Final Destination #2
Where Are We Going?
There are 4 fundamental questions of life that need to be answered in order to make sense of life:
(a) Who are we?
(b) Where do we come from? (c) Why are we here?
(d) Where are we going?
Hence, before we answer the last question, it is important to answer a) to c) first. In the Christian worldview, these 3 questions are very closely related, and their answers can all be found within the Creation account, specifically Genesis 1:26-2:8, from which it is clear that:
(a) We are human beings created in the image of God,
(b) who created us from the dust and His life-giving breath; (c) and our purpose here in earth is ‘to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it’.
Significantly, both our stated origin and purpose are very much framed in ‘earthly’, physical terms:
(a) We were made from dust, and will return to dust (b) The task we were given is to govern and take care of the rest of creation
This implies that:
(a) Creation is one whole package, and we are but one part of it (albeit in integral part) (b) We were made to live on earth (c) Our fate is tied up with the rest of creation — Romans 8:19-21 says that the whole of creation is ‘groaning’ to be ‘liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God’. In other words, creation fell along with us, and it will also be made new along with us.
But aren’t we supposed to go to heaven when we die? How do we reconcile our eternal destination with our ‘earthbound’ identity? We shall now look at the question of ‘Where are we going?’ Based on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and Revelation 20:11-21:8, we can roughly piece together the sequence of events of our afterlife:
(a) The righteous ‘fall asleep’ when they die (b) They will rise again at the Second Coming, followed by the rest of the dead (c) Then, everyone will face the Day of Judgement
(d) The wicked will be thrown into the lake of fire (e) The New Heaven and New Earth will be established, and the righteous will dwell there with God forever
These flow of events suggest that there is an ‘intermediate state’ between our death and the universal resurrection. Supportive evidence includes:
(a) We know from observation that our souls are separated from our bodies upon death, and 1 Corinthians 15:53 says that our souls will someday be reunited with new, ‘immortal’ bodies. So the period of time when our soul is without a body implies an intermediate state. (b) Revelation 21:14 says that Hades (the realm of the dead) will be emptied and thrown into the lake of fire, meaning that it is only a temporary place.
Nevertheless, the exact nature of this intermediate state is not clear from the Bible, for it is hardly even talked about. This is because the intermediate state is not important; it is not the basis of our Christian hope. Christ did not die for us so that we might enter into this intermediate state, but that we might enter into the New Heaven and New Earth. That is what He promises us, and that is what the Bible overwhelmingly talks about concerning our afterlife.
So do we go to heaven or not? That depends on what we mean by ‘heaven’. If by ‘heaven’ we mean ‘a place among the clouds where we will wear white robes and have wings and halos and sing praises to God all the time’, then NO, we will not go to ‘heaven’. But if we simply mean ‘a perfect place where we will dwell for eternity free from sin and in God’s presence’, then YES, we will go to ‘heaven’, and based on Revelation 21:1, that place is the New Heaven and New Earth.
In short, from the Genesis account, it is clear that we were made for Earth; and from Revelation, it is clear that we are headed for the New Heaven and New Earth. Here’s the thing: the New Heaven and the New Earth is simply the old heaven and earth made new. (The form of the Greek word for ‘heaven’, ouranos, used in the Revelation verse most commonly occurs in phrases that denote a physical, created ‘heaven’, as in the sky and/or the universe.) This means that our ‘heaven’ (as in our perfect eternal dwelling place) is actually on earth. EARTH IS OUR FINAL DESTINATION.
So what? How does this change anything about our daily, practical lives? This question is the main focus of this series and will be delved into in future sessions. But for now, some preliminary comments:
(a) Because we were made for Earth, earthly living is not just a trivial distraction. Our everyday physical lives are as much a valid part of who we are, of who God made us to be, as our spiritual lives. Both the physical and spiritual aspects of our lives are equally important to God.
(b) This earth is not a sinking ship, broken beyond repair. This is not to trivialize sin, but that God is far greater than anything we could ever do to mar His designs. Since creation is one whole package, God will not only save our souls and our bodies, but also the ship as well.
(c) Most importantly, God’s original plan is completely restored through Jesus’ redemption. Adam and Eve were meant to live on Earth forever and in God’s presence; and in the New Heaven and New Earth, we will live on Earth forever and in God’s presence. God is not defeated by our Fall in any way.