This week we begin a three week Halloween series we’re calling - Heaven, Hell and The Walking Dead. It’s a series to answer three of the most asked questions by Christians and non-Christians: what happens after we die.
There’s an interesting phenomenon that takes place during funeral services. Those who get up to speak on behalf of the newly departed color the person’s life in platitudes. They normally try to make the person out to be a good person, whether they were or not, and then they talk about seeing them in heaven or what St. Peter will be saying to them when they reach the mythical pearly gates of heaven.
I think this type of conversation is comforting to some because they don’t want to address the deeper issue: what happens after we die?
The 5 major religions have different teachings about what happens after our heart stops ticking and what is next.
Muslims believe that the present life is only a preparation for the next realm of existence. Muslims believe the soul remains in a kind of "soul sleep" until Judgment Day. When the Day of Judgment arrives, everyone is judged according to their deeds in life.
Death in Hinduism is very spiritual, and it strongly believes in the rebirth and reincarnation of souls. So, according to Hinduism, death is regarded as a natural process in the existence of the soul as a separate entity. When a person dies, the soul travels for sometime to another world and finally returns again to the earth to continue its journey.
Buddhists look at death as taking a break from this materialistic world. Buddhist people do not think death as a continuation of the soul but consider it as an awakening. They believe in reincarnation: once a person dies on this earth, he will be reborn to a new life here and the status of that life depends on the work he did before his previous death.
http://www.religiousmovements.org/views-on-death-according-to-different-religions/
Post-biblical Judaism offers a range of beliefs about life after death. Resurrection is by no means the only option; and, when it is specified, it is not a general word for life after death, but a term for one particular belief. In fact, resurrection is not simply a form of ‘life after death’; resurrection hasn’t happened yet. People do not pass directly from death to resurrection, but go through an interim period, after which the death of the body will be reversed in resurrection. Resurrection does not, then, mean ‘survival’; it is not a way of describing the kind of life one might have immediately following physical death. It is not a description of death and/or the state which results from death. It refers to the reversal, the undoing, the conquest of death and its effects. That is its whole point. That is what Homer, Plato, Aeschylus and the others denied; and it is what some Jews, and all early Christians, affirmed. http://ntwrightpage.com/2016/07/12/jesus-resurrection-and-christian-origins
Unfortunately or fortunately, I have never been to the next realm but I am encouraged by the scriptures. The scriptures declare that when we arrive in heaven, we will “be like Jesus; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2;1 Corinthians 15:47-53). Many people recognized Jesus after His resurrection (John 20:16, 20; 21:12; 1 Corinthians 15:4-7). If Jesus was recognizable in His glorified body, we also will be recognizable in our glorified bodies. Being able to see our loved ones is a glorious aspect of heaven, but heaven is far more about God, and far less about us.
I can remember speaking to my mother about her first visit to heaven. My mom had an aneurysm at the base of the brain burst when she was packing for my father’s first retirement trip. It killed her for a few minutes and if it weren't for the great medical staff at the hospital she would have departed on that day. She ended up having brain surgery and being in a coma for a while. However, she eventually came to and described floating above the operating table, hearing all the voices, seeing all the people and then feeling pulled higher towards a very bright light. She said she probably wouldn’t have come back had she not heard my sister’s voice calling to her. She was never quite the same afterward but she was my mom. She has gone on now, and so has my dad, but their memory lives with me.
As a Christ follower, my understanding of heaven is informed by the teachings of Jesus. The New Testament speaks of heaven some 276 times. Jesus spoke of heaven on a regular basis and His principles. "Your Father in heaven” Jesus was fond of saying (Matt 5:16,45;6:1,8;7:11,21;10:32-33; 12:50;16:17;18:10,14,19).
One of the greatest descriptions of heaven comes from the Apostle John. He had the privilege to see and report on the heavenly city (Revelation 21:10-27). John witnessed that heaven (the new earth) possesses the “glory of God” (Revelation 21:11), the very presence of God. Because heaven has no night and the Lord Himself is the light, the sun and moon are no longer needed (Revelation 22:5).
The city is filled with the brilliance of costly stones and crystal clear jasper. Heaven has twelve gates (Revelation 21:12) and twelve foundations (Revelation 21:14). The paradise of the Garden of Eden is restored: the river of the water of life flows freely and the tree of life is available once again, fruit grows monthly with leaves that “heal the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2). John’s description of heaven is beyond the ability of man to describe (1 Corinthians 2:9) so we know even his descriptions of what he saw and experienced are limited. Heaven is greater than even our imagination can deliver.
I remember helping a man understand the way of Christian a few years ago. After studying revelation and reading the stories of singing endlessly, responded that it sounded like torture - unlimited days of singing the same hymn verses over and over again while listening to harps play. He said, “If that's heaven, I’m going to get what I can now.”
I asked him if he’d ever been to a concert where everyone was singing a hit song with the band. He said yes and went on to tell me about a night of blues. I went on to describe a belief that heaven will be an extended version of the perfect moment on earth. It's the moment you fall in love. It’s the great conversation in which you feel a connection. It's the realization of the plan going off without a hitch. It’s the smile and belly laugh of a small child. It’s the perfect sense that all is right in the world. It’s the gently warm breeze on your face after a long winter. It’s all of these moments for eternity, forever and then more.
The scriptures describe Heaven as a place where there will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more sorrow (Revelation 21:4). There will be no more separation, because death will be conquered (Revelation 20:6). The best thing about heaven is the presence of our Lord and Savior (1 John 3:2). We will be face to face with Him who loved us and sacrificed Himself so that we can enjoy His presence.
Jesus knew this place well for it is where he came from. He didn’t have to speculate about it. He had come from it and spoke with first hand knowledge about it, the plan to bring it to earth, and even His eventual return to it all had a sense of urgency because of His love for us. His desire is that all would come to know Him before he reappears (Luke 24:51;Acts 1:9-11). The end of times imagery of the kingdom of heaven descending, and all of earth being made new, offers many a believer hope in times of distress in this life.
The kingdom Jesus is establishing among men was referred to by Him as the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God. It's a phrase with a lot of scholarly debate but the words reveal the idea that JESUS longed for the day when the principles of heaven would prevail on earth. A principle so important that when the disciples asked how they should pray, he responded with “thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10).
Did you know the words “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” are considered mostly synonymous in the reading of the scriptures today? (Bible.org-the kingdom of heaven article) While there are debatable differences in the use of the terms, for our topic they're similar enough for us to claim those entering will be:
believers in Jesus and His work on our behalf (John 3:16)
poor in spirit (Matt 5:3)
'Poor in spirit' is an odd phrase to modern ears, outside religious circles anyway. The traditional explanation is that it means people who recognize their own spiritual poverty, their need for God.
Jesus wants us to humbly accept that in and of ourselves, we are not enough.
persecuted for righteous sake (Matt 5:10)
Righteousness means more than just “being a good person.” It refers to a complete orientation of life toward God and His will. This kind of righteousness is highly visible: “You are the light of the world.
obedient to living for Him and His will
humble in serving others especially those whom compassion is hard
selfless
Jesus was fond of speaking in parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. There are seven parables in Matthew 13. We discussed many of them last summer. The lessons reveal forgiveness, impartial love, unmerited grace and mercy as the normal aspects of heaven and therefore important to be practiced and experienced now. In fact, they are part of our role in our prayer to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth (Matt 18:23-25, 20:1-14, 22:2-14;25:1-13).
So this week, we’d like to challenge you to bring a little heaven to earth by practicing one of the four ideas of bringing His kingdom to earth: Practice one or more of the following this week -
Forgiveness - Surrender your right to get a pound of flesh or to hold onto a grudge and forgive someone who has wronged you. Forgiving someone doesn’t require them knowing. It requires your commitment to “let it go.” It's an inside job that allows you to be free.
Impartial love - means to understand that we, all of humanity, have been created by God out of His never ending love. To love impartially means to be loving without regard to return of investment. It’s ‘to love’ just because… no paybacks or recognition.
The final two ways you can bring a little heaven to earth are to extend mercy and grace to those you encounter this week. After all, mercy and grace are two sides of the same coin – love. We challenge you this week to extend
Generous mercy. Mercy is the act of withholding deserved punishment. In His mercy, God does not judge us or require the punishment we all deserve as fallen creatures. A punishment he aptly names as hell or eternal separation from him. For us to bring a little heaven on earth this week, I challenge you to offer someone generous mercy. It is the idea to be kind to those who have done you wrong.
Unmerited grace is the act of giving unmerited favor. God has every right to hold us accountable for not obeying him and yet, he fixes our problem and then gives us the gift we do not deserve, namely heaven. Unmerited grace is the idea of giving someone a gift by doing for them what they couldn’t do for themselves or don’t know they needed to do. It's a special favor you are uniquely qualified to offer them.
It’s so similar to the gift Jesus spoke of at the last dinner with His entourage...
References:
https://youtu.be/4GsoQRqnwV4
https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/christianity/5-stories-to-remind-us-that-heaven-exists.aspx
https://answersforeveryone.com/4-people-who-have-been-to-heaven-and-their-stories/
https://www.gotquestions.org/family-heaven.html
