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One of the greatest insights that I have come to about heaven is that we will not only gaze at the glorious face of God for all eternity. I do not doubt that seeing God’s glory “face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12) will be the pinnacle of our delight in heaven. Moses begged God, “Please show me your glory,” and God said, “Man shall not see me and live” (Ex. 33:18, 20). Amazingly, Revelation 22:4–5 says the that redeemed servants of God will see His face and live—forever. Christians should look forward to that more than anything else. But I do not agree with those who say that we will never tear our glorified eyes away from the face of God in heaven. I believe that God will want us to delight in each of His lesser glories in His creation. Otherwise, why put them so obviously on display in Revelation 21–22?
In the eternally glorious universe and city, there is no need for the light of the sun or moon or lamp, for the glory of God will give them light (22:5). The new Jerusalem will shine with the glory of God, and its brilliance will be like a translucent crystal (21:11). The transparent gold that makes up the street, the various colored gemstones that are the foundations of the city, and the pearls from which the gates are constructed will each shine with their particular hues, giving lesser glories to delight the eyes of the redeemed (21:18–21). If God didn’t want us to look at them and delight in their beauty, why would He have made them?
So also with any plants and animals that God may create in the new earth; they will all display God’s lesser glories in ways that will move us to worship. Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field,” specifically calling attention to their glories (Matt. 6:28–29). He did not say that the wildflowers are the most glorious of God’s creatures, just that they are worthy of attention and consideration. God made them. Look at them and enjoy them.
How much more will we enjoy the glories of the redeemed from every tribe, language, people, and nation? We are a great part of each other’s eternal wealth, for Paul speaks of the “riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18, emphasis added). Each redeemed person will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43), and God will want us to explore His lesser glories shining in each one of their stories.
Best of all, as we will drink in the heavenly glories of all these amazing creatures, we will do so completely free from sin and idolatry. We will never again worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who will be forever praised (Rom. 1:25). Instead, we will study each creature for the lesser glories that God wove into its being. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14).