A friend had a question:
I have always struggled with this: Death. Assuming one were to go to heaven upon their death and in so few words, this is our goal, why aren't more of us happy and ready to die? Life on Earth is filled with so many ... not good things, especially compared to how we might imagine heaven, one should be ready to get this life over with as soon as possible. It seems that there is too much emphasis put on the earthly life by all, "Christians" and non-Christians alike. Say you were in a hospital in a life threatening situation, and the doctors managed to save your life, most people would say thank you to them, but really shouldn't we be almost upset that we didn't die? I know there are different views on "plans" such as we're here for how long we're supposed to be and what have you, but I was just wondering about your take on this.
Here is my response:
You know, I'm a minority in this but I don't see heaven as the goal. I think we are slightly out of focus when we look towards eternal destination as the end goal. Sure, we desire it and look forward to it, but Jesus taught that his kingdom has all ready come (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:25) and that we should seek that kingdom (Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:31). We ought to be consumed by that kingdom by being one with our Father (John 17) and living in love (Ephesians 5:1-2, 1John 2:10, 4:7-21) by obeying His commands (John 14:15, 21, 15:10, 1John 2:3, 3:24, 5:3).
Paul touched on this in one of his letters (kind of). He wrote: "
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me." (Philippians 1:21-26).
So first of all, feel good to struggle with the same things as the Biblical authors. Second of all, the answer is this: You will die. But right now you live, and you live in a broken world that needs the kingdom of heaven. If you are a part of that kingdom, it is better to live and bless the world by uniting it, person by person, with the kingdom so that this world will be brighter, so those people will live in love, and so that the kingdom will be more full when it is all that exists. To simply die for the sake of living in glory would be selfish but to live in a broken world, struggling to be light in darkness, that is love. Dying for others is love, and sometimes that process looks like playing out the rest of our mortal lives.
Jesus' teachings all apply to right now. Jesus wanted us concerned with today (Matthew 6:34) and with the things of this world that are, as you said, "not good" (such as poverty, the lives of our enemies, the widows and orphans, and making peace). We are also to be concerned with the kingdom and eternity of course but we can not lose our focus on today. For sure, life is struggle and heaven is glory but what is glory without struggle and how can we enter the kingdom when we seek our own wants?
There is a song titled
Gravity I like by a guy named Shawn McDonald. In it he sings "
This place is not my home. It's got nothing for me. It only fills me with emptiness and tears in my eyes." This world hurts me and I long to be in paradise like the thief on the cross beside Jesus but I realize there is work and love to be done here. Even God came down in human form to endure earthly life and death; How can I think I should not do the same? Not out of guilt, but out of a joy to share the kingdom. The struggle is there (for all of us). I think it is good that it is there because it gives reason for hope and to look towards heaven. When we focus on heaven we chase it and we bring it to earth.
What would you say to this friend's question?
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Comments (11)
I hope you are not offended when I say that a lot of your thoughts are like those I have heard in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since I joined 38 years ago, and I agree. I must admit that there are times when I very much want to see the next step, but I am willing to trust that a loving Father in Heaven and a loving and merciful Savior know better than I do about what is best for me and everyone else.
I’ve heard a lot lately that the purpose of this life is not so much about attaining an eternal reward as it is about becoming like Jesus. 1 Jn. 3: 2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
It is in my personal strivings to become like Him, and in helping others to strive that I find my greatest joy and feel closest to Jesus. When I take Him as my example and follow Him, everything else seems to fall into place and I have a great measure of the peace He promised.
Excellent post -- I agree! Live your life to the glory of God - that is our job. One of my greatest motivators for living a Christ like life, is eternity. I do look forward to Heaven and the New Earth - but I am content to be here now where He has placed me.
It's not so much death itself that I dread...it's more the thought of how I will die that scares me most.
There's a song by one of my favorite bands, Dan Nichols and Eighteen, called Here and Now that echoes the sentiment of this post perfectly. I think this quote was mentioned in an earlier post, but what the heck, I'll repeat it here: some people are "too heavenly-minded to be earthly good." Just because we know we have something better to look forward to doesn't give us any excuse to waste the time we have here on earth.
Great Post !
@sarahzthoughts@xanga - I too dread my great demise. I don't want to suffer like soo many that I've saw go before me. Beatiful song as well.
I think it is the journey (life on Earth) that is more important than the destination (heaven). Although heaven is something to look forward to and to hope for, the way we live our lives here and now is the most important thing.
To simply die for the sake of living in glory would be selfish but to
live in a broken world, struggling to be light in darkness, that is
love.
That is great. I think having one's focus on eternal glory alone can greatly effect the way in which we communicate the Gospel. We aren't out to simply secure people's reservations in heaven, Christ wants to work through us to so people may experience the fullness of His life here and now. To only care about the eternal fate of those around us ignores much of Christ's example through His life, death and resurrection. Through the wonderful transformation He does in our lives, more will be drawn towards Him and the fullness of His life.
God wants to demonstrate His love and power through us, here and now, to bring glory to Himself, so that His glory will be seen even in a world full of sin, pain and struggle. We are called to do good works in His name, to shine brightly amid a darkened world, and this only happens when we are alive, here in this world - and this is one of the greatest joys and privileges we are given.
Although I do not dread being with my Savior face to face in all of His glory, I am excited to be a part of His work for as long as He blesses me with life- so much so that it is sometimes hard to fathom parting from it.
Again, from a Buddhist perspective I agree with what you are saying. This world is Divine. How can it not be? It is when we have deluded views about this beautiful world and use it for our own egotistical purposes that we smear it. Not that we can ultimately smear this world. We can only smear ourselves. Both ideals, the ideal of mere ego and the ideal of this world being evil and therefore waiting for the next, are destructive. If God is Divine and God created the world, how can the world not be Divine?
In a letter of encouragement to one of his disciples Nichiren Daishonin wrote among other things:
"...if the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds."
and
"It is the same with a Buddha and an ordinary being. When deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha."
the Bible tells us the story of what will happen in our life and at the end of our life. And what we need to do in the middle between life and death.
Our life is hemmed in by two very great walls. BIRTH and DEATH. Some people today claim to know what it was like before birth. The concept of a pre-existence in advocated by old pagan philosophies such as the theory of reincarnation.
But the greater interest of us lies at the second wall DEATH. In Isaiah 8:19 states that not to seek information from the dead, but from God. So why the warning. The Bible decares that "the dead know not anything.(Ecclesiastes9:5)
The Dead Jesus:
In Revelation 2:8 the Bible states that Jesus personally experienced Life, death, life.
In Revelation 1:18 we find out who has the KEYS of death.
Remember this: Jesus, not the Devil, has those keys to the prisonhouse of death,. If the Devil were to enter death, he could not get himself out again. True, he can put a person in anytime, but so can we humans. We can even enter ourselves at will. That ability doesn't show any special power. It's the getting out of death that calls for "deys" and Jesus is the only One who carries them.
In Revelation 1:5 we see that Jesus personally experience dath and resurection, and the title He acquire.
We can consider not first in point of time, for He Himself helped others out to death before He arose Himself. He was first in preeminence, importance.
In 1 Corinthians 15:17-23 Who did Paul say is directly responsible for the each one that will be made alive agter dying?
In John 11:11-14 What did Jesus compare death to?
Consider this: Sleep is a state of unconsciousness in which a person is unaware of the passing of time or events. More than 50 times in the Bible various writers used this same expression to describe death.
The Resurrected Jesus:
In John 11:23,26 we see what Jesus called Himself?
Once dead, a resurrectin is needed to obtain life again. We do not go on living in another life in heaven at death. If we did, Jesus could cancel His plans to come to resurrect us someday. it he already has us up there with Him at death. His promise to come and " receive us unto Himself" is meaningless.
In Luke 24:36-39 tells us what our resurrected body is made up of.
In Revelation 1:12*16 tell us who is the bright shining Being that John saw first in his vision.
The Dead Saints:
In Ecclesiastes 12:7, What two things happen when a person dies?
Note that these two parts of man end up in two very different widely separated places. Most understand about the body dissolving back intothe elements of the earth. however, much confusion exists about the "spirit" going back to God, and what it is able to do while there with Him.
THE CRUCIAL QUESTION WE NEED TO ADDRESS OURSELVES TO RIGHT NOW IS: WHAT PART OF MAN DOES THE THINKING HIS BODY OR HIS SPIRIT?
In Genesis 2:7: What two elements did Gid use to produce the frist human being?
These are thw same mentioned in Ecclesiastes 12:7. The "dust of the groud" is the "body" and the "breath of life" is the "spirit." In Job 27:3 the terms "breath" and "spirit" are used interchangeably.
In Ecclesiastes 3:19-21: What is the same in both man and animals?
If it is the "breath" or "spirit" of life God give us that dies the thinking, then why cannot animals think like humans? The Bible insists their "spirit" is identical. The answer to this puzzle is next.
In 1 Corinthians 15:39: What is different in man and animals?
As electrical outlet supplies the exact same kind of power to both a light bulb and a radio. To us it is not a mystery why the light bulb gives out light, while the radio, instead, gives out soune. The simp;e reason for this difference in the two reaction lies in the make-up of their bodies or substances, not in any difference in the electrical power supplied.
In Psalm 146:4 it tell us what hppen when the divine power which operates our physical bodies is taken away and what happen to our thinking process.
In Ecclesiastes 9:5,6: What do the dead know?
This is a very comforting thought. The dead are not forced to witness their ouwn funerals, grief of their families, or the subsequent hardships of those left behind. Since they are unconscious, centuries may slip by, but to them it will seem but a moment when theywake up in the resurrection, as we awaken now after a good night's sleep.
The Ressurected Saints:
In Thessalonians 4:15-17 tells us when are the Saints resurrected and taken to heaven.
In Revelation 5:8-10: Who did John see in his Revelation vision, praising God in heaven for redumption?
Now in the vision it does make it clear that htere are now some human being already in heaven. At least 24 of them. These humans in heaven do not contradict the Bible teaching that the dead are now sleeping and won't reach heaven until the resurrectionday. they are merely certain exceptions, already previously mentioned in the Bible, taken to heaven in advance.
In Hebrews 11:5 tells us that Enoch,was lived before the flood, what happen to him.
In 11 King 2:11 tells us what happen to Elijah.
In Jude 9 tells us about the the argument developed over Moses.
In Romans 5:14: How long did death reign in this world undisputed?
Moses was the first human to come back from death. It had never happened before. The Boble makes it clear that both Elijah and Moses were taken in advance to heaven. one by translation and the latter by a resurrection. This explains whythey could come down form heaven to comfort Christ one day, mentioned in Matthew 17:1-6
In Matthew 27:50-53 At Jesus resurrection who else was resurrected with Him?
Many, not all of the Old Testament saints dead at the time came forth and actually appeared to people living on eath.
Ephesians 4:8 tell is what eventually happened to these resurrected saints.
Awesome post man. Actually I'm dealing with something like that right now. I am searching for Bible verses that mention "the sweetness" of passing to the other side. Yes it is pretty painful, however I know that God is happy to welcome the new arrivals into their heavenly home; and sometimes you are scared to death worrying about where they will go, but you wonder, how could they go to Hell if they suffer much in their last hours. Could you treat that like a question and give me your educated answer? I am also looking for verses of encouragement, the one I found, I am pretty sure its John 14:2, I like that one. Any help on you can offer me is obliged.
You know of course that Jesus said ,time and again, that the Kingdom of Heaven was in us and all around us, we only have to go inside ourselves to find it, like the pearl of great price. I have written a book about just such a theme. It features St. Thomas remembering everything Jesus said and did the time they were together. This is all Thomas and nothing of Paul, as I believe Paul along with St. John hijacked the teachings of Jesus and essentially invented a new religion. You can check out the book at http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TalesOfTheMaster.html