Today’s reading: Isaiah 31-32; 3 John
Heaven isn’t some ethereal existence “out there” somewhere, but is a restored/recreated perfect world, in the vision of the original Garden of Eden, with Jesus ruling as the righteous king forever!
God’s original instruction to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. God, when He created the earth, subdued the Garden of Eden, making it His home and theirs, and their job was to expand that to the entire earth. His plan/vision for unfallen humanity was not a disembodied eternity floating among the clouds somewhere, but was a perfect life expanding His dominion, along with their own, until the entire earth was like the Garden, with humanity as His co-regents over creation.
The Fall impacted that trajectory in a significant way, but it’s important to realize that the Bible never describes God abandoning that vision of the perfect human existence for the sake of the popular notion of heaven being a purely spiritual existence “out there” somewhere. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. When the Bible talks about the final state, it is always talking about a physical kingdom with an eternal, righteous king. Revelation even talks about the new heaven and the new earth being created to replace the fallen earth.
I bring this up because Isaiah is talking about this kingdom in Isaiah 32 today, and I always get really excited reading about the life and world God has prepared for us.
In Isaiah’s vision of the future, the king, Jesus, will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. There will be no more world leaders living for themselves or working for their own enrichment and glory, but they will be a source of protection and refreshment to their people, like a shelter from the storm or a stream of water in a dry place. Physical disabilities and afflictions will cease to exist, and nobody will be able to take advantage of another person in all His kingdom. All people will live in peaceful security, and even the wilderness will become a fruitful garden. And all the world will be characterized by justice and righteousness forever.
When I was a kid, I had a hard time picturing eternity like it’s commonly depicted in movies and cartoons, floating among the clouds and playing a harp. I was worried I would get bored. I figured being bored for eternity was better than being on fire for eternity, so I still wanted to go to Heaven over Hell, but I definitely wasn’t excited for it. But that picture of Heaven doesn’t actually appear anywhere in the Bible, and when I read these descriptions of Christ’s eternal kingdom, not only can I picture that life, but it sounds amazing and exciting, and it drives and motivates me for the day we enter into that kingdom in glory forever!
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