So...I dont really know how to start this. Ive seen other people say stuff like this before, but I figured its my turn.
Lets start at the beginning. I am new to Christ. I went through hell last July and ended up turning to Christ for comfort. So im not even a year in the faith yet. However there is one thing that is really holding me back from Growing in Christ. I dont long for heaven. I really dont. However I dont long for this world either. I hear about these Christians who are talking about how they can't wait to be at the feet of Christ in praise and worship forever and ever. And I just can't get excited about that!
Now please, dont get me wrong, I long for Christ. And I most certainly do not mind bowing down and worshipping him. This isnt a problem of pride or anything like that. I have no issue submitting to Jesus as Lord. But forever? Thats it? Thats all we do? No, I just can't look forward to that...and I feel like a bad Christian. Like I shouldnt be thinking this stuff.
I love Earth, I dont want to be a spirit, I long for a worldwide community where we still create, and invent and things like that, but with out sin. I love life, and yet "Life" and "Eternal Life" seem to be different. Life is what we have now with variety and differences. Eternal life is...eternal praise...? But why? Thats not life. And as hard as I try to look forward to it, I find myself clinging to this earth, not for the sin, not for the suffering, but for the freedom. The freedom for imagination and creativity (Im sounding like a third grade teacher now), but its true. Why would I desire anything else? Thats what I WAS MADE FOR. To have "dominion over the earth" to be able to create and explore. To desire anything else would be to go against what God created me to be.
Anyhow, im now ranting. Any help is greatly appreciated. Cause I love Jesus, I really do. But...this just flattens me everytime I think of it.
I feel like.. I've seen this thread before, maybe even from you? I don't know, Deja Vu of some sort.
But don't worry, it's a struggle a lot have, and frankly it's because a lot of us listen to other Christians and Pastor's ideas of heaven and the new Earth, rather than what the bible actually promises.
What most Christians and Pastors and denominations will teach: That heaven/new earth is an eternal religious worship service. That you just praise God endlessly for all the blessings you had in this life forever. Just a rearward looking act of endlessly doing the same thing in thankfulness for the same thing over and over and over.
Okay what if your life HASN'T been blessings? What then? Do you.. try to gumby stretch for things to be thankful over? Be thankful for things that happened to other people rather than you? Just thank Him for the same thing over and over and over again cause you have nothing else to work with? Do you just regurgitate the psalms, written by other people?
Rather than that.. what does the bible actually say regarding the Kingdom and the Age to Come, the New Earth?
2 Peter 3
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
So first off, the hope is not "heaven" it's a re-made Earth. That's where we belong. The plan of God has always been Men are to be in His image, as physical, corporeal beings, having dominion on the Earth. Read Genesis 1-3, is there any singing or praising in there, any sacrifices, any religion? No. Their commandment, their purpose, was to have dominion on the earth.
Human beings are not created to be a choir. Angels were, Angels minister to the Earth now because we fell, essentially they took our job from us, and it's the wicked ones at that.
Now about that New Earth.
Revelation 21
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
This part is super important. It's been the end goal all along for God to dwell with us, on Earth. God has been promising this since Exodus.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
This refers back to Revelation 1 where Jesus says HE is the Alpha and the Omega.. to mince no words. Jesus is saying He is God.
I bolded a part to come back to it in another passage of scripture. But the open handed generosity of God is an important thing to take note of here.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
again here, the freely, open handed generosity of God. all things. We can go back to the garden as well. God provided Adam and Eve with everything. Since the fall we have had to work for everything by the sweat of our brow. But that was not how it was in Eden, and it is not how it is on the New Earth. God is our provider there, as He was for Adam before the fall.
Now the chapter goes on describing a great city, the walls, doors, streets etc. to be honest I'm not entirely impressed by jewels and symbols of wealth so I'll kinda gloss over it, but in essence yes, city full of jewels and streets of gold I'm sure you've heard the imagery before. But I ask, when you're using gold as pavement, is it really something to be valued anymore?
anyway.. the important part about the city:
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
No temple.. God walks in our midst, you don't need a special building to represent God's house anymore. That also means no priests (well we are all priests at that point), no veil, no areas where only priests and high priests can go that are shut off from everyone else... God is accessible to everyone there.
Revelation 22
1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Now this imagery of the river with the trees of life on either side, is shown somewhere else as well
Ezekiel 47
6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.
7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.
8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
11 But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
The dead sea will be healed, and fish will live in it, and fishermen will fish in it.
so at the least.. people will eat fruit from the trees of life.. and fish.
Now another place where we learn about the New Earth, Isaiah 65
17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.
24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.
Key things of note in this passage:
1. God doesn't expect you to just rejoice in Him, but also in what He creates. That's a thing many pastors and Christians kinda neglect, they just say you'll be rejoicing in Him and nothing else.... but that's not what God says about the matter. He's a creator, He
wants people to enjoy the things that He creates, as long as they do so with the right perspective of it, knowing where those things come from and who to be thankful to.
2. Note that GOD says He will rejoice in Jerusalem, and take joy in US. This is what God wants.
3. Note the earthly activies, building houses, planting vinyards, eating. This is earthly activity, so no it's not a 24/7 sing along.
4. Offspring, though this is probably the most difficult to understand and controversial aspect of this passage and people will claim it's Millennial Kingdom and not New Earth because of Matthew 22:30. I don't know exactly how it works but.. there are offspring.
5. "Before they even ask I'll already be answering their prayers"... to contrast with the current world where people ask and ask and ask and God doesn't provide for everyone. Jesus said "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us".. and many people think.. current life providence. But, while God does provide, Jesus was mostly meaning the Holy Spirit, but also in the Kingdom, the New Earth, where God provides freely. Referring to statements like this from Isaiah 65.
Now we come full circle again.. Romans 8
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
so again, back to Revelation 21 as well, God promises all things, everything good that He intended for this creation to be, that's what He wants to give, and as Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount, it is His good pleasure to give us this.
Yes, I know Pastors and many Christians will say.. "Jesus is the reward", treating it as that's the entirety of it.
and I understand all too well how that can seem like not much of a reward, as even the condemned will see God face to face when they're judged. The context of HOW you know Jesus can define just how much of a reward Jesus Himself is. If your context is a miserable life where your needs went unmet, it doesn't seem like much. But if your life is filled with blessings and Jesus is the source of all of them, just seeing Him is more rewarding.
to make an admittedly harsh analogy. consider a child who has an abusive father who neglected him. Do you think that child likes seeing their father much when their father beats them and makes them fend for themselves for food?
Now compare to a child who's dad may have disciplined them when they did wrong but is good to them, does fun things with them, gives them gifts, is always there when they need someone to talk to, always supports them, and has even bailed them out of jail when they messed up really bad.... and forgave them. Seeing that father would be a way more positive experience.
I don't believe that God's going to be the abusive neglectful father that just expects you to be happy seeing Him because one time He bailed you out of jail. God's going to want a better relationship than that.
so yes, along WITH Jesus... God is freely giving all things.
