We believe there is a heaven and a hell and that Jesus Christ is returning to judge the earth and to establish his eternal kingdom.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. My Father's house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going,"
John 14:1-4 (TNIV)
"Some glad morning when this life is over I'll fly away..." "Heaven's our place, it's where we belong..." "In the sweet by and by, we will meet on that beautiful shore..." These are all pieces of songs I have sung in the church about heaven. We've talked about the streets of God and the mansions. Here are some other familiar lyrics about heaven:
"Baby you're all that I want / When you're lyin' here in my arms / I'm findin' it hard to believe / We're in heaven" - Bryan Adams
"I've been lost in my own place / And I'm gettin' weary / How far is heaven?" - Los Lonely Boys
"God is comin' on day number seven / and he won't call me nigga when I go to heaven." - Ice Cube
"But I'm going to heaven son there's no reason to cry / I'm so excited today I'm gonna die / God says he loves me and I love him too / Yes, I have struggled, but now suffering's through" - Suicidal Tendencies
"Heaven help us now / Come crashing down / We'll hear the sound / As you're falling down" - My Chemical Romance
Everyone, everywhere has a different opinion about heaven. For some it's a rescue from social oppression. For others it's the height of ecstasy, either with drugs or with sex. For many it's just a symbol of escape. For us, heaven is a piece of a much bigger pie called ETERNITY. We believe there is a heaven and a hell and that Jesus Christ is returning to establish his eternal kingdom.
Eternity is a funny word. It's a word that most of us view in forward. However, it also carries with it a backward. It's our belief that eternity is the dimension of timelessness where God resides - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the Bible, God says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). This realm of timelessness produces a dilemma in our world of time, especially for those of us attempting to reconcile our experiences to God's Truth.
Most discussion about heaven in the church is focused around the future reunion with Jesus. Unfortunately, we often miss the present reality of his Eternal Kingdom when we stay there. When Jesus came, he declared that the Kingdom of God is here. He ushered in some part of that timeless space into the time where you and I exist. He prayed that the Father's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. The redemption of humanity and this earth had begun with the entrance of Jesus.
Our belief in eternity changes our perspective on this life. Because we believe that eternity isn't all out in the future, but is partly here and now, we can experience this reality today. We can experience a little bit of heaven on earth when we pass out a cup to the thirsty, or bread to the hungry, or clothes to the naked or a coin to the poor. Eternity is realized when we live now the way we will live then. When we don't judge each other because of the clothes we wear or the color of our skin. We can taste eternity when we are known and know others, when we celebrated and are celebrated by others, when we love and are loved by others.
I know that Jesus left this earth after his resurrection to complete the work on our final destination. The day I get to see that final place will be awesome, but for now I don't want to live "so heavenly minded that I'm no earthly good." This is why our belief in eternity is important - we are part of God's redemptive agency here today. Amazing.
Never thought I'd see the Suicidal Tendencies mentioned in a piece on eternity (listened to them in High School and can't tell you that they had much impact on my spiritual development). But your point is very well made. Most everyone you talk to has a sense that there is a better place or at least that our time here is only part of the "big picture". I know that once I realized that eternity was at stake it changed my perspective on how I live. I appreciate your reminder that eternity is here and now and not just down the road. Sometimes it's easy to look forward to the "good life" without realizing how good life can be right now with a commitment to living out our eternal belief.
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