Let's talk about what's next. You know, that big question mark hanging over the end of life?

We all wonder what happens after the curtain closes on this act. For believers, that curiosity gets tangled up with faith. So, what's the deal with the afterlife anyway?

Death is a pitstop, not a period. Scripture paints death as a transition, like waiting in a rental car while yours gets fixed. It gets you where you need to be, but it's not the ultimate ride. This in-between zone is a time of excitement, waiting for believers, and a pause before the real party starts. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

This life? It's just the prologue. Here at Coffee Creek, we often talk about Kingdom values – love, justice, and the drill. It turns out that how we live now matters for what comes next. These values aren't just for feeling good on earth; they're practice for the main event. They shape who we become for eternity. The choices we make now echo throughout eternity.  (John 14:23)

Heaven isn't just clouds & harps. Forget those cheesy paintings. Revelation 21 shows us a different picture: Heaven crashing down to Earth, God living with us, and everything significantly upgrading. It's a real, physical place, not some disembodied escape. Think of it as a divine remix, where the spiritual and physical jam together in a brand-new creation.

The truth is messy, beautiful, and mind-blowing. After 24 years of diving into this stuff, I've learned our ideas about the afterlife need an upgrade, not a replacement. The Bible is full of truths that on a superficial read can seem to conflict. To understand heaven, we have to embrace the complexity and mystery, ask questions with respect, and let God stretch our thinking.

Early Christians knew what was up. We must rely on something other than pop culture's take on heaven. We need to go back to the roots, to the hope that fueled the first believers. Look at 2 Corinthians 4:18 – it talks about the temporary stuff fading away and the eternal stuff coming into focus. That's the story, folks – humanity was created for eternity, restored by Christ.

Heaven's an adventure beyond imagination. It's not some boring harp-strumming session. It's overflowing with God's mysteries, joy unlike anything we've known, and activities that would blow our minds. It's a place designed by the Creator – way more exciting than anything we can cook up here on Earth. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

So, what does this mean for us today? Exploring the afterlife isn't just about finding answers but transforming how we live now. Every moment should be fueled by a longing for God and a desire to live in a way that reflects the eternity we're walking toward.

On this topic, N.T. Wright wrote, “Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord's Prayer is about.”

Here at Coffee Creek, we don't just teach these things – they're baked into who we are and how we live life together as a community. 

These questions on eternity push us towards deeper discipleship, reminding us we're citizens of the age to come. More on that in HEAVEN pt. 2.

Let's embrace the epic and make our own inspiring story! We're on an incredible journey; the best part is yet to come.