New CreationSample

What will happen when Jesus returns?

When Jesus returns, He will raise everyone from the dead, judge us all perfectly, and restore God’s creation.

When Jesus returns, He will raise his people from the dead, transform those still alive, and place us in God’s new world, where heaven and earth are one, just like the Garden of Eden where He originally placed Adam and Eve.

But what’s God’s new world going to be like? What will the redeemed be doing?

Basically, we will spend all day sitting on clouds, playing harps, singing worship songs, and listening to very, very long sermons...

Just kidding.

So what’s it going to be like, then?

When Jesus returns, He will establish God’s new world and place His people within it.  

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 that faith, hope, and love will endure into God’s new world. In other words, just because God’s new world will be perfect, doesn’t mean that we will no longer need faith, hope, and love.

We’re probably not that surprised by the need for love. Of course love will last into God’s new world! But faith and hope? Why do we need those?

But perhaps that’s part of the point. Perhaps Paul’s giving us a clue, a hint about God’s new world. There will be new tasks and challenges and opportunities. It certainly won’t be boring! When you consider the complexity and variety of God’s creation, we can hardly imagine what he has in store for us, but it will include faith and hope. And for that we’ll need faith and hope, and not just love, because faith and hope look toward the new and unknown and trust in God.

Spend some time today dreaming about what heaven might be like. Then, thank God for the hope of spending eternity with Him and with His people.