Question #2 - Heaven

We don’t talk too much about heaven at CLC; what happens when we die, and what is heaven like?

[There is a second question on heaven below.]

This is a great question, and, to be honest, it convicts me as a pastor.

1) Sometimes, we don’t talk about heaven because of excesses in the past.

In many of the religious revival movements in American history, heaven became the sole focus of preaching and evangelism. The message was accept Jesus and you’ll go to heaven. Now, that’s true, but it’s a pretty limited view of salvation. This focus caused some Christians to overlook the oppression and suffering of others. The pendulum then swung the other direction in movements that ignored heaven in favor of dealing solely with earthly problems. Balance is certainly needed. I believe we can be heavenly minded and earthly good at the same time. Therefore, as Christians, we see that the Gospel promises new life both in the hereafter (in heaven) and TODAY (in this life).

2) Heaven is where (or the realm in which) God dwells and those closest to him

Sometimes, the word "heaven(s)" just means sky in the Bible, but other times the Bible is clearly speaking of the place where God dwells. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool,’” (Isa 66:1). In the book of Revelation, John receives glimpses of heaven and sees again and again the throne of God. Note the difficulties of speaking about heaven since its greatness is a mystery; it is more than just some people sitting on clouds strumming harps.

3) As Christians, when we die, we meet Jesus in Heaven.

When we die, our soul (the immaterial, spiritual part of our being) is separated from our body (the material, earthly part of our being). Our soul goes to heaven immediately to be with Jesus while our body goes in the ground. We know this from the Scriptures: Jesus tells the thief on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk 23:43). Also, see Phil 1:23-24; Acts 7:59. At the final judgment, our soul will be brought together with our resurrected bodies (Jn 5:28-29; Jn 11:24; Job 19:26; cf. 1 Cor 15) and those who died with faith in Christ will enter into a new heaven and a new earth where God will dwell perfectly with us forever (cf. Rev 4; Rev 21). Thus, “the view of heaven in the Bible is essentially a redeemed creation, free of sin, death, and the curse, where we live together with Jesus in our physical bodies in God’s physical creation” (Driscoll, Vintage Jesus 151).

4) Heaven will not be boring.

Friedrich Nietzche wrote, “In heaven all the interesting people are missing.” There is a popular misconception that heaven will be boring (check out the clip from the Simpsons where they contrast Protestant and Catholic Heaven; very funny, but hard to find for copyright reasons). Fun is not prohibited; the only thing that won’t be in heaven is sin, sickness, evil, and death. Though I know that we will get to worship God for all eternity (and not to some old, grey-haired pastor’s wife banging out a boring hymn on an out-of-tune organ at 60 beats per minute), there is plenty that is a mystery about heaven.

Can you still believe in God but not be sure about “heaven?”

From your question, it seems you do believe in God but aren’t sure about heaven, so it is certainly possible. In fact, it’s not illogical either (that’s my nice way of saying, “Don’t worry; you’re not crazy”). I would figure that you have had experiences of God during your life that have made God very real to you. You can point to particular events, prayers, thoughts, experiences and can see God at work. In this way, believing in God isn’t a broad leap of faith; you know in some deep fashion that he is real and that he loves you. Heaven seems far more distant. You’ve never seen heaven. You have no empirical experience of heaven, and so it seems less real. Now, I could be way off, but that’s where I think you might be coming from. Here’s my encouragement for you as you struggle with this doubt:

1) Think about Jesus’ resurrection and the lives it transformed. Would you be willing to be martyred if this was all there is?

2) Think of our common longing for perfection and eternity. When we watch the news, we know something isn’t right with the world and we know of the impermanence of the world. Our God loves us so much that he will restore and redeem everything.

3) Meditate on the promises of Jesus concerning heaven and the testimony of the New Testament.

4) Think of how many people have had near-death experiences. For me, and you’re welcome to disagree, it is such a prevalent experience that I doubt that it can all be traced back to the random firing of neurons as the body is dying.

5) Meditate and pray about the reality that God loves you and came to earth to die and be raised from the dead so that he can spend eternity with you.

I don’t pretend that these suggestions are a magic pill that will erase doubt, but, honestly, they are some of the first places I turn when I have doubts about heaven and an afterlife. I hope this is of help; if I have missed the point, or you would like more clarity please let me know.

Stoops