The Final Outcome

 It is the final outcome that really matters. It is how we end our life that counts. God promises that the final outcome for his children will be complete. Not one will be missing. Death is hard for us to deal with since it is so final. We don’t like things to be final. That’s why we like shopping at big stores like Lowe’s and Walmart, where we can take our purchases back if we change our minds, but with death, there is no changing our minds. The Bible explains death to us, but it is up to each of us to deal with it. For example, one of those explanations is found in the book of Isaiah, where there is a comparison of life and death.

The events of Isaiah chapter 34 are events of finality. No changes or refunds will be allowed. You choose it, you keep it. You won’t find a more solemn chapter in the Bible. It is both frightening and revering. This is the final outcome of those who choose their own way and ignore God’s offer of eternal life. The Bible says we will be held accountable whether we like it or not. Those who choose to dismiss the Bible’s prediction of what will happen can do so, but it doesn’t change the events. Here is a glimpse of what that outcome will be for those who have rejected God. “For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause” (Isaiah 34:8).  “All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree” (Isaiah 34:4).

While chapter 34 is scary, chapter 35 is comforting. It’s a picture of God’s salvation and the final outcome of those who have chosen God. Isaiah describes a picture of eternal life: “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God” (Isaiah 35:1-2). Some find it hard to believe that there could be a place like heaven where God’s glory will shine forth for all eternity. God knows that we will need encouragement during the tough times we face in life to believe there is such a perfect place.

God wants us to encourage each other. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;  say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”  Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.  Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert (Isaiah 35:3-4).

God never runs low on resources. You will never find God on empty. We learn to encourage each other in the Lord. It’s what we are supposed to do, “Strengthen the weak and fearful among” by pointing them toward God.  God is here to help us. We believe that one day, God will right all the wrongs.

Heaven

People everywhere, even Christians, wonder if there is anything else to look forward to in life. Sometimes, we feel the best has come and gone. Is there anything left to long for?

In a world that is depressing with terrible news, we are bombarded by the number of murders, killings, robberies, rapes, and on and on the list goes. Turning our attention to the heaven God has prepared for us is imperative. The Bible speaks of heaven from beginning to end. John’s description informs us with exciting descriptions.

We all have experienced the injustice and impurity of this world through betrayal, treachery, and duplicity. But here is a place where no impurity or injustice exists. There will be no shame, guilt, or muck and mire of sin.

We sometimes hear stories that are so cruel they have to be authored by demons from hell. The brutality, the violation of women and children, and the complete disregard for life sicken us. People who have suffered these things, such as the hostages from Israel, will need the rest of their lives to heal, and that will not be enough. In this heaven, God has prepared, and those things do not exist because there is no sin, and nothing impure can enter.

John records hearing a loud voice from the throne, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev 21:4).

This is more than our brains can comprehend. The stain of all the sinners—the wrecked lives and accumulated pain is gone. And, in its place, there is a heaven that has never been contaminated by sin and never will be. And why is this? Because God lives there with his people. John writes, “There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev 21:4).

God’s presence prevents sin and disallows death, mourning, crying, and pain. This describes what every heart longs for but can’t find on this earth. We wonder what can happen. Where will the next evil come from? There is always the fear of some lurking danger, the fear of our greatest enemy, sickness, and death. Here is heaven—a new heaven and earth, a holy city, the presence of God, comfort for all sorrow, and protection from any future pain.

John writes: “To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life” (Rev 21:6). This promise is designed to make us thirst for the water of life more than we thirst for anything else. We will be satisfied when we drink.

God Will Reclaim His Creation

Philip Bliss wrote the hymn “Hallelujah, What a Savior” in 1875. One of the verses says, “Ruined sinners to reclaim.” That is a theme of the entire Bible. God is always reclaiming what is his. God has never surrendered his title to humanity and to this earth. He owns it---and he will not relinquish it to his enemies. David wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Ps 24:1).

The word redeem means to buy back to restore to its original state. Redemption is just that, whether God’s wayward people or the earth itself. God will one day restore this earth to its original design, and we will be who God intended us to be. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things” (Matt 19:28). There will be a renewal of all things. Jesus is the creator and will make his creation as it was before sin brought devastation to it.

Jesus will redeem the earth, our culture, and everything about those he has redeemed. Isaiah wrote, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isaiah 60:3). Drawing from these words, John wrote: “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it” Rev 21:24). God’s work of redemption involves the purging of human arrogance and the restoration of his creation to its original beauty and splendor. Nothing is wrong with what God has made, but the misuse of those things has distorted it. Isaiah chapter 60 is a vision of heaven—the new earth. This chapter is followed by a description of the power of Jesus’ ministry to reclaim his creation in Isaiah 61:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:1-3).

Isaac Watts wrote “Joy To The World” not for Christmas but as a poem in 1719 based on Psalm 98: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him” (Ps 98:1). This psalm is a vision of the new heaven and earth.

2 Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ,

while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains

 

3 No more let sins and sorrows grow,

nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

far as the curse is found,

Longing for Heaven

 

How important is it to contemplate heaven while we live on this earth? It is imperative because it is a real place that will be our eternal home. John has given us a marvelous description of heaven in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

John’s description of heaven says we will be his people, and God will dwell with us. That is a powerful thought as we live fully with God as his people. Secondly, John states there will be no more tears because God will finally wipe every tear from our eyes. We all see sadness every day. There is sadness from sickness, death, broken relationships, financial hardship, sorrow in disappointment, and sadness from injustice. No more tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, forest fires, or floods in heaven. The temperature will be just right. Only God can do that! Lastly, notice that phrase that there will no longer be any sea.

David McCloud shares some thoughts about John’s phrase, “No longer any sea.” Consider for a moment why the ocean exists. Over 70 percent of our earth’s surface is covered with salt water. Why does our planet Earth need such a massive covering of salt water? The answer is to cleanse the earth. The sea might be described as God’s great antiseptic solution. The salty brine of the sea cleanses and preserves our planet, making it fit to live in. Many pollutants and waste humans produce are washed out of the soil and into the streams and rivers. The rivers carry these materials into the sea, and the antiseptic solidity of the sea absorbs, scrubs, and breaks down these pollutants and waste. The sun heats the sea, causing only pure, clean water vapor to float into the sky, forming clouds that bring refreshing rain back to the land, a continual cycle of cleansing and renewal. But in the new earth, there will be no more pollution, decay, or need for cleansing, and thus no need for a salty sea. This present order of things will end, and nothing more powerfully communicates the idea than the assertion that there is no longer sea.

Evidence of his handiwork is evident in every phase of creation. We are now living in the end times, and the day of Christ’s appearing is at hand. Our hearts long for heaven!

No More Tears

How important is it for us to contemplate heaven while we live on this earth? It is incredibly important because it is a real place that will be our eternal home. I am grateful that John has given us a marvelous description of heaven in the book of Revelation. I have read this passage several times in the last few weeks, and I am struck by several of the statements here.

Rev 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

John’s description of heaven says that we will be his people, and God will dwell with us. That is a powerful thought to think of as we live fully and completely with God as his people. Secondly, John states there will be no more tears because God will finally wipe every tear from their eyes. We all see sadness every day, and some of it is our own. As a pastor, I see tears almost every day in some form. There is sadness from sickness; there is sadness from death, and sadness from financial hardship. There is sadness in disappointment and sadness from injustice, and on and it goes. But, in that place there will be no more tears. The thought is incredible. Only God can do that! Thirdly, the phrase that there will no longer be any sea is really interesting.

We find this phrase so facinating because so much of our earth is an ocean. What a drastic change from this earth as we know it. David Mc Cloud, in his book The Seven Last Days, gives us a better understanding of this phrase in its heavenly context:

The first heaven will pass away, and a new atmosphere will surround the new world. There will be no more violent deadly storms, smog, or menacing blackness. At first glance we notice that there will be “no longer any sea.” Ocean lovers and fishermen might be taken back by that statement. Consider for a moment why the ocean exists. Over 70 percent of the surface of our earth is covered with salt water, and the avergage depth of the water is 2.3 miles. Why does our planet earth need such a massive covering of salt water? The answer is to cleanse the earth and make life possible. The sea might be described as a big sewer system or better God's great antiseptic solution, composed of 96% of H20, 3.5 % salt, and about 0.5 % trace elements clorine, magnisum, calcium and the like. The salty brine of the sea purges, cleanses and preserves our planet making it fit to live in. Many of the pollutants and waste that humans produce get washed out of the soil and into the streams and rivers. Other places those things are deliberately dumped into there. The rivers wash these materials into the sea, and the antiseptic solitity of the sea absorbs, scrubs, and breaks down these pollutants and waste. The sun heats the sea causing only pure, clean water vapor to float up into the sky forming clouds which bring refreshing rain back to the land, a continual cylce of cleansing and renewal. But in the new earth there will be no more pollution, no more decay, no more need for cleansing and thus no more need for a salty sea. This present order of things is going to come to an end, and there is nothing that more powerfully communicates the idea than the assertion that there is no longer any sea.^[i]

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[i] David McCloud, as quoted by Charles Swindoll, Stop Criticizing & Start Contemplating Heaven, CDR-SCC928, 3.2.14

Eternity in Our Hearts

One of the most fascinating statements Solomon ever made in his book of Ecclesiastes is this one, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Eccl. 3:11). I believe this is true, and besides the biblical statement, there is evidence in human history to validate the claim.

When I was about seventeen, I read a book entitled Peace Child. In 1962 Don Richardson and his wife, Carol, with their tiny son Stephen arrived in New Guinea to bring the gospel to a cannibal tribe called the Sawi. Richardson made little progress in his attempt to introduce the gospel to these people. In fact, when they heard the gospel story, they admired Judas the betrayer more than Jesus. The reason being is because in their culture the man who could betray his enemy was held in high esteem. Don and Carol threatened to leave if the Sawi did not stop fighting their enemies. The Richardsons watched in total surprise as the two warring tribes reconciled through a “peace child.” The chief's own son would be offered to the other tribe as a “peace child.” It was then that Richardson saw this ritual as a parable of the gospel, in which the Chief of all chiefs made peace with the lost tribe of humanity by offering up his only Son. Many of the Sawi eventually came to know Jesus, and the gospel has spread throughout the region. The whole story of the Sawi and their neighboring tribes is evidence that God has put eternity in our hearts.

Richardson, in another book entitled Eternity in Their Hearts, demonstrates that people from every culture have a deep longing for God. It doesn’t matter whether they were part of an ancient tribe from long ago or part of an urban population of the 21^st century, people long to know what’s next.

Richardson writes that God has revealed himself in creation and in oral stories that have been passed down. The Inca king rejected the sun god Inti because he believed there was a greater God who dwells in uncreated light. The Karen people of Burma had legends of a lost book that one day the Supreme God Y'wa would come to set them free from oppression. The people of Borneo had a tribal ritual to make atonement for sin. Every year the Dyaks put their sins on a small boat and sent it down the river with their sins. ^[1]

These stories are only a sampling of the fact that God has put eternity in our hearts. We were born with a longing in our hearts to know God, and that longing is for another world—one far different than this one plagued with sickness, injustice and made hopeless by our sins.

C.S. Lewis often wrote about eternity, and he could, I think, write in such eloquent ways, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."[2]

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[1] Don Richardson, Eternity in Their Hearts, Ventura, CA: 1981.

[2] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, New York, NY: Macmillan, 1952, p. 120.