“The fact that Jesus was raised in the middle of human history, and not at the very end of it, means that God has not abandoned this world. He intends to overhaul it; His purpose is to make all things new.
The resurrection of the dead does not mean that this world will be burnt to a cinder, and then God will create another one to replace it. No, God will restore this created order. This world is groaning, longing for the day of our resurrection. Just as the Lord’s body glorified was the same body that was crucified, so your body will one day be laid to rest in the ground and will be the same body that rises. In the same way, this world, these oceans, the starry host above us, will all be made over, glorified, and we will dwell here forever.
The intermediate state, the place where believers will go if they die before the general resurrection, will be Christ. It will be blessed. It will be glorious. But it is still just a way station. It is rest before the final consummation. And the final consummation will be here, and you will be here, and all your loved ones in Christ will be here, and we cannot begin to comprehend how glorious it will be.”
- Douglas Wilson, “Restoring from Within”
1 response so far ↓
1 Willy // Apr 17, 2008 at 11:50 am
Amen, and Amen, this is exactly what I was saying to Housegroup a couple of weeks ago when I got into some theological “hot water”. It’s about the lifting of the curse and renewal, not about giving up on it and starting again.
These RSS feeds are really helpful (sometimes…)
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