By David ReayThursday 21 Oct 2021LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (NLT)
Forget those images of heaven being streets paved with gold and winged creatures playing harps on clouds. These images are all legitimate attempts to describe the indescribable. The reality may well be that heaven is like this earth with all the bad removed and all the good intensified. The world as God originally made it to be.
Detailed speculation is unwise, but we can at least say that heaven is that place where God gets what he wants, where God’s will is done perfectly by perfect individuals. A place where love of God and others prevail. A place full of the presence and power and love of God. A place where we, in relationship with him and others, become the people we were always made to be.
Which, in passing, implies there must be an alternative destiny for those who want nothing to do with God. For such people, heaven would be hellish.
The will of God is not always done in this world, but when heaven finally invades earth and this earth is renovated, his will is freely and delightfully done. No more plucking the forbidden fruit, no more hiding from God. Here on earth we are generally intent on getting what we want. In the new heavens and new earth, we will rest content with God getting what he wants.
Can’t wait!
Blessings,
David