From Church Army Hoping that death is not the end We are very, very curious about the final destiny of humankind and this planet. Considering how big a book it is, the Bible says surprisingly little about it. But it gives us thrilling glimpses, and this is one of them. It comes from the book of Revelation, which is the last book in the Bible, and the strangest. Two or three generations had gone by since the time of Jesus. The writer used glorious language that clearly was not meant to be taken literally. To understand it you need to treat the ideas like you would treat the images of a poem - revealing wonderful and true things in a metaphorical way: I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away ... And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with human beings, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! From Revelation 21 It is worth thinking long and hard about the fantastic promises in the poetry: » There is life to be lived beyond our graves; » It will be blessed by the close presence of God; » Suffering, hunger and poverty will never blight it again; » Everything that is worn out on earth, including us, will be healed. In other places the Bible speaks of Heaven with equally compelling pictures - a hospitable place with food and friendship; an exhilarating place of music and beauty. But the essential thing that links all these things is the loving and magnificent presence of God. Men, women and children, completely healed and with their identity enriched to its full potential, will enjoy each other and enjoy God. And how do you get there? Some Christians think that Jesus death and resurrection took place for the whole of humankind, and that because Gods love has triumphed all will be welcomed into his presence. Others maintain that being accepted into heaven is conditional on making a commitment to Jesus on earth, and that those who reject him face a future in which they either cease to exist or suffer the endless regret of being separated from God. But on one thing every believer is agreed - those who follow Jesus can be absolutely sure of following him in life, through death, and into eternity. However, there is a challenge that comes with this great vision. The message of Jesus was not that the Kingdom of Heaven was a future reality; it was that his life on our planet had begun the Kingdom here and now. Our mission as Christians is to begin to create today for our fellow humans what God will fulfil in heaven.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 10:16:09 +0000
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