When Heaven and Earth Become One
March 4th, 2013 Posted in sermonsOne day, Cathe was driving with our youngest son, Jonathan, who was then age 3. She was talking about the Rapture and how we would be caught up to heaven. The more she talked, the quieter Jonathan got. Finally, he blurted out, “Mom, I don’t want to go to heaven! I don’t want to leave this beautiful world that God made!”
It’s hard for a 3-year-old to wrap his mind around heaven.
Sometimes Christians say, “When I die I will be with the Lord forever in heaven!”
While it is true that when a believer dies they go to heaven, it is not true that we stay there forever.
Because one day, heaven is going to come to earth.
My friend Randy Alcorn, in his book Heaven writes, “We won’t go to Heaven and leave Earth behind. Rather, God will bring Heaven and Earth together into the same dimension, with no wall of separation, no armed angels to guard Heaven’s perfection from sinful mankind.”
One day, heaven and earth will become one. God is not going to abandon His creation; He’s going to restore it!
Have you ever seen a perfectly restored classic car driving down the street? (Guys especially see this as a thing of beauty.) Well, God is into restoration too—restoration of lives, bodies, and even our planet!
God’s perfect plan is to “bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (Ephesians 1:10 NIV).
Peter preached that Christ “must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through His holy prophets” (Acts 3:21 NLT).
Jesus will make earth into heaven and heaven into earth. Just as the wall that separates God and mankind is torn down in Jesus, so too the wall that separates heaven and earth will forever be demolished.
Randy Alcorn’s book “Heaven” makes Heaven so desirable and exciting, where often times Christians are afraid it will be, well… boring… like a never-ending church service. his book is awesome for young people just starting out on their own with big plans and dreams who feel just like Greg’s 3-yr-old did. Paraphrased, Randy states that when we give our talents to the world, those talents end there and we’ve received our glory from men. But when we give our talents to the Lord for HIS glory, we are PRACTICING using those same talents in Heaven. Give only to the world and you’ve received your reward. Give it to God while here on earth, and you’ll receive eternal rewards in Heaven. That simplified concept makes Heaven become so real and “exciting” for creative young people, knowing what they love to do here on earth can also be enjoyed in Heaven, to the max!