Saturday Rewind: Kingdom Communication

[This post originally appeared at Mr. Standfast, 5 August, 2004.]

Communication in the Kingdom of God is going to be perfect. Did you ever think about that? What you say to me then, and what I say to you, is going to be perfectly understood. It's going to come across with perfect clarity. There will simply be no possibility of misunderstanding. This is going to be totally amazing, don't you think?

The Bible says, "We'll know even as we are known." That means, we'll know God even as we are known by Him. But I believe it can be applied also to our knowing of each other. I will see to the depths of you. You will see to the depths of me. We'll know each other even as God knows us. Nothing hid. Nothing. And my response to you will be one of pure love, despite that I'll know the worst about you, and you're response to me will be one of pure love, despite that you'll know the worst about me.

Think of it. Right now we don't know each other that way, and we don't know ourselves that way. There is mistrust and fear between us. There is deception. We deceive each other, and we deceive ourselves. We are mixed up people and we don't even know just how mixed up. We don't appreciate, most of the time, the depths of our own depravity. And yet, in Heaven we will. We will know ourselves, and each other, even as God knows us. We will understand--thoroughly understand--what we have done and what we have been! And the forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ will be all the more precious, all the more amazing! And the praise of him that will then rise from our whole being will be worship "in purity and truth," as Jesus promised the Samaritan woman.

That's going to be remarkable. Of course, we can hardly do this theme justice. Words can only hint at the wonder of it all. There is no model in our own experience for this kind of pure communication. It's rare in all human history that one man might trust another so much, so thoroughly, that (if it were possible) he would be willing to be completely and shamelessly transparent. But that will be the relational norm in the Kingdom of God. Perfect trust. Pure love ruling all our interactions. The old bad things not forgotten, but understood, and responded to with pure love.