Friday, September 10, 2004

This is actually a comment on my last blog, but for some reason blogger won't let me comment (how awkward is that?) so here it is:

All we will be doing in Heaven is worshipping God. But the worship isn't strictly 'musical.' Just as there are many different styles of musical worship - fast, slow, techno, country, rap, etc. - so there are many different styles of worshipping God. We are all different in many ways; for me, the style of worship I personally and am excited about is the worship through enjoying God's creation. Think of it like God giving us a gift; he gives us a gift, and we burst over in excitement, love, joy, tears, happiness, and enjoy it all we can. When we enjoy what God has given us - a new heaven and a new earth - it will be worship. I do believe there will be worship done through music, though, and the style each of us goes through won't be important. We will be worshipping!

I personally believe that those who 'ran before us' are looking down on us. I don't think they are filled with sorrow, however, because there will be no sorrow in Heaven. While I can't explain why they don't have sorrow, I find that in Hebrews 12:1 the writer tells us that we are 'surrounded by a cloud of witnesses' cheering us on. It is really encouraging to know you've got a fan club rooting you on! I do believe my great grandmother is watching me and all the others in the family, cheering us on!

I don't think Heaven is tailor-made, either. But I think Heaven will have the excitement, the adventure, the longings we've been searching for. We will be "beautiful and whole." It is a place - a wonderful place! It is creation restored to how it was before sin messed it all up. As I said, think of Maui and Cancun and the Caribbean, now entrenched in ugly sin - we can't imagine how wonderful it will be when all is restored! I firmly believe that God puts many of the righteous passions and desires in us, that we are 'born' with them spiritually. But because of sin, we can't live out these passions and desires to the fullest extent. In Heaven, when all is restored, we will have that chance, that opportunity, that fulfillment. And living it out will be worship to God, saying, "God, this is how you created me, and I'm going to fly with it!"

I wonder, "Why would God create a new heavens and a new earth if all we were to do it stand in the Temple and worship him there?" He created the new heavens and new earth because it is his will for us to enjoy his new creation. Isaiah 11:6-9 gives us a glimpse of this new creation, speaking of how animals will interact with us and will be tame and docile. I think it will please God - I know it will please God - if we ride dinosaurs (and I am not joking about that), and it will please God for me and my sister to stand on his ocean shore and admire his new creation. I don't think God would create anything righteous that would detract from our fulfilled relationship with Him - anything below that isn't righteous, and Heaven is complete-righteous, devoid of sin!

And I, too, look forward to worshipping him forever! Not only through songs and dance, but through enjoying his creation as well!

I am a big fan of talking about angels. I love talking about angels. I don't mean just good angels, but bad angels as well (demons). Demons will be thrown into Hell, but righteous angels will serve us in the Kingdom of Heaven (Hebrews 1:14). This is just me personally, but I think the harp is a symbol that there will be amazing music in heaven. It is awe-inspiring to think of bowing down and worshipping God face-to-face.

In eternity, we will spend forever with God and Christ and the Holy Spirit. It will be amazing. And while it will be more than exciting to ride a dinosaur, or to spend eternity in that eternal bliss, it is just something else that all will be done in the immediate, known, and radically-personal communion with the Trinity.

3 comments:

Mike said...
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darker than silence said...

We don't view everything the same way :-), but I say that's what makes it interesting :-). My sister thought we were mad at each other, and I just laughed.

I consider you a great role model, going forward with different ideas and really living out what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and challenging me to think and grow deeper in my faith.

And it is all speculation - none of our imaginations can touch on how great it will be! Later man.

Unknown said...

Thats an awesome picture of what heaven will be like. But all those awesome pictures you said, you know that it will be 10 million times greater than anything we can ever imagine. At our most creative thought, at our most wonderful dream, or our furthest imagination. We will never be able to fathom eternity in heaven.
Later

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