Thinking about Heaven

Awhile ago I got a phone call from a former coworker who had moved out of state. "Hi, Stan," she said. "I have a question that you might be able to answer. When dogs die, do they go to heaven? You see, if my dog isn't with me in heaven, I don't want to go." She, of course, was suffering from a fundamental failure to comprehend heaven. But she exhibited the classic understanding of what heaven is all about: I want to be happy. And she got me to thinking about Heaven.

Heaven means different things to different people. To the skeptic and to the child in many cases it is not a good thing. Perhaps you've seen the t-shirt that reads, "I'd rather rule in Hell than serve in Heaven." Clearly a failure to comprehend. But to this mindset, heaven is not a wonderful place. And it doesn't take the angry, hardcore skeptic to think so. The classic understanding of Hell is a place of fire with a bunch of naked, wailing people and the classic understanding of Heaven is a bunch of people with wings and harps sitting on clouds. Now, from the child's mind, how long do you think you'd be happy sitting on clouds playing harps? In a word, "Boring!"

Of course, most think of Heaven as a wonderful place. My confused coworker offered a hint of the most popular view. Heaven is a place where we will see our loved ones. Oh, you know the standard storyline. "Pa, where's Ma?" "She's gone to Heaven, little Sally. She's up there right now looking over us all." "Pa, will we ever see her again?" "Oh, we sure will, Sally. Someday we'll all be together again in Heaven." And the idea isn't entirely without biblical roots. Perhaps you remember the story of David and Bathsheba. Their illegitimate son was sick at birth and David sorely wept to the point of frightening his servants so that when the baby died they were afraid to tell him. But he heard them talking, determined that the child was dead, and got up, cleaned up, and went to worship God. They asked what was up with that and David answered in part, "I shall go to him, but he will not return to me" (2 Sam 12:23). He was confident that he would see his son again in Heaven. It's biblical. And we like that.

Others are more interested in other things about Heaven. The biblical descriptions conjure up images (right or wrong) of pearly gates and streets of gold. We imagine mansions and luxury unparalleled. We are told "no more tears". What a marvelous place that will be!

Then there are those interested in the people we never knew. We want to find Abel and ask why his sacrifice was different from Cain's, or find Abraham and ask what he was thinking when he was taking Isaac to be sacrificed. We want to catch up with some of the prophets and find out what that was like. What exactly was it like for Isaiah when he saw the Lord? Seriously, Jonah, what was going through your mind? Elisha, why did you curse those boys for calling you "Baldy"? Oh, and definitely find folks like Paul to pick his brain on what he meant when he wrote this or that or the other. Oh, yes, Heaven is a wonderful place!

To me, though, I cannot imagine any of that. Certainly it's not clouds, wings, and harps. Nonsense. And while I'm quite sure that loved ones who went on before will be there and pearly gates and pavement of clear gold (Yes, clear gold -- Rev 21:18 -- a phrase that doesn't work in my head) will be there and even Abraham and Paul will be there, none of this seems to be of any consequence to me. These things carry no weight in my mind. Heaven, to me, while certainly beautiful and joyous and the final "communion of the saints", will be heaven to me when I can bow prostrate at the feet of my Savior and worship. No questions. I can't even think of words. But to be there, eternally, in the presence of my God will be all of heaven that I'd care about. Streets of gold? Long lost friends and family? The finest saints of all time? All well and good, but as for me I want to see Jesus. I want to bask in His eternal light. Everything else pales in comparison.