The Dream of God
09/24/2006 - The Dream Comes True: Heaven on Earth
How many of you have seen the movie Narnia? It came out around Christmas time last year. The movie Narnia is actually based on a book by C. S. Lewis called "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." And that book is actually the first in a series of seven books that Lewis wrote over a period of six years all called "The Chronicles of Narnia." And the final book in that series is called "The Last Battle."
And "The Last Battle" is all about how evil came to the land of Narnia and how Aslan, the great lion, the Christ figure in the story, leads his people into a glorious new paradise. And in the last few pages of that final book, Lewis paints a beautiful picture of the eternal heaven.
Earlier in the story, two children named Jill and Eustace, are involved in a train wreck that thrusts them into Narnia. And after experiencing all the joys and wonders of that land and the presence of Aslan himself, they're afraid that they'll be sent back to earth again, a place that Lewis calls Shadowlands. But then, in the final chapter of the book, called "Farewell to Shadowlands," Aslan gives the kids good news when he says, "There was a real railway accident. Your father and mother and all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead. But the term is over. The holidays have begun. The dream is ended. This is the morning."
And in one of the most moving paragraphs in all of Lewis' literature he concludes the series by saying, "And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page. Now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before."
And so ends "The Chronicles of Narnia."
This morning we come to the end of our series called The Dream of God, but it's only really just beginning. And like Lewis we're going to say farewell to Shadowlands, to this world we're living in now, and to death, and to suffering, and to pain, and to this earth as we know it, which groans under the curse of sin and together we're going to welcome the new heaven and the new earth that God has prepared for his people. Today the dream of God comes true as heaven finally comes to this earth.
For the last ten weeks we've traveled through Scripture, cover to cover, beginning in Genesis 1 and ending today in Revelation 22, unfolding this great dream of God. And what is the dream of God? The dream of God is to bring heaven to this earth once again so that he can dwell among his people. That's the dream. That is what God has wanted all along.
You see God has never given up on his creation. And all throughout history he has been actively at work through his people and his Son to bring this world back to the way he originally intended it to be, a fantastic, breathtaking place where we can all live together with God in peace and harmony. The kingdom of God we've said is both now and not yet. It has not yet come in all its fullness, but it is now present through its citizens, those of us whose allegiance is to the King.
All through Scripture, this grand story in which we find ourselves, we've seen that it's always been God's desire that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That's what Jesus taught us to pray. That's the way it was in the garden when heaven and earth overlapped. God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden during the cool of the day. And for a time it was good. In fact, God said it was very good.
But then Adam and Eve made a huge mistake, a mistake of cosmic proportions, a mistake that we're still paying for today. They chose to rebel against the King and go their own way which forced them right out of the garden. And God's dream was shattered. And the curse of sin that came as a result has affected every person, every relationship, and every square inch of God's creation.
And so God had a decision to make. Would he give up on his dream and throw it all away? Would he concede victory to the serpent who destroyed it all? And say, "I give up. You win!" Or could he come up with plan to reclaim it, to restore it, to renew it, to regenerate it, to resurrect it, to reverse the curse?
And as we've seen in this series, he chose to come up with a plan to regain his creation. He starts by calling a man named Abraham and promises to bless the world through him. And then he calls a people named Israel to make his presence known through them. He gives their leader, Moses, detailed instructions on how to build a tabernacle, a tent, in the desert. Why? So that he can live in the midst of his people. It would be a special place, a mysterious place where heaven and earth would intersect. It's not quite the garden, but it's a step in the right direction.
And after wandering in the wilderness for forty years Israel will finally settle down in the Promised Land where God gives David's son, Solomon, the privilege of building him a house, the Temple in Jerusalem. Why? So that God can once again live among his people. That's his dream.
But the temple doesn't last. It stood for about 400 years, but because of Israel's rebellion it was reduced to rubble in 586 B.C. and the people of God were scattered. And once again it looked like the dream of God was dead.
But God wouldn't let his dream die. He kept it alive through the prophets who spoke of a future day when heaven and earth would again overlap, this time in a person who would come and live and die and live again to rule over a kingdom on this earth finally and forever set free from the curse.
And that person is the hero of this epic tale. His name is Jesus, Immanuel, "God with us." About him John writes in John 1:1,14, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
Heaven and earth overlap in the person of Jesus Christ who fulfills God's dream by dwelling among us. And to accomplish God's brilliant plan of redeeming the whole universe, Jesus becomes the curse himself in order to reverse the effects of the curse and set this world free once and for all.
Paul, the apostle, puts it this way in Galatians 3:13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
Adam and Eve sin by eating from a tree. Jesus dies by hanging on a tree. Death first appears in the garden. Jesus conquers death by rising from a garden tomb. And the resurrection of Jesus Christ is what will set the entire universe free. The resurrection means way more than that we're going to go to heaven when we die. It's the beginning. It's the first fruits the Bible says of the restoration of all things.
(Blank slide) The physical resurrection of Jesus means not only that our bodies will be made new one day, but that every nook and cranny of this universe is going to be made new. The gospel is far greater than most of us ever dared to imagine. It isn't just good news for us as people. It's good news for animals and trees, birds and plants, stars and planets. It's good news for every single molecule in the universe.
Theologian Anthony Hoekema put it this way, "The kingdom of God … does not mean merely the salvation of certain individuals nor even the salvation of a chosen group of people. It means nothing less than the complete renewal of the entire cosmos, culminating in the new heaven and the new earth."
Jesus frequently spoke about the renewal of all things. In Matthew 19:28 he uses kingdom language when he says to his disciples, I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
God's dream is not to trash this earth and start all over again. He had that choice a long time ago and decided against it. Instead, he wants to bring heaven to the earth that we live on now and dwell right here among his people. I think that's what the apostle Paul means when he says in Ephesians 1:10, It is God's will to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
The apostle Peter put it this way when he said in Acts 3:19-21, Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus. 21He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
The key word in that passage is the word "restore." To restore means to make things like new. To renovate, to rebuild, to put back together the parts that are broken. And that is what God is going to do for his creation. He's going to take what he once called "good" and make it even better.
And that restoration process will be extremely intense. Peter describes it this way in 2 Peter 3:10-14, But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare …12That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
For a long time I thought that passage meant that everything we see is going to be burned and left in ashes. But I don't see it that way any more. I think this is all part of the cleansing process that's necessary for the renewal of all things. Earlier in that same chapter Peter talks about the flood destroying the world. That didn't mean the earth ceased to exist after the flood, but it was cleansed by the flood and dramatically changed by the flood. So will this world be when the King returns and the curse is lifted.
(Blank slide) Hoekema puts it this way, "If God would have to annihilate the present cosmos, Satan would have won a great victory …. Satan would have succeeded in so devastatingly corrupting the present cosmos and the present earth that God could do nothing with it but to blot it totally out of existence. But Satan did not win such a victory. On the contrary, Satan has been decisively defeated. God will reveal the full dimensions of that defeat when he shall renew this very earth on which Satan deceived humankind and finally banish from it all the results of Satan's evil machinations." When the curse is finally lifted the caterpillar will be gone and the butterfly will emerge.
This is my Father's world, O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world, the battle is not done.
Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied,
And earth and heaven be one.
The best description of earth and heaven becoming one that I know of is found at the very end of the story. And I want us to see it for ourselves. So if you have a Bible turn to Revelation 21. Listen to how the apostle John describes God's dream coming true as heaven comes down to earth so that God can finally and forever dwell among his people.
Revelation 21:1-27,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. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with people, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He 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." 5He 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." 6He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To those who are thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7Those who overcome will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
Verse 9,One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Verse 15, The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. 18The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
Verse 22, I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Now look at Revelation 22:1-6, Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. 6The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."
The apostle John is breathless. This is his best attempt to put into words the coming of God's kingdom to this earth. And it's no accident that he takes us back to the garden and to the tree of life and to the removal of the curse. But he also takes us beyond the garden and up to a great and high mountain and into a beautiful city, the New Jerusalem, where there is no need for a temple. Why? Because God's dream has finally come true. He will dwell among his people in person and we will see his face.
That's what's in store for all who claim allegiance to the King. That is the glorious hope that we have. Being a Christ follower is much more than simply about going to heaven when we die. It's following the hero of the story and embracing his mission, which is all about renewal, and restoration, and reclaiming what is rightfully his. This world was made for light, not for darkness. And every time we beat back the darkness by letting our light shine we are bringing a bit God's kingdom to this earth.
The Scriptures make it clear that should we die before God's kingdom comes in all its fullness we will go to heaven. We do enter that realm where God is and we will see Jesus. But that's not our final destination. Our final destination comes when our bodies will be resurrected from the grave, just like Jesus was, and we are welcomed into our eternal home where at last we will begin Chapter One of the Great Story which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before.
The last section of Revelation in my Bible is called "Jesus is Coming." That's a great way to end the story. Isaac Watts the great hymn writer of the 1700's wrote a song that declares Jesus is coming. It's a song that I'm confident most of us know. We sing it every year around Christmas time. But it's not a song about the humble birth of Jesus in a manger. It's a song about the glorious coming of Christ to set up his kingdom on this earth. It's called "Joy to the World."
Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
Joy to the world! The Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
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
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of love
We're going to close this Dream of God series by singing that song together with thoughts, not of a little baby crying in a manger, but of a powerful King conquering the curse and restoring his kingdom to this world.