Some people have never thought about Heaven’s weather because they don’t think of Heaven as a real place, certainly not on the New Earth. Or they assume the New Earth will have bright sunshine, no clouds, no rain . . . forever.
In a passage that promises rescue, security, and no more famine or fear for His people, God says, “I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops” (Ezekiel 34:26-27).
Is rain a bad thing? No. It’s good. We’ll see trees bearing fruit on the New Earth. Will they be rained on? Presumably. Will rain turn to snow in higher elevations? Why not? If there’s snow, will people play in it, throw snowballs, sled down hillsides? Of course. Just as resurrected people will still have eyes, ears, and feet, a resurrected Earth will have rain, snow, and wind.
As I wrote these words for my book Heaven on a cold December day, a strong wind was blowing. Nearly bare trees were surrendering their last leaves. A row of fifty-foot-high trees, a stunning bluish green, were bending and flailing. It was a powerful, magnificent sight that moved me to worship God. We were expecting our first winter snow. The feeling of warmth and serenity in the protection of our house was wonderful. It made me ponder the protecting, sheltering, secure hand of God. I’ve often had similar feelings during pounding storms. Lightning, thunder, rain, and snow all declare God’s greatness (Job 37:3-6). Is there any reason to conclude such things will not be part of the New Earth? None. Of course, no one will die or be hurt by such weather. No one will perish in a flood or be killed by lightning, just as no one will drown in the river of life.
When we live on the New Earth, could we go hiking in a snowstorm without fear of trauma or death? Could we jump off a cliff into a river three hundred feet below? Could we stand in an open field in flashing lightning and roaring thunder and experience the exhilaration of God’s powerful hand? Must the New Earth be tamed, stripped of high peaks, deserts, waterfalls, and thunderstorms because these sometimes caused pain and death in this world? Nature, including variations in climate, will be a source of joy and pleasure, not destruction. If we stand amazed now at the wonders of God’s great creation, we’ll be even more amazed at the greater wonders of that greater creation.
I love the seasons, each of them. The crisp fall air, the brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds, the long good-bye to summer. The snow blankets of winter, the freshness and erupting beauty of spring, the inviting warmth of summer. Who are all those from? “God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season” (Jeremiah 5:24).
Will there still be seasons on the New Earth? Why wouldn’t there be? Some people argue that because fall and winter are about dying, we won’t experience them in Heaven because there will be no death there. I’m not convinced that seasons and their distinctive beauties are the result of the Fall. God is depicted as the seasons’ Creator, and we’re not told they didn’t predate the Fall (Genesis 8:22). The “no more death” of Revelation 21 applies to living creatures, people and animals, but not necessarily to all vegetation. Even if it does, God can certainly create a cycle of seasonable beauty apart from death.
This article originally appeared on EPM.org, Eternal Perspective Ministries. Used with permission.
Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of over fifty books and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries.
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Publication date: December 27, 2016