Tim Keller on Suffering

From the chapter, "How Could a Good God Allow Suffering", from Tim Keller's book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism:

"For the one who suffers, the Christian faith provides as a resource not just its teaching on the Cross but also the fact of the resurrection. The Bible teaches that the future is not an immaterial "paradise" but a new heaven and a new earth. In Revelation 21, we do not see human beings being taken out of this world into heaven, but rather heaven coming down and cleansing, renewing, and perfecting this material world.

The secular view of things, of course, sees no future restoration after death or history. And Eastern religions believe we lost our individuality and return to the great All-soul, so our material lives in their world are gone forever. Even religions that believe in a heavenly paradise consider it a consolation for the losses and pain of this life and all the joys that might have been.

The Biblical view of things is resurrection - not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory and joy even greater."