Tag Archives: Christian Prophecy

A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN

Will the New Earth Be an Edenic Paradise?

This world -including its natural wonders- gives us foretastes and glimpses of the next world. This life -including its culture- gives us a look into the next world. If we take literally the earth depictions of life on the New Earth, it will allow us to make a direct connection with our current lives. When we are eating with people here, enjoying food and friendship, it’s a bridge to when we will be eating there, enjoying food and friendship. This isn’t making a leap into the dark of a shadowy afterlife; it’s just taking a few natural steps in the light scriptures give us. The Grand Canyon, the Alps, the Amazon rain forests, the Serengeti Plain- these are rough sketches of the New Earth. What about a visit to the Serengeti Plain without the worry of being eaten by a lion?

Whenever we see beauty in water, wind, flower, deer, man, woman or child, we catch a glimpse of Heaven. Just like the Garden of Eden, the New Earth will be a place of sensory delight, breathtaking beauty, satisfying relationship, and personal joy. “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He put the man He had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.”(Genesis 2:8-9). The phrase, ”planted a garden”, shows God’s personal touch, His intimate interest in creative details of the mankind’s home. John 14:2-3 tells us that Christ is paying attention to the details as He prepares for us an eternal home in Heaven. Think- if He prepared Eden so carefully and lavishly for mankind in the six days of creation, what has He fashioned in a place He’s been preparing for us in the 2,000 years since He (Jesus) left this world?

There are those who believe that the New Earth will “start over” with Eden’s original paradise. The scriptures indicate the New Earth will be a carryover of culture and nations from the old earth. The New Jerusalem will be a great, advanced city as we see in Revelations 21:22. Besides Eden wasn’t just a garden. It was an entire land of wonders (Gen. 2:11-12). In Revelations 21:19-20, it tells us about the foundations of the New Jerusalem’s walls. The onyx of Eden (as described in Exodus 28:9-12 & Ezekiel 28:13) will be on this foundation and displayed as a memorial to Eden. So we will not return to Eden but we will remember it. Isaiah 51:3 says “Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody.” Isaiah, considered the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, says all of the New Earth will be magnificent and glorious. But so does Ezekiel 36:35- “This desolate land has become like a Garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.” Isaiah even goes further in 35:1 and 55:13. That seems to be saying that if we want to see a desert, we had better do it now. In studying Isaiah, I am amazed at the New Earth prophecy in the Old Testament. Wait until you hear about animals from Isaiah.

What will New Nature Be Like?

We’ve never seen men and women as they were intended to be. . We’ve never seen animals the way they were like before the Fall. Have you seen the old Travelers Insurance commercial with the scenes of the animals? We have seen marred remnants of what once was. Likewise, we’ve never seen nature unchained and undiminished. Authors C.S. Lewis (Narnia) and J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) saw core truth of old mythologies and they give us a glimpse of people & beasts & trees that are vibrantly alive. Lewis goes on to say that “Christians have the best of both worlds; we have joy whenever this world reminds us of the next and we take solace whenever it does”. If you get a chance, watch the original Narnia where Lucy & her family and friends come upon what reflects the biblical revelation of the New Earth. It also uses the comparisons of the Old Narnia to the New Narnia to capture the biblical theology of the old and New Earth better than any theologian- according to Randy Alcorn. So C.S. Lewis has used scripture in the making of his Narnia series. It is hard to believe that these movies became popular in today’s environment.

On the New Earth we will see the Earth where no good thing will be destroyed. The New Earth will be a place of healing, the place where all hurts are healed, all suffering forever eclipsed by joy (Rev. 22:2). Every healing was a memorial to the Eden that was and a signpost to the New Earth that will be. Everything changes when we grasp that all we love about the old Earth will be ours on the New Earth – either in the same form or another. Think about what this means- we won’t have to regret leaving all the wonders of this world we’ve seen or mourn not having seen its countless other wonders now. We will yet be able to see them.

The following link takes you to much more information on Heaven. It says the material is only from the KJV translation- which is okay but should not be considered the only good source translations of the Bible.

REVELATION: A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE MEANING

THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS IS FILLED WITH SYMBOLISM AND PHRASES THAT ARE NOT EASY TO UNDERSTAND. THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD BOOKS ON REVELATION AND HEAVEN. THIS IS JUST ONE FOR YOU READING TIME.

CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER LOOK AT REVELATIONS

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CASE FOR JESUS

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THE CASE FOR JESUS

SIN IS A BIG DEAL

We have all heard “There are only 2 things certain in life- death and taxes.” We know that even Jesus died but was resurrected. We, as Christians, will follow Jesus’ example. There have been and will be other examples of those who did not or will not experience death. Let’s start with a quiz – Who are they? (Enoch, Elijah and the generation of Christians who will be alive when the Rapture occurs- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) Scripture provides the only answer that explains how sin and death are universal. We realize Adam & Eve disobeyed God and brought sin and death on themselves and their off-springs- which are everyone else. (3 or 4 years ago I heard of a scientific study that found proof –through a new concept called “nuclear DNA”- that all mankind can be traced to Adam & Eve. So much for those who discount the first few chapters of Genesis! ) The origin of sin & death is important to understand for us as apologists, because for people to believe in Jesus they first need to understand that they need to be saved from sin. Remember, even though we are Christians, this simple understanding helps us to be a defender of the faith.

Read Genesis 3:1-6 Sin Defined

So there was actually a time in human history when there was no sin in the world- God’s plan. Today we are constantly “hit in the face” by sin & evil. So Adam & Eve’s rebellion (both not just Eve) against God started all of sin, death, and other fearful consequences on the whole human race. Why do you think God created the tree of knowledge of good & evil? (This established the concept of personal choice and that the universe was created with both material order- laws of the physical realm- and a moral order- laws of spiritual realm. So we must not live contrary to God’s established order.) Adam & Eve were placed in a perfect environment with only one command to obey; Don’t eat the forbidden fruit! All it took was for Satan to cast doubt on God’s word and distort it. How did Eve try at first to correct Satan? (She said they were permitted to eat freely from all other trees – just not this one.) Satan’s answer was to lie. Eve was then faced with a choice. “For from within, out of the heart of man, comes evil thoughts”- Mark 7:21. In Proverbs 4:23 wisdom is provided in “Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flows the springs of life.” Eve did invite Adam to also eat of the fruit but Adam made his choice of his own free will. With disobedience to God’s word, comes sin. I believe a key point is that we always get in trouble when we dwell on what God forbids, rather than on the countless blessings & promises God has given us.

Read Genesis 3:16-19, 24 Sin’s Consequences

After the sin occurred, God asks “Where are you?”- Genesis 3:9. Adam’s reply in verse 10 was that he had become naked and hid. So this set up God’s declaration of punishment. First the serpent & then Adam and Eve! Verse 15 is a prophecy of what is to come- “He will strike your head and you will strike His heel.” The last part refers to Satan’s many attempts to defeat Christ but strikes to the heal will not destroy. The first part is God revealing His plan to defeat Satan with strikes to the head, which are deadly. So now God’s attention turns to Adam & Eve in the verses just read. Let’s talk about what the punishments were & what they mean. What are your thoughts? Sin has within itself the seeds of its consequential punishment. The curse on the serpent explains why it has no legs & why most have a real fear of snakes. There is a promise of hope out of this punishment- “He shall strike or bruise your head” says we have god’s assurance of ultimate triumph of good over evil. For the woman or the man, no curse was spoken here upon them. They had become victims of the consequences of sin they had chosen. So God was declaring they should reap the results of their participation in evil. The curse seems to have been placed on the serpent and the earth, which must be removed for us to dwell here on earth with God.

In the Garden of Eden, life was like Heaven. Everything was perfect and had Adam & Eve obeyed God, they would have lived there forever. However, they no longer deserved “paradise” and God told them to leave. This was another part of the judgment on the first couple- separation from God. From this time mankind has no access to the tree of life until we get to Heaven. In Revelations John sees this tree – now in Heaven. Eternal life in a state of sin would mean forever trying to hide from God. (It is hard to understand why so many fail to understand this). Thankfully God has provided a clear remedy for sin.

Read Romans 5:12-14 Everyone Sins

Paul did not finish the sentence of verse 12. Instead he deals with a problem suggested by his final clause of that verse. It could be asked: What about those who lived between Adam and Moses? What about the presence of sin in the world before the law was given? Paul says that sin was in the world before the law was given (the 10 Commandments). Many centuries passed from the time of Adam to Moses, and there were many sins during this period- but the law was not present until given to Moses. What are some thoughts about what this references? (Difference between sin before & after the giving of the law is a subtle one: sin is not charged to one’s account when there is no law.) This means that no “record” is kept when no laws (per se) are broken, but God’s will was still violated before the law was given. For example, Cain’s murder of his brother Abel was a sin despite the absence of the 6^th Commandment at this early time in history. The reality of sin became clearer when God gave the law through Moses, but the law did not provide a remedy for sin.

Paul is telling us- all people are sinners and he says it goes back to sin’s origin. He states that sin entered the world through one man (Adam) and that sin & death spreads to all. Sin is the devastating truth about the human condition. As we know, since all people have sinned, all people need Jesus as Savior. Verse 14 brings up a concept that seems hard to understand. What do you think it is saying? (Adam & Christ are contrasted and compared. Paul says Adam is a symbol, a representative of Christ. Verses 15-19 draw 5 parallels between Adam & Christ.) Clearly Paul is stating that keeping the law does not bring salvation. Death is the result of Adam’s sin. Romans 5:19- “As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners; so by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous”. We really don’t know how men were made sinners by Adam’s disobedience when he sinned (we think we have some idea but that remains a mystery). We know for sure that all are sinners because of it. However, we do know how we can be made righteous through Christ’s obedience. We can not “inherit” this salvation. It must be due to our personal involvement in faith that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.

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