When We All Get to Heaven

Good Friday morning! The song came to mind this morning for some reason, and there it will stay it seems. When we all get to Heaven. What do we know about Heaven? We could look at Paradise Lost or the Divine Comedy, but those are works of fiction. We don't take what little we know about Hell and use the opposite, for that may not be true either. If God says that our future home is more wonderful than we can imagine, then we immediately start imagining. That is simply the rebel nature in us. We can imagine quite a bit too. Loved ones who have gone home before us, pets, trees, mountains, rivers, but then we start putting conditions on our imaginings. A person who lives where trees grow quickly might rather see open plains of grass in their heaven. A resident of the arid plains wants forests to explore, preferably without the toothy predators, thank you very much. Sasquatches are okay, as long as they are nice Sasquatches. A farmer flooded out by his nearby river each year might be a little hesitant, shall we say, about having rivers in his heaven. Maybe just some little creeks to enjoy and go easy on the cattails for him. We have a lot of ideas about what Heaven should be, but little knowledge about what it will be.

Jesus has gone to prepare a home for us. Some Bible translations use 'mansion', but home is good enough for me! We know from John's vision that worship goes on a lot up there. That part sounds a little dull to us down here, sort of like being threatened with a never-ending church service. However, we forget that nowhere in the Bible does it say that the elders or angels or saints are being forced to worship and praise God forever and ever. If you build a shed down here with a song of praise on your lips - whistling, humming, singing, or whatever you like - is that so difficult? Not if it is what you want to do. Friday is a good morning to think about Heaven for just a bit.

The good things we think of may all be there and then much more. Isaiah foretold the wolf dwelling with the lamb, the laying down of the leopard with the young goat, and the calf, the lion, and the fatted calf together, with the little child leading them. The nursing child playing by the cobra's hole? Wait, who let that snake into heaven? Actually, the prophecy speaks of a viper's den and a cobra's hole, not sure if that includes the snakes or not. However, snakes are allowed to groan for the release of the curse on creation too. Some folks like snakes. In Heaven, the rest of us may learn not to jump back when we first see a snake. Sounds a mite peculiar, but there it is. This sounds better:

"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain. For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:9)

Wait, weren't we talking about Heaven? Yes, one day God will come down with the New Jerusalem and we will not be worried about earth or heaven, but will enjoy earth and heaven. If God leaves heaven up there somewhere and comes to dwell on earth, then heaven would become just another place to visit. For one thing we do know about Heaven: God is there. Jehovah's throne, His place, is in Heaven. I cannot explain the omnipresence of God, and the presence on that wonderful throne. That mystery may become clear when we get to Heaven, or we may be too busy praising God.

Love the Lord your God on this lovely day,
Bucky