Ideas about Heaven

Where do we get our ideas?

I’m sure there is some brain specialist out there who could give me a technical answer to that question, but I’m not talking about the inner workings of our brains. I’m talking about the ideas that seem like common knowledge, but then turn out to not be accurate.

For example, I did a simple Google search and came across an article from Reader’s Digest titled “50 Famous Facts that You’ve Always Believed That Are Actually False.” As I scanned it, I recognized ideas that my younger self had gleaned that I still carried with me today. Ideas like:

SOS stands for “save our ship.”
There is a difference between being “right-brained” and “left-brained.”
Bagpipes are Scottish.

All of these things? Not true. At least according to Reader’s Digest. But if you had given me a rapid fire pop quiz before I read the article, my assumptions would have been that they were. It’s not that I was clinging to these ideas. I don’t think I made a conscious decision to hold on to them. It’s just that somewhere along the way, I heard someone state them as reality, and I simply accepted it. They got stored away as ideas in my brain, and I carried those ideas around as assumptions. Maybe I’m more naive than the average person, but I think you are likely carrying some ideas that aren’t accurate too.

So, let me get to the point.

I wonder what ideas you hold about eternal life. I wonder what you believe about heaven.

For many of us, the ideas we glean about these things come not from careful study and reflection, but from bits and pieces of information we absorb from television and movies, funeral services, Christianese, and reassuring words well-meaning adults gave us when our pet dogs died. Like the idea I held about bagpipes, these ideas aren’t necessarily harmful, but what is sad is that many times they also aren’t very compelling. If eternity isn’t something you are looking forward to, you might be missing out on the joy of living with anticipation. 

So today, I want to share two ideas about what is to come that I think are firmly rooted in Scripture. 

First, when the New Testament writers look ahead, their focus is on a bodily resurrection. Ideas we carry of heaven being a place where we float on clouds or exist as disembodied souls do not come from Scripture. When the New Testament writers thought about the future, their thoughts went to resurrection because that is what Jesus taught them throughout his public ministry. Here are some of his words from the Gospel of John:

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:39-40)

The culmination of human history will be a bodily resurrection.

In fact, Jesus’ resurrected body is the prototype for this. He went first to show us what is to come. His resurrected body seemed to have some new qualities (i.e. being able to suddenly be present in a room with a locked door), but he still inhabited a body that could walk and talk with people, that could eat fish with friends, that could be touched. I wonder if the reason Jesus stuck around on earth for a few weeks after his resurrection was to give us a little time to grasp what a resurrected body was like so that we could imagine one for ourselves.

And just in case the thought of having a body forever sounds concerning to you, don’t worry. This resurrected body won’t come with all the aches and pains and limitations we feel with our current bodies. No, the Apostle Paul reminds us:

“[Jesus] will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:21)

Imagine what it will be like to love your body, to feel at home in it. To no longer feel any ounce of shame about it. To feel free in it. I think that is coming for us in heaven.

And where will this body reside? In a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1). There will be no cloud floating, no ethereal existence as a disembodied soul. No, we will experience life in a perfect physical world the way God had dreamed it all the way back in the Garden of Eden. I imagine it as all the best parts of what we experience now. Think of the moments of your life that feel transcendent. 

Like when you stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon and try to grasp the beautiful sight before you.
Like when you savor a delicious meal in the company of people you cherish.
Like when you stand back from something you put a lot of heart and soul into creating and feel that rush of satisfaction.

I think life in our transformed bodies in a new heaven and a new earth will be wave after wave of experiences like that without the interruption of evil and pain that we endure now. 

Doesn’t that sound like something to look forward to?

But I haven’t even gotten to the best part.

The second idea about eternal life to hold on to? It’s the place where all our questions about God will be answered because we’ll see him face-to-face. We will be with God.

Again, from the Apostle Paul:

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” -I Corinthians 13:12

There is no analogy that could capture the experience of being with God, but maybe think of it this way. Think of a friend or a relative who you adore, but who lives far away. Perhaps you don’t get to see them very often, but your bond with that person is deep. Even though you text and talk often, you still long to be in the same room. When those moments come around holidays or special occasions, you rush to embrace the person and treasure every moment of connection.

Now, imagine that person is God.

Again, the analogy isn’t perfect, but I think it does capture some of the emotions of what it will be like to experience heaven. And it also highlights this: We don’t have to wait until we die to experience eternal life.

Did you know that there is only one place in Scripture where “eternal life” is defined? And the definition comes from Jesus. 

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” -John 17:3

Eternity isn’t so much about a when; it’s about a who. Eternal life is knowing God. 

If you stop and think about it, this should be intuitive to us. We all know that the best things in life aren’t things. Perhaps in our fear and woundedness, we struggle to give ourselves to one another, but we still know that what our soul most longs for is connection.

When we find that connection in God, we begin to experience eternal life. It’s a quality of life lived in a relationship where we are safe, desired, loved, respected, and free. 

I’ll never forget a story author John Ortberg told about the late Dallas Willard that captures this. When Dallas was near the end of his life, John visited his friend and mentor to say goodbye. Dallas Willard was the real deal. He had a brilliant mind and a long career as a professor of philosophy at USC. But if you read his writings, the most central truth in Dallas’ life is that he lived with God. He never chased the fame that came his way, his primary aim was to know God and live in constant communication with him.

As Dallas lay on his deathbed, John asked him, “What do you think it will be like, that moment when you die?”

And Dallas responded, “I keep wondering if I’ll notice.”

That story does something to my soul. I want to live in such a rich and constant connection with God in this life that when I die, it may take me a while to notice! 

And I believe that is what Jesus offers you and me. A life that is truly life (John 10:10), an eternal life of intimacy with him that can start right now.

There are so many questions I have about what happens when we die that I can’t answer. I don’t understand how the timing will work out between that moment when I take my last breath in this life and my own bodily resurrection. Or if linear time still exists at all. Scripture gives us very little information. But I do know this: knowing God is eternal. That relationship is constant. It’s why Jesus could say to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) Eternity isn’t so much about a when; it’s about a who. And that who wants to be our closest and constant companion, if we’ll let him.

So, why do these ideas matter? I guess It’s not harmful if you want to carry around ideas of heaven involving baby angels on clouds or an endless worship service of singing; but in my opinion, these tepid ideas of heaven will cause you to miss out on something worth experiencing in your lifetime: anticipation.

Remember that feeling the night before Christmas when you were a kid? 
Or think of how you feel the night before you leave on a dream vacation? 
Or maybe it was the night before your wedding?

Anticipation. It is full of joy and hope and a dose of positive nervous energy.

Anticipation makes you feel alive.

Let’s face it, a lot of life is lived in “the night before.” 

If your body is experiencing any sickness or pain, you know what night feels like.
If you are feeling alone or uninspired, you are familiar with the darkness.
If your heart is breaking over relational discord, it can feel like a sleepless night.

But in Christ, the tomorrow of eternal life is promised to you. Tomorrow there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). 

So today, you can live with anticipation! 
Today, you can really live!

For tomorrow, a hope will be yours that exceeds your wildest ideas.