It’s easy to think that life will go on and on like it has forever, but we know that’s not true. You came into this world. You will leave it. Nations rise. Nations fall. Circumstances change.
Our faith teaches us that the biggest change in world history occurred when Jesus came into the world. It also teaches us that He will come again. This world where people eat, drink, marry, sleep, work, and rest will radically change. There will be a renewed heavens and new earth.
This change is so huge that it is hard to wrap our minds around it. How can we do it?
First, all the joy we desire will be fulfilled. Whatever brings you joy in this world is a pale reflection of the joy that will occur in the new heavens and new earth. The new earth will be a place of unspeakable joy.
Second, all that is lost will be restored. This is a world full of tragedy. Children die. Parents die and leave their children behind. As I was thinking about this article, I recalled the Gatlinburg fires a few years ago where countless people experienced trauma, lost houses, and lost pets. Sixteen people lost their loves. This is a world of tragedy, but the new heavens and new earth restores what is lost.
Third, all that has wounded us will be healed. Many people are experiencing deep wounds from circumstances, the people around them, and their own actions. Even when are not, we all have wounds from the past. For a while, we do well, but then something happens and all the pain comes rushing back. We wonder, when am I ever going to get past this? While we can have healing in this life, perfect healing exists in the new heavens and new earth.
That is the glorious hope of the Christian. If we can think in these ways about the new heavens and new earth, it will help us anticipate them with much greater hope. We can define ourselves in the words of the Nicene Creed as those who “look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”