(2 Peter 3:13) We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth that will be full of righteousness and justice.

One of the shortcomings we often have as Christians is that we have a limited and shortsighted vision of what God’s ultimate salvation will be. When our vision of God’s ultimate future in salvation is small and limited, than so is our future hope. 

It is important that we live life with a dynamic, massive sense of hope. Remember, hope is at the center of the Christian faith as Roman 5:5 tells us, “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit was given to us.” 

Hopelessness is the plague of our modern culture because it is empty of meaning—obsessed with materialism, entertainment, and self-gratification. Our modern culture offers no future sense of eternal hope. 

When people lose all sense of hope, they lose any sense of a positive future. Why live if there is no future, eternal hope? The future is empty of meaning and purpose. 

It is easy for us to simply see God’s salvation as individual, “I will one day go to heaven.” For sure, our personal salvation is biblical and crucial, but God’s eternal purpose for the future is much more comprehensive and all-encompassing,  As 2 Peter 3:13 emphasizes, we are looking forward—which is hope—to “a new heaven and a new earth that will be full of righteousness and justice.” 

In light of 2 Peter 3:13, just going to heaven is a vital intermediate step toward something much more massive that will happen at the second coming of Jesus Christ. Wow, Revelation 21:1-4 reveals it all: “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

Have you allowed your future hope to be limited and short-sighted? Is your future hope just individualistic, what will happen just to you? We often talk about faith and love, but what kind of future hope do you have in your heart? 

Are you allowing the present problems and struggles of this world overwhelm your heart from being filled with a future hope in eternity?

I encourage you to expand your future hope much, much bigger than it is right now, for our future hope is a new heaven and new earth where righteousness and justice will reign. 

Now this is a vision of true hope!

Praise God!