An 85-year-old couple had just
celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary; they were in good health, mostly because the wife insisted on
healthy food and exercise.
Unfortunately, they died suddenly in a car crash. When they reached
heaven, they were shown their room in the Lord’s mansion. His wife "oohed" and
"aahed," but the old man asked how much all this was going to
cost. "It's free," they were
told; "This is Heaven." They
were shown a nearby golf course; it was magnificent. "What are the green fees?" the old
man asked. The guide replied, "This
is Heaven! You play for free."
Next, they were shown the clubhouse.
There was a lavish buffet with food from all over the world. "How much to eat?" asked the old
man. "Don't you understand yet?”
the guide replied. “This is Heaven, it's
free!" “Oh,” he replied, “but I
need something that is low in fat and high in fiber.” “That's the best part,” said the guide. “You can eat as much as you like of whatever
you like, and you never get fat, and you
never get sick. This is Heaven!"
With that, the old man went into a
fit of anger. He threw down his hat,
pointed to his wife, and said, “This is all your fault! If it weren't for your
blasted bran muffins, I could have been here ten years ago!"
I don’t know how much of that
story is true, but when we do talk about heaven, we think of a place beyond our
wildest dreams. And it’s true. Heaven is much more than we could possibly
imagine.
At the end of the 1,000-year reign
of Jesus, and after The Day of Judgment, those judged worthy and those who
accepted the sacrifice of Jesus will finally experience the “Heaven” we have
all imagined. Revelation 21 says…
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the
old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I
saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a
bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout
from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will
live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He
will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow
or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
5 And the one sitting on
the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me,
“Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And
he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and
the End. To all who are thirsty I will
give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who
are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and
they will be my children. 8 “But
cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice
witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of
burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
9 Then one of the seven
angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said
to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” [1]
A new heaven and a new earth. God promises a new place for us to live. Oh, and just in case you are confused about
the word “heaven” here, God is not going to remake the place where He
dwells. The use of “heaven” here is a
reference to the sky above the earth.[2]
The image of this place is
glorious. A voice from the throne
promises that there will no longer be any crying, sorrow, or pain in this new
earth. There will be no death (makes
sense since death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire – Revelation
20:14). This is the reward for those
found in the Lamb’s Book of Life… those judged worthy and those who accepted
the sacrifice of Jesus. In this new
place, the redeemed (those saved by Jesus) will stand before God face to
face. They will no longer merely sense the presence of God in their life;
He will be right there among them, and they will be His people… we
will be His people
But I wonder… what will become of
our memories? Will they be wiped
clean? I mean, what of all our past failures? Don’t those memories fill us with
sorrow? What about the things in this
life that makes us sad? How it is
possible that those sorrows or that pain no longer exists in the new heaven and
earth? Does God wipe our memories? Do we experience some sort of reboot; a
software upgrade?
I know, I know. I think too
much. I wonder about these things
instead of just being thankful for them.
And yet, I can’t help but wonder how there will be no more sorrow if I
still remember my regrets and losses in this life. What if I realize a loved one is not in this
new place but instead condemned with the cowards, unbelievers, and the
corrupt? That certainly will cause me
pain. And what if they are condemned because I refused to say or do
anything to save them from an eternity in hell?
How will God remove that pain from my life?
Maybe the answer is found in a
more clear understanding of the word “new.” In the Greek language, “new” means
“what is new in nature, different from the usual, impressive, better than the
old, superior in value or attraction.”[3] So, biblical scholars stress that when God
makes all things new, life in heaven
“will have none of the features that so characterize the present earth.”[4] Also, keep in mind that Jesus described the
event in Revelation 21as a “regeneration” (Matthew 19:28), and Peter called it
a time of cleansing and renewing by fire (2 Peter 3:10-13).
That idea of “cleansing” probably
best describes what theologians suggest happens to our memories in this new
earth. “New” doesn’t mean different; it
means “better than the old.” It’s like
God will take who we are and make us better; better physically (no death),
better emotionally (no sadness), and better mentally (no sorrow). He doesn’t do away with who we are, but He
takes who we are and makes us better.
Isaiah 65:16 seems to suggest that
when God creates the new heavens and earth, “the former troubles are forgotten, because they are hidden from [His] sight!”[5] So, it seems that God will somehow purge our
troubling memories from our minds; He will do away with our sorrows and
regrets. In fact, one theologian writes,
“Our memories will eventually be cleansed, redeemed, healed, and restored, not
erased. There is no reason why we could not possess many memories from our
earthly lives. The memories that will be cleansed are the ones that involve
sin, pain, and sadness.”[6]
To me, this is even more
significant than the gift of a body free from pain. It appears we will also receive a mind free
from a lifetime of emotional hurt, pain,
and rejection. We will become who we
were meant to be.
Doesn’t this just cause your heart
to leap for joy? Can you imagine being
free from all your sadness and regrets?
Picture a life without shameful memories or painful failures! For the first time in your life, you will know yourself as God has known
you all along. You will be who He
intended you to be.
I love the way C.S. Lewis
described this revelation. He suggests,
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Remember that the dullest most uninteresting
person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you
would be strongly tempted to worship.”[7] Mr. Lewis learned that when we look at others, we see the product of sadness,
rejection, ridicule, loss, and pain.
Those “pains” may be what we
see, but it is not what God
sees. God looks past those things and
straight into the heart.
And one day, He will remove them.
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
[1]
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation
(Re 21:1–9). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[2]
Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R.
B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 983). Wheaton, IL:
Victor Books.
[3] Behm, J. (1964–). Theological dictionary of the New Testament
(electronic ed., Vol. 3, p. 447). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
[4]
Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R.
B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 985). Wheaton, IL:
Victor Books.
[5]
New American Standard Bible: 1995 update.
(1995). (Is 65:16). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7] C.S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory
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