Whenever you see a movie or hear most discussions about heaven or life in eternity, you are given images of floating on a cloud somewhere, listening to the angels singing praises to God.
I don’t know about you, but as much as I love God and enjoy praising him, I think that spending eternity like this could become rather uneventful after awhile. Rememver: we’re not talking about minutes, hours, days, months–or even years–we are talking about something which never ends! So from a biblical perspective, exactly what will we be doing for eternity?
I can not give you exact details, but if we consider Jesus, who is the first man to emerge victorious over death, we get a glimpse of what our future holds. According to 1 John 3:2, when Jesus returns (appears), we will be changed and be like him. So if we pay attention to the way he was after he was raised from the dead, we can learn a bit about the things we will be able to do in our new, glorified form when he comes to rapture us out of this current world. Remember when the apostles were huddled together in a room with the door locked tight for fear of the Jews who had crucified The Lord just three days earlier? While they sat there, Jesus appeared in their midst–seemingly out of nowhere!
In his new glorified body, he had the ability to zip around from one place to another with ease! Obviously, he could move through walls without any problem. When he walked with the men on the road to Emmaus, he was able to appear so that they did not recognize him. We also know that he ate fish with the apostles when he prepared breakfast for them by the sea.
At the end of the age, when God brings forth the new heaven and earth, everything will be perfect! We will have a new paradise much like the garden of Eden described in Genesis, only this time, it will never end!
Although our images of eternity are generally limited to views of heaven, we will also have a wonderful earthly paradise to enjoy! We won’t need air travel as we know it in order to travel all over the globe–or the universe! We will have spiritually powered bodies without the limitations of our current model. Our incorruptible and immortal bodies will last forever! Think about it: Jesus is already around two thousand years old!
This topic is fresh in my mind because of a stimulating discussion I had at our August Prayer Breakfast. Obviously, we can not make definite statements concerning how our new life will be living in the new heaven and earth, but the thoughts in this post seem to line up with scripture. I think we can look forward to an exciting adventure!
Actually, I liked Jesus Christ Superstar, that may be my favorite Jesus movie. I also liked The Life of Brian for a good laugh. As far as more driatmac movies, The Passion of the Christ wasn’t bad, but it was long at some points and almost sickeningly violent at others. Nativity Story was good and takes the story pretty seriously while remaining a family movie.
I have a rather different take on Eternity and the life beyond the veil. Let it go, Spar, Your life is now. Learn to live in the Lap of your Father’s loving care.
I only speak for me and from my experience with God and Scripture, mainly Jesus’ teaching. In that great teaching which is The Lord’s Prayer, as well as in numerous other teachings, My accumulated assurance about the life beyond death is that it will be as a loving God wills it. I have experienced nothing from my Father which left any need of my Soul unmet. My serenity about the future is based on this experience. Talk often with your Father humble, surrendered, and loving, then walk the Path He puts under your feet. I expect the next great adventure of my Soul’s journey on the Other Side…
Blessings and Love to you, brother in your work. I like the clarity of your style. One Truth, One Message and I feel consonance and recognition of a spiritual brother.
Right, he may have. I don’t know this guy well. But I know that many of the mystics would grant the Protestant idea that encrnate to heaven is by grace alone; yet, of course advocate devotion and purification. The reward in this life is peace and safety and pleasing God. The reward in heaven is what we know so little about.