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I was very touched by this thoughtful and humble letter that a reader named Mark sent us, which we’re sharing with his permission.

Thank you for your question. Though I don’t know any part of your story behind the question, I sense a deep longing in you for the answer to be, “Yes, of course there is hope!”

If Jesus had become a ghost and did not physically rise from the dead, He would not have accomplished our redemption. 

What if what God did about this world of pain and misery was so great and unprecedented that it shook the angelic realm’s foundation, and ripped in half, from the top down, not only the temple curtain but the fabric of the universe itself?

I’m all for recovery from addictions and things that help us in that regard. I’m talking about the things religions do that call people to never-ending self-reform.

I really like this segment from Kevin DeYoung's new book Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology. I’ve been reading it, and it is outstanding. The following article is adapted from the book, and is unusually steeped in doctrine—one of the most important doctrines, in fact.

It’s hard to totally know what to make of your experience, and my first recommendation would be, if you haven’t already done so, to talk to your pastor or another trusted leader at your church to get wise counsel and pastoral care.

If we will indeed have an intermediate physical form immediately after we die, it’s critical we realize this would in no way make our eventual resurrection unnecessary or redundant. The Bible could not be more emphatic about the centrality and significance of the resurrection.

As Trevin Wax points out in this wise article, disappointing people is simply part of life. There’s humility in accepting criticism, but there’s also humility in accepting that you will never be able to please everyone.  

Randy has said what it sounds like you already know: “When you’re walking with God, inheriting money can be a blessing. When you’re not walking with God, often money will only fund your sin.”

This may sound odd, but I believe—because of what I’ve read in Job and other passages—God is more interested in our seeking Him and wanting to know Him well than He is about us getting secondary and tertiary concepts—i.e., timelines which Jesus didn’t even claim to know (Matthew 24:36)—just right.

We would encourage you to be very careful about these teachings and those who promote them.

If, as Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “today you will be with me in paradise,” I really can’t imagine we will be disappointed by the present Heaven! To be in God’s direct presence will mean great joy.