Worry no more :) Our present earthly experiences are only a type/shadow of the true type in heaven, Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Rev 21:2-4 is an entirely earthly scenario, not heavenly….”the dwelling place of God is with MAN”……but those who are taken to heaven are transformed into immortal spirit creatures in order to dwell in the presence of God, because as Moses was told…. “no man may see God and yet live”.
If we cannot even gaze at the things God created, like the sun, (which is millions of miles away) without damage to our sight, how could humans ever be in God’s actual presence?
God’s first purpose for humans was entirely earthly…there was no mention of ‘heaven or hell’ to Adam, just ‘life or death’. God had a purpose for putting us here that never went away. What God starts, he finishes. (Isa 55:11) So the description in Rev 21 is of the outcome of the restoration of all things…the things that got damaged by rebellion at the beginning, will all be restored at the end. Jesus came to buy back what we lost.
How do you cope with the thought of your child who does not make it to heaven experiencing eternal suffering?
There would not be such a thought in heaven.
Since there is no such place as a hell of “eternal suffering”, no one would ever have thought it up except maybe the devil who wants to paint the worst picture possible of our loving and generous God….who would never even contemplate torturing souls forever. He has no need or desire to do anything but to remove the wicked from existence. What is the purpose in torturing them?
Isn't that exciting: EVERYTHING NEW! new periodic table of new elements, new materials, new earth, new heavens, new universe,
new bodies,
new pets, new food, new drinks (Matthew 26:29), new songs (Revelation 5:9), new relationships, etc.
Since creation was perfect, without defect and it was declared “very good” by its Creator, why would he need to make everything different in order to renew them? Restoration is what the Bible speaks about….just like some humans like to do, God wants to restore his original creation back to its pristine condition.
The “freedom” mentioned is freedom from all the present woes that plague the earth under satan’s influence (1 John 5:19)….we have never known a life free from evil…..then we will. That is certainly something to look forward to for those who will be ruled and cared for by the elect who are chosen by God as rulers and priests for redeemed mankind. (Rev 20:6) A perfect government of God with no corrupt politicians failing to keep their empty promises.
The
perfect marriage between God and the church will replace our defective marriage between a man and a woman. No more husband and wife relations, which is better for everyone.
Now you are speaking of heaven….where spirit beings were
created, not
conceived and given birth.
Those taken to heaven will be in spirit form, and having no need or desire to procreate as we mortals do, there will be no marriage in heaven as that is what marriage was for….to produce children.
Jesus spoke of a delineation of two broad ages in Matthew 12:7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
The coming “ages” are those lived in peace and harmony under the 1,000 year reign of Christ and his bride….then, after one final test on redeemed mankind, all faithful ones will get to enjoy God’s first purpose for all living things on this beautiful planet….something we never got to experience because of three selfish rebels who stole it from us.
The coming ages started counting after the future resurrection, e.g., the age of discovery, the computer age, the space age, the AI age, etc.
The coming “ages” have nothing to do with man’s achievements….all of which the devil has used to further his own agenda.
After Jesus' 2nd coming, there will also be a plurality of ages.
Will we miss anything?
Whatever we may miss will be replaced by something better on the new earth.
”The new earth” is not a new planet…there is nothing defective about this one….God will simply clean it up like he did in Noah’s day, wiping out the wicked and starting again….back then was a temporary reset to keep God’s purpose on track….Messiah had yet to make his appearance, and redeemed, fallen humanity which would descend now from Noah, we’re still in sin, taking the defects they inherited from Adam, into the human race, on into the future. (Rom 5:12)
Will the new earth be stagnant or boring?
No, there will be interesting work, John 5:
Or will we still develop and advance?
Yes, exciting developments under the new glorified physics :)
No new “glorified physics”…just new discoveries concerning the the physics we already have.
Our physical bodies were designed for work, as is evident in all creation. God’s wild creatures are always busy (Prov 6:6-8) and the domestic ones keep us busy also.
Work was inferred in the instructions that God gave to Adam….
”be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28) To “subdue” the earth was to bring it under man’s control, taming the wilderness outside the garden until the whole earth resembled the garden of Eden. The more children they had, the more workers there were for the task, and they had no time limit because everlasting life was promised right here on earth in mortal flesh with access to “the tree of life”.
God’s first purpose will yet be achieved, even after a lengthy but necessary detour.
