 2:17)? Will you and I have equal possession
of those stones or names? No. What God gives you will be yours, not mine. The one he gives me will be mine, not yours. Is
this ownership wrong or selfish? No. Ownership is never wrong when God dis­tributes to us possessions
he
wants us to own.

God will give us an inheritance in Heaven (Colossians 3:24). Doesn't the word
inheritance
mean something tangible, belonging to us? This inheritance is given by the Father to the individual child in recognition of
proven character and faithfulness.

God promised Daniel, "You will rise to receive your allotted inheritance" (Dan­iel 12:13). Those who serve Christ on Earth
have waiting for them an allotted in­heritance in Heaven. What's allotted to Daniel will be his, not mine or yours.

Speaking of the New Earth, Christ says, "He who overcomes will inherit all this" (Revelation 21:7). Those faithful in serving
Christ will not simply
live
in the new universe; they will
own
it, ruling it to the glory of the ultimate owner, God.

Heaven isn't a socialist Utopia in which private ownership is evil. Material­ism, greed, envy, and selfishness are sins; ownership
is not. An ancient scholar wrote, "God . . . is the only Haver."
²⁸⁰
This sounds spiritual, but God is also a giver. If he gives to us, then we too become "havers."

God owns not only all of Heaven but also everything on Earth (Deuteron­omy 10:14). So what's "ours" is ultimately God's. But
that's as true here and now as in Heaven. That God owns whatever's "mine" and "yours" doesn't mean there's no distinction
between them. The early Christians generously shared their possessions (Acts 4:32-35). But this never negated private ownership.
Peter told Ananias that his property belonged to him before he sold it, and the money belonged to him after he sold it (Acts
5:4). In Heaven we'll no doubt de­light in sharing our treasures with others, but they will still be our treasures, generously
given to us by God.

Jesus says that those who have properly stewarded God's assets on Earth will be granted ownership of assets in Heaven. "If
you have not been trust­worthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?" (Luke 16:12). He also
commanded us, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20). He suggested that by parting with treasures now,
we invest them in Heaven, where they'll be waiting for us when we arrive.

WILL WE REGAIN LOST RELATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES?

Do you have family and friends you wish you could spend more time with? In Heaven you'll have unlimited time. I'm eager to
spend time again with my childhood friend Jerry, who died years ago. I anticipate meeting him in Heaven and picking up right
where we left off
²⁸¹

A young woman visiting a missionary in Eastern Europe asked her, "Isn't it hard being so far away from your [grown] children
and missing important events in their lives?"

"Sure," the missionary replied. "But in Heaven we'll have all the time to­gether we want. Right now there's kingdom work that
needs to be done." This woman knows where her true home is—and that life there will be real life and that relationships among
God's people will resume in ways even better than what we've known here.

We may not be able to regain opportunities that we passed up due to un­faithfulness, but I believe we'll regain whatever we
passed up in order to faith­fully serve God. Jesus said, "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. . . . Rejoice
in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven" (Luke 6:21-23).

Perhaps in some way on the New Earth, the wives and children of the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians will receive
"comp time" with their loved ones. Consider the millions of Christians who've suffered and died in prison be­cause of their
faith, who were snatched away from their families, deprived of op­portunities they craved with children and parents and spouses.
Wouldn't it be just like Jesus to reward them on the New Earth with opportunities to do the very things they missed—and far
better things as well? That would fit well with the words of Jim Elliot, one of the five murdered mis­sionaries: "He is no
fool who gives what he cannot keep to gam what he cannot lose.
²⁸²

I have held many things in

my hands, and I have lost

them all. But whatever I

have placed in God's

hands, that I still possess.

MARTIN LUTHER

Heaven offers more than comfort; it offers
compensation.
In the same way that the hungry will fill up in Heaven and those who weep will laugh, will those who suffer tragedy experience
a compensating victory? Maybe on the New Earth my friend Greg will experience a greater but not dissimilar form of the joy
he'd have had on this earth if he had not died as a teenager, impaled on a fence post. Maybe all my mom missed because she
died before our daughters became adults will be hers in Heaven. She was a faith­ful servant of God and loved her granddaughters,
who were very young when she died. I think God allowed my mom to watch them get married and become mothers, but one day she'll
do more than watch them. I think it's likely that when they're together on the New Earth, she'll enjoy all the time she missed
with them—and they with her. Maybe those who lost infants to miscarriage and dis­ease and accidents will be given make-up
time with them in the new world.

If a father dies before his daughter's wedding and if he and she are Chris­tians, then he'll be there for his daughter's ultimate
wedding—to Christ. They will experience a far greater joy on the New Earth than the joy they could have experienced on the
old Earth if he had lived longer. If he died before she be­came an accomplished pianist, he may hear her now from Heaven,
but he'll hear her play far better on the New Earth—and she'll see him watching her, delight on his face. If he never lived
to see his believing son play basketball, he'll not only see him play on Earth but also play with him on the New Earth. And
his children will enjoy the pleasure of seeing the look of utter approval on their fa­ther's face . . . and their Father's
face.