When we think of heaven, what images pop into our minds? As I grew up in a Baptist church, my images of heaven were those seen in children’s picture-Bibles: little angels with halos playing harps and sitting on clouds, or images of us all at one big concert singing “Awesome God” before God’s throne. To be honest, while these images excite many, they form within be a great fear of heaven. I’ve never been too partial to singing in worship, and the idea of singing to God forever… Well, it haunts me. I don’t really like that, to be totally honest. This fear within me consumed me. Some pray that Jesus will come each day; I used to pray that he wouldn’t come until I had enjoyed my life on earth as much as possible. This numbing fear and apprehension drew me to really examine what heaven will be like, and while my ideas may be heretical to some, I understand that what we know of heaven comes from sparse biblical passages, and we are left to conjure up in our imagination what we think heaven will be like. Granted, I’m most likely wrong. I am certainly no biblical scholar. But, at this point in time, this is what I believe heaven will be like.
The first question that needs to be asked is, “What is heaven?” Strictly speaking, heaven is the final destination of those who have been God’s followers under both the Old and New covenants. To be more specific, heaven can be called “restoration” or “regeneration” of the heavens and earths. But what does this mean? What is being restored, regenerated, remade, rewritten? I believe that what we see in the Garden of Eden symbolizes God’s desire for humanity: for humanity to be connected with God, connected with one another, and connected with creation; God desires humanity to expand and grow and fill the earth, creating a community whom loves, serves, and worships Him. However, sometime before or after the creation of man, there was a war in heaven. One of God’s angels, Lucifer, rebelled, and (perhaps in anger at his being crushed by God and His angel-armies), he struck at the heart of God by “stealing” God’s most precious creation: mankind. The great story of the gospel is about God bringing back what Lucifer “stole.” Heaven, then, is what happens Lucifer is destroyed and God takes things back to where they were before Lucifer screwed things up by drawing humanity into sin. God recreates the Garden of Eden, but in a more beautiful and majestic way than before. So I believe that heaven is the future home of God’s people in the newly-made “Garden of Eden,” and it will take place throughout the entire universe.
“So what will we do in heaven?” We will worship God. The scriptures teach this. But how will we worship God? I believe we will worship God by living as we are meant to live. I believe we will worship Him by honoring Him with our lives. I do not believe heaven will be a never-ending worship conference at the feet of God. I believe that God will open up the universe and say, “Go forth, multiply, fill the earth, and live as you are meant to live!” Perhaps we will worship God by being good parents. Perhaps we will worship God by being good caretakers of the universe. Perhaps we will worship God through art, literature, and through simply enjoying ourselves: swimming in the oceans, canoeing down the Amazon, running between the canyons, having bonfires and playing guitar and smoking herbal cigarettes. Who knows? But I believe that we will live lives of happiness, joy, and peace: there will be no more suffering (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual), for all suffering stems from sin, and sin has been removed. We will live in an absolute paradise.
“So what will heaven be like? Physically?” I believe that the greatest glimpse of heaven’s physical appearance is to look outside our windows at the trees, or to look at the stars on a clear night. God created the physical world in the original creation, and I believe the physical world will be recreated with its vast panorama of beauty: dolphins, lions, zebras, dogs and cats, butterflies and bumblebees, rivers and streams, mountains and valleys, clouds and waterfalls. Perhaps we will swim with the dolphins, cuddle with lion cubs, and share food with gorillas. Who knows? Perhaps one day we will find ourselves gazing down at a gorgeous lake, mountains covered with snow in the distance, drawing in the deep and unpolluted air, thinking, "I never thought it would be this amazing!" Again... Who knows?
These are my basic views on heaven, but here is another view (probably the most heretical) that I have been contemplating. Remember, I am probably wrong, but this is what I’m contemplating right now.
“Will there be sex in heaven?” I believe the answer is yes. How do I explain myself out of Matt 19? I don’t. I believe Jesus is not a liar. I don’t think there will be divorce or remarriage in heaven. “But sex is sin outside of marriage, right?” Yes. But remember, what is heaven? Heaven is restoration and regeneration. Heaven is the “Garden of Eden” on a grander, more majestic scale. I believe our most accurate picture of heaven is found in Genesis 1-3. And in those passages, we see God telling the people, “Go forth, multiply, and fill the earth.” No mention of marriage; in fact, marriage didn’t come as a legal institution until after humanity caved into sin by Lucifer’s temptations. “But Adam and Eve were married!” Yes, but only after the fall into sin. Before that, they were united in a holy union. I believe holy unions will take place in heaven. It is a spiritual desire to be with another person sexually, and this desire is from God. Sex is one of the greatest gifts from God. I believe that when we get to heaven, when the regeneration takes place, we will meet our soul mates, and we will live together forever. This is great news to those who have been hurt, abused, and broken by ones they love, or those who have never experienced romance that they so strongly desire. “But what about people who have been married two times?” I believe that God has a special person for us in heaven. Perhaps that will be the person we’re married to now, or will be married to, or were married to. Or perhaps it is someone entirely different. Whoever it may be, I believe we will be overjoyed with the union. “What would be the purpose of this union, and the purpose of sex?” I believe the purpose of union is enjoyment and procreation. I believe the purpose of sex is likewise. We will find enjoyment in our significant other, and we will have children who will be raised in the new heavens and new earth, and they will never taste heartache and heartbreak and all the sorrows of this world. God told Adam and Eve, “Fill the earth,” and I believe that when the restoration takes place, when we have found the ones God wants us to be with, His words will be likewise: “Fill the earth. And have fun doing it."
The first question that needs to be asked is, “What is heaven?” Strictly speaking, heaven is the final destination of those who have been God’s followers under both the Old and New covenants. To be more specific, heaven can be called “restoration” or “regeneration” of the heavens and earths. But what does this mean? What is being restored, regenerated, remade, rewritten? I believe that what we see in the Garden of Eden symbolizes God’s desire for humanity: for humanity to be connected with God, connected with one another, and connected with creation; God desires humanity to expand and grow and fill the earth, creating a community whom loves, serves, and worships Him. However, sometime before or after the creation of man, there was a war in heaven. One of God’s angels, Lucifer, rebelled, and (perhaps in anger at his being crushed by God and His angel-armies), he struck at the heart of God by “stealing” God’s most precious creation: mankind. The great story of the gospel is about God bringing back what Lucifer “stole.” Heaven, then, is what happens Lucifer is destroyed and God takes things back to where they were before Lucifer screwed things up by drawing humanity into sin. God recreates the Garden of Eden, but in a more beautiful and majestic way than before. So I believe that heaven is the future home of God’s people in the newly-made “Garden of Eden,” and it will take place throughout the entire universe.
“So what will we do in heaven?” We will worship God. The scriptures teach this. But how will we worship God? I believe we will worship God by living as we are meant to live. I believe we will worship Him by honoring Him with our lives. I do not believe heaven will be a never-ending worship conference at the feet of God. I believe that God will open up the universe and say, “Go forth, multiply, fill the earth, and live as you are meant to live!” Perhaps we will worship God by being good parents. Perhaps we will worship God by being good caretakers of the universe. Perhaps we will worship God through art, literature, and through simply enjoying ourselves: swimming in the oceans, canoeing down the Amazon, running between the canyons, having bonfires and playing guitar and smoking herbal cigarettes. Who knows? But I believe that we will live lives of happiness, joy, and peace: there will be no more suffering (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual), for all suffering stems from sin, and sin has been removed. We will live in an absolute paradise.
“So what will heaven be like? Physically?” I believe that the greatest glimpse of heaven’s physical appearance is to look outside our windows at the trees, or to look at the stars on a clear night. God created the physical world in the original creation, and I believe the physical world will be recreated with its vast panorama of beauty: dolphins, lions, zebras, dogs and cats, butterflies and bumblebees, rivers and streams, mountains and valleys, clouds and waterfalls. Perhaps we will swim with the dolphins, cuddle with lion cubs, and share food with gorillas. Who knows? Perhaps one day we will find ourselves gazing down at a gorgeous lake, mountains covered with snow in the distance, drawing in the deep and unpolluted air, thinking, "I never thought it would be this amazing!" Again... Who knows?
These are my basic views on heaven, but here is another view (probably the most heretical) that I have been contemplating. Remember, I am probably wrong, but this is what I’m contemplating right now.
“Will there be sex in heaven?” I believe the answer is yes. How do I explain myself out of Matt 19? I don’t. I believe Jesus is not a liar. I don’t think there will be divorce or remarriage in heaven. “But sex is sin outside of marriage, right?” Yes. But remember, what is heaven? Heaven is restoration and regeneration. Heaven is the “Garden of Eden” on a grander, more majestic scale. I believe our most accurate picture of heaven is found in Genesis 1-3. And in those passages, we see God telling the people, “Go forth, multiply, and fill the earth.” No mention of marriage; in fact, marriage didn’t come as a legal institution until after humanity caved into sin by Lucifer’s temptations. “But Adam and Eve were married!” Yes, but only after the fall into sin. Before that, they were united in a holy union. I believe holy unions will take place in heaven. It is a spiritual desire to be with another person sexually, and this desire is from God. Sex is one of the greatest gifts from God. I believe that when we get to heaven, when the regeneration takes place, we will meet our soul mates, and we will live together forever. This is great news to those who have been hurt, abused, and broken by ones they love, or those who have never experienced romance that they so strongly desire. “But what about people who have been married two times?” I believe that God has a special person for us in heaven. Perhaps that will be the person we’re married to now, or will be married to, or were married to. Or perhaps it is someone entirely different. Whoever it may be, I believe we will be overjoyed with the union. “What would be the purpose of this union, and the purpose of sex?” I believe the purpose of union is enjoyment and procreation. I believe the purpose of sex is likewise. We will find enjoyment in our significant other, and we will have children who will be raised in the new heavens and new earth, and they will never taste heartache and heartbreak and all the sorrows of this world. God told Adam and Eve, “Fill the earth,” and I believe that when the restoration takes place, when we have found the ones God wants us to be with, His words will be likewise: “Fill the earth. And have fun doing it."
2 comments:
Probably the most touching picture of heaven I have experienced was at the end of Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. Have you read it?
No, but I have the book. Is it the last book of the series?
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