Authors: Randy Alcorn
Heaven (23 page)
HOW CAN MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ALL BE WITH JESUS AND RECEIVE PERSONAL ATTENTION?
After the first edition of this book, this question was one of the most frequently asked. It's worth considering.
Though it's possible we may cover vast distances at immense speeds in God's new universe, I don't believe we'll be capable
of being two places at once. Why? Because we'll still be finite. Only God is infinite.
Because the resurrected Christ is both man and God, the issue of whether he can be in more than one place at the same time
involves a paradox not only in the future, but also in the present.
Since God will make the new earth his dwelling place, and since where God dwells therein heaven is, we shall then continue
to be in heaven while we are on the new earth. For heaven and earth will then no longer be separated as they are now, but
they will be one. But to leave the new earth out of consideration when we think of the final state of believers is greatly
to impoverish biblical teaching about the life to come.
PETER TOON
On the one hand, Jesus is a man, and man is finite and limited to one location. On the other hand, Jesus is God, and God is
infinite and omnipresent. In a sense, then, one of these truths has to yield somewhat to the other. I suggest that perhaps
Christ's humanity defined the extent of his presence in his first coming and life on Earth (humanity thereby trumping deity
by limiting omnipresence). But Christ's deity may well define the extent of his presence in his second coming and life on
the New Earth (deity thereby trumping the normal human inability to be in two places at once). Jesus has and always will have
a single resurrected body, in keeping with his humanity. Yet that body
glorified
may allow him a far greater expression of his divine attributes than during his life and ministry here on Earth.
Since we can accurately say that Jesus' functioning as a man does not prohibit him from being God, we must also say that
Jesus' functioning as God does not prohibit him from being a man. So, although we cannot conceive exactly how it could happen,
I believe it's entirely possible that Jesus could in the future remain a man while fully exercising the attributes of God,
including, at least in some sense, omnipresence.
Don't we already see that now? Where is Christ? At the right hand of God (Hebrews 12:2). Just before dying, Stephen saw him
there (Acts 7:55). Jesus will remain there until he returns to the earth. In terms of his human body, Christ is in one location,
and only one.
But despite his fixed location at God's right hand, Jesus is here now, with each of us, just as he promised to be (Matthew
28:20). He dwells in our hearts, living within us (Ephesians 3:17; Galatians 2:20). If even now, in this sin-stained world,
he indwells those who are saints and yet sinners, how much more will he be able to indwell us in the world to come when no
sin shall separate us from him? That indwelling will in no way be obscured by sin.
On the New Earth, isn't it likely we might regularly hear him speak to us directly as he dwells in and with us, wherever
we are? Prayer might be an unhindered two-way conversation, whether we are hundreds of miles away in another part of the
New Jerusalem, thousands of miles away on another part of the New Earth, or thousands of light years away in the new universe.
Consider the promise that when Christ returns "every eye will see him" (Revelation 1:7). How is that physically possible?
By the projection of his image? But every eye will see
him,
not merely his image. Will he be in more than one place at one time?
If God took on human form any number of times, as recorded in Scripture, couldn't Christ choose to take on a form to manifest
himself to us at a distant place? If he did that, might he not take on a temporary form very similar in appearance to his
actual physical form, which may at that moment be sitting on the throne in the New Jerusalem? Might Jesus appear to us and
walk with us in a temporary but tangible form that is an expression of his real body? Or might the one body of Jesus be simultaneously
present with his people in a million places?
Might we walk with Jesus (notjust spiritually, but also physically) while millions of others are also walking with him? Might
we not be able to touch his hand or embrace him or spend a long afternoon privately conversing with him—notjust with his spirit,
but his whole person?
It may defy our logic, but God is capable of doing far more than we imagine. Being with Christ is the very heart of Heaven,
so we should be confident that we will have unhindered access to him.
WILL GOD SERVE US?
Jesus said, "It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will
dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them" (Luke 12:37).
This is an amazing passage. Jesus says that the Master will do something culturally unthinkable—become a servant to his servants.
Why? Because he loves them, and also out of appreciation for their loyalty and service to him. The King becomes a servant,
making his servants kings! Notice that he won't merely command his other servants to serve them. He will do it himself.
We will be in Heaven only because "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many" (Matthew 20:28). We must assent to Christ's service for us (John 13:8). But even in Heaven, it appears, Jesus will
sometimes serve us. What greater and more amazing reward could be ours in the new universe than to have Jesus choose to serve
us?
If it was our idea that God would serve us, it would be blasphemy. But it's
his
idea. As husbands serve their wives and parents serve their children, God desires to serve us. "On this mountain the Lord
Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples" (Isaiah 25:6). God will be the chef—he'll prepare us a meal. In
Heaven, God will overwhelm us with his humility and his grace.
Both God the Father and God the Son are portrayed as reigning on thrones in Heaven. But what will be the Holy Spirit's role?
The answer isn't spelled out in detail, but we can surmise that he'll be involved in creating the new heavens and New Earth
(Genesis 1:2; Isaiah 32:15). He may continue to indwell believers (John 16:7). He'll empower us to rule wisely with Christ
(Deuteronomy 34:9; Judges 3:10). He may still move our hearts to glorify and worship the Father and the Son (John 16:14;
Revelation 19:1-10). He'll continue forever as their companion in the Triune Godhead (Genesis 1:26; Hebrews 9:14).
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WHOM WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
If you had the opportunity to spend the evening with any person who's ever lived, whom would you choose? Probably someone
fascinating, knowledgeable, and accomplished. High on my list would be C. S. Lewis, A. W. Tozer, Jonathan Edwards, Hudson
Taylor, and Charles Spurgeon. Or how about Ruth, David, Mary, Paul, or Adam and Eve? I'd enjoy meeting Eric Liddell, the great
runner and Christ-follower portrayed in
Chariots of Fire.
Perhaps you'd choose someone beautiful and talented. Maybe you'd hope that at the end of the evening he or she would have
enjoyed your company enough to want to spend time with you again.
Is Jesus the first person you would choose? Who is more beautiful, talented, knowledgeable, fascinating, and interesting than
he?
The good news is,
he chose you.
If you're a Christian, you'll be with him for eternity and enjoy endless fascinating conversations and experiences. Incredibly,
he'll also enjoy your company and mine. After all, he paid the ultimate price just so he could have us over to his place for
eternity.
Most of us would love to spend the evening with a great author, musician, artist, or head of state. God is the master artist
who created the universe, the inventor of music, the author and main character of the unfolding drama of redemption. Head
of state? He's king of the entire universe. Yet if someone says, "I want to go to Heaven to be with God forever," others wonder,
Wouldn't that be boring?
What are we thinking?
The very qualities we admire in others—every one of them—are true of God. He's the source of everything we find fascinating.
Who made Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart? Who gave them their gifts? Who created music itself and the ability to perform it?
All that is admirable and fascinating in human beings comes from their creator.
HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD
In a sense, we're already in Heaven with Christ: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died,
and
your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:1-4, emphasis added).
Our intimate link with Christ in his redemptive work makes us inseparable from him, even now. As we walk with him and commune
with him in this world, we experience a faint foretaste of Heaven's delights and wonders.
Though it's true that Christ is with us and within us while we're on Earth, it also works in the other direction—we're united
with Christ, so much so that we are seated with him in Heaven: "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the
heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).
Notice that the following description, written to believers alive on Earth, is in the present perfect (not future) tense,
which expresses a completed action: "You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You
have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written
in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect" (Hebrews 12:22-23).
In a metaphysical sense, we've already entered Heaven's community. By seeing ourselves as part of the heavenly society, we
can learn to rejoice
now
in what Heaven's residents rejoice in. They rejoice in God, his glory, his grace, and his beauty. They rejoice in repentant
sinners, the saints' faithfulness and Christlikeness, and the beauty of God's creation. They rejoice in the ultimate triumph
of God's Kingdom and the coming judgment of sin.
Heaven, then, isn't only our future home. It's our home already, waiting over the next hill. If we really grasp this truth,
it will have a profound effect on our holiness. A man who sees himself seated with Christ in Heaven, in the very presence
of a God to whom the angels cry out, "Holy, holy, holy," won't spend his evenings viewing Internet pornography.
No wonder the devil is so intent on keeping us from grasping our standing in Christ—for if we see ourselves in Heaven with
Christ, we'll be drawn to worship and serve him here and now, creating ripples in Heaven's waters that will extend outward
for all eternity.
HOW WILL WE WORSHIP
GOD?
What is the essence of heaven ?... [It is the] beatific vision, love, and enjoyment of the triune God. For the three divine
persons have an infinitely perfect vision and love and enjoyment of the divine essence and of one another. And in this infinite
knowing, loving and enjoying lies the very life of the triune God, the very essence of their endless and infinite happiness.
If the blessed are to be endlessly and supremely happy, then, they must share in the very life of the triune God, in the divine
life that makes Them endlessly and infinitely happy.
E.J. Fortman
H
ave you ever—in prayer or corporate worship or during a walk on the beach—for a few moments experienced the very presence
of God? It's a tantalizing encounter, yet for most of us it tends to disappear quickly in the distractions of life. What
will it be like to behold God's face and never be distracted by lesser things? What will it be like when every lesser thing
unfailingly points us back to God?
Today, many Christians have come to depreciate or ignore the beatific vision, supposing that beholding God would be of mere
passing interest, becoming monotonous over time. But those who know God know that he is anything
but
boring. Seeing God will be dynamic, not static. It will mean exploring new beauties, unfolding new mysteries—forever. We'll
explore God's being, an experience delightful beyond comprehension. The sense of wide-eyed wonder we see among Heaven's inhabitants
in Revelation 4-5 suggests an ever-deepening appreciation of God's greatness. That isn't all there is to Heaven, but if it
were, it would be more than enough.
In Heaven, we'll be at home with the God we love and who loves us wholeheartedly. Lovers don't bore each other. People who
love God could never be bored in his presence. Remember, the members of the triune Godhead exist in eternal relationship with
each other. To see God is to participate in the infinite delight of their communion.
ALL-ENCOMPASSING WORSHIP
Most people know that we'll worship God in Heaven. But they don't grasp how thrilling that will be. Multitudes of God's people—of
every nation, tribe, people, and language—will gather to sing praise to God for his greatness, wisdom, power, grace, and
mighty work of redemption (Revelation 5:13-14). Overwhelmed by his magnificence, we will fall on our faces in unrestrained
happiness and say, "Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!" (Revelation 7:9-12).
People of the world are always striving to celebrate—they just lack ultimate
reasons
to celebrate (and therefore find lesser reasons). As Christians, we have those reasons—our relationship with Jesus and the
promise of Heaven. "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself
will be with them and be their God" (Revelation 21:3). Does this excite you? If it doesn't, you're not thinking correctly.
I find it ironic that many people stereotype life in Heaven as an interminable church service. Apparently, church attendance
has become synonymous with boredom. Yet meeting God—when it truly happens—will be far more exhilarating than a great meal,
a poker game, hunting, gardening, mountain climbing, or watching the Super Bowl. Even if it were true (it isn't) that church
services must be dull,
there will be no church services in Heaven.
The church (Christ's people) will be there. But there will be no temple, and as far as we know, no services (Revelation 21:22).
Will we always be engaged in worship? Yes and no. If we have a narrow view of worship, the answer is no. But if we have a
broad view of worship, the answer is yes. As Cornelius Venema explains, worship in Heaven will be all-encompassing: "No legitimate
activity of life—whether in marriage, family, business, play, friendship, education, politics, etc.—escapes the claims of
Christ's kingship. . . . Certainly those who live and reign with Christ forever will find the diversity and complexity of
their worship of God not less, but richer, in the life to come. Every legitimate activity of new creaturely life will be included
within the life of worship of God's people."
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Will we always be on our faces at Christ's feet, worshiping him? No, because Scripture says we'll be doing many other things—living
in dwelling places, eating and drinking, reigning with Christ, and working for him. Scripture depicts people standing, walking,
traveling in and out of the city, and gathering at feasts. When doing these things, we won't be on our faces before Christ.
Nevertheless, all that we do will be an act of worship. We'll enjoy full and unbroken fellowship with Christ. At times this
will crescendo into greater heights of praise as we assemble with the multitudes who are also worshiping him.
Worship involves more than singing and prayer. I often worship God while reading a book, riding a bike, or taking a walk.
I'm worshiping him now as I write. Yet too often I'm distracted and fail to acknowledge God along the way. In Heaven, God
will always be first in my thinking.
Even now, we're told, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). That
God expects us to do many other things, such as work, rest, and be with our families, shows that we must be able to be joyful,
pray, and give thanks
while doing other things.
Have you ever spent a day or several hours when you sensed the presence of God as you hiked, worked, gardened, drove, read,
or did the dishes? Those are foretastes of Heaven—not because we are doing nothing but worshiping, but because we are worshiping
God
as we do everything else.
In Heaven, where everyone worships Jesus, no one says, "Now we're going to sing two hymns, followed by announcements and prayer."
The singing isn't ritual but spontaneous praise (Revelation 5:11-14). If someone rescued you and your family from terrible
harm, especially at great cost to himself, no one would need to tell you, "Better say thank you." On your own, you would shower
him with praise. Even more will you sing your Savior's praises and tell of his lifesaving deeds.
In 2003 when Saddam Hussein's statues were being torn down in Baghdad, a television commentator said something so striking
that I wrote it down. He said, "These people are used to coming out in the streets and praising Saddam. If they didn't, they
were punished. He had a policy of compulsory adulation."
God seeks worshipers (John 4:23). But he has no policy of compulsory adulation. His children's response to him is voluntary.
Once we see God as he really is, no one will need to beg, threaten, or shame us into praising him. We will overflow in gratitude
and praise. We are
created
to worship God. There's no higher pleasure. At times we'll lose ourselves in praise, doing nothing but worshiping him. At
other times we'll worship him when we build a cabinet, paint a picture, cook a meal, talk with an old friend, take a walk,
or throw a ball.
WHY WORSHIP CAN'T BE BORING
Some subjects become less interesting over time. Others become more fascinating. Nothing is more fascinating than God. The
deeper we probe into his being, the more we want to know. One song puts it this way: "As eternity unfolds, the thrill of knowing
Him will grow."
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We'll never lose our fascination for God as we get to know him better. The thrill of knowing him will never subside. The desire
to know him better will motivate everything we do. To imagine that worshiping God could be boring is to impose on Heaven our
bad experiences of so-called worship. Satan is determined to make church boring, and when it is, we assume Heaven will be
also. But church can be exciting, and worship exhilarating. That's what it will be in Heaven. We will see God and understand
why the angels and other living creatures delight to worship him.
Hearts on earth may say in the course of a joyful experience, "I don't want this ever to end." But invariably it does. The
hearts of those in heaven say, "I want this to go on forever." And it will.There is no better news than this.
J. I. PACKER
Have you known people who couldn't be boring i f they tried? Some people are just fascinating. It seems I could listen to
them for ever, cut not really. Eventually, 1 d feel as if I'd gotten enough. But we can never get enough of God. There's no
end to what he knows, no end to what he can do, no end to who he is. He is mesmerizing to the depths of his being, and those
depths will never be exhausted. No wonder those in Heaven always redirect their eyes to him—they don't want to miss anything.
At times throughout the day, as I work in my office, I find myself on my knees thanking God for his goodness. When I eat a
meal with my wife, talk with a friend, or take our dog for a walk, I worship God for his goodness. The world is full of praise-prompters—the
New Earth will overflow with them. I've found great joy in moments where I've been lost in worship—many of them during church
services—but they're too fleeting. If you've ever had a taste of true worship, you crave
more
of it, never less.
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving
thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:19-20). The music we make isn't
congregational singing. It's in our hearts and in our daily lives. Has someone ever done something for you that makes you
so grateful that you just can't stop saying thank you? This is how we should feel about God.
The holiness of God that overwhelmed Isaiah will be utterly engrossing to hearts made holy. J. C. Ryle writes, "Without holiness
on earth, we shall never be prepared to enjoy heaven. Heaven is a holy place, the Lord of heaven is a holy being, the angels
are holy creatures. Holiness is written on everything in heaven.... How shall we ever be at home and happy in heaven if we
die unholy?"
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In Heaven, worshiping God won't be restricted to a time posted on a sign, telling us when to start and stop. It will permeate
our lives, energize our bodies, and fuel our imaginations.
CHRIST AND HIS BRIDE
Jonathan Edwards said of people in Heaven, "As they increase in the knowledge of God and of the works of God, the more they
will see of his excellency; and the more they see of his excellency... the more will they love him; and the more they love
God, the more delight and happiness . . . will they have in him."
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Jesus called his
disciples friends
(John 15:15). He likewise regards us with deep affection. Good friendship is characterized by growth. Friendship with the
God of Heaven has the most room for growth because of his inexhaustible greatness. Yet our relationship with Christ goes even
beyond friendship.
"Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!"(Revelation 19:9). It's amazing enough that we'll be
invited to the King's wedding. What's beyond amazing is that we'll be his bride. (Think about
that
for a few million years!) There is an intimacy between husband and wife that includes close friendship yet also transcends
it.
The return of Christ will signal not only the Father rescuing his children but also the Bridegroom rescuing his bride. As
the church, we're part of the ultimate Cinderella story—rescued from a home where we labor, often without appreciation or
reward. One day we'll be taken into the arms of the Prince and whisked away to live in his palace. When "the wedding of the
Lamb has come" (Revelation 19:7), the New Jerusalem, consisting not only of buildings but of God's people, will come down
out of Heaven, "prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband" (Revelation 21:2); "And his bride has made herself
ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear" (Revelation 19:7-8). The eyes of the universe will be on the Bridegroom,
but also on the bride for whom he died.
I have vivid memories of my wife's and daughters' pure beauty in their wedding dresses. The church, Christ's bride, should
likewise be characterized by purity, as a fitting gift to our Bridegroom, the crown prince who has been utterly faithful
to us.
If I were to ask you, "What does the fine linen the bride is wearing stand for?" you might be inclined to say, "The righteousness
of Christ that covers us." Significantly, however, the text says something different: "Fine linen stands for the righteous
acts of the saints" (Revelation 19:8). It's only because of the Bridegroom's work that the chosen princess, the church, can
enter the presence of her Lord. Yet her wedding dress is woven through her many acts of faithfulness while away from her
Bridegroom on the fallen Earth. The picture is compelling. Each prayer, each gift, each hour of fasting, each kindness to
the needy, all of these are the threads that have been woven together into this wedding dress. Her works have been empowered
by the Spirit, and she has spent her life on Earth sewing her wedding dress for the day when she will be joined to her beloved
Bridegroom.
This gives us a wonderful reason to stay alive, even though we are apart from our beloved. Why? Because we aren't yet finished
sewing our wedding dress. The wedding approaches, yet there's more for us to do to present ourselves pure before our Lord.
We're eager for his return, but we don't sit idly by. Part of us wants fewer days between now and the wedding, because we're
so eager to be with our beloved in our new home. But another part wants more days to better prepare for the wedding, to sew
our dress through acts of faithful service to God.
The imagery is beautiful but potentially disturbing. A pure bride doesn't want to appear scantily clad at the altar before
her beloved Bridegroom and a multitude of guests. But if she has been diligent to prepare, her dress will be substantial and
complete.
