Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost.

This was the title of an epic poem written in 1667 by the Englishman, John Milton, which recounts Satan’s rebellion and banishment from heaven and mankind’s fall and loss of their earthly paradise. In the title, as well as in the story, we lament the loss of what was and what could have been: a perfect world, full of beauty and joy and absent any suffering or death. Milton’s account is a classic of Christian literature, and even today resonates with us as we face the challenges of this world.

It especially resonates with us this week as the term, “Paradise Lost,” takes on new meaning, with the destruction of the California town of Paradise by the holocaust of a raging wildfire. Paradise – an apt name for a small town set in the idyllic setting of the Sierra foothills – until this week when in one day, the so-called Camp Fire overwhelmed the town of 26,000 people, forcing a frantic evacuation, destroying over 6,700 structures, and killing twenty-three people. Evacuees  clustered in the middle of large parking lots, hoping for a break in the walls of flame so they could flee.  Car windows melted, and some cars had to be abandoned in the evacuation gridlock. The entire business district is gone, save for one church, city hall, and the hospital’s main building. At the time of this writing, the fire has spread to over 100,000 acres and is still largely uncontrolled.

In the coming months, as the survivors struggle to start their lives all over again, to rebuild or relocate, and to bury family, friends, and neighbors, there will be no shortage of opinions about how such tragedies could be prevented. Alarm systems, fire prevention, and evacuation procedures will all be scrutinized with the hope of saving lives and property in the future. For my part, I’ll leave such speculations and opinions to the experts (actual or self-proclaimed), and just join my prayers with others for the comfort and care of those affected and for those who have died, that they all may indeed have passed from one Paradise to an even greater one.

When such disasters occur – whether they be wildfires, hurricanes, or mass shootings – we are reminded that we have indeed lost the Paradise which God intended for us on this earth. In the beginning, the world and its first occupants lived in peace and harmony. There were no wildfires in the Garden of Eden, no storms, and no shootings. There was no illness, injury, or death. There was an abundance of food and water, and close fellowship – even intimacy – between man and woman, and between mankind and God. There was order and perfection. It was Paradise.

But then, sin entered in. Not content to live in such a wonderful world, Adam and Eve doubted God’s word, rebelled against his authority, and broke his strict commandment. For that sin, they – and all of us, their descendants –  were expelled from the earthly Paradise and subjected to disease, injury, hunger, and death. Their very first child became the first murderer, killing his brother – and we haven’t stopped doing that ever since. Only we’ve gotten better at it. Now we fight and kill each other by the millions.

Tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, or what used to be called, “The Great War” (but to quote the renowned philosopher, Yoda, “Wars do not make one great.”). At 11 o’clock on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the fighting stopped, and the belligerents hoped it would be the end of all wars. I guess they forgot about the sin thing going on in us, for within 30 years they were all back at it again, causing even greater loss of life – at least 60 million people. After each World War, leaders of the major nations sought to usher in eras of peace by forming organizations in which international disputes could be peacefully resolved: first, the League of Nations, and then the United Nations. Though such actions were commendable – Jesus himself blessed the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) – our Lord also taught us that “there will be wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6 and Mark 13:7). Mankind’s sin was not solvable by human organizations; mankind’s sin problem will not end until Christ returns in judgment. We will not find true Paradise in this world before then.

But as great as our loss of an earthly paradise has been, the greater loss and tragedy has been our exclusion from the heavenly Paradise. Our sin has not only messed up this life, it has also kept mankind from heaven. As God placed the cherubim with flaming swords to keep mankind from returning to the Garden (and thereby have access to the Tree of Life in our sinful condition), so he has barred entry into heaven after death.

So, what hope do we have? I love the old hymn by Horatio G. Spafford, It is Well with My Soul (1873). The hymn, written by a man who had just lost his four daughters to an accident at sea, proclaimed the hope which gave him “peace like a river,” and that comforted him even as he sailed across the very spot where his daughters had died:

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Our “helpless estate” can certainly apply to overwhelming situations in this life, such a raging wildfire,  or when a category 5 storm hits our town, or when someone starts shooting, or when an illness or accident brings us close to death. But beyond this life, it also applies to our ability to erase our sins and sinfulness, and claim a place in heaven. We are indeed helpless and unable to save ourselves or open the way to eternal life. As horrible as are the flames of the Camp Fire, they are nothing compared to the unending fires which await those whose names are not written in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15, 21:27).

So how can we have hope in such times now and when we face our departure from this world? The answer is found in in the words, “That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.” By shedding his own blood for our sake, Christ opened the way to Paradise for all who trust in him. He paid the penalty for the sins which we committed, freeing us to be accepted by God. Now, fully forgiven, we are allowed into heaven  and the eternal joy it holds.

That this forgiveness is not something we earn by our actions, but is a gift from God, is shown by the promise Jesus made to a violent criminal who confessed his sin while dying on a cross beside him. Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

It is the same promise made to all who are in Christ, that one day we too shall live with Christ in Paradise. He says in Revelation 2:7, “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Our exile from the Garden and from access to life itself will end, and we will live forever without wildfires, storms, shootings, wars, disease, or death. Revelation 21:4 proclaims, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

When that happens, true Paradise will be restored, and we will enjoy a place far more beautiful than the one that perished this week. May you look forward to that day, even as we thank the One who made that day possible: Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Genesis 2, Revelation 21-22, Matthew 5