Her: In the past I do not know much about this Christian God, but now, I know so much more. Even though I cannot see Him, but I think I can feel Him. I can see how He is relevant even in this present time.

Him: I have always wondered how one man can have such a big influence in the world. Now, I understand. I was like Thomas. But now, I will take time to seriously think about these things.

Both: We do not want to be Christians who have no essence. We recognize that if we do make the choice to become followers of Jesus, there are many changes in our lives that we have to make. And this is a big decision that will change our lives forever. So we would like to take more time to think, to read the Bible and to continue to discover God.

Me: Hey Esther, you know what? In the long shot that this whole year of Bible study did not have any impact on their lives, and that’s a pretty long shot, at least it has changed my life. And my life has changed very significantly.

It was totally mind blowing to see the consistency of the message of the Bible. Everything in the book is connected. Everything is interrelated. Everything makes sense when you look at it as a whole; as a big picture. And the picture painted in the Bible is massive. The hope given is made concrete by faith and by revelation from God. And this hope is absolutely beautiful for anyone who knows the sorrow of living in a world that is full of pain, sorrow, sickness, famine, diseases, loneliness etc.

Suffering. The whole world is groaning with it.

The common question asked is: where is God in all this? Where is He? The Bible described suffering with passion and painful eloquence, but it didn’t stop there. There was Jesus, and by faith we believe that He is still alive. And through His birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection, He ushered the Kingdom of God into this fallen world. The common misconception is that this Kingdom is somewhere out there, in heaven, where immortal souls and angels dwell. That is true. But it is also here. We see that through the church and para-church organizations that exist to support the cause of the church. We see broken lives being made new. We see new beginnings when people made the decision to follow Christ. We still see miracles of providence and healing. But it doesn’t end there. It doesn’t end when someone accepts Christ, live life and then go to heaven. Heaven, as we know it now, is not the end. The end is the complete restoration of the Kingdom of God here on this earth. There will no longer be a separation of the realm of mortals and the “God-realm”. It will be fused into one. The world will once again be like Eden, where God walked with men in the summer breeze.

No more sin. No more pain. No more loneliness. No more suffering. God will dwell among men, and He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Men will no longer have need for the sun, for the glory of God is enough to make all things bright. All things will be made new. Relationships will be restored: relationship between God and mankind; relationships among mankind; relationship between mankind and all of creation.

Eden once again.

I carry this hope in my heart, and by faith, I try my very best to live out this hope, despite of my innate sinful nature.

The prophets saw this Kingdom coming from afar, and they worked so hard in anticipation of its coming. Although they did not see this coming when they are alive (and perhaps, nor would I), they will see it when they are raised from the dead. And the Kingdom will come when Christ comes again. And with the Kingdom comes complete restoration.

And I want to see complete restoration.

This is so that I won't have to groan in pain when I hear of little girls being raped by sick men; of old people who lived life fully but forced to be contained in physically sick and aging bodies; of broken families and relationships; of murders; of wars; of injustice etc; of poor souls who can be in the midst of a million people and still feel the pang of loneliness; of financial difficulties; of poverty..and the list can go on.

Because it will all be gone. And everything will be made new again.

And because I want to see restoration...

I will, and must, "plunder hell and populate heaven".