In the end, we’re treated to a life of remarkable continuity between what happens now and what will happen then, between what happens here and what will happen there, and between what happens in us and what happens with God. Nothing will be scrapped or discarded. Everything will be restored. Nothing will be wasted. Everything will be made new.

Perhaps that is the fullest understanding of Christ as Alpha and Omega. Those words don’t just mean “beginning and end.” They mean “source” and “goal.” What God began in the garden will conclude in the garden-city. God’s plan is to finish us, not finish us off.

So don’t get let your spirit rest with fruitless dreams of harp-playing and endless singalongs. Live the life of Heaven now, in anticipation of that which is to come, trusting that God will take our imperfect version of life and make it new.

Adapted from Why God Died