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By Nathan Bierma
My thesis in this
book is very simple, but, in my experience, very far-reaching: We don't
hope for heaven,
we should, and we can. The problem is
the imagery of heaven that dominates our minds: floating around on
clouds, playing harps, and chanting hymns.
This might seem like a nice vacation, but it's hard to hope for as
an eternal existence, especially when
it all remains such a mystery. The message of Revelation 21 is that
heaven will not be airy and detached,
but rather a very earthly resolution of this current era. Heaven will be
on earth, this earth. more...
| The doctrine of the new earth
is important for a proper grasp of the full dimensions of God’s redemptive
program. The work
of Christ is not just to save certain individuals, not even to save an innumerable throng of blood-bought people. The total work of Christ is nothing less than to redeem this entire creation from the effects of sin. That purpose will not be accomplished until God has ushered in the new earth, until Paradise Lost has become Paradise Regained. We need a clear understanding of the doctrine of the new earth, therefore, in order to see God’s redemptive program in cosmic dimensions. We need to realize that God will not be satisfied until the entire universe has been purged of all the results of man’s fall. - Anthony Hoekema, The Bible And The Future |
| The Christian life is directed
toward a City, a place in which God's redemptive purpose for his creation
will be realized. If we think of the future life as a disembodied existence
in an ethereal realm - which is not, I have suggested, our ultimate goal
- then it is difficult to think of our present cultural affairs as in any
sense a positive preparation for heavenly existence. But if we think of
the future life in terms of inhabiting a Heavenly City, we have grounds
for looking for some patterns of continuity between our present lives and
the life to come. The Bible, I think, encourages us to think in these terms.
- Richard Mouw, When The Kings Come Marching In |
The first step, as I see it, to having daily, meaningful hope for heaven is to expunge those images of clouds and harps from our minds, and instead think of heaven on earth, to have that be our new frame of reference. That's why I want this beautiful picture of the earth (from NASA) to appear on the cover of the book - to visually connect the ideas of heaven and the New Earth.
Finally, though, I will conclude that to hope for heaven is a six-step process. We must realize the gap between what creation is and what it was meant to be, lament that gap, realize that the Cross began to close that gap in every way, to take steps to close the gap ourselves in every way, to be frustrated by our inability to do so to any major degree, and to let this spawn a longing for God to close the gap for good, at the end of time, on the New Earth. The trick is, I think true hope is all six of these things at the same time, all the time, every day.
This book is still in progress. I will post more selected chapters as they are completed, along with any more news regarding publication. Please e-mail me with questions and suggestions. Finally, let's all keep each other accountable in our hope for heaven, listening for that awesome final trumpet.
Last updated 3/26/01.