Heaven

by Randy Alcorn

  We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19-23)

  The "redemption of our bodies" refers to the resurrection of the dead. Paul says that not only we but "the whole creation" awaits the earthwide deliverance that will come with our bodily resurrection. Not only mankind in general but believers in particular (those with God's Spirit within) are aligned with the rest of creation, which intuitively reaches out to God for deliverance. We know what God intended for mankind and the earth, and therefore we have an object for our longing. We groan for what creation groans for—redemption. God sub­jected the whole creation to frustration by putting the Curse not only on man­kind but also on the earth (Genesis 3:17). Why? Because human beings and the earth are inseparably linked. And as together we fell, together we shall rise. God will transform the fallen human race into a renewed human race and the present Earth into the New Earth.

  What does it mean that creation waits for God's children to be revealed? Our Creator, the Master Artist, will put us on display to a wide-eyed universe. Our revelation will be an unveiling, and we will be seen as what we are, as what we were intended to be—God's image-bearers. We will glorify him by ruling over the physical universe with creativity and camaraderie, showing respect and benevolence for all we rule. We will be revealed at our resurrection, when our adoption will be finalized and our bodies redeemed. We will be fully human, with righteous spirits and incorruptible bodies.

  AS MANKIND GOES, SO GOES CREATION

  John Calvin writes in his commentary on Romans 8:19, "I understand the pas­sage to have this meaning—that there is no element and no part of the world which is being touched, as it were, with a sense of its present misery, that does not intensely hope for a resurrection."98

  What is "the whole creation" that groans for our resurrection? The phrase appears to be completely inclusive of "the heavens and the earth" that God cre­ated in the beginning (Genesis 1:1). So it is the heavens and the earth that ea­gerly await our resurrection. This includes Earth and everything on it, as well as the planets of our solar system and the far reaches of our galaxy and beyond. If it was created, Paul includes it in "the whole creation."

  Why does the creation wait eagerly for our resurrection? For one simple but critically important reason: As mankind goes, so goes all of creation. Thus, just as all creation was spoiled through our rebellion, the deliverance of all creation hinges on our deliverance. The glorification of the universe hinges on the glorification of a re­deemed human race. The destiny of all creation rides on our coattails. What possible effect could our redemption have on galaxies that are billions of light years away? The same effect that our fall had on them. Adam and Eve's sin did not merely create a personal catastro­phe or a local, Edenic catastrophe; it was a catastrophe of cosmic—not just global—proportions.

  Though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned . . . she would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.

  C. S. LEWIS

  Astronomy has been my hobby since childhood. Years before I came to know Christ, I was fascinated by the vi­olent collisions of galaxies, explosions of stars, and implosions into neutron stars and black holes. The second law of thermodynamics, entropy, tells us that all things deteriorate. This means that everything was once in a better condition than it is now. Children and stars can both be born, but both ultimately be­come engaged in a downward spiral. Even the remotest parts of the universe reveal vast realms of fiery destruction. On the one hand, these cataclysms de­clare God's greatness. On the other hand, they reflect something that is out of order on a massive scale.

  It seems possible that even the second law of thermodynamics (at least as it is popularly understood) may have been the product of mankind's fall. If true, it demonstrates the mind-boggling extent of the Curse. The most remote galaxy, the most distant quasar, was somehow shaken by mankind's sin.†

  Adherents of some views of the origin of the universe believe that entropy (i.e., all things tend toward deterioration and disorder) has alwaysbeen opera­tive. But we should not look at things as they are now and assume they've al­ways been this way. In 2 Peter 3:4-7, the Bible rejects the uniformitarian view that "processes acting in the same manner as at present and over long spans of time are sufficient to account for all current. . . features [in the universe] and all past. . . changes."99 We are so accustomed to the cycle of death in nature that we assume it is natural and has always been as it is. The Bible appears to say otherwise: "Death came through a man [Adam]" (1 Corinthians 15:21). I see no biblical evidence for the assumption that God designed his creation to fall into death, or that animal death predated mankind's fall. Do artists de­liberately inject decay into their work? Would an omnipotent Artist do so Both Genesis and Romans 8 suggest otherwise. (I am well aware that many will disagree with me on this, but I state it based on my understanding of Romans 8.)

  Isn't it reasonable to suppose that the pristine conditions of God's original creation were such that humans and animals would not die, stellar energy would be replenished, and planets would not fall out of orbit? What if God in­tended that our dominion over the earth would ultimately extend to the entire physical universe? Then we would not be surprised to see the whole creation come under our curse, because it would all be under our stewardship.

  "Even after the fall," writes theologian Erich Sauer, "the destiny and the re­demption of the earth remain indissolubly united with the existence and devel­opment of the human race. The redemption of the earth is, in spite of all, still bound up with man. . . . Man is the instrument for the redemption of the earthly creation. And because this remains God's way and goal, there can be a new heaven and a new earth only after the great white throne, i.e., after the completion and conclusion of the history of human redemption."100

  WAS THERE REALLY NO DEATH?

  God made seasons, and I wouldn't be surprised if in Eden the colors of autumn leaves were more brilliant than we see on the present Earth. This "death" of leaves in the fall could be part of a living tree's beauty, not its curse. Did leaves ever fall in Eden? Once they fell, did they rot? Eventually wouldn't the earth have been covered with leaves? God made us to consume vegetation, which doesn't involve harm or suffering. Why shouldn't he allow it to decompose through natural processes? Did Adam and Eve step ankle deep in human and animal waste because it did not decay? Was there no compost to enrich the gar­den? Wine requires fermentation, a form of decay. Did bread not rise?101

  All of these natural processes could easily have been part of God's original design. What I believe was not part of his ideal world was the suffering and death of living creatures. I see no evidence that suffering and death could be part of a world God called "very good."

  I realize this raises inevitable objections. Were there no carnivores before the Fall? From the shape of their teeth and claws to the position of their eyes to their digestive systems, it could be argued that carnivores were designed by their creator to stalk, capture, and kill their prey. Were foxes designed to keep rodents in check, and falcons made to dive to catch and eat fish? Did the lion "eat straw like the ox" as we are told he will one day (Isaiah 11:7)? Was it true in Eden as it will be on the New Earth, "[Animals] will neither harm nor destroy" (Isaiah 11:9)? Many think otherwise, but I believe the answer is yes.

  I realize that if there was no food chain, then the animal world of Eden was different than the animal world we know today. Indeed, our entire ecosystem was likely changed more by the Fall than we can imagine. We don't know what the animals i
n Eden looked like. Did God change their form as part of the Curse—or as a way to help them survive after the Curse? Is it possible that orig­inally cheetahs ran for the sheer joy of it rather than to chase their prey? Could a lion have been capable of tearing apart other animals but have no desire to do so? Could he be powerful, even with sharp teeth, without being a killer? I think so. There is a special beauty in great power that refrains from doing harm, as Jesus himself demonstrated.

  However, the debates about entropy, plant death, animal death, and the earth's age should not deter us from a central agreement that, as Paul says, "the whole creation" has come under mankind's curse, and God will deliver the whole cre­ation by our resurrection.

  FROM THE FALL TO OUR RESURRECTION

  How will the effects of our bodily resurrection be felt by the entire universe? In exactly the same way that all creation suffered from our fall into sin. There is a metaphysical and moral link between mankind and the physical universe.

  Romans 8 is a profound theological statement in that it extends the doctrine of the Fall far beyond what we might have expected. But in doing so—and we often miss this—it extends the doctrine of Christ's redemption every bit as far.

  We should expect that anything affected by the Fall will be restored to its original condition. Things will no longer get worse. When they change, they will only get better. That will be true of our bodies and our minds and human culture in the new universe. And there are no grounds to imagine that the link between mankind and the universe will cease. Why shouldn't it continue for all eternity?

  "We know," Paul says, "that the whole creation has been groaning" (Romans 8:22). Consider the shocking cruelty in the animal world, where mothers some­times devour their offspring, and most of those that survive are mercilessly killed by predators. If "the whole creation" is as comprehensive as it appears, then there is not an amoeba or chromosome or DNA strand or galaxy unaf­fected by mankind's fall. That is the bad news. Paul follows with the good news—that what went down with mankind in the Fall will come back up with us when Christ's redemptive work is completed. The God who raised Jesus will in turn raise his people and the universe.

  There is such a close biblical connection between the inhabitants of the earth and Earth itself that the phrase "the world" (kosmos) is sometimes synony­mous with people. "God so loved the world," and "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ" (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:19). In John's Gospel, "the world" often refers to fallen humanity in rebellion against God. And it is people, not the planet, who believe in Christ. Still, there are words for mankind that don't connect us to the earth, unlike kosmos, which does. In Romans 8 we see that the redemptive work of Christ not only rescues people who believe in him, it rescues the world itself. Just as we will die, the earth will be destroyed; and just as we will be raised, the earth will be renewed.

  John Piper writes, "What happens to our bodies and what happens to the creation go together. And what happens to our bodies is not annihilation but re­demption. . . . Our bodies will be redeemed, restored, made new, not thrown away. And so it is with the heavens and the earth."102

  THE PAINS AND PROMISE OF CHILDBIRTH

  It's fair to say that most Christians believe there will be no carryover into Heaven of our present culture, art, technology, or the products of human cre­ativity. Indeed, it's common to doubt if we will even remember our lives on Earth or the people whom God used to influence and shape us, including our families and closest friends.

  If our assumptions about the end of the world were correct, what analogy would we expect Paul to use for what will happen to creation? An old man dy­ing? A mortally wounded soldier gasping his final breaths? Those images would fit well with a belief that the universe will come to a violent, final end. But Paul doesn't use analogies of death and destruction. He uses the analogy of child­birth: "The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up until the present time" (Romans 8:22).

  There are pains in childbirth for mother and child, but the result is a contin­uation, a fulfillment of a process that has long been underway. The pains of childbirth are analogous to the present sufferings of mankind, animals, and the entire universe. But those sufferings are temporary because of the imminent miracle of birth. A far better world will be born out of this one, and a far better humanity will be born out of what we now are.

  The fallen but redeemed children of God will be transformed into some­thing new: sinless, wise stewards of the earth. Today the earth is dying; but be­fore it dies—or in its death—it will give birth to the New Earth. The New Earth will be the child of the old Earth, just as the new human race will be the children of the old race. Yet it is still us, the same human beings, and it will also be the same Earth.

  Romans 8 contains a powerful theology of suffering. There's the groaning of those dying without hope, and in contrast, the groaning of those in childbirth. Both processes are painful, yet they are very different. The one is the pain of hopeless dread, the other the pain of hopeful anticipation. The Christian's pain is very real, but it's the pain of a mother anticipating the joy of holding her child.

  It is no coincidence that the first two chapters of the Bible (Genesis 1-2) be­gin with the creation of the heavens and the earth and the last two chapters (Revelation 21-22) begin with the re-creation of the heavens and the earth.

  All that was lost at the beginning will be restored at the end. And far more will be added besides.

  †Some people argue that walking, breathing, digestion, and solar heating of the earth all involve the law of entropy. When I speak of that law, however, I mean specifically the parts related to death, decay, and the deterioration of things, especially living beings, as a departure from their ideal created state.

  CHAPTER 13

  HOW FAR-REACHING IS THE

  RESURRECTION?

  Why does God go to all the trouble to dirty his hands, as it were, with our decaying, sin-stained flesh, in order to reestablish it as a resurrection body and clothe it with immortality?. . . Because his Son paid the price of death so that the Father's purpose for the material universe would befulfilled, namely, that he would be glorified in it, including in our bodies forever and ever.

  John Piper

  Jesus became a man and lived as a man on Earth, in order to redeem mankind. His victory had to take place on Earth—the dwelling place of mankind—and it has to culminate on Earth, where Christ will return to set up his King­dom with his redeemed and resurrected people.

  We were created from the earth to live on the earth. Our hope isn't that we'll be delivered_/row our bodies but into our new bodies, and into the new world where we'll live with Jesus.

  The only unearthly eternal destination spoken of in Scripture is Hell, not Heaven. Yet even in Hell the condemned will have a physical presence. Jesus said that all people will be resurrected, some to life, some to condemnation (John 5:28-29). While some will forever experience the physical pleasures of Heaven, others will experience the physical torments of Hell.

  THE RESURRECTION OF OUR DEEDS

  Anticipating eternal life as resurrected beings in a resurrected universe has pres­ent, practical implications. "Therefore [in light of our eventual resurrection], my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

  How do we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain? Because of our bodily resurrection. Just as we will be carried over from the old world to the new, so will our labor. In a sense, not only our bodies but our service for Christ will be resurrected. J. B. Phillips renders 1 Corinthians 15:58 as follows: "Let nothing move you as you busy yourselves in the Lord's work. Be sure that noth­ing you do for him is ever lost or ever wasted."103

  Bruce Milne writes, "Every kingdom work, whether publicly performed or privately endeavoured, partakes of the kingdom's imperishable character. Every honest intention, every
stumbling word of witness, every resistance of tempta­tion, every motion of repentance, every gesture of concern, every routine en­gagement, every motion of worship, every struggle towards obedience, every mumbled prayer, everything, literally, which flows out of our faith-relationship with the Ever-Living One, will find its place in the ever-living heavenly order which will dawn at his coming."104

  If the creation itself will be resurrected, could this also include some of the works of our hands? "If any man builds on this foundation [Christ] using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, be­cause the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

  We have the assurance of Scripture that all believers will survive the fire of testing and be raised. But it is not only ourselves that will outlast this world and be carried over to the new one. It is what we do with our lives. Our righ­teous works will follow us to Heaven (Revelation 14:13). Not only will some things that God has made survive his judgment, but so will some things we have done. Products of faithful lives will endure. They will be purified and "laid bare," so their beauty will be forever seen. God's fire will not destroy the whole Earth; it will destroy all that displeases him. But there is much that pleases him, and these things will endure the fire, to be reconstituted after the final resurrection of the dead. Not only will acts of obedience and spiritual sacrifices be carried over from one world to the next, but everything else good will also last forever.

  Moses prayed, "Establish the work of our hands" (Psalm 90:17). The He­brew word translated "establish," as indicated in the margin notes of the New American Standard Bible, means "make permanent." So Moses was asking God to give permanence to what he did with his hands.