Contrary to popular caricatures depicting the residents of heaven idly playing harps on floating clouds, the Christian’s future hope does not ultimately lie in a state of eternal bliss of abstract, otherworldly and disembodied existence. The bodily resurrection of Christ is radically different. It is a public historical event that happened in space-time, open to public scrutiny and rational investigation of its claims. What God has done in Christ, He would do on a cosmic scale for the entire creation. The world is not abandoned but transformed into new heaven and new earth. Our physical bodies will be resurrected with power and incorruptibility. There will be no more sorrow, sickness, decay or violence for God will wipe away every tear and restore all that is good. Similar to C.S. Lewis’ vision of heaven in The Great Divorce, the future renewed world will be more substantial, more tangible and more solid than the world as we know it. In the meantime, we are to work in the here-and-now in anticipation of the eschatological vision as agents of that new creation . Religion has often been used as a tool of oppression but Jesus strongly condemned this practice among the Pharisees. Followers of Jesus ought to be more motivated to get their hands dirty fighting oppressions and making the world a better place, modeling the future hope that they long to see today.
Having said that, we recognize that men have fertile imaginations to think up new religious theories and derive psychological comfort from even false ones. The biblical prophets critiqued it as "idolatry", creating gods in our own image. In the same way, atheists are not incapable of great speculative powers to dream up godless ideologies as oppressive tools or as psychological crutches. Some of them like Pol Pot and Stalin really do believe in a world without heaven or hell and end up killing millions in an effort to create a utopia on earth. They have carried out what John Lennon sang about in a way he could not have imagined. There are also subjective reasons that motivate people to reject religion such as bad encounter with a hypocritical pastor, disillusioned by overbearing “religious” parents or relational problems with father figures. Could it also be that the idea of a personal, Holy God may cause us to be so burdened with a guilty conscience that the fallen man thinks up all kinds of theories to deny His existence?
If comfort from heaven is all we desire, perhaps a state of nirvana without traumatic holy and all-powerful God seems much more convenient. An omniscient God knows all our darkest secrets and hidden deeds. A holy and uncompromising God means that my moral standing is judged not based on a curve, but by His ultimate, perfect standard. An all-powerful God means He has the ‘muscle’ to execute and implement His moral laws. A sovereign God means that our freedom is never absolute. We may want to live as we please but His law stands against it. If a superstitious man wants to relieve his fear of the unknown, why would he project an exceedingly traumatic Holy, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign and Immutable God to do the job? Perhaps, an impersonal Force that makes no moral demand would be more suitable. Such considerations should make us wonder if such Freudian psychoanalyzing arguments could cut both ways.
Is Everlasting Existence In Heaven Boring?
We often get tired or bored on earth. Even the most exciting events or experiences have gradually diminishing utility after a long while. If heaven is never-ending, surely its novelty inevitably wears off at some point. However, we could not assume that our physical body now is exactly the same as the glorified, resurrected body. According to Scripture, there would be significant differences in that the resurrection body will be a spiritual, recognizable, incorruptible and powerful body, no longer subject to decay, pain, fatigue or frailty. Furthermore, apart from the joys of everlasting life, reunion with loved ones, the splendor of the new creation and fulfilling work that awaits us, we will spend eternity in fellowship with the inexhaustible God Himself. John Piper put it this way: “God is infinite and wills to reveal himself to us for our enjoyment of his fullness forever. Yet we are finite and cannot at any time, or in any finite duration of time, comprehend the limitless, infinite fullness of God’s glory… Therefore the implication is that our union with God, in the all-satisfying experience of his glory, can never be complete, but must be increasing with intimacy and intensity forever and ever.” There will always be more to discover, learn and love since we will never exhaustively know Him.
Having said that, we recognize that men have fertile imaginations to think up new religious theories and derive psychological comfort from even false ones. The biblical prophets critiqued it as "idolatry", creating gods in our own image. In the same way, atheists are not incapable of great speculative powers to dream up godless ideologies as oppressive tools or as psychological crutches. Some of them like Pol Pot and Stalin really do believe in a world without heaven or hell and end up killing millions in an effort to create a utopia on earth. They have carried out what John Lennon sang about in a way he could not have imagined. There are also subjective reasons that motivate people to reject religion such as bad encounter with a hypocritical pastor, disillusioned by overbearing “religious” parents or relational problems with father figures. Could it also be that the idea of a personal, Holy God may cause us to be so burdened with a guilty conscience that the fallen man thinks up all kinds of theories to deny His existence? If comfort from heaven is all we desire, perhaps a state of nirvana without traumatic holy and all-powerful God seems much more convenient. An omniscient God knows all our darkest secrets and hidden deeds. A holy and uncompromising God means that my moral standing is judged not based on a curve, but by His ultimate, perfect standard. An all-powerful God means He has the ‘muscle’ to execute and implement His moral laws. A sovereign God means that our freedom is never absolute. We may want to live as we please but His law stands against it. If a superstitious man wants to relieve his fear of the unknown, why would he project an exceedingly traumatic Holy, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Sovereign and Immutable God to do the job? Perhaps, an impersonal Force that makes no moral demand would be more suitable. Such considerations should make us wonder if such Freudian psychoanalyzing arguments could cut both ways.
Is Everlasting Existence In Heaven Boring?
We often get tired or bored on earth. Even the most exciting events or experiences have gradually diminishing utility after a long while. If heaven is never-ending, surely its novelty inevitably wears off at some point. However, we could not assume that our physical body now is exactly the same as the glorified, resurrected body. According to Scripture, there would be significant differences in that the resurrection body will be a spiritual, recognizable, incorruptible and powerful body, no longer subject to decay, pain, fatigue or frailty. Furthermore, apart from the joys of everlasting life, reunion with loved ones, the splendor of the new creation and fulfilling work that awaits us, we will spend eternity in fellowship with the inexhaustible God Himself. John Piper put it this way: “God is infinite and wills to reveal himself to us for our enjoyment of his fullness forever. Yet we are finite and cannot at any time, or in any finite duration of time, comprehend the limitless, infinite fullness of God’s glory… Therefore the implication is that our union with God, in the all-satisfying experience of his glory, can never be complete, but must be increasing with intimacy and intensity forever and ever.” There will always be more to discover, learn and love since we will never exhaustively know Him.
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