GodReflection:
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
I cannot remember a time during my life when I didn’t believe in an eternal heaven. My early concepts were rather blurred. I wasn’t sure how we were all going to fit onto one street paved with gold, not to mention how we were to walk on it if we were floating spirits confined to an eternal worship service, which was the message I seemed to hear from the church of my youth.
The more I read and dig through Scripture, my views have evolved through the years. I’ve changed my mind about heaven. The best I can tell what I think about heaven’s details at this point in my life—even if I am dead wrong—won’t cause me or anyone else to be lost.
Truth is the details of the eternal city; the new heaven and the new earth aren’t all that important to me. I suspect whatever God has prepared will make me laugh at the littleness of my current expectations when I realize what I thought was a grand vision back on my old earth home was only puny speculation compared to God’s new heaven and the new earth.
For now, it is enough to live with Jesus’ promise, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
By faith—confidence and assurance—I envision the future.
To trust that Jesus will fulfil his word to me and all who sign on to trust Him as Lord is sufficient to believe He will have an eternal home ready as He promised. I take Him at his word. It is enough to have a vision of my future by faith. By faith I see the future.
After a lifetime of Genesis to Revelation travel through Scripture, and incalculable hours of thought, let me describe the future I anticipate.
Jesus tells us there will come a perfect nanosecond in time when God the Father will conclude that all who lived have been given an opportunity to receive or reject the rule of God for their lives. “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows (Matthew 24:36).
Then the final drama of our eternal future will unfold. Paul uses imagery from the Old Testament as he describes people flowing out of the city to meet the victorious king—so too we will parade from our earthly city and rise up into the clouds to greet our victorious King Jesus:
We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first.
Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 The Message).
That will be the moment eternity begins in our new eternal and painless body. At some point in The Holy Process the judgement will take place and Creator God will restore earth and heaven to pristine perfect condition. We will descend to live forever on a new earth under a new heaven. Both will be recreated and restored by perfect God to align with His perfection. The darkness will be gone. We will live in eternal light. There will be no further degeneration and decay. God will return the creation to perfection where He can once again pronounce His blessing, “It is good.”
Since Satan will have received his own final judgement, he will not have a presence on the face of the new earth. Just think of it, there will be a complete absence of sin, suffering and death! On the restored earth, I will inhabit a new eternal and perfect body. There will be no need for diets, Pepto-Bismol, or blood pressure cuffs.
Evangelists, lawyers, physicians, and undertakers will all need a new job. Can you imagine the new perfect tasks The Holy will have ready for us. Each assignment will be assumed and administered with eternal satisfaction.
Every relationship will find eternal fulfilment. No harsh words will ever again pass through my lips. I fully anticipate a rich friendship with every person in God’s family who I knew on my earth walk.
In addition, I look forward to dialogue and rapport will those from other centuries and from other nations. I suspect I will be surprised at the size and the make-up of God’s family.
I anticipate a new life in a new city with blessings and amenities beyond what I could imagine in my wildest dreams.
And best of all I will live with and in the eternal presence, warmth and light that flows from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Just think, I will be able to see and to know more fully God, Christ, and Spirit, the joint creators. What an experience it will be to hear the voice of each Holy One call me by name as we live forever in perfect relationship.
Yes, one of the many ways I am blessed is the absolute fact that I am blessed to see the future heaven and earth. Can you see it? I look forward to eternity with you. Let’s keep trusting Father, Son, and Spirit. See you there.
Dr. Gary J. Sorrells
A GodReflection on Thoughts on Heaven and Earth and The Future.
God Reflection 
YES! Amém e amém!!! Thanks, dear Gary!
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Gary, thanks for whetting our appetites and giving us this small preview of what awaits! Come quickly Lord Jesus!
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