Wonders of Heaven: Part 1

Posted On May 17, 2020

“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. . . . Come further up, come further in!

C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

Have you ever seen heaven?  I have.  It’s all around us.  We just have to learn how to see it.  Heaven is the beauty we all long for.  Rivers, trees, the sky, the love and joy in our children’s eyes — these are all glimpses of heaven.  We crave love and beauty and pure joy because we were made for a place which is full of these things.  The goodness in this world gives us a preview of the world to come. We can all get a glimpse of heaven if we take time to notice the wonders around us.

“Lucy looked hard at the garden and saw that it was not really a garden at all, but a whole world, with its own rivers and woods and sea and mountains. But they were not strange: she knew them all. ‘I see,’ she said. ‘This is still Narnia, and more real and more beautiful than the Narnia down below . . .”

C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

A Tour of Heaven

Anthony DeStefano wrote a wonderful book called A Travel Guide to Heaven. In it he gives us a “tour” of heaven, reminding us that as a place of unlimited joy and happiness, heaven is fun! We can be excited about going there. We can look forward to all the wonders in store for us. It’s not just some hazy spiritual realm filled with clouds and white light. It is a physical place, brimming with sights, sounds, and smells. It is a world full of natural wonders, amazing cities, delicious food, beautiful music, animals, flowers, trees, rivers, and loving people with indestructible physical bodies. It’s like the world we know now, but better. Much better! Better in ways we can only imagine.

“Now, do you really think God is going to abandon his love of creating and his love of the physical, just because this little world of our comes to an end? Do you think that after all he’s done throughout the course of history, he’s going to make heaven some cloudy, hazy dreamland? Of course not. That’s not the way he operates. Nor is it what the Bible or Christianity teaches.”

Anthony DeStefano, A Travel Guide to Heaven

Who is this Anthony DeStefano guy, anyway? How does he know all this? To use his words, Mr. DeStefano is a “dedicated, believing layperson.” He has studied Scripture and Christian teachings on heaven to give a fun, fresh perspective on the subject. And he’s not the only one. His views are echoed in other Christian books I have read: Heaven and Seeing the Unseen by Randy Alcorn and Things You Don’t Know About Heaven by Judson Cornwall describe heaven as a real, physical place filled with marvelous things. The valuable insights in these books would take weeks to adequately cover. In this and next week’s posts I offer a brief glimpse into some of the wonders of heaven, as described by Scripture and these Christian authors. I’ve also included quotes about heaven from the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, another Christian author I greatly admire. I should mention that what we’ll be discussing is the heaven we will experience after the last judgment at the end of the world. The intermediate heaven, where we go when we die, is viewed differently by different Christian denominations and is only touched on briefly in these books. (That may be a topic for a future post.) For now, let’s use our God-given imaginations to take a brief tour of our final destination: paradise!

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”

Albert Einstein

The Original Paradise

“Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

Genesis 2:8-9 NIV

Our tour begins in the original paradise, the Garden of Eden. God created a perfect world and created us to be in perfect communion with Him. He created us in His image. But He also created us to have free will. He wants what’s best for us, but we can choose not to listen. That’s exactly what happened in the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2-4. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were cast out of the garden, separating humankind from the bliss of perfect fellowship with God. This original sin, called the Fall of Man, had tragic consequences for all of us. Sin and evil entered God’s perfect world and ruined it. But we still have a hard-wired longing for what used to be. We crave the joy and beauty and goodness for which we were created. God’s plan to redeem us and bring us back to perfect communion with Him is what the Bible is all about.

“This compelling desire for genuine happiness, while at times painful, is God’s grace to us. Longing for the happiness humankind once knew, we can be drawn toward true happiness in Christ, which is offered us in the gospel.”

Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

We long for the joy we once knew in the Garden of Eden. The good news is that Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sins provides us a way back into perfect fellowship with our Father. The even better news is that we don’t have to do anything to earn this gift: we just have to accept it. God wants us back, but He will not force us. We can choose not to go. But if we accept His gift of grace by making Jesus Christ lord of our lives, we are in for wonders we can only imagine!

“. . . as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him,’ but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV

The New Earth

God is the Master Artist. He loves to create. Rather than scrapping His original creation, God has chosen to restore this fallen world to His original purpose. That includes us. There will be a new earth — a new universe — cared for by redeemed humanity. Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven tells us that this world, including its natural wonders, its people, and its culture, gives us a foretaste of the next world. He reminds us that history won’t just start over; the resurrection of all things includes the continuation of cultures and nations. This world will be healed and then it will keep progressing.

“By reclaiming, restoring, and resurrecting Earth — and empowering a regenerated humanity to reign over it — God will accomplish His purpose of bringing glory to Himself. . . . Christ’s redemptive work will reverse the Curse and restore the Earth (see 2 Peter 3:13).”

Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

In A Travel Guide to Heaven Anthony DeStefano explains: “God never discards his creations, but only changes them to make them better.” When we get to heaven we’ll still be ourselves, but with indestructible bodies (no more back pain!) and amazing abilities. Likewise, the new earth will still be earth, but better. Much, much better. Think about the beauty of creation as it is now. Now imagine it with no pollution, no disasters, no dangers — no more curse. Imagine the most vivid colors you’ve ever seen, the most beautiful music you’ve ever heard, the most fragrant flowers you’ve ever smelled, the most amazing food you’ve ever tasted, and the softest blanket you’ve ever cuddled up with. Imagine having no fear petting a lion, climbing a mountain, or swimming with sharks. But don’t stop there. Remember that God, the Master Artist, loves to create. Imagine all the new creations He may have in store for us.

” ‘No longer will there be any curse’ (Revelation 22:3, NIV).
The hope, the promise, the anticipation of this verse is expressible — it is weighty, thick with promise and joy. Let your imagination go where this verse leads you.”

Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

In Revelation 21 John recounts his vision of the New Jerusalem, the Holy City, where God will live with His people. He describes a huge walled city with twelve foundations decorated with precious stones and twelve gates made of pearls. He describes the city itself and main street as being made of pure gold. But is this a real place? Judson Cornwall, pastor and Bible scholar, in his book Things You Don’t Know About Heaven says: “Just as the old earth which dissappeared was literal, and the new earth which takes its place is literal and substantial, so also must the New Jerusalem be. It is a literal city because of the literalness of its description.” So, yes, it is a real, actual place. And it sounds absolutely amazing! It will be more magnificent than any earthly city. Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven says, “The city will be filled with natural wonders, magnificent architecture, thriving culture — but it will have no crime, pollution, sirens, traffic fatalities, garbage, or homelessness. It will truly be Heaven on Earth.”

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and it’s brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”

Revelation 21:10-11 NIV

Heaven will not just consist of a new earth but a new restored universe. And God won’t be the only One creating new things in it. As His image-bearers we have been given the ability to create as well. Imagine humankind lovingly working together to design new cities, perform new symphonies, write new books, fill new art museums, develop new technologies, or invent new modes of transportation. Maybe we’ll build an underwater hotel or a playground on Mars or a space yacht for a tour of a nearby galaxy. The possibilities are endless.

“. . . the New Heavens may have greater stars, nebulae, and galaxies than our current cosmos. . . . Imagine what we might find on the new Mars or the new Saturn and Jupiter and their magnificent moons. . . . How many times in the new universe will we be stunned by the awesomeness of God’s creation?”

Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

So is heaven a real, actual, physical place? Yes. God made us for this place. Here is what these Christian authors have to say:

• Judson Cornwall: “Among these many drives, or instincts, that God has built into the human being is a belief in and a yearning for heaven. These very yearnings argue favorably for the existence of a literal, real heaven that will satisfy these God-given cravings, for in satisfying every other propensity with which we were born, we have found substance and reality; surely there is an acuality to meet this craving as well. God would never cause us to desire a heaven if there were no heaven to satisfy that desire.” (Things You Don’t Know About Heaven)
• Anthony DeStefano: “While Christian theologians have certainly used poetic language to expound upon the spiritual aspects of heaven, for two millennia they have also insisted that heaven will have physical characteristics as well. Indeed, just like the exotic ports of call here on earth, heaven will have its own distinct climate, landscape, and population. Christ himself used very physical images to describe heaven.” (A Travel Guide to Heaven)
• Randy Alcorn: “Too often we’ve been taught that Heaven is a non-physical realm, which cannot have real gardens, cities, kingdoms, buildings, banquets, or bodies. So we fail to take seriously what Scripture tells us about Heaven as a familiar, physical, tangible place. As human beings, whom God made to be both physical and spiritual, we are not designed to live in a non-physical realm — indeed, we are incapable of even imagining such a place (or, rather, non-place).” (Heaven)

There is a whole lot more these authors have to say about different aspects of heaven. We’ll continue our tour next week with “Wonders of Heaven: Part 2”. Until then, I believe God wants us to spend time imagining heaven. Remember, the best parts of this world offer glimpses of the next. When life is hard, knowing what awaits brings a sense of hope and peace. Even more than that, picturing the amazing wonders of heaven brings a sense of excitement. Randy Alcorn expresses it well: “We cannot anticipate or desire what we cannot imagine. That’s why, I believe, God has given us glimpses of Heaven in the Bible — to fire up our imagination and kindle a desire for Heaven in our hearts.”

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

Philippians 4:8 MSG

Our life story doesn’t end when we die. This chapter merely prepares for the next, when the best part truly begins. Sometimes I think about all the things I want to do and realize that even if I don’t get to do them in this life, I can do them in the next. Maybe I’ll live in a cottage by the sea. Maybe I’ll learn to speak Italian or take up cooking or go to the moon. Maybe I’ll learn to dance or write a book or have tea with C. S. Lewis. The possibilities are endless, and I’ll have all the time in the world!

“The Author of life has placed us in a story far bigger than ourselves. We can trust God not only to bring the whole story together but also to do with our parts of it what He knows to be best.”

Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

“And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, . . . But for them it was only the beginning of the real story.”

C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia

This week’s Scripture passages focus on heaven and the joy we’ll have in God’s presence. There is a printer-friendly pdf version below the image. I hope they bring you hope and encourage you to eagerly anticipate the future glory that awaits us!

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

References:

• Alcorn, Randy. Heaven. Kindle ed., Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2003.
• Alcorn, Randy. Seeing the Unseen, Expanded Edition: A 90-Day Devotional to Set Your Mind on Eternity. Multnomah, 2017.
• Cornwall, Judson. Things You Don’t Know About Heaven. Charisma House, 2007.
• DeStefano, Anthony. A Travel Guide to Heaven. Image, 2003.
• Lewis, C. S. “The Last Battle.” The Chronicles of Narnia, Harper Entertainment, 2005, pp. 665-767.

Images:

• Portal featured image by DarkWorkX from Pixabay
• Mountain Path Image by composita from Pixabay
• Garden Bridge image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay
• Tulip Path image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
• River Garden image by Albrecht Fietz from Pixabay
• Mountain Landscape at Dawn image by Dan Fador from Pixabay
• Lion and Lamb image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay
• Budapest image by Vined from Pixabay
• Saturn image by Reimund Bertrams from Pixabay
• Library image by Noah Jurik from Pixabay