“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

When God created the heavens and the earth, it was very good. God said so, Himself. Then He planted a Garden in which Adam and Eve had the best of everything. However, when Satan dropped by, he convinced them that they were lacking; that God had withheld something from them. Moreover, Satan convinced Eve (who then convinced Adam) that claiming that which they thought God had withheld would benefit them. So, they exchanged God’s truth for the lie of the enemy; and as a result, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden to be on their own on a now-corrupted Earth. We call this The Fall, and it is not the season of the year. Instead, it is a death sentence. Instead of the Tree of Life, they now faced death. “…for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). Now, Adam and Eve’s life was cursed. The very ground they walked on was cursed. God said, “Cursed is the ground because of you, through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:17).

Yes, in the first Adam we must face the consequences of our sinful nature, but in Christ we have the promise of abundant life in Heaven and the New Earth once we have fulfilled our lives here on earth and Jesus fulfills his Second Coming. This abundant life will be even better than the Garden of Eden in which Adam and Eve lived.

Peter wrote, “In keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). He was probably reflecting on Isaiah’svision from God of our Future Heaven: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17-19, 21, 25).

Randy Alcorn, in his book Heaven, tells us that “There are things we love about our planet. The things we love are not merely the best this life has to offer—they are previews of the greater life to come.” Can you even imagine a world where “…nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of the living will enter the city” (Revelation 21:27). In other words, Satan will not be dropping by as he did in the Garden of Eden because he will be banished to the lake of fire and eternal torment.

God has put this longing for a “better country” in our hearts. And he is gracious to provide The Way, through his Son Jesus, for us to enter that better country, where we can “have life and have it to the full.” This is our promise to claim.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3).

In Christ,

Judy