glimpses of heaven

We are studying the intriguing & mysterious book of Revelation now. Really glad to have learnt many new things and cleared up some misconceptions about it :)

In our last study, WH brought up a really good point that humans make up own ideas of heaven & its usually a mish mash of their own desires & wants instead of what God Himself has revealed. Here are some egs of that I came up with.

Human Ideas of Heaven

i. Relational Love

In the absence of Jesus, humans often look to the next most intimate relational experience as a source of satisfaction, as the ultimate goal of living, being. Love between a man & woman is exalted, hyped up. People the world over glorify the search for the One* whom they believe will complete them (hence songs/poems of crossing mountains, seas for the other, loving onto death blahblah), glorify idea that love is all one needs, willing to do anything even for a moment, that moment with the one they love. Heaven, to the romantics, can be found on earth in the arms of the love of your life.

DJ Sammy’s Heaven sums up the notion (I like the song btw, the tune very nice lar tho abit lian):

Baby you're all that I want

When you're lying here in my arms

I'm finding it hard to believe

We're in heaven

And love is all that I need

And I found it there in your heart

It isn't too hard to see

We're in heaven

This idea is sad but very real. As Christians, we (at least I) have to constantly fight unhealthy (vs healthy) romantic tendencies & lies, what more people who don’t have Jesus? I’d cling to this idea of heaven too if I didn’t know Him, cos that’s all I'll know & can see. Love between a man & woman is beautiful AND God-given but He doesn’t intend for it to be the ultimate goal of our lives nor a definition of heaven. Love as wonderful as it feels will be revealed as small relative to all that He’s planned for us at the end :)

* will save my views on ‘the One’ for another time, place

ii. One big orgy or drinking party

Some religions believe that heaven will be one big orgy where they can have access to as many virgins as they want (?!). Some of my friends like to believe that heaven would be one big party with free flowing booze, all forms of indulgence & freedom to do whatever they want uninhibitedly. Basically, an eternal nightout at the club with no limitations on alcohol, music or beautiful people. Sadly some don’t even mind the thought of hell (they claim), cos they believe they can enjoy being persistently rebellious with merry bunch of rebel friends.

iii. Peaceful, Floaty Place

Others believe that heaven will be nothingness. They will be free from the misery of life and just float around aimlessly, freely and happily or simply disappear. Quite an appealing idea given that the fallen world we live in IS painful, tiring… its no wonder that people would long for a place free of pain, crime, work, worry.

But all our human attempts at figuring our heaven is futile cos it won't happen just cos we imagine so. What's impt is knowing & believing the truth about heaven as revealed in the Bible.

God’s Idea of Heaven

Heaven as revealed to us in Revelation 4 & 5 shows us what its really all about – God & Jesus, the Lamb. Not about us - our selfish ideals, our pleasures, our glory or happiness.

In Rev 4:-11, we see God seated at the centre, on the throne, in His brilliance & glory. His people (elders) bow down & defer their crowns to Him. Why is this so? What makes Him so worthy to be praised, worshipped?

"You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being."

God is on the throne & worthy of worship because He...
i. Created all things
ii. Sustains all things
iii. Is eternal

The Lamb is also worshipped as seen in Rev 5:1-14.

"You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased men for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth."

Jesus is worthy to be worshipped because He...

i. Saved us

ii. Enabled us to serve God (made us kingdom & priests)

iii. Allows us to reign with Him

We need to believe the picture of heaven revealed to us in His Word & live in reality of that – God’s reign over all the earth & heaven and so, His reign over our lives. He is ultimate King, and we are ultimate servants.

This is one of my fave quotes from CS Lewis. About how the dreams & ideals we cling to are so small next to the plans God has for us.

"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Its like how we cling on to our human ideas of heaven not realising what God has planned is so much more awesome & wonderful.

We may not fully grasp what heaven will be like - Revelation gives us only glimpses of it & not everything (like why He who sits on the throne has appearance of jasper & carnelian) can be explained. But these glimpses are more than sufficient in delivering the main point – heaven is ultimately about God & His glory. The splendour, beauty and relief that await us is beyond our imagination but we can find hope in the picture that’s already been granted to us.