Why are there so many songs about rainbows
and what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
and rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it.
I know they're wrong wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.
The lovers, the dreamers and me.
(From Kermit the Frog on YouTube)
The lovers, the dreamers and me.
(From Kermit the Frog on YouTube)
There’s No Place Like Home
Written by e-Mom. Follow me on Twitter. Subscribe in a Reader
Quick! What comes to mind when you think of heaven?
In his best-selling non-fiction book, Heaven (2004, Tyndale) author and teacher Randy Alcorn effectively expounds the Scriptures to reveal a picture of heaven that is much more tangible than Kermit's illusive “rainbow connections.” And it's very exciting!Quick! What comes to mind when you think of heaven?
Heaven, says Alcorn, will be right down here on good ol’ planet earth. But Heaven won’t be same sin-trodden place we now know. It will be gloriously renewed, a beautiful New Earth—comfortingly familiar, but perfect and holy in every way. Alcorn says that just as Jesus is God incarnate, so the New Earth will be Heaven incarnate (Rev 21:2-3). “Rather than our going up to live in God’s home forever, God will come down to live in our home forever.”—Randy Alcorn
Right now you might be saying, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Sounds like some kind of wild cult heresy to me. I think I’ll click away.”
Stay with me. Most of us hold a view of Heaven that is anti-incarnational. Let's listen to Pastor Alcorn…
It's Heaven on Earth
“Sometimes when we look at this world’s breathtaking beauty—standing in a gorgeous place where the tree and flowers and rivers and mountains are wondrous—we feel a twinge of disappointment. Why? Because we know we’re going to leave this place behind. In consolation or self-rebuke, we might say, “This world is not my home.” If we were honest, however, we might add, “But part of me sure wishes it was.”
What we really want is to live forever in a world with all the beauty and none of the ugliness—a world without sin, death, the Curse, and all the personal and relational problems and disappointments they create.
Those who emphasize our citizenship in Heaven—and I’m one of them—sometimes have an unfortunate habit of minimizing our connection to the earth and our destiny to live on it and rule it. We end up thinking of eternity as a non-earthly spiritual state in which Earth is but a distant memory, if we remember it at all.
…God himself gave us the earth, gave us a love for the earth, and will delight to give us the New Earth.
This faulty theology accuses God of failure. Why? Because it assumes he will never accomplish a lasting state of righteousness on Earth. (Even the Millennium ends in rebellion.) Instead, he finally has to resort to making mankind less human (disembodied) and destroying the earth he made. God’s magnificent sovereign plan of the ages is reduced, in our minds, to a failed experiment.
The correction to the heresy of believing God’s plan has failed is the biblical doctrine of the new heavens and the New Earth. Theologian Rene Pache writes, ‘…The future heaven is centered more on activity and expansion, serving Christ and reigning with Him. The scope is much larger, the great city with its twelve gates, people coming and going, nations to rule. In other words, the emphasis… is the presence of earth’s positives, magnified many times through the power and glory of resurrected bodies on a resurrected Earth, free at last from sin and shame and all that would hind both joy and achievement.’
Understanding and anticipating the physical nature of the New Earth corrects a multitude of errors. It frees us to love the world that God has made, without guilt, while saying no to the world corrupted by our sin. It reminds us that God himself gave us the earth, gave us a love for the earth, and will delight to give us the New Earth.”
Heaven Answers these FAQs
• What will the resurrected earth be like?
• What will our lives be like?
• What will our relationships be like?
• What about animals?
• What will we do in Heaven?
My Reaction: Heaven is Completely Down-to-Earth
If you’re going through a trial or major life change; have just lost a loved one; find yourself near the end of your own life; or you’re simply curious about what life will be like in eternity—this is the book for you.
I picked up Heaven for the first time during a drizzly, gray mid-winter day. With sunshine and the change of season still several weeks away, it was incredibly encouraging to read a book that describes God’s redemptive plan for a spring flowering of the entire Universe!
In short digestible chapters, Alcorn carefully and thoroughly walks his readers through the Old and New Testament Scriptures. Alcorn is prolific author of fiction (e.g. Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home), so his imaginative writing breathes vibrancy into what could have been tedious exegetic plodding.
The correction to the heresy of believing God’s plan has failed is the biblical doctrine of the new heavens and the New Earth. Theologian Rene Pache writes, ‘…The future heaven is centered more on activity and expansion, serving Christ and reigning with Him. The scope is much larger, the great city with its twelve gates, people coming and going, nations to rule. In other words, the emphasis… is the presence of earth’s positives, magnified many times through the power and glory of resurrected bodies on a resurrected Earth, free at last from sin and shame and all that would hind both joy and achievement.’
Understanding and anticipating the physical nature of the New Earth corrects a multitude of errors. It frees us to love the world that God has made, without guilt, while saying no to the world corrupted by our sin. It reminds us that God himself gave us the earth, gave us a love for the earth, and will delight to give us the New Earth.”
Heaven Answers these FAQs
• What will the resurrected earth be like?
• What will our lives be like?
• What will our relationships be like?
• What about animals?
• What will we do in Heaven?
My Reaction: Heaven is Completely Down-to-Earth
If you’re going through a trial or major life change; have just lost a loved one; find yourself near the end of your own life; or you’re simply curious about what life will be like in eternity—this is the book for you.
I picked up Heaven for the first time during a drizzly, gray mid-winter day. With sunshine and the change of season still several weeks away, it was incredibly encouraging to read a book that describes God’s redemptive plan for a spring flowering of the entire Universe!
In short digestible chapters, Alcorn carefully and thoroughly walks his readers through the Old and New Testament Scriptures. Alcorn is prolific author of fiction (e.g. Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home), so his imaginative writing breathes vibrancy into what could have been tedious exegetic plodding.
A metropolis this size in the middle of the United States would stretch from Canada to Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the California border. The New Jerusalem is all the square footage anyone could
ask for.
In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Heaven, and I learned a ton of new "factoids." For example, in Rev 21:15-16 an angel reports that the New Jerusalem will be the equivalent of 1,400 miles or 2,200 kilometers in length, width, and height. This perfect cube is reminiscent of the Most Holy Place in the Temple (1 Kings 6:20).
Says Alcorn, “A metropolis this size in the middle of the United States would stretch from Canada to Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the California border. The New Jerusalem is all the square footage anyone could ask for.”
Related
1. “The Temple as a Theme in Scripture” by Chrysalis
2. Visit Eternal Perspective Ministries for more information about author Randy Alcorn.
3. My autographed hardcover version of Heaven includes a seven-week small group DVD. (Thank you Randy, for sending a free copy of Heaven following your EPM contest for bloggers.)
What do you think? Will there be animals in heaven?We must begin by reasoning from God’s revealed truth. But that reasoning will call upon us to use our Scripture-enhanced imagination. As a nonfiction writer and Bible teacher, I begin by seeing what Scripture actually says. As a novelist, I take that revelation and add to it the vital ingredient of imagination. As C.S. Lewis said, "While reason is the natural organ of truth, imagination is the organ of meaning."—Randy Alcorn
10 Comments:
Funny that this should come up, my mother and I were just discussing this. I believe that there will be animals in Heaven as creatures are part of God's perfect creation. However, much as I love my pets, I'm not sure about individual pets going to heaven.
Of course animals will be heaven! Aren't they God's creatures too? Anyway, how's the whole ecosystem going to work without them?
Well if the lion is going to lay down with the lamb, I'm thinking yes. All I know is I can't wait to get there. This is one of my all time favorite books. I also recommend the children's version too. My 11 year old has a lot of questions and said he's learning a lot.
I read about 3 chapters of this book, I own it, but I had to stop reading it. It was good, no heresy, but too much speculation for me. I think it's fine to be open to having an active imagination about Heaven but I think in some ways he sort of pushes it a little too much. I stopped reading it but I'm considering going back and jumping around on the topics im interested in.
I think there might be animals in heaven but not really sure other than the verse which talks about the lion lying down with the lamb..then again that could be symbolism.....
this book sounds like something I might like to peruse along with my hubby!
I enjoyed this book. Now I want to read it again.
Randy backed up every premise with solid scripture and anything he had a hunch on but couldn't proove he said so. I did find myself going "whoa, really!?" sometimes but then I just went to the Word and read in context to determine for myself what it said.
Gotta love a book that sends you deeper into the Bible
I just loved this book, and Alcorn's novels (which I read first). They made me feel so light and blissful, thinking about what the other side would really be like.
And it got me thinking more about Romans 8:18: For we know that the sufferings of this present time are not even worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.
Think about that: no matter what you've gone through, a divorce, the death of a child (as I have), the death of your parents, betrayal, none of those things are even worthy to be compared with heaven.
If we thought about heaven more, perhaps we'd live so much better here on earth. And I found Alcorn's approach so refreshing, so tangible, and so joyous that it made me feel differently about faith! I highly recommend it, too.
Sheila from To Love, Honor and Vacuum
There better not be cats in heaven ... I'M JOKING!!!!!!
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; Ecc 3:11
I have this book on my book shelf - I'm thinking it might be my next good read.
BTW I smiled when I read the comment about being a bit sad about leaving this earth - truly if things work out like I hope they will - I want a little cabin by Morraine Lake the home of the 10 peaks with beautiful turquoise water :) but at the end of day I truly don't care how it will all look I'm just glad I'm going to be there.
"Heaven" is a great resource!
April: I agree. "However, much as I love my pets, I'm not sure about individual pets going to heaven."
Buffy: Excellent question! "Anyway, how's the whole ecosystem going to work without them?"
Julie: Thanks for your glowing endorsement! I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. :~D
Cindy: I hear you. It's wise to be cautious. :~D
Faith: Yes, you and your uber-smart DH would really enjoy this book. :~D
Jessie: You are so right! "Gotta love a book that sends you deeper into the Bible." BTW, nice to meet you.
Sheila: "They made me feel so light and blissful, thinking about what the other side would really be like." I felt exactly the same way reading this book! (This is the only one of Alcorn's I know, so far.) Thanks for sharing Rom 8:18. Such an encouraging verse!
Shelley: Are you allergic to cats??? Oh no!
Awesome verse: "He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; Ecc 3:11"
You will LOVE this book. Really. It's fabulous and very accurate as far as Scripture goes. Have your DH read it too... He can double check the references if you don't want to.
Sounds like you're talking about the Canadian Rockies... Lake Louise area? Gorgeous!
Lisa: Thanks for your vote of confidence. :~D
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