"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband." Rev. 21:1-2 I call it "Heaven Panic": This is when a person gets cold sweats, trembling fingers, and experiences palpable fear every time they think about eternity. Usually dread is reserved only after considering the mystery of hell and its horrors; but sometimes I will have a person come into my office and ask me, "Is it wrong to not want to go to heaven? It really scares me." I proceed to ask them why they feel this way, and not surprisingly I usually get the same answer, "I don't want to float around in the clouds playing a harp. I hate harps. Who wants to wear a white robe for all eternity? If I am not going to be married in heaven and I never get to enjoy the bliss of physical union ever again, what's the use? It sounds so boring, I can't bare to think about it!" So then I pose another question, "Are you scared of waking up tomorrow?" They reply, "Well no, of course not! I have a lot of things to do, people to see, games to watch, a chicken-coop to build. So much to do and so little time..." And then I throw in the mind-blowing truth as a hypothetical question (Usually I say it with a slow, cool, crafty half-smile): "Did you know eternity has already begun for you, and you sure don't seem bored to me?" "Well, I am not in heaven yet." I reply, "Are you sure about that?" PLATO & DUALISM Before you start questioning my theology and whether or not I believe in 'life after death'; don't worry, the resurrection is my ultimate hope! I am a subscriber to the "Already - Not Yet" narrative. The Kingdom of God and his Son Jesus Christ as King is already ruling over my life and heart; but Christ's physical rule on earth is not yet. If you notice in my statement, I believe his rule will be "on earth." So technically, I don't believe in heaven. When people use the word heaven, what they are most often are expressing is the belief in "Platonic Dualism." This way of thinking I most emphatically 'do not' subscribe to. Plato, the Classical Greek philosopher, devised a system of thought known as a "Theory of Forms." He placed higher value on things above (the higher invisible realm - above and beyond cloud and sky), and lower or base value on things below (the earthly-material realm). This theory proposes that non-material abstract forms (or ideas) possess the highest and most substantial kind of reality. Simply put, that which is valuable or "good" is invisible, composed of ethereal non-substance. It's realm is reached through the mind (reason, intuition, and contemplation), and is not trapped in the confines of material substance. The things of material and matter: dust, dirt, sensations and feelings, are only shadows of the invisible things. Shadows are always poor reflections of the real thing. So to Plato, the beauty of the physical body , that which you see with your eyes and touch with your skin, is not intrinsically good because it is only the material echo of the eternal idea of the ideal called "Beauty." The temporal body will eventually fade away, as a shadow does when the sun goes down; while the permanent ideal it reflects will always remain. Confused? At face value, I know many of you see Plato's philosophy as nothing more than useless babble that has nothing in common with me and my life. But don't write Plato off so fast. Without realizing it, all of us have adopted many of his assumptions in your own everyday thought patterns. Dualism (seeing a value distinction between the invisible good and the material bad) permeates the way we place importance on things. For instance: * Ask a person which job is more important, a Pastor or a Plumber? More times than not people will say a pastor - he deals with the things of God where as a lowly plumber just unclogs toilets. The business of the upper world trumps the poop of earth every time. Who will you call when your bathroom overflows? (Sometimes a plumber is a direct answer to prayer!) * What is a more noble: making money, saving and investing it, or disavowing the need for it by giving all you own to the poor? Money is the root of all evil right? Or is it the love of money? We have exalted the man who gives it all away and marches on Wall Street; while they feel self-righteous as they scream at the banker and businessman and call them spawns of Satan. I like what one man has said, "Money is nothing more than stored up work." That isn't evil, it is a means. * What is better for society, being a Hermit Monk praying in the mountains of Nepal; or being a "stay-at-home" mom? A mom is so insignificant, lowly, and expendable, right? Think of it like this, where would Gandhi be if no one ever changed his diapers? All of these examples reflect Plato's "Theory of Form" at work. Notice how the higher and more contemplative role is seen as more exalted. Denying material wealth and the need for things is seen as more noble, closer to the ideal. ORIGEN ON HEAVEN And when it comes to the afterlife, Platonic thought has been one of the prime influences on how we perceive the kind of life we are going to have after death. One person who has been heavily influenced by the Platonic vision is a man named Origen of Alexandria (185-254 a.d.). His writings have seeped into the very core of Christian teaching. Listen to just a few quotes and you will see how our view of heaven has been tremendously warped by him: "The resurrection body will not be in the grosser and more solid condition of the body but instead will shine with the splendor of the celestial bodies fit for more perfect and blessed beings... we will all have a spiritual body, which can dwell in the heavens." Here is another quote, “The saints may begin in ‘paradise,’ which is ‘some place situated on earth,’ they may ‘ascend’ through increasing knowledge and wisdom to the ‘region of the air,’ passing through the planetary realm (the visible heavens), until they ARRIVE at the ‘invisible’ heavens where the mind feasts eternally on the contemplation and understanding of God.” Note some of the words he uses: He calls earthly bodies as "grosser because they are made of solid material," meaning a body that is more like a floating spirit is superior to one that walks on concrete ground. He believes that the ultimate state of being is dwelling in the "invisible' heavens where the mind just contemplates. Yuck! Now I know why people are scared. Look at this picture to the left. I was reading a story about a woman who was given visions of heaven by God and she started painting them. This was one of them. What do you see? I see Andy Gibb floating in the exploding Crab Nebula of outer-space. He is awfully big. But what is he doing? Waiting to catch a floating meteorite or maybe the U.S.S. Enterprise zooming by? I would much rather be on earth running on the grass catching a solid football made of pig-skin, and laughing with my friends than floating among the stars. If this is heaven, count me out! But it isn't! That is my point. These visions and speculations have nothing to do with scriptural teaching. Revelation 21-22 point to a restored garden of Eden. There are rivers, rocks and trees. Isaiah talks about lions and lambs, cities, running children. It sure sounds material and physical to me? Let's stop being so "heavenly minded that we are no earthly good." Jesus is a man with actual scars on his hands, he has a face, we will see his smile. One more thing, and it concerns sex. I know Jesus says we will not be married in heaven, but that doesn't necessarily mean we will be bored. Listen to a quote by C. S. Lewis concerning eternal joys: "I think our present outlook might be like that of a small boy who, on being told that the sexual act was the highest bodily pleasure should immediately ask whether you ate chocolates at the same time. On receiving the answer ‘No’, he might regard absence of chocolates as the chief characteristic of sexuality. In vain would you tell him that the reason why lovers in their carnal raptures don’t bother about chocolates is that they have something better to think of. The boy knows chocolate: he does not know the positive thing that excludes it. We are in the same position. We know the sexual life; we do not know, except in glimpses, the other thing which, in Heaven, will leave no room for it." Miracles (New York: Macmillan, 1947), p. 160. So, are you still scared? Don't be, because I guarantee you wont have to dress like Andy Gibb or Joan Biaz either!
4 Comments
stacie
5/8/2015 12:08:04 am
Love this! Brian and I just talked about the marriage part last night. He didn't seem concerned with it that we won't be married but I did. NOT because of sex but because of the love I have for him. I simply said it makes me sad here and now to think I won't know you as my husband in heaven...BUT I know God's ways are perfect and good so I don't fret over it or concern myself with it.
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chris
5/8/2015 12:56:45 am
My take is simple: I think God has only given us a peek into the realities of heaven (We see through a glass darkly), and Paul is careful in 2 Corinthians 12:3-8 to detail what he saw because he knows words could not express the truths he experienced. Personally I hate when people share visions and details because it caters to puffed up spiritualism (Colossians 2:18). People take a lot of pride in "secret knowledge" they received and God has never promised to give. We so easy believe lies...and this painting is so bizarre and cheesy that if we accept it as truth we turn people away. Even Icons of the middle ages are so dark and foreboding, that they dont make me want to be with God, but flee and hide away. (see: https://www.google.com/search?q=black+madonna&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=623&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Rc5MVfLEEJXtoATN0YC4Ag&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=black+madonna+of+cz%C4%99stochowa&revid=2005735438&imgrc=k23rIHZUz-zA9M%253A%3Bsx3brhoCQpExIM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fverytrulyblessed.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2010%252F11%252Fblack-madonna.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fverytrulyblessed.com%252F%253Fp%253D111%3B730%3B1100)
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Phil
5/11/2015 08:44:09 pm
We were created earth dwellers. Mortal earth dwellers now, immortal earth dwellers in the new earth.
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Mickie Traxler
5/11/2015 11:19:18 pm
Chris, You were subject to my comments in church because your service and your mind and your heart and your Faith is BRILLIANT. I have read very little about Plato, but my personality will not allow me to resist to read more, however Our Father in Heaven has given us a very precious Gift that many of us just simply forget, maybe ignore? by choice because is easy? I don't know. But a friend of mine and I had a very interesting conversation last Friday in my office that I choose to share on your Blog as I believe that many of our congregation read. THE GIFT BESIDES SALVATION IS: 10 SIMPLE RULES TO SALVATION!!! DID I SAY SIMPLE? Yes I did. I believe in my heart and this includes ME, that if we read these 10 simple rules, every day, one at a time, eat them, live them, breath them, fight with all of our might to do our BEST to follow them with every bit of our heart and soul, HEAVEN IS OURS AS IS OUR SAVIOURS WISH. AM I WRONG?
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