May 21, 2011.  The day that marked the end of the world.

At least, that’s what one particular religious organization believed. Their claim gained some traction in the news and on billboards, but not many people took the warning seriously.  I know I didn’t.  There had been many similar, failed predictions, and the Bible makes it clear that no will know when that time is (Matt. 24: 36).

Still, there was no reason the world couldn’t have ended on that day . . . or any day, for that matter. God’s plans could have coincidently lined up with someone’s off-the-wall prediction. Just to be sure, I took the time to discuss the gospel with my children. But I also began to wonder if I was ready myself. Salvation wasn’t my concern; my faith in Christ secured that years ago. What was a concern, however, was how I felt about leaving my current life.

The answer was I wasn’t quite ready.

Regardless of how wonderful heaven is supposed to be, I felt I still had too much on Earth that I wanted to do.  I was getting married, and I looked forward to time with my new wife. My backlog of video games, books, and movies seemed endless. I had aspirations left to reach. Would all that just be gone? Would I miss those things? Will life with God be better than what I currently had?

If you are a Christian, you are probably yelling, “Terrence!  Are you daft? Of course, life with God will be amazing!”  And intellectually, I know you are correct. But I believe all of us have those moments when we don’t want to give up something we enjoy or are looking forward to, regardless of how good another option might be.  After all, isn’t that the root of sin, choosing to follow our own desires instead of God’s?

So, here we are thirteen years later. As far as I know, there are no popular “end-of-the-world” theories currently being publicized. I have no reason to believe that I’m going to die soon. Yet, I have contemplated the life beyond and I’ve come to this realization.  If God decided to end it all right here and now, I’m ready.  Take me away for all this.

Please don’t misunderstand, this isn’t some fatalistic desire.  I’m not contemplating doing anything to speed up my demise or begin living recklessly. I’m just realizing that when this current life is over, my new life will be infinitely better. Just like anything I desire now, I’m ready for it to begin.

So, what has changed? My daily life isn’t much different than it was then.  I still look forward to spending time with my wife and children.  Instead of my lists of leisure activities getting shorter, they have actually grown. As for those aspirations, if I’m being honest, not much has changed since 2011.  So why am I now ready to meet my maker when I wasn’t then? I attribute it to three things: my disillusionment about society, greater knowledge of heaven, and a better understanding of God.

SOCIETAL DISILLUSIONMENT

In 2011, the majority of news came from organized outlets, many of them well established for years, who placed great emphasis in making sure their product (information) was verified and accurate.  Social media was still in its infancy.  People had a basic trust in what they were told, and conversations were limited to the proverbial water cooler.

Today, everyone has an outlet (yes, including myself). There are probably thousands of opinion and propaganda sites on the internet posing as “news.” Truth is determined not by verified facts, but loud voices and popularity (or infamy.) And thanks to Facebook, Instagram, and X, conversations have expanded from across the office to across the ocean. Technology that should have given us a better understanding of each other and brought us closer has instead created confusion, division, hatred, new targets to attack, and ways to attack them. For me, it has been very disheartening, even disgusting at times, especially when I see it coming from people who have professed to follow Jesus.

This is not the world I wish to live in, nor the way God created it to be.  It’s that world I want to experience.

HEAVENLY KNOWLEDGE

There is a phenomenon you sometimes see in multiplayer online video games.  In the early stages of the game, you build up your character by exploring and questing. Your goal is to get better while discovering the world. However, once you reach a certain level, the game expects you to fight the same monsters in the same dungeons over and over again. Or you might be asked to battle other players for dominance in brutal arenas.  There is no more advancement or exploring.  In a nutshell, you are asked to play a different game. Needless to say, this is when many players lose interest and leave.

In a way, I had a similar concern about heaven. My understanding of Heaven was vague, at best. While it’s safe to say I didn’t believe heaven was simply clouds, robes, and harps, I didn’t have any alternative image to replace it. I did assume that, like the game described above, heaven would be completely different from the world as I knew it. I was concerned, if not just outright scared, that I would miss all the things I loved.

Since then, however, I have learned a bit more about heaven.  While it’s true to say that having an exact understanding of heaven is impossible, it is possible to gather, from scripture, some of the things we can expect.  Authors who have researched the topic, such as Elise Fitzpatrick and Randy Alcorn, have certainly helped.

Instead of changing the game, I‘ve come to believe that our eternal life will be more like an extension of this life.  The earth will be renewed, returned to “Eden” God originally created, but perhaps advanced.   The architecture, technology, and structure will be familiar to us, but be devoid of the corruption, disease, deterioration, hatred, and other effects of sin. We’ll work, but it will be refreshing, enhancing, and enjoyable. We will be able to enjoy the world and everything in it, as well as worlds beyond, with no restriction of time or space. Worship will never end because everything we do will be God-honoring.

This is probably not an exact description of what heaven will be like, but whatever it does end up being, I am growing more and more excited for eternity.

GODLY UNDERSTANDING

The previous two reasons have gone a long way to help quell my fears, but what has brought me the most comfort is my growing understand of God, His character, and the ultimate plan for creation. If you are a regular reader, you know that I am on my second time through the Bible Recap. Combining that with my past few years of personal study and great church sermons, I’ve found the wonder of scripture opened wide. God’s goodness and His ultimate plan to restore what sin has corrupted is becoming more and more evident. His promises aren’t just for this life, but eternity.  God’s been faithful in the past, and I have every reason to believe He will be faithful in the future.

Even if I don’t have the perfect picture of what to expect, I have the knowledge that God won’t bait and switch.  Whatever He has waiting for me, it will be amazing and satisfying.  C.S. Lewis wrote, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in the world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” [1]

My desires are unsatisfied.

I am looking toward that other world.

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[1] Lewis, C.S. (2023). Mere Christianity. HarperOne US.

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