Museum of Remembrance
“Give thanks to the Lord…make known among the nations what he has done…tell of all his wonderful acts.” (I Chronicles 16:8-9)
Note: Images depict fictional exhibit rooms inside the Museum of Remembrance
Solar System Hall The solar system just before the earth was formed some 4.7 billion years ago (credit mj.peinture)
David, king and psalmist, had a heart to remind Israel of all the “wonderful acts” of his God. Anything God says or does is worth remembering. That is why, in my book “Countdown to Adam”, I created a fictitious attraction (located in Heaven) to be visited by citizens of Heaven – angels and human - called the Museum of Remembrance.
Eoarchaean Hall Banded Iron Formation, earliest evidence of bacterial fossils, 3.7 billion years old (credit: Shutterstock)
Have you ever wondered what eternal life in Heaven might be like? Of course, being with Jesus, seeing him face-to-face, would be at the top of my list. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could go back through time and experience in real time the great works of our God? Here are some excerpts from my book of a conversation between two angels, Alpha and Sophia, as they are designing the museum. Sophia explains to Alpha:
Dinosaur Hall Tyrannosaurus Rex in combat with Tricerotops 68 million years ago (credit ThoughtCo)
“What you see before you are drawings of a museum. If you are not familiar with the term museum, perhaps you are accustomed to one of several synonymous descriptors, such as gallery, exhibition hall, or arts center. I thought about naming it ‘The Museum of Never Forgetting to Document All of the Creative Acts of Elohim and the Exploits of Angelic Hosts and Mankind Through the Ages,’ but that seemed a little too wordy. The Museum of Remembrance is more fitting.
Ediacaran Hall First soft-bodied creatures that ever lived in the oceans 600 million years ago in the Ediacaran Period (credit: eartharchives.org)
“This museum, an ongoing work, is to be enjoyed for eternity by all citizens of Heaven (that includes both elect angels and elect humans). Through the eons, many exhibit halls and displays will be added. This museum will be quite different from the museums mankind will someday build. For example, humans will remember the work of the Creator in ages past through the collection of once living but now lifeless objects called fossils. Humans must rely on their imagination to reconstruct the environments in which the creatures once lived, especially those species that became extinct.
Cambrian Hall First hard-shelled creatures that lived in the Cambrian oceans 500 million years ago (credit: Tumbir)
Extinct, the opposite of extant, means the creature and its kind no longer live on earth; most extinct types will be gone before mankind arrives, but some species will go extinct due to human neglect. It should be comical to see what appearance a human scientist assigns to an extinct creature as he reconstructs it from a pile of bones. But the Agent of Creation (God), who knows when even a sparrow falls from the sky, desires to commemorate all his good works by this living museum throughout the ages and into eternity.
Coal Swamp Hall Lepidodendron forest 225 million years ago in the Pennsylvanian Period (credit: tumblrokcho)
“Most exciting is that all the exhibits will be alive (not just dead fossils like seen in our museums) where each creature or event can be observed as it once appeared in its natural habitat where it interacted with neighboring species. In addition, visitors to the Museum of Remembrance would be able to enjoy video recordings of communities of creatures living throughout the various ages of the earth as well as enjoy stimulating lecture series.”
The thief, hanging on a cross next to Jesus and about to take his final breath, made a profound statement: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42) If we were being honest, wouldn’t that be our heart-cry as well? Imagine, we will get to meet this thief in Heaven because our God has a perfect, eternal memory – He remembers all he has created – down to the last detail. I sometimes wonder why God went through so many stages over billions of years just to prepare a planet for human occupancy, when he could have accomplished the same result in an instant? I know he takes pleasure in his highest creation – man – but does he really care to remember, or want us to remember, forming the earth from a chaotic solar system, or filling the earth with natural resources for mankind’s future use, or creating early, simple life forms like bacteria and algae, or filling the oceans with creatures, or stocking the land with massive dinosaurs? I believe God takes pleasure in all that he creates; he is creative by nature – past, present, and future. I believe Heaven is a place filled with God’s creativity that we will enjoy and participate in into eternity. And, I believe God wants us to appreciate his works of old, eons before bringing us to earth. Thus, the Museum of Remembrance.
