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By Nathan Bierma
Overview
Chapter 1: Hope in Crisis
Why don't we hope for heaven? Why are
we too often content to live our lives without thinking about "the big
picture"?" I think there are three reasons. First, we don't know what heaven
will be like, and the images we do have, such as clouds and harps, are
foreign and intimidating. Second, we don't know when heaven will come,
and the self-proclaimed prophets who try to guess when the world will end
always look ridiculous. Finally, we are numb, like a dental patient under
novacaine, to an awareness of the afterlife - numbed by busy-ness,
materialism, and entertainment. What we need is some curiosity about our
world and the larger picture of cosmic history. More importantly, we need
a new look at the biblical picture of heaven.
Chapter 2: Bringing Heaven Back Down To Earth: The New
Earth
The first verse of Revelation 21 is final
piece of the puzzle of world history. Eternity comes in the form of a transformed
universe. Our existence will be on a new earth, in perfect harmony with
God. Sin has been bleached out of the cosmos. It makes sense when you think
about it - God isn't giving up on his creation, just as he didn't give
up on us when we fell into sin. God loves with a tough, stubborn love,
and that goes for the earth he made. This should give us a new appreciation
for the current earth, and a renewed commitment to be stewards of natural
resources, although the creation will keep groaning until Christ comes
again (Romans 8:21).
Chapter 3: Sword-Whacking: The New City
The second verse of Revelation 21 tells
us something important about life on the New Earth. We won't just be wandering
around aimlessly or continuously singing hymns. Heaven will be a city-like
existence. There will be art, music, sports, buildings, government, books,
television, and everything else humans have developed under the Cultural
Mandate of Genesis 1:28. Richard Mouw, in his analysis of a parallel chapter,
Isaiah 60, says that these things will be redeemed and transformed even
as human beings are through salvation, and as the Earth is in verse 1 of
Revelation 21. Swords will be beaten into plowshares. For now, we are to
do some beating of swords of our own, both producing and transforming culture
so that it glorifies God, rather than human pride, in anticipation of the
ultimate redemption of culture.
Chapter 4: God With Us
The third verse of Revelation 21 tells
us all we need to know: The dwelling of God will again be with humans,
and will again be perfect. We've been estranged ever since the Garden of
Eden, but what started at the Cross ends on the New Earth, with God and
humanity in perfect harmony, complete shalom. As interesting as
this business about the New Earth and the New City is, all we need to know
is that we will be made completely and eternally right with God. In fact,
this is what all those clouds, harps, and pearly gates are trying to express
- how wonderful it is to be right with God forever.
Chapter 5: Living in the Hope of Heaven
We must incorporate this three-pronged
model of redemption and eternity into our current existence - the redemption
of nature, of culture, and of human beings. Currently, we seem occupied
with only the third, the redemption of people. Thus all the obsession with
evangelism, with saving souls. But we must broaden our consideration of
what faith means to include living on the Earth and in society in a way
that actively anticipates their transformation. When we do this, with daily
awareness of the brokenness of creation, culture, and humanity, constantly
measuring the gap between what they are and what God wants them to be,
constantly living to close those gaps but constantly frustrated by how
meager our efforts are, then we begin to get a sense of strong anticipation
for everything to be made right, to forever resolved by our sovereign God.
Then, and only then, I think, do we live in daily hope for heaven.