GOD’S WORD FOR OCTOBER 25~ ~ Revelation 21:3 ~ ~ “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,”
From the book “We Shall See God” –Chapter, “Not Just a State of Being.” – part 2 – Randy Alcorn
(Again, a reminder: everyone doesn’t go to the new heavens and new earth, described here. Only those who have made Jesus Christ their Lord, living only for Him, acknowledging His death for their sins, and repenting of their sins. Have you done that? Are you living for Him and obeying every one of the words in His Word, the Bible as best you can, with the help of the Holy Spirit? He is the Word of God, everything was created by WORDS – God’s Word, Jesus Christ – the Bible is living, it is Christ!!!)
ALCORN:
We shouldn’t be surprised when Scripture speaks of heaven in tangible and material ways. Nor should we feel it’s necessary to take such references figuratively. Spurgeon says, “After the Resurrection, you must remember, we shall need a place to live in – a literal, material place of residence. For these bodies of ours will be alive as well as our spirits, and they will need a world to live in, a new heaven and a new earth.”
Countless interpretations of heaven have stemmed from an erroneous view of the eternal state, with the result that passages with clear, straightforward meanings, such as eating and drinking together in the eternal Kingdom, are viewed as metaphorical references to the communion of spirits. But Scripture is unwavering in its physical description of the new earth.
The writers of scripture present heaven in any ways, including as a garden, a city and a kingdom. Because gardens, cities and kingdoms are familiar to us, they afford us a bridge to understanding heaven.
When Marco Polo returned to Italy from the court of Kublai Khan, he was describing a world his audience had never seen, so he had to appeal to people’s imaginations. China was not an imaginary realm, of course, but it was very different from Italy. He used Italy as a reference point to help people understand China. But if in the end his listeners thought China wasn’t a literal place, Marco Polo’s communication would have been in vain.
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 imaginations and kindle a desire for heaven in our hearts. Rather than ignoring our imaginations, (or letting our imaginations go off the rails) I believe we should fuel them with Scripture.
Our misguided attempts to make heaven sound “spiritual” (i.e. nonphysical) merely succeed in making heaven sound unappealing. As human beings, whom God made to be both physical and spiritual, we are not designed to live in a nonphysical realm. We are not, as Plato supposed, merely spiritual beings temporarily encased in bodies. Adam did not become a “living being” until he was both body AND spirit (Genesis 2:7)
We are physical beings as much as we are spiritual beings. That’s why the bodily resurrection is so central in God’s plan of redemption – it is essential that God endow us with eternal, righteous humanity. In doing so, He sets our minds and bodies free from sin, the curse, and death and equips us to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives.
Only those with bodies can walk on and rule over the new earth. A material world is occupied by material beings. As Spurgeon puts it, “Christ is preparing a place not for spirits only, but a place for the entire personhood of his people when spirit, soul, and body shall be again united and we as complete people shall receive….the redemption of our bodies.”
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But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.
John 5:25
Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart, And my spirit ponders: