Note: The following is an excerpt from the final chapter of “Made Perfect” by Dylan DeMarsico. His upcoming book is due out VERY SOON!
Forever
This good news isn’t only for the here and now. God has promised that this gift of total perfection—and its overflowing life of joy—will last forever. “For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14 NIV). Jesus has promised to take care of us forever. He will never leave us and never abandon us (Hebrews 13:5).
Jesus was our example of the promise of forever. He wasn’t afraid to die, and He shares that same confidence with us. He knew that the Father would take care of Him, even through death. David wrote concerning Christ, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your Holy One see corruption” (Psalm 16:9-10).
Jesus was facing death with joy! Even though He was going to die, He knew the Father wouldn’t leave Him in the ground. And the same goes for us! If we die, we know that our Father will pick up our bodies and breathe life into us again. He will continue to give us resurrection power!
As a kid, the concept of “forever” frightened me. I didn’t want to live “forever” in heaven with God. I experienced deep anxiety thinking about it. But as time went on, and I learned some things, I realized that “forever” is a wonderfully glorious promise.
When we lack the joy of the Lord, we experience anxiety and depression. This leads us to not like life. When we don’t like life, we may even contemplate suicide. And so the promise of living “forever” can actually seem horrible.
But when we come to know God as “Dad” and we realize the joy of Jesus is living inside of us, life becomes an absolute blast. Each and every day is truly a joy; a new day of experiencing the Father’s love. When we come to experience life like this, “forever” takes on a whole new meaning. Who wouldn’t want to live forever in the arms of an almighty God who calls us His beloved children! Oh, the places we will go!
It also helped me to learn that we aren’t going to live in heaven forever—we are going to live on earth forever. Jesus told us the meek will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).
Heaven will actually come down to the earth and the two will be one (Revelation 21:1, 10). “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). God loves the earth and has promised to make it whole again. He will make it new (Revelation 21:5).
The amazing thing is that because of the gospel, we have the honor of being a part of this restoration—beginning now. Romans 8:19 says, “The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” The creation that God made desires for humanity to wake up to their identity as the children of God. Our Father made us in order that we’d make the world beautiful with love, joy, and fellowship with one another. We trust the Father to lead us in this endeavor.
Jesus has promised us that He will appear again. And when He appears in glory, we too will appear with Him in that same glory. Just as Jesus is revealed, so His Bride will be revealed. Together with Jesus we will lead the world into glory. We will reach levels of love, creativity, and generosity that has never been seen before. Jesus will reverse the curse and there will be no more war (Isaiah 2:4)!
The New World
There is a lot of work to be done in the world to make it new. Fortunately, Jesus is the One who will do it. He is the One who sustains everything and will continue to do so (Colossians 1:17). He’s got the whole world in His hands, and He continues to make intercession for us before the Father (Romans 8:34).
Thankfully, we are told that, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). When Jesus came the first time, He started the new world through His disciples—a new world of love. Jesus has promised that the whole world will be filled with love. He is faithful to complete this promise!
The book of Revelation shows us a wonderful picture of this promise. In the book we see Jesus judging the city of “Babylon” (Revelation 18). Babylon is the corrupt system of this world—the world of oppression and poverty, of children going hungry, and women being abused. Jesus is in the process of judging all of that. He is cleansing the world and ridding it of evil. And this work starts in a heart that realizes its true identity of perfection. From that kind of faith-filled heart, the perfection of Jesus flows out like a river and transforms the nations around us (Ezekiel 47).
As Babylon is judged, Jesus reveals something beautiful. What is it?
It is us, His Bride.
“Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” (Revelation 19:7-8).