The central claim of the Christian faith is that someone has died and lived to tell us what lies beyond death’s door. That’s the Easter claim, that Jesus Christ died at the hands of professional executioners, that he was placed in a heavily guarded tomb, and that three days later Jesus Christ conquered death. Jesus appeared to hundreds of people alive again, to his friends, to his family, and he appeared to these people over a 40 day period of time.
According to the Bible itself, if this claim that Jesus Christ rose from the dead isn’t true, then the Christian faith crumbles and Christians are a pathetic group of wishful thinkers who are out of touch with reality. Yet the evidence that Jesus Christ did rise from the grave is overwhelming. Seven weeks ago we celebrated Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.And the last seven weeks we’ve been building on Easter Sunday by looking at what the Bible teaches about death and the afterlife in a series called BEYOND DEATH’S DOOR. This series has had its share of surprises. Right in the middle of the series I experienced an unexpected death in my own family. We’ve looked in this series at the evidence for believing in life after death, we’ve looked at the question of whether heaven is for everyone, we’ve looked at the Bible’s teaching about hell, and about what happens immediately after a person dies. But today as we finish this series BEYOND DEATH’S DOOR, we’re going to look at the ultimate destination of those who have received God’s love through Jesus Christ. Today we’re going to explore four word pictures the New Testament gives us about this final destination, and—as we’ll see—these four word pictures have real relevance to how we live our lives today.
I. A Change
The first word picture we’re going to look at is the picture of a change. We don’t deal with change very well these days, especially since things seem to change so rapidly in our culture today. That famous theologian Mark Twain once said that the only person who likes change is a wet baby. So at first the idea of a change may not seem real appealing.
As Paul writes his letter to the Philippian Christians he’s concerned that they’ve lost sight of their final destination with God.1 They’ve been living what we might call the secular life, a life that measures success by our culture’s standards, a life that acts as if this earthly life is all there is. So to remind them of the final destination that lies ahead, Paul describes a change that’s going to happen:
Philippians 3:20-21—But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (NIV).
Followers of Jesus Christ don’t truly belong to this world system we live in, but we ultimately belong in heaven, that’s where our citizenship is, that’s where our allegiance is, that’s where our true leader is. Until Jesus returns to this earth, we eagerly await him, on our tiptoes looking for him to appear. When that happens, Jesus will "transform" our present bodies into bodies that are like his, and that transformation is the change we want to zero in on today.
The word "transform" here is the Greek word we get our English word "metamorphosis" from, and it means "to cause a change in the form of something." 2 What’s changed is our physical body, that’s the object of this change, this metamorphosis, this transformation. Like a caterpillar that’s transformed into a butterfly, our present body will be transformed into a body that’s like Jesus’ resurrection body. This change won’t just look like Jesus’ body in superficial ways, but it will be of the same kind, the same inward nature and quality, as Jesus’ resurrection body. 3 By looking forward to this coming change—this future transformation—the Philippian Christians can get back on track.
Now what exactly will this changed body be like? Paul doesn’t tell us here, but in 1 Corinthians 15 he does tell us some important truths about the nature of this resurrection body:
1 Corinthians 15:42-44—So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body (NIV).
This entire chapter focuses in on the resurrection, beginning with the importance of Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection, and then branching off from that to our own eventual resurrection from the dead. Paul uses a metaphor here of planting a seed and the eventual plant that grows up from that seed. The seed appears to die when it’s placed in the ground, yet when the seed is buried in the ground, out of that seed comes new life, a plant. There’s an organic connection between the seed and the plant, yet their appearance—their form—is very different.
This image of a seed and a plant makes even more sense in light of modern physics. We know from the first law of thermodynamics that physical matter can’t be destroyed, but that it can only change form into energy. So the physical matter that our bodies are made of doesn’t disappear after we die, it merely changes form. So it doesn’t really matter whether we’re buried in the ground in a graveyard or whether our bodies are cremated, or whether we’re buried at sea; the physical material that make up our bodies does not disappear.
Paul tells us that like a seed, our present physical body is perishable, it’s subject to decay and disintegration. Whether we like it or not, whether we admit it to ourselves or not, our physical bodies are disintegrating, winding down each day, gradually limping toward death. Yet like a seed that’s placed in the ground, our perishable body after it dies will be raised imperishable, immortal, free from decay and disintegration, just like Jesus Christ’s resurrection body was.
Our body in its current condition is in a state of dishonor. But when it’s raised from the grave, like a seed that’s sprouted into a plant, our bodies will be raised in glory.Our bodies in their current condition are in a state of "weakness," which points to our physical limitations. How many of us can run a 1 minute mile? How many of us are in the same physical shape we were in ten years ago? While our soul seems to be getting stronger—our minds in education, our emotions in maturity, our spirits in our Christian growth—our bodies are moving in the opposite direction, they’re getting tired, growing weaker every day. Yet, like a seed after it’s planted, our bodies will be raised in power. This points not so much to God’s power, but it points to our own ability to do things with our bodies that we’re powerless to do now.
So our bodies in our present condition are natural bodies, bodies that might be fitted for life in the world in its current condition, but bodies that aren’t fit for life in heaven with God. But when that seed is planted and sprouts into a plant, when our bodies are raised from the dead, we’ll have spiritual bodies, bodies that are fit for life with God, bodies that are fully obedient and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit.4 This is still a physical body—Paul doesn’t call it a spirit but a body—but it’s a spiritual body, a body that’s been sufficiently changed, so it’s fit for life with God in heaven.
This is God’s promise to Christians: That he will transform our bodies. Since God will transform our bodies, we can endure affliction.
This promise of a change, that our bodies in their present condition are just the seed, not the eventual plant, we can endure affliction in our lives. Even though it’s painful and difficult, even though we are perishable, our bodies are lowly, even though our bodies are growing weak and tired, we can endure these things because of God’s promise that this is just the seed, that a change is coming.
I really learned this from a college friend of mine named Mike. When Mike was 13 years old he was in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the shoulders, a quadriplegic. Suddenly the perishability, dishonor and weakness of Mike’s body confronted Mike in a way that few of us will ever know, and as an active 13 year old it was simply too much for Mike to endure. Mike refused to participate in rehabilitation, refused to learn how to manipulate a wheel chair. Instead Mike stayed in bed, screaming and yelling at everyone who came into his room, filled with bitterness and anger. But then someone told Mike about Jesus Christ, and Mike became a Christian. That gave Mike hope, and this promise of a change enabled Mike to endure his own affliction. Mike got out of that bed, and when we met Mike was a college student, married, he eventually adopted a child, and today he works at a seminary in the pacific northwest. What changed in Mike’s life? This promise of a change helped him endure affliction.
II. A Home
But God has not only promised us a change in heaven, he’s also promised us a home in heaven.
John 14:2-3—In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (NIV).
Here Jesus pictures heaven as a house, his Father’s house. Now we all know that what makes a home isn’t the size of the house, it’s not the color of the trim or the architectural style. It’s not the square footage, or the condition of the yard, or the view. What makes a home is the people inside, the atmosphere. When Jesus pictures heaven as like a home here, he’s suggesting a place of comfort, security, companionship and good times. 5 And in this home—his Father’s house—is ample place for us, a "room" that’s prepared.
Now the King James Version of the Bible has the word "mansions" here, and that’s led to all kinds of speculation, as people envision having the Hearst castle in heaven. But that’s really a mistranslation based on the Latin word mansiones which at one time just meant "room," but now means "a large imposing house or estate." The Greek word here simply means "room" or "dwelling place." 6 The idea is that in heaven—the Father’s house—there’s ample room for each of us, and that the reason Jesus is going to the cross is to prepare a place for us in the Father’s house.
Jesus also promises here that he will come again—that just as he went to the cross and rose from the dead, he will return at the end of the age. And when he comes again, there will be a place for us with him, at his side, in his father’s house, in that place he’s prepared for us.So the word picture of heaven as a home describes a place to belong. Since God will give us a place to belong, we can endure being outsiders.
We’ll never truly be at home in this life, we’ll never experience the complete security, comfort and safety we long for. Even the most loving and healthy of families will let us down at times.
There are times in this life when we feel like outsiders, like we just don’t fit in. Have you ever felt like that? Like everyone around you is speaking a different language, living by a totally different value system? Have you ever wished that there was a place where you fit, where you didn’t have to perform or pretend to be something that you’re not, a place that would accept you for who you are and not just for what you can do? Jesus is telling us that there is such a place, that it’s in his Father’s house, there’s a place for us. Heaven isn’t like choosing sides for baseball in Junior high, where there’s inevitably one or two students who neither side wants. Heaven is a place where we can belong, a place that’s safe and secure, a place to kick off our shoes, let down our hair, and be ourselves in the company of Jesus and the rest of God’s children. That promise of a home can help us face those times in this life when we feel like we don’t belong.
III. A Wedding
So our final destination is a change and a home, but it’s also like a wedding in the book of Revelation. Now let me just warn you that the book of Revelation is full of symbols and word pictures that can be a bit tough to understand at times, yet in the book of Revelation we find more written about the end of the age and the nature of heaven than any other book in the New Testament. By the time we get to chapter 19 of Revelation, we’re seeing a vision of what happens when Jesus Christ returns again to this earth.In that context we find heaven pictured as being like a wedding:
Revelation 19:7-8—Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (NIV).
The voice urging people to rejoice and be glad is the voice of the heavenly singers who are caught up in the worship of God. This voice urges us to "rejoice" and "be glad" to "give God glory." These are all words of excitement, of celebration, and jubilation. In fact the verb translated "be glad" here means "to experience great joy and gladness with verbal expression and body movement." 7 This is the ultimate concert where people can’t help getting on their feet and clapping, this is the stadium crowd doing the wave and cheering.
The reason for all the excitement is a wedding, but not just any wedding. It’s the wedding celebration of the Lamb. Now this is mixing metaphors here because so far as we know Lamb’s don’t get married. But we know from the rest of Revelation that the Lamb stands for Jesus Christ, with the image of the lamb being a symbol for the fact that Jesus Christ died as the sacrifice necessary to forgive our sins and give us entry into heaven. Just like the nation of Israel sacrificed a lamb on the day of atonement for their sins, so Jesus Christ as God’s final lamb was sacrificed for the sins of the world. This lamb of God—Jesus Christ—is presented with a bride, and she’s all gussied up and ready for the wedding day.
We know from the rest of the Bible that the church—the entire Christian community—is the bride of Jesus Christ, that this bride that’s all ready for the wedding is us. It’s every person who’s trusted in Jesus Christ and received forgiveness of sins through that faith. And all the people—Christians—who make up the bride are dressed in fine linen, bright and clean, and we’re told that the fine linen here stands for the things we’ve done in our lives that are righteous. You see, the saints here aren’t a special class of super Christians, but saints in the Bible describes all Christians, every person who’s trusted in Jesus Christ. Every single follower of Jesus Christ will stand that day in fine linen, wearing on the outside all the things they’ve done in their lives to serve Jesus Christ.
This wedding celebration gives God the credit for what we’ve done in our lives, it celebrates that the bride of Christ has made herself ready by doing the things that would please and honor God.This wedding picture is God’s promise to celebrate what he’s done with our lives. Since God will celebrate our lives, we can advance in our devotion.
Think about what this passage is telling us for a minute. Everything that you and I do in this life that honors God becomes the clothing that we wear at this great celebration. The changes we’ve allowed God to make in our character, the acts of love we’ve shown to other people, the worship we’ve given to God, the money and resources we’ve invested in God’s work on this earth, the time we’ve volunteered to help God’s people, all of it is worn as clothing at this celebration. And the amazing thing is that we won’t be wearing gowns of self-righteousness—it’s not as if these righteous deeds are what got us to heaven—but these righteous deeds become a reason to celebrate, to be glad, to rejoice and get all excited, and to give God the credit.8 This means that every step we advance in our growth and maturity as followers of Jesus Christ today have significance for the celebration we read about here. This means that our devotion to Jesus Christ—and growing in that devotion—will matter.
Are you making yourself ready for this day? Are you advancing in your devotion to Jesus Christ, learning to be more and more like him, growing in your ability to love him, taking new steps of faith to serve him? Do you pray more effectively today than you did a year ago? Are you more patient and loving today than you were six months ago? You see, not every gown is going to have the same thread count, not every linen robe is going to shine as bright.
Knowing that God is going to celebrate what we’ve done in our lives motivates us to keep advancing, to never grow lax, but to take that next step each day, each week, each year. This is why we offer our foundations for life seminars, to help you never grow indifferent or careless in this journey of devotion, to challenge each of you—each of us—to keep advancing, to keep growing. Next week we’ll be offering "Discovering My Ministry" and "Discovering My Life Mission." In June we’ll be offering "Meet Life Bible Fellowship Church" and "Discovering Spiritual Maturity." Let this promise of God’s celebration over your life motivate you today to take some new steps to advance in your devotion.
IV. A Cure
In chapter 21 of Revelation we get a glimpse of the new order in eternity as being like a cure:
Revelation 21:1-4—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."
The new heavens and new earth will be a transformation of this current system into something totally new, much like our present bodies will be transformed into a glorified body that’s new. In this new order, the new Jerusalem will be a link between heaven and earth, and in this new order of things God himself will live in close, intimate relationship with his children. This is a return to what life was like back in the Garden of Eden in Genesis chapters 1 and 2, only what started in a Garden and went wrong is now restored in a city, the new Jerusalem.And that last part of v. 4 zeros in on the cure part, where God promises to wipe every tear from our eyes. No matter how small and insignificant that tear appeared to others, no matter how ignored the hurt was by those around us, every tear matters to God here, and each one is wiped away. 9 These tears are associated with the grief and pain we experienced in the old order of things, the old heavens and the old earth. Words can’t explain what it will be like, so the only thing we can know is what won’t be there, that there won’t be any more death, or grieving, or crying, or pain, that the absence of these things—all associated in the Bible with the entrance of sin into the world—will be banished from this healing community, this place of finding a cure.This presents heaven as a cure, a place where our hurts will all be healed. Since God will heal all our hurts, we can trust him in our grief.
Many Christians think that God has promised to heal all our hurts in this life, to wipe away every tear, to banish death, grieving, crying and pain from our lives in this present world. But God has only promised to help us walk through these things now, to strengthen us in the midst of our grieve, to comfort us in the midst of our crying, to help us in the midst of our pain. In this life we carry around with us deep hurts, the hurts of abuse from childhood, the hurts of tragic death, the hurts of incurable sicknesses and broken relationships. Christians are just as susceptible to these hurts as non-Christians are, and in the midst of these hurts we cry out for healing, for a cure, we scour the local Christian bookstore looking for a book that will give us the key, we flood into seminars looking for the cure, but what we find here is that the cure is yet future, that final healing of all of our hurts will be ours in heaven. Until then, God invites us to walk in faith, to trust him in the midst of our grief, to seek him in the midst of our pain, to discover his comfort, his love, his forgiveness, his strength, as we look forward to that final healing moment.
Conclusion
God gives us a glimpse of the eternal state, of what life is going to be like when we live with him forever. He gives us these four word pictures to help us today, to enable us to face death. God shows us that our final destination is like a change that helps us endure affliction, that it’s a home that helps us when we don’t belong, that it’s a wedding celebration that helps us advance in our devotion, and that it’s a cure that helps us trust him in our grief.Now some will tell us that this is just wishful thinking, just man’s attempt at making himself less fearful of death.
But Christians know better, and they know because of Easter, because Jesus Christ rose from the grave, conquered death, and gave us these word pictures from first hand experience. If Jesus truly conquered death as the Christian faith claims, then we can live in light of these promises because they’re true, not just because they make us feel better.
Notes
1. G. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (New International Commentary on the New Testament; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), p. 376.
2. E. Louw and J. P. Nida, Greek-English Lexicon Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, electronic version), domain 58.18.
3. P. O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary; Grand Rapids; Eerdmans, 1991), p. 465.
4. Stephen Davis, "The Resurrection of the Dead" in Death and Afterlife (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1989), p. 126).
5. P. Comfort and W. Hawley, Opening the Gospel of John (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1994), p. 224.
6. D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), p. 489.
7. Louw and Nida, Greek-English Lexicon, domain 25.133.
8. P. E. Hughes, The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), p. 200.
9. R. Thomas, Revelation 8-22, An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), p. 445.
