Many Christians support the idea of everlasting torment of the wicked on the basis that the threat of it drives people into the arms of Christ. Let’s call it the “scared straight” argument. Jonathan Edwards famously used the strategy in his sermons.
“The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours.
“O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell.
“It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite.”
There is eloquence in Edwards’ sermons, much like there was in Dante’s classic, “Inferno”. His words still move people today. Where the words move them remains a question, however. It doesn’t seem to have occurred to Edwards that his grim speculations made God out to be a sadist.
Do such threats drive people to Christ? It seems a bad gamble to run towards a powerful being who maintains a mega-sized torture chamber. Many sidled up to Hitler, Stalin and Mao hoping to stay on their favorable sides. Not many survived to repent of it.
The argument that favors eternal torment runs counter to the fundamental truth of the Gospel, which is that “gospel” literally means good news. When the angel came to the shepherds, announcing the birth of Jesus, he said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2.10-14). When John the Baptist was kept in jail by Herod Antipas, he began to have doubts. His life was in danger and Jesus did not seem to be the Messiah John had been expecting. John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to get clarification. Jesus responded to them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepersare cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” (Matthew 11.4-6). The most famous verse of the Bible is John 3.16: God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
The fact that the Gospel is good news does not eliminate the possibility of bad consequences if it is ignored, of course. When the dinner bell rings, I consider that good news, but if I choose to ignore the bell, I will go hungry. Warnings about bad choices have their place. Even so, it is not the fictitious tortures of Dante Alighieri and Jonathan Edwards that should put us into a sweat. The beauty of the Gospel is that it announces a delivery from a broken world into a world made right. The message is not about how things are likely to get much, much worse. When we know what God promises to those who trust him, the only fear should be about missing out. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8.36).
There doesn’t seem to be much fear of missing out on heaven in the world today. Of course, if you don’t believe in heaven you won’t worry about losing it, and if you do believe in heaven you probably believe it has already been promised to you. But what about the vast majority of people who simply haven’t given it much thought? Heaven is worth thinking about. The following essay is for those of you who would like to take a heavenly stroll with me.
There are many difficulties in writing about heaven. The first is that no one has ever been there and come back to talk about it, except Jesus, who spoke relatively little about it. The second is that the rest of the Bible is sketchy about it, as well. Our culture promotes a caricature vision of it. It is seen as a place where people sit around on clouds playing harps. This is no surprise, really. Our world has exchanged the celebration of Christ’s birth for the celebration of Christmas trees, Santa Clauses, Grinches, snowmen, colored lights, blow-up figurines on front lawns and, most of all, conspicuous consumption. Easter, the day Christians celebrate Christ’s resurrection has become a day for pink hats, bunnies, and colored eggs. A person might begin to become suspicious that there is a conspiracy to hide the beauty of Christianity behind piles of glitter.
If heaven is not clouds and harps, what is it? I hope to find ways to express its essence here, even as I know I cannot provide a complete or error-free vision. I will start by saying this: Whatever heaven is, it will never be dull.
In His Image – Capacities
One critical insight for living on earth, and then living in heaven is that we are made to be like God. God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1.27). There are many things God-like about us, both physical and spiritual. Let’s focus on our physical characteristics first.
We are able to see. This means we are able to look at and analyze our surroundings in great detail, including identifying colors and shapes, seeing things close up or far away. We are able to speak, and we are able to hear. This means we are able to communicate with one another. We are able to touch. Through touch we can distinguish shapes and textures; we can judge temperatures; we can feel pain, enabling us to judge when we have been injured, teaching us to avoid injury. Touch is also a powerful means of conveying human intimacy. We are able to taste and smell. Both of these abilities provide protection, but they mostly add to the richness of life through the many wonderful smells and tastes. We are mobile. We can roll, scootch, crawl, and run, but mostly we get around by walking. Our bodies can bend in many ways because of our complex skeletons and the sinews that hold them together. We can sit. We have hands that can wield hammers or thread needles. Our arms, working with our hands, can lift heavy objects and can throw baseballs at high speeds.
We are able to reproduce. God created Adam out of the dust of the earth, and we read that he created Eve out of Adam’s rib. For Those of you who like to make fun of Christianity for its scientific limitations, keep in mind that science still has no idea how organic life came from inorganic. The theory of evolution begins with a living organism. “God made life out of nothing,” is as scientific an explanation as can be found in any science book. Humans don’t reproduce out of nothing, of course. Biological reproduction is well understood (though the complexity and information held in the first cell of each human being remains well beyond human understanding). At any rate, reproduction, the bearing of children, the raising of children, and the establishment of families are all human activities that image God.
I should mention here, since our subject is heaven, that human reproduction does not seem to be part of the heavenly plan. Jesus answered them…In the resurrection they [men] neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Matthew 22.29,30). It may be that in heaven, where people will be sinless, children will be born into the heavenly family rather than into what we now call nuclear families, eliminating the need for marriage. But this seems unlikely. Biblical marriage is between a man and a woman, and it assumes the consequence of children. The elimination of marriage suggests the end of child-bearing for humans. Additionally, there are various passages that talk of there being a specific number of believers intended for heaven. For example, in the parable of the banquet, The master told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” (Luke 14.23). In the book of Revelation, 144,000 is given as the number of those in heaven. Some take this figure literally but most agree that 144,000 is the product of the 12 tribes of Israel, multiplied again by 12, and then by 1000, signifying a large but finite number of believers. These passages together seem to say there will be no additional human life in heaven, once it is occupied according to plan.
Does this mean no children in heaven? To me this would be a sad state of affairs. Children are a lot of work, and they can be dangerously impulsive. At the same time, their innocence, their abundance of life, their surprising observations, and their easy affection make them precious contributors to the human experience. I look to G.K.Chesterton to help me through this conundrum. “Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again’; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” This idea of Chesterton’s, if applied to glorified humans, suggests that when we become more like God, we will become less defined by age. Certainly this must be so in this sense: we see ourselves in stages on this earth: babies, toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults, adults, mature adults, elderly…dead. How useful can such categories be in the context of eternity? I suppose we could keep track of our ages but after a time it will begin to seem even irrelevant. “How old are you, Moses?” “Oh, Three million, four hundred twenty three thousand, four hundred, give or take.” How old are you, Bob?” Oh, Three million, four hundred twenty thousand, give or take.” “Sure, that’s right. I remember now that we are almost 3400 years apart.” “Seems like a split second.”
I suspect we will possess a kind of age-indefiniteness. We will possess the calmness and wisdom that comes with experience; we will possess the raging teenage need for exploration; we will experience the energy of the young; and we will experience the ability to find peace, like a young baby, in the embrace and care of another. Is this speculation? Yes. But is it speculation that works with what we have been told about heaven.
Being made in God’s image is not merely about our physical capabilities. If it seems humans are created physically (generally) superior to the animals, the real differentiation begins when we consider mental capacities. The Bible begins with a brief account of God’s creation of the universe. God loves to create, which means he made us to love creating. Consider how humans create through art; through music; through lyrics and poetry; through clothing styles, hair styles, and all sorts of bodily decorations; through designing of sports, and through the development of skills that improve the play in those sports; through architecture; through the many inventions that make our homes comfortable and functional; through the inventions that make us more mobile; and on and on.
God has given us language. Humans speak many languages but our children learn them no matter what language they are born into. The language range of the typical two-year-old is well beyond the language that any animal ever achieves. Even more startling is how human language and human knowledge has continued to expand since Adam and Eve. Adam started the language explosion by naming the animals. We are not smarter than our ancestors. We can claim, however, that our access to knowledge is far beyond that of our ancestors. Even in my lifetime, cellphones and personal computers have become commonplace when they were once the stuff of science fiction.
But humans possess more than these mental and physical capacities. Humans are endowed with a sense of ought. We simply cannot act unless we believe what we are doing is good and right. Sadly, we do not all agree on what is good and right. We are also creative in coming up with justifications for all sorts of mischief, stupidity and evil. This is what sin has brought about in us. Our estrangement from God has bent the needles in our moral compasses. We are so disoriented, that we are even conflicted internally. We feel convicted one moment and then moments later we do what we had determined not to do. But cheer up, we are talking about heaven here. In heaven our moral compasses will be accurate. So let us reflect on the fact that we are beings made with wide-ranging physical, mental, and spiritual capacities. These attributes all reflect God’s nature, and they give us hard clues about what heaven is to be like.
Spirituality is fundamentally about relationships. We read in the Bible that God is love. We also read that God is a complex being: Father, Son & Holy Spirit; three persons but one being. This makes God a society in himself. Go ahead and scratch your head…but you should not be put off by the fact that the God of all creation is a being puzzling to the human mind. (It’s one evidence that God is not made in man’s image.) The Bible teaches that all of the Law is summed up in the statement: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself”. This tells us something very significant about heaven: it is a society. We know that it will be filled with many people. Presumably there will be many other creatures there, as well.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. (Romans 8.18-22). We read here that creation is currently in “bondage to corruption”. Corruption is an interesting word. On a spiritual plane corruption refers to evil behavior. We don’t think of animals as having evil behavior, in that they act fairly predictably according to the type of creature they are. We don’t blame the carnivores for being carnivores, because that is what they must be in order to survive. Nor do we blame squirrels for inhabiting attics. Still, we prefer that the carnivores don’t eat us and that the squirrels stay out of our attics. Co-existence would be much more pleasant if the carnivores became herbivores and the squirrels were conscientious about setting up their nests. I suspect the animals would be pleased if the omnivores became herbivores, as well. We have pepper plants; perhaps in heaven there will be pepperoni plants.
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11.6-9).
But corruption is also a reference to a physical process. We are all accustomed to the process, more or less, because it is the norm. Life cycles through conception to adulthood, but then begins the process of decay. Humans peak physically at 25 years of age. We can continue to build strength for a few more years; we can grow mentally for many years but, overall, the corruption of our bodies begins at 25. At fifty we are noticeably physically weaker. At seventy we’ve diminished enough that we’ve discontinued rigorous activities, even the ones we’ve passionately enjoyed for decades. Our days are punctuated with aches and pains and medicines. At ninety we are likely already dead. Maybe 5% of the population survives to age 90. Corruption of the body means that bodies degenerate and fail. Life on this earth comes to an end for every human. The same is true of the animals, most of which live much shorter lives than humans. But if all creation is to be set free from the bondage of corruption, this suggests that creatures will be much more pleasant to be around and they, like humans, will not die.
There are likely to be various creatures in heaven we have never seen. I will not speculate as to the looks and nature of those creatures. The God who created duck-billed platypuses, giraffes, flying monkeys, and narwhales clearly has an active imagination. Perhaps we’ll see passenger pigeons once again, or the dodo. I suspect the new heaven and earth will have a strong flavor of restoration.
We know there are angels, and we know there are many of them. When Judas betrayed Jesus to Roman soldiers, Peter wanted to fight but Jesus told him to forget about it. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 25.53). A legion referenced roughly 6000 soldiers, so there must be at least 72,000 angels. Who knows the total number of angels in the heavenly realms. Won’t it be interesting to find ourselves, humans and angels, together enlisted in the service of God? Won’t it be something to be in the presence of angels and not be terrified by them?
Glorified
The capacities God has given us on earth are quite amazing but we have been promised a major upgrade at the resurrection. We have talked already about how death will be abolished for all of creation. This promise includes all of God’s people. If we cannot die, we must live forever. If we live forever it must mean that either we will never again become sick or injured, or it means that whenever we do, our recoveries will be absolute. It’s interesting that Jesus could display the wounds he suffered on the cross even after his resurrection from the dead. Perhaps it was necessary in his case to convince the disciples of who he was. Perhaps he will bear his scars forever, as a testimony to that crucial moment in history when he freely gave himself as a substitute, paying restitution for the harms of all sin. In the book of Revelation Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God, a clear reference to his sacrifice. Will we, too, bear our scars? I believe so. No one likes to be injured but there is something important and formative about the trials and struggles of our time on earth. I believe that in heaven we will be able to look backward at our histories and see how God used the good times and the hardships to shape us into glorified beings.
Some years back there was a strange storm in the area where I lived. Dark clouds descended. Lightning struck a tree in front of my house, traveled down the service cable, fried the circuit panel, and destroyed several appliances. More dramatically, there was a terrific thunder clap, checked by the clouds so that the sound waves spread horizontally. While many windows in the neighborhood broke, two thirds of the windows in our house shattered. Glass was everywhere, inside and outside. We used snow shovels to begin the task of picking it up.
The repair of the house was a major undertaking, starting with some tussles with our insurance company. However, in the end we received the insurance money we needed. By strategically using that money, we were able to hire contractors to do work I did not feel capable of doing, while I focused on repairs I could do. When all was said and done, our house was in much better shape than it had been prior to the explosion.
The storm seemed directed at me. It felt personal. I wondered what God was trying to warn me about. But in retrospect, it is clear that the experience was a blessing for me and my wife. I imagine that in heaven we will be able to look at many, many of our experiences and learn how they worked for our benefit, just like the dark cloud that stopped at my house that day.
Speaking of Christ’s scars, if our resurrection bodies are to be like his, it looks as though our ability to control them will be significantly improved. After the resurrection, but before the disciples had seen Jesus, they were in a muddle, wondering what to do with themselves. Jesus paid them a surprise visit. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20.19). Some maintain that this event showed that the resurrection body of Jesus had the ability to pass through walls. Others argue that, no, this was a demonstration of teleportation. (Beam me up, Scotty.) It’s hard to say, really, though either possibility seems like a lot of fun.
Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3.20-21). The Apostle Paul is certain our resurrected bodies will be glorious improvements over our present bodies.
I am inclined to believe that glorified humans will have perfect memory. What happens when the earth is utterly destroyed? The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodieswill be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 3.10). While the earth is to be destroyed, it is clear that God’s people will not. It is also clear that the resurrected life is to include new heavens and a new earth. The implication of “new heavens and earth” is that the everlasting dwelling for humans will not be someplace strange but, rather, someplace familiar. It will be our earth made right. Will large portions of human endeavor be lost, left to the limited memories of those who have been rescued? Will the Beatles catalog be eliminated? (For some, this is only to be hoped for, but this would be a great loss, as far as I’m concerned.) Consider for a moment whether history and culture have benefitted in some ways through non-Christians. The answer is that God, through his common grace, has blessed all sorts of people with understanding and various gifts. Perhaps, with advanced mental capacities, no longer fogged up by sin, those in heaven will quickly reinvent or reimagine all that has happened in the past. Or it may well be that, collectively, we will simply be able to recall the complete catalog of earth. In any case, I expect the new earth to be a place where creativity really takes off (tempered by the commitment to pursue only those things that are truly beneficial).
In heaven the history books will feature the sacrifices and acts of kindness done by the humble, while so-called world leaders and conquering generals will find themselves in the footnotes. (This is a generalization. There have been some world leaders who were/are of good heart and mind, and who strived to serve with justice.) Maybe there will be no libraries. If there is perfect recall, a good deal of knowledge transfer will come through direct narrative. Many nights will be filled with stories told at the fire pits. Or, perhaps, more cooperative efforts will result in historical plays or poetry readings or ballads. We will have ample opportunity to look back over history and consider the little things that were life-giving and important.
It’s also wonderful to think about what it will mean to have youthful bodies that don’t wear out. Everyone could become skilled in virtually any discipline he or she chose to pursue. There’s no reason to think everyone will be exactly the same, and there’s reason to hope they won’t be. Each person is, after all, unique. There will always be people better at some things than others are, but this is not important. The point is that games and musicianship and technical knowledge—all such things become more appreciated and enjoyable as we master them. If you’re wondering how you will fill the time of forever, just think of all the things you’ve wanted to master but have never even tried.
A greater delight of being glorified will be the experience of no longer being confused and harmed by sin. Imagine always making decisions that are beneficial to yourself and your friends. Imagine never speaking impatient words or using hurtful tones. Imagine never being mean. Imagine living in a place where everyone can be trusted. No locks. Stores would be places for storing, not for selling. Anyone who needed something would simply go to the store and walk out without paying for it. No one will take what they don’t need, and no one will take advantage of anyone else. All people will understand what work they need to complete for the sake of society, and they will gladly do their part, taking pleasure in their work, even as they work at taking their pleasure. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16.11).
Heaven: it’s not so much that you will be able to do whatever you want, but that you will want to do whatever you ought.
We don’t achieve perfection in order to please or impress God; we achieve (receive) it because this is the only possible way for us to live in peace with him, with others, and with ourselves. Perfection is our destiny. It is the universe unbroken. Riches (stuff) in heaven will be known for what they are: tools and accessories. What will amaze us in heaven will be what we have become, what we are becoming, who God is, and how all of us are growing in nearness to one another.
The New Earth
The heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3.12,13).
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21.1-4).
Just a few comments on these verses from Revelation. The book is difficult to sort out because it makes regular use of metaphor and it depends on readers understanding its Old Testament allusions. (That’s allusions, not illusions.) We can take the first sentence fairly literally in that heaven and earth as we know it will pass away and will be replaced by a new heaven and earth. We read that “the sea was no more”. This may means there will no longer be oceans but this is likely not the point. The sea is often a symbol in the Bible of a dangerous place, filled with dangerous creatures; unknown in expanse; and made even more dangerous by storms. It is an uncontrollable threat to humans. The point of Revelation is that if there is a sea it will no longer be dangerous to us. Using our imaginations and our 21st century experience, we can broaden the idea to the sky and space. Air travel is already relatively safe. It will become much more so. So, too, will space travel, particularly if we become capable of teleportation.
Things get a little confusing when John says he saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven prepared as a bride dressed for her husband. (Yes, there are mixed metaphors in the Bible.) Jerusalem was the holy city of Judaism. The temple was located there and within the temple was the ark of the covenant. God manifested himself in a mysterious way between the cherubim (angels) statues that stood on top of the ark. The point of this for the Hebrews was that God dwelt with his people. God’s dwelling with his people was the assurance that God loved them and would care for them. This vision is carried forward by John as the new Jerusalem represents the dwelling place of all believers. Collectively the believers are also seen as the bride of Christ. The allusion to a bride suggests several things. First, the bride would have been a virgin. In the 21st century virginity has become a term of embarrassment. Only backwards Puritans would promote such a thing. But moral conservatism is not the point, really. The practice of mutual trust between a husband and wife is built on behavior that is formed long before the marriage. When Christ and the Church are joined, they have been preparing to come together for a long time. The Church is, of course, made up of normal sinners, but Jesus’ death on the cross made full restitution for all of its wrongs, effectively cleansing the Church. The purity is not merely due to a legal pardon; it is also transformative. The Church has been re-made into people who are actually pure in their hearts, motivated by love, wisened to the allures of sin and, so, no longer tempted by them. The bride allusion also suggests the joy and anticipation that comes from the point in time when Christ and the Church finally come to live together faithfully, happily ever after.
God will live among his people. This is the focal point of heaven. Jesus came to live on the earth once, but it was for a brief time and, frankly, he was hardly recognized even by his disciples until after his resurrection. God has spoken at various times through the prophets and through the apostles. The Holy Spirit has been sent and Christians believe he dwells within each one of us. But for all that, the distance between God and his people has always been a source of frustration. “How long, O Lord?” and “Where are you in this, O Lord?” are questions that have come from billions of Christians, maybe a thousand times from each one. We cannot walk down any city block or consider one single relationship without observing something discouraging. We live in a world that is deeply flawed. When God comes to be with his people, he will heal as Jesus did but in a way that is much more expansive and final. It will be the end of all brokenness. It will be the end of environmental brokenness; the end of relational brokenness; and the end of individual brokenness.
This is reinforced by the statement that death will be eliminated, along with all experiences that would bring about pain or sorrow. Some think this means some sort of memory wipe, given that we all have pain and sorrow in our memories, but I doubt this. Our memories, even our painful memories, have shaped us and, where we have learned from them, God will let us retain them. Therefore, the promise is that sorrow and pain will no longer be a part of our lives as we move forward.
Where will the drama come from if we are no longer experiencing pain & suffering? This is a bit like asking, what will we do with ourselves if we no longer have to spend our time locking doors, weeding lawns, cleaning off our glasses, waiting in doctors’ offices, getting our teeth drilled, and unclogging toilets. We have to imagine a life that continues to present challenges but lacks the frustrations that now take up so many of our hours. Think, too, of having a spirit that is not capable of being bored but is full of wonder, inquisitive like a two-year-old, for whom life is full of mystery and wonder, and surprises around every corner.
Entry
There’s an interesting story based on the imagined entry into heaven of one of the thieves who hung on a cross next to Jesus. Jesus was flanked by two criminals. However, one of them joined in with the scoffers on the ground, while the other admitted he deserved punishment but that Jesus was innocent. Jesus responded to the latter criminal by promising, “Today we will be together in Paradise.”
So the story picks up with the repentant thief standing before the gates of heaven where he is greeted by an attendant. “Good morning, sir. Please, as is the requirement, share with me your statement of faith.” “What do you mean?” “As a Christian you ought to be able to formulate a credible statement that verifies your belief in the Lord Jesus. (There. I’ve practically given you the answer.)” “All I know is that I was dying on a cross and the man next to me, Jesus, told me he would meet me here today.” The attendant was unsure whether this was a qualifying statement so he rang up the angel, Gabriel, for consultation. Gabriel was uncertain, as well, so he took the question to the heavenly Father, who answered, “Let the man in. My Son has authority over all the affairs of humanity. He is the perfect judge of the hearts of men.”
Theologians like to come up with things to argue about, such as, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin so, of course, there are debates about the salvation of the thief on the cross. Jesus didn’t do anything on the cross that was observably remarkable. He died bravely, surely, but many who have been executed have died bravely. Had the thief been exposed to the Four Spiritual Laws? The Bible gives no explanation and, in this case, that seems to be the point. The thief had genuine faith in Jesus. Faith is a gift from God in which eyes are opened. I say this metaphorically, because the Bible uses these terms metaphorically. God enables his people to recognize truth.
What did the thief see? What do you see? C.S. Lewis observed, “I believe in Jesus much in the same way as I believe in the sun. It is not so much that the sun is bright and obvious as it is that by the light of the sun I see everything else.” This is a statement that resonates with Christians. For Christians, that this statement does not resonate with others remains a profound mystery…and a reason for sorrow. Elsewhere, Jesus noted that his sheep hear his voice. They recognize it. He also complained to the religious leaders, who should have recognized him: “If you knew my Father, you would know me, as well.”
This brings us to the hard truth, held by most orthodox Christians, that only a minority of people will become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible speaks of judgment and of turning people away. It speaks of those turned away wailing and gnashing their teeth. Some theologians argue that this gnashing is anger—that those punished remain rebellious even after being judged. They have learned nothing; they will learn nothing and, so, they continue to earn their everlasting torment.
I think this is not the correct interpretation. When God judges the rebellious there will be two fundamental elements to the judgment. The first is to reveal to the persons in the dock all the wicked, foolish things they had done and said over their lifetimes. I don’t know whether it will be like a slow film, or a highlight film, or just a mind-cleansing that removes the “justifications”, laying bare all the evil at once. However it manifests, I’m certain that the revelation will be terrifying, especially in the presence of the Holy God. Those in the dock will not have the strength to stand, will not have the strength to kneel. They will long to melt into the floor.
The last part of the judgment is when the Father simply says, “Go away.” To depart from God’s presence can mean only one thing: disintegration. God holds all creation together. Without his active intervention, nothing that is made can hold together. Life is conditional. It is a gift. To refuse to trust in Jesus is to refuse the gift of life. In a sense, God’s judgment will be to allow sinners to have exactly what they want: the life they are able to give themselves.
Judgment for Christians is another matter. Christians would fare no better if we were required to stand before a viewing of all our sins. We, too, would collapse and melt into the floor. But this is the crucial difference and advantage of Christians: we are judged on the basis of Christ’s righteousness. When we are judged in the courts of heaven we will be given a certificate of perfection. Not to undermine the story of the thief but he would have had the certificate in hand. This is why Christians will never enter the heavenly courtroom.
Now, there are some biblical passages that suggest Christians will undergo some sort of judgment. There are statements that suggest some will be given more authority than others. There are statements that suggest there will be greater rewards for those who have lived more faithfully and more sacrificially. Paradoxically, it is also Christian teaching that there is no reward for seeking reward. The one who serves is the one who will be exalted. Jesus, who washed his disciples feet and who died for the sake of his people, is our example of this. Additionally, Christians are taught that the “body” is made up of many different sorts of people. Like the human body, to lose a finger or an eye or a foot is a loss to the whole. In heaven, all who are a part of God’s kingdom will be highly prized and needed. The great rewards of heaven will be holiness, life, and love. These will be given without measure to all of the redeemed.
Home at Last
In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going. ( John 14.2-4).
I attended a small college. The main building had at one time been a resort, known as the Castle in the Clouds. I’m still charmed by its Tudor architecture and its great tower that hinted at ancient castles. When I was a student the elevator still operated by a manual floor lever. So much more fun than pushing a button. The building included a sprawling lobby, and a Great Hall that served as a cafeteria and a chapel.
A college campus is not exactly a normal human environment, of course. It is mostly made up of young people, with a few faculty and staff people floating about. But living there was the closest thing to communal living I’ve ever experienced. What great fun it was to roll out of bed at 7:30, rush down, grab a quick breakfast, and then run to a class in the same building by 8:00. Most wonderful was being part of a society of hundreds of people, all of whom I knew at least by face, and many of whom I knew well. We studied together, played sports together, had meals together, worshipped together, went on hikes together, had long talks into the night with each other, and fell in love with each other. It was a special time. The verses above remind me of my college experience. Not that college was all peaches and cream; some days were more like overcooked okra. But the image suggested by Jesus of a big house—a mansion with many rooms—warms my heart. The reference to rooms suggests that we will have our private spaces. This is good, especially for those of us who are introverts. But the fact that the rooms are located in a larger building speaks to the reality of a close-knit society. It speaks of shared lives.
People who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11.14-16).
Knowing and Known
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.(1 John 3:2–3).
Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13.12).
These verses hint at what I believe will be the most glorious aspect of heaven. Much of life, when we are not struggling to pay the rent and to stay healthy, is taken up by the desire to “fit in”. This is an especially acute problem for teenagers, who will do just about any lame-brained thing to be accepted by their peers. Non-conformists tend to struggle less over this issue, but everyone wants to be accepted and appreciated by a few people other than Mom and Dad. Marriage has long served as the solution to this psychological need. (“At least there is one person who loves me enough to stick by me through the good times and the bad, and who will not run away, even when I am my worst self.”) This certainly is one of the great benefits of marriage. The problem is that even in faithful, loving marriages, spouses grow weary of one another and become frustrated with harmful habits that won’t seem to die.
While we long for intimacy, we are also careful to protect our fragile hearts. It is painful to metaphorically bare ourselves in front of others, only to be met with scorn or, more commonly, apathy. We learn to manage our relationships at arm’s length. We budget our trust, giving a little trust to many, some trust to a few, a lot of trust to a very few, but all trust to none. Sadly, we learn it is best to not give even ourselves absolute trust. We know how determined we can be to do something one moment and then do something utterly contradictory fifteen minutes later. We know how much we long to control our speech and our tones as we interact with others, but life happens. It comes to us around corners, taking us by surprise. Our mouths move faster than our brains.
God says this failure at relationships is to be cured. Imagine being able to speak freely with everyone. Imagine never saying anything foolish. This is not to say we will never say anything incorrect or naïve—we will never be omniscient. But it means we will never say anything mean or dishonest or self-serving or even inane.
Imagine relating to people with…no…fear.
On this earth our souls are filled with fear. We’re afraid the teacher will call us to the board when we don’t know how to do the problem. We’re afraid we’ll be the last person picked for the baseball team. We’re afraid we’ll forget our locker combination. We’re afraid the girl we ask out on a date will respond with a polite excuse, and then find ways to avoid us for the next 3 months. We’re afraid the school bullies will trap us in the bathroom stall and make us give up our lunch money. We’re afraid we will never be invited to the cool parties. We’re afraid no one will ever marry us. When someone marries us, we’re afraid we made a hasty decision. We’re afraid we will never have a job we like. We’re afraid we will never make enough money. We’re afraid we’ll lose the lousy job we don’t like and then be unemployed. We’re afraid we won’t know how to raise our kids. We’re afraid of our kids. We’re afraid our kids will hate us and run away. We’re afraid our kids will never grow up and will never leave. We’re afraid the zit on our left shoulder is a sign of cancer. We’re afraid of visiting the doctor because the doctor will call for endless follow-up testing to check out the various possible maladies associated with a left shoulder zit. We’re afraid we’re becoming hypochondriacs. We’re afraid that we’re losing all our physical capacities. We’re afraid we’re going to die soon. And you know what? Most of our fears are realized. It’s because we are fragile, and our time on this earth is measured.
The most frequent command given by God in the Bible is: “Fear not”. Why? “For I am with you.” This is heaven. God is our security. Above, I rambled on about our fears. God removes our fears. This is not a mere psychological comforting; it is a very real removal of all the things we are afraid of. Our faith in him will be unshakable and it will make us fearless. More importantly, he is all-powerful, he is good, and he loves us dearly.
We cling to the earth, which is natural enough, given that it is the only home we’ve ever known. But the earth, like us, is severely broken. It is covered with thistles and mosquitos; angry drivers; self-serving politicians; overbearing cultural legalists, right and left; drug cartels; thieves; murderers; and brutal dictators. It is filled with inane television; fear-inciting media; soulless capitalists; brain-melting “music”; and a contagion of bad decisions. It is a land of confusion.
We all know it is broken. Heaven and the new earth are where nothing is broken.
In heaven you will never have to introduce yourself because you will be seen and you will be recognized. Your name will be an expression of your being, which is to say, your physical presence will match your soul.
What will it be like to live with God? This is the greatest mystery of heaven, I think, because, though I know God through his truth and I know him through his acts in history, I have also been apart from him. I must admit I do not know him well, but the Bible says I will.
We will know him as well as he knows us. This doesn’t mean we will be able to manage all his thoughts. We are creatures and he is God. The point is that we will know God’s heart. We will know what he loves, what he enjoys, what fills him with delight, what causes him to sing. He will sit with us around the fire pits, telling anecdotes. Maybe even tall tales. He will sing along with us. He will talk with us on a level we can understand about the things we wonder about and about the things that interest us. Nothing will be greater than growing close to one another; no experience more wonderful than sitting with Jesus over a Coke and pizza, talking about nothing, talking about something new and profound, laughing.
He will welcome us into his realm with a warm and lingering embrace. “You are home at last, my son, my daughter. You are where you belong now. This is my kingdom, and it is yours. I promised you abundant life and now you have it”. Through our tears we will see that he is looking at us through his tears. Then he will brush our tears away with his scarred hands. Our lives that had felt like a stumble through fog, will feel like they have finally begun.
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