Tag Archives: Heaven

Jesus Didn’t Die for Racism to Exist

Posted on by under Randy Alcorn

I took a brief break in posting in the first two weeks of August, so this post is a little delayed but no less important.

Commenting on Revelation 5.9-10 which tells of people from every tribe, language, people and nation:

“Christ died for our sins of racism. His work on the cross put racism to death. The redemption of mankind and the earth will include the redemption of human relationships and the uniting of different people groups in Christ. Racist groups that purport to be Christian are the opposite of Christian. There will be no racial prejudice in Heaven. There will be no illusions of racial or national superiority, no disputes over borders.

“Peace on Earth will be accomplished not by the abolition of our differences but by a unifying loyalty to the King, a loyalty that transcends differences — and is enriched by them. The kings and leaders of nations will be united because they share the King’s righteousness, and they, with him, will rejoice in their differences as a tribute to his creativity and multifaceted character.”

Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2004), 376-377.

An Often Misdiagnosed Condition

Posted on by under Randy Alcorn

Nothing is more often misdiagnosed than our homesickness for Heaven. We think that we what want is sex, drugs, alcohol, a new job, a raise, a doctorate, a spouse, a large-screen television, a new car, a cabin in the woods, a condo in Hawaii. What we really want is the person we were made for, Jesus, and the place we were made for, Heaven. Nothing less can satisfy us. C. S. Lewis said, “The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world: but joy, pleasure and merriment He has scattered broadcast. We are never safe, but we have plenty of fun, and some ecstasy. It is not hard to see why. The security we crave would teach us to rest our hearts in this world and oppose an obstacle to our return to God.”

Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2004), 166.

Service Is a Reward

Posted on by under Randy Alcorn

Service is a reward, not a punishment. This idea is foreign to people who dislike their work and only put up with it until retirement. We think that faithful work should be rewarded by a vacation for the rest of our lives. But God offers us something very different: more work, more responsibilities, increased opportunities, along with greater abilities, resources, wisdom, and empowerment. We will have sharp minds, strong bodies, clear purpose, and unabated joy. The more we serve Christ now, the greater our capacity will be to serve Him in Heaven.

Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2004), 234.

Enter into Your Master’s Joy

Posted on by under Randy Alcorn

The idea of entering into the Master’s joy is a telling picture of Heaven. It’s not simply that being with the Master produces joy in us, though certainly it will. Rather, it’s that our Master himself is joyful. He takes joy in himself, in his children, and in his creation. His joy is contagious. Once we’re liberated from the sin that blocks us from God’s joy and our own, we’ll enter into his joy. Joy will be the very air we breathe. The Lord is inexhaustible — therefore his joy is inexhaustible.

Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2004), 223.

What We Really Want in the Thousands of Things We Want

Posted on by under Randy Alcorn

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63.1). We may imagine we want a thousand different things, but God is the one we really long for. His presence brings satisfaction; his absence brings thirst and longing. Our longing for heaven is a long for God — a longing that involves not only our inner beings, but our bodies as well. Being with God is the heart and soul of Heaven. Every other heavenly pleasure will derive from and be secondary to his presence. God’s greatest gift to us is, and always will be, himself.

Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2004), 171.