Denominations – Necessary Evil or Necessarily Evil? – Part 4

Revelation 21:1-22:7 looks to the future and reveals God’s ultimate plan for his church. Though it is no longer “the church” at that point it is important to keep in mind God’s ultimate plan for his people. At the end of the Book we don’t find any wording that says “The church will be unified forever and ever, and they all lived happily ever after. Amen!” However, what it does say is very important. From the end of the Story, we can know the following things:

1. The only humans present at the end of the story are those whose names are written in the “Book of Life.” (20:12-15) All the sudden one’s deeply held convictions, matters of personal practice and what denomination you belonged to become as insignificant as eternity is long. The only thing that matters on that Day is whether or not your name is written in that book.
2. God will live among human beings. He will live among them because they will be holy. They will be holy because they have been recreated. Only those whose names written in the “Book of Life” will be recreated. In God’s presence we can assume there will be no disunity. God’s people will not be a divided people because evil will cease to exist among them. (21:1-4)
3. There will be no place of worship because God himself is to be worshiped (21:22). Since he dwells among his people, there is no need for a place of worship. How will we ever do church if there is no building to go to? (Can you sense my, perhaps inappropriate, sarcasm here?) It is easy for us to be unified when the object of our worship dwells among us. There will no longer be any cause or need for divisions. Our worship will be unified around the only being deserving of it. Even now the object of our worship dwells among us though his Spirit. Even now there is no need for disunity.
4. Our very life will depend on the One sitting on the throne. Living water will pour from the throne. (22:1-2) Jesus is life. Our life in eternity is dependent upon his life. No one will be exempt from that fact.

In brief we can infer that in eternity our divisions are going to seem foolish. There are some very important aspects of our faith around which we must all unite. Too often we are concerned about the here and now and fail to remember the end of the story. It has already been written. Is it too much for a brother in Christ to suggest that we all unify around the only one to whom worship is due? Is it impossible to do anything about our divisions in the present so that we can strive to emulate our unity at the end of the story? My next post will draw some basic conclusions as to the bare minimum I believe we can do towards that end. Check back in a few days!