Hey, welcome back everyone!
This week we've been wrestling with really good questions
from good people
and, hopefully, really great answers from God's Word.
And we wrap up the week with this question.
"What does the Bible mean when it talks about a new heaven
"and a new earth?"
I love this question because it's a topic that
many long-time Christians don't really grasp and understand
in my personal experience.
For example, do you know that this is a total lie?
That when a Christian dies,
they go to heaven
to be with Jesus forever and ever and ever and ever.
False.
[Laughs]
Did you know that being with Jesus in heaven
is not like your forever home?
It's just a really sweet apartment you get to stay in
until you get to your forever home?
Because the Bible says that God's grand plan
was not for his people to live far, far away
in heaven forever. But that one day,
when Jesus comes back,
he would completely renovate this physical world
and create a new earth
for us to live on.
Just so you make sure you know I'm not making this up.
This is 2 Peter, chapter 3.
And it talks about the return of Jesus
and it calls it the Day of the Lord.
And here's what Peter says.
So, God on the last day when Jesus comes back,
is actually going to raise the bodies of all people.
The Bible says in the book of Philippians,
that God is going to glorify the bodies of his people.
Like no pain,
no backaches,
no anxiety,
no depression,
no headaches,
no GI issues,
no allergies.
Like a glorious, strong, incredible body.
And we will live in a glorious,
beautiful, incredible place.
Peter calls it the Home of Righteousness.
Like, where everything is right.
Where there are no natural disasters
but there are still beautiful things.
And I think about that.
Sometimes we have these pictures of heaven.
We, like sit on a cloud in a diaper and play a harp.
It doesn't sound that exciting.
But, have you ever experienced things on earth?
Have you ever traveled and taken a vacation?
Have you ever seen the sun rise and set?
You ever see a beautiful body of water?
Have you ever gotten out on a boat?
Ever traveled to Thailand or Australia or England
or the beaches of Mexico?
Like if this earth, with all of its brokenness,
can be that thrilling and that interesting,
can you imagine
living on the new earth
where everything's right?
Where everything is a thousand times better?
Where your eyes are sharper.
You can hear better.
Your mind is functioning.
Where there's no sin.
It doesn't affect your body or affect our world.
That's what the Bible's after when it talks about the new earth.
And so heaven is going to be amazing.
To be with God will be better by far.
But, can you imagine
being, not just with God, but in a place
where everything is a billion times better
than anything we've experienced?
I can't wait for that day.
And it's why the Bible ends with the words,
"Come quickly, Lord Jesus."
Let that day come.
So, let's pray.
Jesus, we cannot wait
for you to come back.
We cannot wait to experience the new earth.
We've experienced really good things in this life.
Good people and good places and great experiences.
So what is it going to be like when everything is perfect?
But, God, we also want to be patient.
Because there are people that we love who are not ready for that day.
Who would be judged and not saved
if you decided that that day was today.
So, give us passion to reach out.
Give us courage to share our faith.
That people would have that same hope,
that same anticipation o see you face to face
and to live forever in the new earth.
We pray this, God, because we know you hear our prayers because of Jesus.
It's in his name that we pray.
Amen.
Whenever I want to get really excited about the new earth,
I think about all the amazing things that I've experienced on this earth.
And I'd love to hear about your experiences.
What's, like, the most beautiful thing that you've ever seen on this planet?
What's the coolest vacation that you've ever taken?
I would love for you to comment on that in the section below
that we can just imagine
and use our spiritual hearts to think.
If this life can be this good,
imagine the life to come.
Thanks for commenting and we'll catch you next time.