A few days ago when Iambic asked me what I thought about heaven, I considered writing a post to outline my answer. Then I realized that such a post would be ambitious and lengthy, and it’s best not to attempt that kind of post after a full day of mowing lawns in 90 degree weather. Iambic said:
What do you think we'll be doing in heaven? My particular interest is in the arts: will we be able to read books, watch movies, and go to plays whose strength and power comes from their depiction of sin and/or suffering? Will there be any Hamlet in paradise? I wonder....
I wondered what to do. A) Let the query slide? B) Make a brief and inadequate response? C) Lay out a series of suggestions without explaining the reasoning behind them? D) Or link a previous post that partially covered her questions?
Ka-ching.
Then I decided to throw in a little of treatment B) as well, while swapping out one word: Make a brief and
Scripturally, heaven will be a “new earth” occupied by people with “new bodies”—I find in these descriptions a very strong indication of physicality. I question the place that some familiar pastimes will have in heaven; i.e., will books be necessary, or will we have more efficient ways of experiencing the art and literature of the past? And in what new light will we view the tragic catharsis of a story like Hamlet? Will movies be scoffed at as “second-hand” experience? Certainly, all new art (and I think there will be much) will be based on a new system of drama—one that hinges upon the infinite nuances of strength and beauty, and their startling effects upon the human psyche.
Heaven will host a civilization of people galvanized to effective industry (all sorts) by a central Light that permeates everything they see and do. Christ will be heaven's ultimate glory, but I think we will learn, conclusively, that he intends for us to glorify him in everything we do—and there will be more to do than singing. As G.K. Chesterton wrote:
“I seem to hear, like a kind of echo, an answer from beyond the world. “You will have real obligations, and therefore real adventures when you get to my Utopia. But the hardest obligation and the steepest adventure is to get there.”
I see no reason why many current loves may not be reborn in heaven. I, for one, intend to hone my hoops game and finally make the NBA. When I was at the top of my game, I needed six more inches on my vertical to dunk. One of the minor benefits of eternal life will be the luxury of unlimited training time.
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You may want to scan the 'Heaven' listing in my del.icio.us index. It's a topic that tends to reemerge here.
1 comments:
I think this is true. I've read a few of Randy Alcorn's books and he has great descriptions of heaven. It's interesting to learn about it and see others viewpoints on it.
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