A new Earth?

an excerpt from Sally Creed...

I hear there is a new book out on the Oprah bestseller list. It is entitled, "A New Earth" and is supposed to awaken us to our life's purpose. Unfortunately, this book has nothing to do with a new earth - at least not the New Earth discussed in the Bible. I agree that we DO need to be awakened, but not the way suggested in this book. We need to be awakened to the fact that we are being misled by one of the most influential women in the world. Oprah's talk show is seen by nearly 46 million viewers a week in the United States alone, and she has won her way into the hearts of millions by her good deeds, generous gifts and openness about her personal life. However, she has begun touting her New Age philosophy and misleading millions of people by making statements like, "...one of the biggest mistakes humans make is to believe that there is only one way (to God). Actually, there are many diverse paths leading to what you call God." (from "Don't Drink the Kool-Aid" by Carrington Steele)
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". (John 14:6) Though the Bible can be difficult for some people to understand, there is nothing to misunderstand about Jesus' words stated above. Apparently, that verse is missing from Oprah's Bible!
One of my first jobs after graduating from college was working in a bank. In order to teach bank tellers how to recognize counterfeit money, they did not bring in counterfeit money to study and memorize. Instead, they had people study the authentic currency (the real thing) so they would recognize when something counterfeit was being used. It may have been difficult to say why a particular dollar bill was counterfeit since it looked so real, but once someone studied the real dollar bill, they instinctively knew when they were looking at a fake. This is what many Christians are saying about the course that Oprah is recommending and her new beliefs. They know enough about the Bible (The Real Thing) to recognize when they are being sold counterfeit information.
I have a better book than the one on Oprah's list that I would like to recommend that is all about the New Earth (along with my recommendation to read the Bible daily). This book is entitled, "Heaven" and is written by Randy Alcorn. A quote on the front cover states, "Other than the Bible itself, this may well be the single most life-changing book you'll ever read." I have not been able to finish reading this book because I have been highlighting almost every word as I go along! Randy Alcorn paints a vivid picture about what Heaven will be like based on what God has told us in the Bible. Many books about Heaven have stated that we can't know what Heaven will be like. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him". This verse is used as a basis about why we don't know what to expect about Heaven. But when you complete that verse, it also says, "...but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit." Randy has researched Heaven in the Bible and he says:
"The moment we say that we can't imagine Heaven, we dump cold water on all that God has revealed to us about our eternal home. If we can't envision it, we can't look forward to it."
"Everything pleasurable we know about life on Earth we have experienced through our senses. So, when Heaven is portrayed as beyond the reach of our senses, it doesn't invite us; instead, it alienates and even frightens us. Our misguided attempts to make Heaven "sound spiritual" merely succeed in making Heaven sound unappealing."
We cannot anticipate or desire what we cannot imagine and this is the reason God has allowed us glimpses of Heaven in the Bible. When we understand what waits for us, we can't wait to get there. Satan tries to discourage our imagination - or misdirect it to ethereal notions that contradict Scripture (exactly what Oprah is trying to do). The Bible describes Heaven as the New Earth. In order to picture what it will be like, just look around you and imagine what it would all be like without sin, death, suffering and corruption. It is a truly happy place - a fun place, like the best place you've ever been to - only a million times better! Just as we eagerly anticipate going on a great vacation, we are to have this same attitude about going to Heaven. When we get there, we will have bodies better than Olympic athletes, friends who don't talk behind our back, children who are well behaved, food that tastes better than any fine restaurants we've been in (and no calories to have to count!), no IRS to worry us. We aren't going to be sitting around all day long wearing white robes and playing the harp, as many people believe. I'm going to play tennis, swim, read books, laugh, and not worry about leaving my doors unlocked.
How do I join this Paradise Club you ask? Membership is absolutely free - all you have to do is simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)