I’ve started a series on the book of Revelation. It probably won’t be what you would expect.
You’ll never see me make specific and fanciful predictions about the end of the world. Instead, this series will review four major themes in Revelation. I’ll be upfront about things we cannot know, and focus on what is knowable.
Our theme verse about the timing of the end of the world is a quote from Jesus. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” [Matt. 24:36]
Today we’ll see the stark contrast between Heaven and Hell.
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There’s a Farside cartoon with a classroom full of students at their desks. One of them raises his hand. He asks; “Mrs. Porter, can I be excused? My brain is full.”
It’s during the last stage of the human drama that the fuller majesty of God becomes known. Right now, we are not capable of comprehending the infinite vastness of the greatness of God. If it all were explained to us right now, our brains would not be full. Our brains would explode. Heaven is A Glory Beyond Description.
Imagine Hell as a dark horrid circle of despair. Everything that is wrong with the universe is contained in that circle. Hell has been defined as complete separation from the presence of God [2 Thess. 1:9]. Since all good things come from God [1 Tim. 4:4-5, James 1:17], to be completely separated from him is to be surrounded by nothing but awfulness beyond comprehension with no prospect of relief in sight, ever.
We’ve all experienced terrible things in our lives, some more than others. I believe we can honestly say that during those rough times we have had a taste of Hell. You’ve had one foot inside, a taste of what it means to be separated from the glory of God.
But your other foot is inside a distant corner of Heaven. Everything you’ve ever experienced in life that is right and good is a gift from God, a taste of Heaven, an appetizer to build anticipation. For now we’ve only seen a tiny bit of that glory, and cannot comprehend what it would be like to go exploring.
Because we have a foot in Heaven and a foot in Hell we’re stuck. For now, we’re not going anywhere. But the day will come when one foot is torn loose and we are drawn toward the foot that is not. For some, although they previously only had a taste of Hell, they will begin to experience what it’s like to be completely cut off from God. All good things come from God. None of us can imagine the horror of being completely cut off from everything that is good. No one alive has ever been completely cut off from God. Imagine the worst experiences of life, multiplied by a thousand, and it never ends.
For others, they will be free of even the taste of Hell. These are the faithful believers who can finally begin to explore the grandeur of the fuller presence of God. Rev. 21 and the beginning of 22 give us some tantalizing hints as to what awaits those who can finally go exploring across the vast realm of Heaven.
Rev. 21:1-7 “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, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live 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.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.“
He goes on to talk about the Church, symbolically describing her as a magnificent city built with precious metals and stones, with walls and gates made of gold, crystal, sapphire, pearls and much, much more. Reigning over all is the commanding presence of God himself.
How much of these descriptions are literal? How much of them are figurative? How could we possibly know, and why would we care? John is attempting to describe the indescribable, forced to use the limited abilities of inadequate human language, while talking about what it is like being in the magnificent presence of God. It doesn’t matter if it’s literal or figurative. We want to be there. It will be the ultimate glorious experience.
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Next time we’ll talk about an appropriate reward for God’s faithful.
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Dave Soucie lives, serves and writes in Indianapolis.
Copyright © 2023 by Dave Soucie. All rights reserved [but permission is granted for non-commercial use only, with proper citation].
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