Heaven (43 page)
Authors: Randy Alcorn
In the movie
Babettes Feast,
through the misfortunes of war Babette was forced to leave Paris, where she'd been an exquisite gourmet cook. She ended up
as a maid for two women who led a small group of austere believers who frowned on such worldly things as good cooking. Babette
comes into a large sum of money and spends it all on a single dinner party given for the elderly sis ters she's come to love.
It's a picture of God's extravagant grace. Babette realizes she'll never again be able to afford to give such a gift or prepare
such a meal. Touched by Babette's generosity, Phillipa—herself a gifted singer who had little opportunity to develop her gift—consoles
her: "Babette, this is not the end; I'm certain it's not. In Paradise you will be the great artist that God meant you to be!
. . . Oh, how you will delight the angels!"
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For those who know God, this sentiment is biblical. He's a God who redeems lost opportunities—especially those lost through
our faithful service. I believe that once the Curse is lifted and death is forever reversed, we may live out many of the "could
have beens" taken from us on this old Earth.
I think it's probable that two friends who always dreamed of going to a special place, but never managed to, will be able
to go to that very place on the New Earth. And the man who couldn't get out of his wheelchair to go biking with his son will
never lack that opportunity again.
WHAT WILL OUR REUNIONS BE LIKE?
In
The Last Battle,
Lewis depicts wonderful reunions in Asian's country, which includes the New Narnia. Character after character from the earlier
stories reappears, many of them last seen centuries or millennia earlier: Reepicheep, Puddleglum, Rilian, Caspian, Trumpkin,
Bree, Mr. Tumnis, and countless others. They're together again, many meeting for the first time. Lucy and the other children
are thrilled to see them all. The reunions and introductions go on and on, and the reader doesn't want them to stop. When
everyone parted by death is restored to life—in familiar resurrected bodies on a familiar resurrected world and in the very
presence of their beloved Asian—it's contagiously thrilling.
For us, the ultimate reunion will be followed by endless adventures together. We'll likely have many temporary partings followed
by absolutely certain reunions. But never again will there be the separation of death, with its suffering and sorrow. Never
again will we wonder if we'll see those we love. Bishop Ryle assured his flock, "Those whom you laid in the grave with many
tears are in good keeping: you will yet see them again with joy. Believe it, think it, rest on it. It is all true."
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WHAT WILL NEW EARTH SOCIETY BE LIKE?
A
rt, music, literature, crafts, technology, clothing, jewelry, education, food preparation—all are part of society or culture,
which is the creative accomplishment of God's image-bearers. Human creations are an extension of God's own creative works
because he created us to reflect him by being creators.
Mankind glorifies God by taking what God made from nothing and shaping it into what is for mankind's good and God's glory.
The entire universe—including angels and living creatures in Heaven—should look at our creative ingenuity, our artistic accomplishments,
and see God in us, his image-bearers. If that's true now, how much more will it be true when there's nothing in us to dishonor
him?
We should expect the old Earth's social dynamics to carry over to the New Earth, except when they are a product of our fallenness
or when God reveals otherwise. It's true that with engines have come pollution and fatalities. With printing and publishing
have come godless books and magazines. With television has come the glorification of immorality and materialism. Computers
have led to Internet pornography. With the splitting of the atom came a destructive bomb and loss of human life. With medical
advances have come abortion and euthanasia. Yet
none
of these negative byproducts is intrinsic to the cultural advances themselves. Imagine those advances used purely for righteous
purposes, without sin to taint them.
What you are imagining is the New Earth.
WILL WE HAVE ETHNIC AND NATIONAL IDENTITIES?
Theologian Abraham Kuyper said, "We find it extremely difficult to form any idea of the social state in heaven."
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If by "heaven" Kuyper meant the present Heaven, he was correct. Scripture gives us pictures and hints, certainly, but they're
not conclusive. But if by "heaven" he meant the eternal Heaven, he was wrong.
We're shown that the eternal Heaven, on the New Earth, will be a physical environment with physical people who work, eat,
converse, and hold positions of authority. People live both inside and outside the city, come into each other's homes, travel,
and worship together. Leaders of nations will bring the splendor of different cultures into the city where Jesus Christ will
reign on the throne. These are only some of the indicators of our "social state" in Heaven.
Will we have ethnic and national identities? Yes. Is the risen Jesus Jewish?Certainly. Will we know he's Jewish? Of course.
Our resurrected DNA will be unflawed, but it will preserve our God-designed uniquenesses, racial and otherwise.
The elders sing to the Lamb: "You are worthy.... Your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and
people and nation. And you have caused them to become God's Kingdom and his priests. And they will reign on the earth" (Revelation
5:9-10, NLT). Who will serve as the New Earth's kings and priests? Not people who
were formerly
of every tribe, language, people, and nation. Their distinctions aren't obliterated but continue into the intermediate Heaven
and then into the eternal Heaven.
Tribe
refers to a person's clan and family lineage.
People
refers to race.
Nation
refers to those who share a national identity and culture. Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck said of the New Earth, "All those
nations—each in accordance with its own distinct national character—bring into the new Jerusalem all they have received from
God in the way of glory and honor."
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Like the current earthly Jerusalem, the New Jerusalem will be a melting pot of ethnic diversity. But unlike the current city,
the groups in the New Jerusalem will be united by their common worship of King Jesus. They will delight in each other's differences,
never resent or be frightened by them.
Unfortunately, in this world under the Curse, there's often hostility between races and nations. They're divided by sin, intolerant
of differences in appearance, language, and culture. Speaking of the racial divide between Jews and Gentiles, Paul says,
"For [Christ] himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility....
His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both
of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility" (Ephesians 2:14-16).
Christ died for our sins of racism. His work on the cross put racism to death. The redemption of mankind and the earth will
include the redemption of human relationships and the uniting of different people groups in Christ. Racist groups that purport
to be Christian are the opposite of Christian. There will be no racial prejudice in Heaven. There will be no illusions of
racial or national superiority, no disputes over borders.
Some scholars argue that the image of God has a corporate dimension: "There is no one human individual or group who can fully
bear or manifest all that is involved in the image of God, so that there is a sense in which that image is collectively possessed.
The image of God is, as it were, parceled out among the peoples of the earth. By looking at different individuals and groups
we get glimpses of different aspects of the full image of God."
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If this is true, and I believe it may be, then racism is not only an injustice toward people but also a rejection of God's
very nature. On the New Earth we'll never celebrate sin, but we'll celebrate diversity in the biblical sense. We'll never
try to keep people out. We'll welcome them in, exercising hospitality to every traveler. Peace on Earth will be rooted in
our common ruler, Christ the King, who alone is the source of "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with
whom He is pleased" (Luke 2:14, NASB).
Peace on Earth will be accomplished not by the abolition of our differences but by a unifying loyalty to the King, a loyalty
that transcends differences—and is
enrichedbj
them. The kings and leaders of nations will be united because they share the King's righteousness, and they, with him, will
rejoice in their differences as a tribute to his creativity and multifaceted character.
WHAT LANGUAGES WILL WE SPEAK?
Will there be one central language in Heaven, a language we'll all speak and understand? (The Evangelical Covenant Church
in which I became a Christian claimed it would be Swedish.) Scripture says of those with different languages, "They cried
out in a loud voice" (Revelation 7:10). This singular "voice" implies a shared language.
This could be a trade language, Heaven's equivalent to Swahili or English, second languages that many know in addition to
their native languages, allowing them to communicate. Or the common language could be our primary one. It maybe a universal
language God grants us without having to learn it. There's no indication Adam and Eve had to learn Eden's language, though
no doubt their vocabulary expanded with use. We may have a similar experience in Heaven.
God says of many different nations, "You have made them to be a kingdom" (Revelation 5:10).
One
kingdom,
one
world,
one
government. This implies one shared central language.
God could allow us to understand all languages even if we can't speak them. (Science fiction portrays this with a "universal
translator.") But Scripture seems to suggest more. The Babel account offers clues as to the importance of shared language
in an ideal society. "Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.. . . Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves
a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves.' . . . The Lord said, 'If as one
people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them'"
(Genesis 11:1,4,6).
God then confused their language and dispersed them, so their great city went unfinished. Notice that all people originally
shared one language, which empowered them to cooperate together in great achievements. But because they were united in self-glorification
rather than God-glorification, they embraced a false unity that would've empowered further rebellion and self-destruction.
Because the people weren't united around their God-designed purpose to rule the earth for his glory, God removed a source
of their destructive unity and power—their shared language.
In reversing the Curse, God will reverse Babel. Instead of people's building a city for their glory, God will build a city
for them, uniting them for his glory. In Genesis 11 the people attempted to connect Earth to Heaven with their city, making
Heaven one with Earth. In Revelation 21 God brings Heaven down to Earth, in his city, making Earth one with Heaven.
Once mankind is made righteous and entrusted with stewarding the New Earth, God will likely again restore a common language
(perhaps the same as Eden's, which apparently existed until Babel). Why? To make communication easy, not frustrating, and
to enhance cooperation and cultural accomplishments.
This common language would make it so that "nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them" (Genesis 11:6). When the
human heart is evil, that's bad; when the human heart is righteous, that's good. On the New Earth, all we propose to do will
be for God's glory and our good. God will no longer need to protect us from ourselves. We will never unite to destroy and
exploit, only to create and enhance. A shared language will likely be God's gift to empower us.
Nonetheless, it seems likely that in addition to our common language, we will maintain our current languages. Although the
confusion of languages at Babel was originally a curse, the gatherings in Heaven of people of every nation, tribe, and language
show that God will unite forever the people divided at Babel—not by eliminating their differences, but by eliminating sin,
suspicion, and hostility.
Some argue from the Babel account that the existence of a variety of nations and languages is an aberration of God's ideal.
Therefore, they conclude, it makes no sense that there would be more than one nation on the New Earth. But this perspective
fails to take into account God's ability to accomplish his purposes even through human rebellion. It is God (not human sin
or a curse) who is given credit for the making of nations: "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit
the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live" (Acts 17:26). Even
if it defies our logic (though in my opinion it shouldn't), Scripture is explicit about the fact that there will be different
nations, and kings of those nations, on the New Earth (Revelation 21:24-26). Whether they will speak different languages
is a matter of opinion, but the existence of different nations is directly revealed.
Through understanding other languages, we'll broaden our view of God. "Is it possible that in heaven, we will have a word
or words for 'worship' that will include all the connotations from all the languages of the world?"
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I think it's likely.
The diversity of languages provides a wider range of opportunity to glorify God: "We hear them declaring the wonders of God
in our own tongues!" (Acts 2:11). In Heaven we may hear people use a certain word from their language to describe one of God's
attributes, and we may suddenly respond, "Yes, that's it!
That's
what I was trying to understand!"
In Heaven will Cambodians place their hands together and bow their heads in greeting? Will Kenyans dance to their distinctive
drumbeats? Will Argentineans love soccer? Will Cubans speak Spanish and Britons speak English and Brazilians speak Portuguese?
Why wouldn't they?
We won't be omniscient, so it's doubtful we'll know all languages. But certainly we could learn them much faster. Those of
us who aren't naturally gifted in languages may be amazed at our abilities. Language experts, including translators, may see
their skills pick up where they left off and further develop at unprecedented rates. They'll have eternity to learn as many
languages as they wish.
What purpose will different languages serve on the New Earth? Knowing a language is part of understanding who people are and
what their culture is like. As we develop new friendships in Heaven, we might enjoy learning people's first language in order
to know them better. Perhaps within days or weeks we'll be able to understand new languages. Maybe throughout the course of
a dinner conversation we'll steadily pick up the language of new friends, creating a bond and appreciation for them and their
culture and our God.
WILL HEAVEN HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL TRIBES AND LANGUAGES?
Tribes, peoples, and nations will all make their own particular contribution to the enrichment of life in the New Jerusalem
(Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 21:24-26). Daniel prophesied that the Messiah would be "given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that
all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him" (Daniel 7:14, ESV). Just as the church's diversity of gifts serves the
good of others (1 Corinthians 12:7-11), so our diversity will serve everyone's good in the new universe. Cornelius Venema
wrote, "Nothing of the diversity of the nations and peoples, their cultural products, languages, arts, sciences, literature,
and technology—so far as these are good and excellent—will be lost upon life in the new creation."
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Consider what it will be like to see the Masai of Kenya, the Dinka of Sudan, the Hmong, Athabaskans, Tibetans, Aucans, Icelanders,
Macedonians, Moldovans, Moroccans, and Peruvians. Hundreds of nations, thousands of people groups will gather to worship Christ.
And many national and cultural distinctives, untouched by sin, will continue to the glory of God.
God brings good even out of evil. His judgment on Babel accomplished his good purpose of creating a diversity of nations and
languages, which would bring him glory through Christ's redemptive work. "From one man he made every nation of men, that they
should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live" (Acts
17:26). The nations are not afterthoughts or accidents.
