Love in Heaven

‘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.” 

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Rev 21:4–5 NIV

There is a new world coming. It will not be ruled by men. It will not be governed by the rich or the powerful. It will not be ruled by the Americans, the Europeans or the Chinese.

It will not be governed by business or socialism. There will be no politics, no dominant classes or races. There will be no national borders and no armies, no weapons, no locked doors, no police.

There will be no celebrities, no different religions, no church leaders.

It will be God’s world, governed by God alone. God will not be our president. He will be our loving father.

We will have no need for doctors, nurses, psychologists or lawyers.

Men will not rule over women. Priests and pastors will not rule over other believers. We will be brothers and sisters.

There will be no evangelism.

We will all be one loving family. We will know and see and love God for ever. It will not be difficult to believe, because we will all be bathed, washed and overwhelmed by the tender love of our loving creator.

There is one problem. We have all offended against the love of God. We need to be forgiven before we can be received into the family of Father God. This new world is only for those who love the Father. It is a choice.

But there is another problem. God is just. Sin must be punished. God hates sin but he loves you and me in spite of our sin.

God sent His only Son into this world to live as a man. He did not sin but he suffered brutal execution to suffer the punishment we deserved. He was punished on your behalf and my behalf. He paid our penalty.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jn 3:16–17 NIV

Are you ready to believe and receive forgiveness from God?

If you receive God’s forgiveness and commit your life to living in the love and goodness of God. You will be one of the billions of blessed ones in God’s new world.

So why will God need to wipe away our tears in Heaven?

If we get to heaven but we miss some loved ones who did not turn to God, it will be heartbreaking. God shares our grief. He will comfort us in our grief and wipe away our tears.

While we are here on earth, we must not judge and reject our children who make bad choices in life. We must not stop loving and forgiving them as our heavenly Father loves us and them.

Future of Planet Earth

 The future of humanity and our planet has been a burning issue for over a hundred years.

For the Bolsheviks in Russia, the coming glorious age of communism was the salvation of humanity.

During the Cold War, there was a terrible fear that nuclear war would destroy us all.

In our time, the Greens are fighting desperately to save the planet.

The staunchly devout Muslims firmly believe in a golden age, Dar Es Salaam, ‘’House of Peace.‘’ In this fulfilment of their hopes, Islam is to rule the whole world.

In the ‘’New Age‘’ movement, they sing of a marvellous new age.

‘’This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.‘’

‘’This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust are in abundance
No more lies or mockery
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystical crystal revelation
And the true liberation of the spirit.‘’

Such thoughts have been increasingly common for over a hundred years, but 150 years ago the American poet Walt Whitman wrote a beautiful poem.

I DREAM'D in a dream, I saw a city invincible to the
attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth;
I dream'd that was the new City of Friends;
Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust
love-it led the rest;
It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of
that city,
And in all their looks and words.

These thoughts come from the depth of human hearts. Where do they come from?
 
King Solomon pondered the deep questions of life for a long time. He wrote about God:

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ec 3:11 NIV

God did not just create us humans as biological machines, as Karl Marx and other philosophers of the 19th and 20th centuries taught.

In our time, we recognise the emptiness in our hearts to which these lifeless philosophies have led.
About a hundred years ago, German poets felt the deep loneliness of a life without a relationship with a dear Heavenly Father.

Strange to wander in the fog!
Life is loneliness.
No one knows anyone else, everyone is alone. (Herman Hesse 1905)

But 2000 years ago, God's Son came into this world to reconcile us with Father God.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Jn 3:16–17 NRSV

Jesus wants to give you a new life with God the Father.
Why?

So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 1 Jn 4:16 NRSV

But God's plans are even more far-reaching.

God wants to save this planet and restore everything, and He will bring this about irresistibly.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. Re 21:1 NRSV

And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Re 21:5 NRSV

A New Heaven and a New Earth

 A couple of days ago, a willy wagtail came so close to me, one pace away. Then my wife held out some food and the dear little wild bird ate out of her hand. 

I love online videos showing pet budgies playing with the family cat, or the family cat and dog showing playful affection for each other.

There is a story on social media about a pet dog discovering a baby magpie that fell out of the nest. The female dog adopted the magpie and cared for it like a mother, with the help of the dog’s owner. The magpie grew up loving its dog mother and human family. 

The magpie was free to fly away, and it came and went, playing with its human family and its beloved dogs. It learned to bark like a dog.

You will find the story if you google Molly and Peggy.

In the Bible God created all the animals, and he gave the first man and woman responsibility to rule over the natural world, to love and care for the animals, not to exploit them.

When Adam and Eve listened to the Prince of Darkness, they became mortal and death also entered into the animal world. Cats killed birds, foxes killed chickens and lions killed antelopes.

In the Old Testament, we see prophecies where God promises to restore the peace and friendship between animals.

The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. Is 65:25 NIV

We do not know exactly when and how this will happen, but God’s promises are trustworthy. Even now, we see foretastes of this. I see videos on YouTube of animals which rescue humans and other animals from death, even animals of different species.

This world is full of violence and killing. Chickens and ducks bully their own kind, picking on the weak ones, but this world is temporary. God is planning something far better, a new creation. It will surely come.

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, “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.

‘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.” 

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Re 21:1–5 NIV