Hope is what keeps us going. It's what keeps us from giving up, throwing in the towel and staying home to watch Netflix. We do everything we do because of hope. We get out of our bed in the morning with the hope of a good day. We work hard in school with the hope of being smart. We exercise in the hope of being stronger. The list goes on but hope is at the center of it all. Without it we easily become depressed and lethargic.
So where do we find hope? As a Christian the answer is obvious, though feels distant:
Heaven.
I've always viewed it in a shallow sense, never completely grasping it for all it will really be. Just a far off and distant future, a continuation of earth. Of course without sin or death. But until the last month or two I've never fully grasped that. Life without sin. Take away every past mistake, every weight of guilt. No death, disease or hate. A "perfect" earth. No pain. Every thing that ever hurt will be gone. No depression, loss or frustration. For eternity, it will go on forever. That's mind boggling right? "Ten thousand years and we've only just begun". An eighty year life seems pretty long, making ten thousand seem like forever. Yet we'll have only just begun. Then throw in the presence of God. If you don't take the time to realize what exactly heaven is. You'll never know the hope that it truly is, I didn't. You won't realize what "presence of God means". I've found myself so many times wishing I could just see God, give Him a hug and watch Him git rid of all my problems. That's heaven. A perfect and holy God letting us see Him, walk, talk, hang out with Him. So the three clear things (at least clear to me) about heaven:
1. The end of sin pain etc.
2. No end - eternity
3. God right in front of us (which hopefully includes hugs ;)
BUT! Heaven ain't just a continuation of earth plus the above. Those are great, if you take the time to think about them. They are overwhelmingly amazing and relieving. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. That's only a glimpse. Just the beginning. We have no idea what else God has in store. I'd say there are tons of surprises and joys in this life alone. Which lasts about eighty years under the influence of Satan.... If this life has any joy in it at all eternity has to have so much more. God hasn't run out of creativity. Anything is possible, and we've only seen one reality. God has already given the best gift He could ever give us: salvation by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (and Christmas is coming up quick!!! :D)
Why not one-up Himself for all eternity? It wouldn't outshine the cross, but glorify it all the more. By His selfless act of love all this is our reality. Endless new creations beyond our imagination. Or the fact that without the remains of our sin nature we will never have to journey through the valley. Eternity is the best mountaintop experience ever. And not simply the mountaintop. But even higher, the sky, outer space, the stars, other galaxies. I'm not sure about aliens but if we are the bride of Christ. Maybe the bride and Groom have friends.... Maybe there are other realities playing out under the control of God, maybe there is life in another galaxy. (Disclaimer: just a random possibility. No theological reasoning :P) But anyway you look at it, heaven isn't a continuation. But a homecoming. A jailbreak from all our chains to pure joy.
Sounds like some pretty good hope to me. And it's a promise from God as our inheritance:
“to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”
1 Peter 1:4 ESV
And a song that goes well with this post:
Where I belong by Building 429
Thanks for reading,
Zachary
So where do we find hope? As a Christian the answer is obvious, though feels distant:
Heaven.
I've always viewed it in a shallow sense, never completely grasping it for all it will really be. Just a far off and distant future, a continuation of earth. Of course without sin or death. But until the last month or two I've never fully grasped that. Life without sin. Take away every past mistake, every weight of guilt. No death, disease or hate. A "perfect" earth. No pain. Every thing that ever hurt will be gone. No depression, loss or frustration. For eternity, it will go on forever. That's mind boggling right? "Ten thousand years and we've only just begun". An eighty year life seems pretty long, making ten thousand seem like forever. Yet we'll have only just begun. Then throw in the presence of God. If you don't take the time to realize what exactly heaven is. You'll never know the hope that it truly is, I didn't. You won't realize what "presence of God means". I've found myself so many times wishing I could just see God, give Him a hug and watch Him git rid of all my problems. That's heaven. A perfect and holy God letting us see Him, walk, talk, hang out with Him. So the three clear things (at least clear to me) about heaven:
1. The end of sin pain etc.
2. No end - eternity
3. God right in front of us (which hopefully includes hugs ;)
BUT! Heaven ain't just a continuation of earth plus the above. Those are great, if you take the time to think about them. They are overwhelmingly amazing and relieving. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. That's only a glimpse. Just the beginning. We have no idea what else God has in store. I'd say there are tons of surprises and joys in this life alone. Which lasts about eighty years under the influence of Satan.... If this life has any joy in it at all eternity has to have so much more. God hasn't run out of creativity. Anything is possible, and we've only seen one reality. God has already given the best gift He could ever give us: salvation by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (and Christmas is coming up quick!!! :D)
Why not one-up Himself for all eternity? It wouldn't outshine the cross, but glorify it all the more. By His selfless act of love all this is our reality. Endless new creations beyond our imagination. Or the fact that without the remains of our sin nature we will never have to journey through the valley. Eternity is the best mountaintop experience ever. And not simply the mountaintop. But even higher, the sky, outer space, the stars, other galaxies. I'm not sure about aliens but if we are the bride of Christ. Maybe the bride and Groom have friends.... Maybe there are other realities playing out under the control of God, maybe there is life in another galaxy. (Disclaimer: just a random possibility. No theological reasoning :P) But anyway you look at it, heaven isn't a continuation. But a homecoming. A jailbreak from all our chains to pure joy.
Sounds like some pretty good hope to me. And it's a promise from God as our inheritance:
“to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”
1 Peter 1:4 ESV
And a song that goes well with this post:
Where I belong by Building 429
Thanks for reading,
Zachary
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