What’s your idea of heaven? A (boring) eternal lifetime of singing hymns and praise songs? Continual bowing to our Lord and Savior (a good exercise for the abs!)? A literal interpretation of Scripture verses: lions and lambs lying side by side without the slightest bit of salivation on the lion’s part and adrenalin-induced fear from the lamb? Or, streets paved in gold (a la the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz) and crystal-clear rivers?I just read an intriguing article in the April 16th issue of TIME magazine, entitled “Rethinking Heaven” by Jon Meacham. There were a couple of statements in it that I subscribe to:
First, the author asked “What if the authors of the New Testament were actually talking about a bodily resurrection in which God brings together the heavens and the earth in a wholly new, wholly redeemed creation?”
Then, Meacham adds, “It is not paradise in the sky but acts of selflessness and love that bring God’s sacred space and grace to a broken world suffused with tragedy until, in theological terms, the unknown hour when the world we struggle to piece together is made whole again.”
I don’t know about you, but I think this suggests that Jesus’ two commands (Love your neighbor as yourself. and Love God with all your heart, soul and strength.) points to what heaven really is: the place (conceivably, here on earth) where our relationship with Jesus is tightly entwined with how we treat each other.
For many reasons, people view heaven as that final resting place where everything, including themselves, is perfect. No more physical suffering or imperfections. Everyone is rolling in riches and everyone lives a life of leisure.
I’m not sure that “heaven” means there will be an equal distribution of wealth and material goods, sort of like the promises of Communism. Jesus himself said that the poor will always be with us and He also commanded us to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, tend to the sick and visit people in prison. Those of us who reach out and follow that command here on earth today will, undoubtedly, be in the same position in heaven. We, who have been blessed with more, will be expected to give and do more … and that brings us closer to Jesus and the heavenly kingdom He promised. “For whatever you do for the least of these, you do for Me.”
So you can’t quite sing like an angel or play a heavenly harp. You worship Him every time you love your neighbor (next door, under the highway viaduct, in that remote village in a poor country) as you love yourself: with assurances of food to eat, a roof over your head and clothes on your back. I believe that’s true now and in eternity.
From a physical perspective, does heaven mean that we’ll be blemish-free, with the perfect physique and a face of jaw-dropping beauty? Will my body morph into a Barbie-doll, hourglass figure? Will I magically lose all my scars and moles? I think not. I think we will meet Jesus with the bodies we have but the heavenly part is that we won’t care about ourselves and others when it comes to looks. The blemishes that we will lose will be the stains of sin on our souls and that will be heaven on earth, because only then can we meet Him face to face!
* Image courtesy of http://www.picturesofheaven.net/
