The Last Battle
Episode FIVE of FIVE
I have many questions about heaven. Not just about the place, the experience, or the process of moving from this life to the next, but about Catie and other relationships.
Will Catie still be nine years old?
Will I recognize her?
Will she recognize me?
How long will it take before we reconnect?
Will she be with her grandparents and other relatives?
Has she been watching me and others here on earth?
Does she still enjoy basketball?
We will never have the answers, but musing is a valuable exercise. The biblical glimpses are wonderful but cloaked in mystery. Many writers have provided excellent insights as well. My favorite picture of the world to come is expressed by C. S. Lewis.
Every few years I return to The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis’ seven-book series concludes with the glorious volume, The Last Battle. The story’s rich imagery is not designed to analyze the Bible’s revelation of heaven; rather, it explores the frustrations, injustice, and treachery of this life and then engages the emotional thrill and exaltation of the world that awaits.
Most of the story is couched in deceit and the misuse of power. Spoiler alert: the good guys win. No matter how desperate the circumstances facing the protagonists, and no matter how clever and deceitful the bad guys, God is always in control, working out his plan. The Christ figure, Aslan, overcomes the silly and futile schemes of the evil oppressors. The downtrodden and powerless are redeemed. And Lewis paints a remarkable picture of what eternity might feel like for those who step out of this world and into paradise.
A wise unicorn who, after watching the old Narnia dissolve into nothingness, and upon entering a new Narnia said, "I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here! This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason that we loved the old Narnia is that sometimes it looked a little like this. . . Come further up and further in!”
As the unicorn led the group racing into their new world, “they found to their astonishment, they could all stay up with him: not only the Dogs, and the humans, but even the fat little Puzzle and short legged Poggin the Dwarf. The air flew in their faces as if they were driving fast in a car without a windscreen. The country flew past as if they were seeing it from the window of an express train. Faster and faster they raced, but no one got hot or tired or out of breath.”
As the children explored places they had known in Narnia, they realized that everything was bigger and better than they recalled. They were reunited with friends from all their earlier adventures, and they encountered Aslan in new ways that were too wonderful to describe.
The imagery is simple yet profound. Its three-fold message is beautiful and clear:
The life that awaits will be better than anything we can imagine.
We will have eternity to restore, enjoy, and deepen the relationships that we established here on earth.
Jesus will be the central figure. The One who made this possible will be loved, honored, and enjoyed forever and ever.
Corrie ten Boom said that in the worst of times, during the Nazi reign of terror, she would read the final chapters of Revelation and remind herself of the glorious truth, We Win!
Yes, as followers of Christ, we can set aside the painful and confusing realities of this shadowland and look to our future home. There, every tear is wiped away, relationships restored, and we will sing praise for ever and ever to the One who conquered death and gives us life evermore!
Excelsior,
Dan Bolin
As we conclude these five bonus episodes, I want to thank you for walking through October with me. I pray the truth of God’s word will shield you in your own storms of life.
