A reader asked me this question: I read your article about the dimensions of the New Jerusalem being literal, and appreciated your reasoning. I would also appreciate hearing your understanding of Revelation 21:9-10: “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the... Read more
I’ve seen a few things about astronaut Butch Wilmore, who was stuck in space for nine months and recently returned to earth, and it appears he is a sincere and committed follower of Jesus. In this video, filmed while he was still in space, he talked about his faith: And this post shares how church remained a priority for Butch even while he was in space: During his unplanned nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore didn’t just... Read more
I’ve known Christian parents who wish their teenagers wouldn’t watch R-rated movies, wish their daughters wouldn’t wear suggestive swimsuits and prom dresses, and wish their sons wouldn’t tell dirty jokes, put certain posters on their walls, or listen to music that glorifies immorality. We must stop wishing and start acting! God does not give us responsibility without corresponding authority. “But I don’t want my children to think I don’t trust them.” Trust is important, but it is never unrealistic. Some... Read more
Mark 5:1–20 speaks powerfully of an angry, alienated, and lonely man, driven to despair at the hands of evil spirits. This ancient story captures the emptiness and desperation of countless people today. “This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him…. He tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut... Read more
Self-described agnostic atheist Bart Ehrman writes, “I came to think that there is not a God who is actively involved with this world of pain and misery—if he is, why doesn’t he do something about it?” But what if God did do something about it? What if what He did was so great and unprecedented that it shook the angelic realm’s foundation, and ripped in half, from the top down, not only the temple curtain but the fabric of the universe itself?... Read more
Given the consistent physical descriptions of the present Heaven and those who dwell there, it seems possible—though this is certainly debatable—that between the time of our entrance to Heaven and our resurrection, we may be given temporary pre-resurrection bodies (Luke 16:19-26; Revelation 6:11). This fits the doctrine that, unlike God and the angels—who are in essence spirits, though capable of inhabiting bodies (John 4:24; Hebrews 1:14)—human beings are in essence both spiritual and physical (Genesis 2:7). A temporary body would allow us... Read more
This life is neither our only opportunity nor our best one for happiness, adventure, and fun. I’ve read books on happiness stressing that we must be happy right here and now, living in the moment, because this is our one and only chance. How sad! Thankfully, God says otherwise. His people will have an eternity of present and future happiness. Anticipation of an upcoming vacation or adventure brings us delight even in the midst of busyness and fatigue. On a larger scale,... Read more
Some Christians see happiness as the virtual opposite of holiness. But Scripture says otherwise. Greek scholar J. B. Phillips (1906–1982) translated Revelation 20:6 this way: “Happy and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection!” Similarly, the most literal English version, Young’s Literal Translation, renders it “Happy and holy [is] he who is having part in the first rising again.” Most translations of this verse read “blessed and holy,” with the result that modern readers (unaware that in old... Read more
In the first two chapters of Genesis, God had no competition for the affection of His creatures. Humanity found its meaning, purpose, and happiness in God. God was God; everything else wasn’t. And the only two humans knew it. The Fall tragically changed that. Ever since, every member of the human race has been an idolater. What began in Eden won’t end until Jesus returns and all idols crumble under His feet. Despite the fact that we’re surrounded by shows... Read more
To be godly is to resemble God. If God were unhappy, we’d need to pursue unhappiness, which sounds as fun as cultivating an appetite for gravel. Fortunately, however, God doesn’t condemn or merely tolerate our desire to be happy; He gave us that longing. Through the Cross, He granted us the grounds and capacity to be happy forever. He encourages us here and now to find happiness in the very place it comes from—Him. In one sense, the idea that happiness began... Read more
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