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Taking a break from studying on heaven for a few days. My sister, niece, stepfather, and father are in town. Unfortunately, I’ve been in the weeds trying to get ready for a worship service we are having on Saturday so I haven’t gotten to spend much time with them. I was even hoping to get my two dads out to a Royals game with some friends but I just couldn’t make it work. I did, unfortunately, make time to take the whole family to Chuck E Cheese.
Why, oh why do I keep going back to that place? It’s loud and annoying and crawling with germ infested children and the food is horrible. I mean, how do you mess up mozzarella sticks? So there I was, miserable and angry about the money and time I was wasting, and then it happened. My oldest boy asked me to play a video game with him; and from that point on, time flew by as we played and laughed. When we were all done, he said, “Thanks dad, that was a lot of fun”. And I remembered why I keep going back to a place I hate and overpaying for rubber cheese on cardboard.
It’s for my son, to make him happy, because I love him. What father wouldn’t give whatever he had for his children?
I’ve discovered something really cool about heaven; God only tells us enough about it to pique our interest. We can draw inferences from different statements sprinkled throughout the Bible, but there’s not really too many places where he says, “It’s like this”. For example, he clearly lays out in Revelation 21 what the heavenly city looks like, it’s exact dimensions, the light source, basically every physical detail. But he never says what life will be like for us in there. Just that he will wipe every tear from our eyes and there will be no evil.
So is there something there? Is God intentionally withholding info? And, if so, then why? I think it’s funny how digging into something about God just opens more doors to get through. I guess that’s why we’ll need eternity, huh?
I’ve learned a little more about heaven. John writes about it in Revelation 21:1:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
Now when John writes about a new heaven, he’s referring to the actual heavens; that is, the skies above. Further, all will be “new.” The word rendered “new” (kainos) means new, not merely as to time, but as to kind and as to quality. So they are not only new in the sense of form, but also function. For example, there will be “no more curse,” and therefore no more sin, or suffering, or sorrow. I find it interesting, also, that John specifically mentions that there will be “no more sea”. I’m not sure why God decides to do away with the seas in the new earth; I’ll do more looking to see if I can find some ideas there. But I do think that John was intrigued by the idea of no more sea because, as he was stuck on Patmos and isolated from everyone by the water, the thought of there being no barrier to keep anyone away from loved ones had to be a beautiful idea to him. And doesn’t that fall in line with what heaven is supposed to be?
—Commentary on Revelation
Still studying up on heaven, but I’m taking a break from writing about it today. You have no idea how hard it is to nail down some answers about heaven. Jesus talks about it, but there is much debate about whether or not he is speaking symbolically. Then, in Revelation, John writes about the great city that descends from heaven, but is that city supposed to our primary dwelling place or is there more in heaven itself? I’m not sure yet, but I’ll find the answers with more study and prayer. Wait a minute, I was supposed to be taking a break from writing about heaven today. Aw man…
I’m looking into this heaven issue from all kinds of different angles. There is a vast amount of knowledge to be gleaned from those that have come before us on this topic. So I’m looking at what some of the greats (Moody, Wiersbe, Luther, etc,) have said and seeing how much of it matches what I’m discovering. So far I’m on track with what has been generally accepted in the Christian church throughout history, so I’m happy about that.
One of those thoughts is about mankind’s focus on heaven. Seems like there are many people so looking forward to heaven that they forget about life here on earth. In fact, they are often very caught up in doing everything they can to bring about the rule and reign of God in the here and now; and they miss the point entirely.
I think we hurt ourselves when we value a present experience of God over our hope in God. Put another way, our hope of satisfaction later in an eternal experience of God is a more reliable foundation for following Jesus than a satisfying experience of God now. The apostle Paul writes, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most unhappy.”(1 Cor 15:19)
So, though we labor for Christ, we always remember that a person determined to experience God now as he can only be experienced in heaven will lose out on knowing God the way he longs to be known and can be known in this world.
So I’ve done some digging, and this is what the Bible about heaven. Lots of different words are translated “heaven” in the Bible. I’m not really concerned with the actual physical meaning of heaven (as in the sky) but more in the spiritual meaning of the term as the ”place of the everlasting blessedness of the redeemed and the abode of departed spirits” (Easton’s Dictionary).
(a) Christ calls it his “Father’s house” (John 14:2).
(b) It is called “paradise” (Luke 23:43; 2Co 12:4; Rev 2:7).
(c) “The heavenly Jerusalem” (Gal 4:26; Heb 12:22; Rev 3:12).
(d) The “kingdom of heaven” (Mat 25:1; Jas 2:5).
(e) The “eternal kingdom” (2Pe 1:11).
(f) The “eternal inheritance” (1Pe 1:4; Heb 9:15).
(g) The “better country” (Heb 11:14, 16).
(h) The blessed are said to “sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” and to be “in Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22; Mat 8:11); to “reign with Christ” (2Ti 2:12); and to enjoy “rest” (Heb 4:10, 11).
In heaven, the blessings of the righteous are described as ”an eternal weight of glory” (2Co 4:17), an exemption from all sufferings for ever, a deliverance from all evils (2Co 5:1, 2) and from the society of the wicked (2Ti 4:18), bliss without termination, the “fulness of joy” for ever (Luke 20:36; 2Co 4:16, 18; 1Pe 1:4; 1Pe 5:10; 1Jn 3:2).
Heaven is not only a state of everlasting blessedness, but also a “place”, a place “prepared” for believers (John 14:2). And it’s this aspect of heaven that I want to study on for my next post.
I’m trying to learn about heaven. I know some of what the Bible says, and some of the common ideas about it, but I don’t really know for myself. This desire comes from my son. A few days ago he was asking about my mom being in heaven. He asked what she was doing in heaven. I answered that she was worshipping God. He asked if she ever got to play. I said hat I was pretty sure she did. He asked if she ever saw other people from the Bible, like Noah. I said surely so. Then he asked if they went to barbeques and played with Noah’s animals. I laughed, but was speechless. I realized that I didn’t really know if there were barbeques (I sure hope so) or if we played with animals. So I’m starting to study and learn as much as I can about heaven. This is your invitation to join me on the journey.
We’re going through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) in one of our small groups. I’ve been learning more than the guys I’m teaching, for sure, and I’m really looking at some of the verses differently. For instance, I’ve read Matthew 5:13-16 hundreds of times, but this last time it said something different to me.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ”You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
So I never made much note of the fact that Jesus talks about being salt before he talks about being a city in a hill or light. I think that’s significant; Jesus was always pretty intentional so the way he talks about things must mean something. So maybe we’re supposed to think about how we can penetrate, add flavor, and preserve (which are the functions of salt) before we think about our attractional qualities (like a city on a hill has).
Just a thought.
Today was a tough day. I left the house at 8 in the morning and didn’t get back home until 7 at night. As we keep moving forward with the church plant, things are certainly getting busier. Well, maybe not busier, but certainly harder. There was a time that I could just fly off to wherever and do whatever with no real concern to time, now I’m a bit more of a schedule guy. Which I hate. I’m really being forced to think about what the best use of my time is and stay on track with my weekly goals; I have to be much more mindful and intentional about what I’m doing every day.
Who would have thought that planting a church that was organic and spontaneous required so much planning and focus?
I was sharing a meal with a guy the other day; I’d just met him, really, but we’d talked on the phone a couple of times and he seemed like a cool enough dude so I figured I’d grab a bite with him. We talked about church and theology, and he had some pretty strong opinions about both. Opinions that were at odds with my own beliefs. And I started getting kind of upset. But then I asked myself, “Why?” He wasn’t being a heretic, we actually agreed on the core issues of Christianity, we just differed in application and practice. Shouldn’t that be okay? Is my faith really so weak that any challenge mounted to my belief system automatically garners a hostile reaction? I’ve really got some growing up to do.
