Thinkaloud

What on Earth’s happening to Heaven?

Thinkaloud by John Coutts

‘W E believe in life before death.’ Some years ago Christian Aid campaigned with that phrase. ‘Great slogan,’ I thought, ‘but do we still believe in life after death?’

A similar idea occurred to the Anglican priest and broadcaster Angela Tilby, who wrote in the Church Times in April 2020, ‘I personally know many priests who do not believe in life after death, preferring to dwell on hope for a better world.’

Such views are not limited to Anglicans. Via Zoom I recently attended the funeral of an exemplary Christian – a lifelong activist in the local church and in society. But we were told that the deceased was not concerned about whether she would be reunited with God. To know and serve him here below was sufficient.

Contrast that with the faith of the New Testament, which affirms that Christ is risen indeed and that believers will be raised with him. The apostle Paul was in no doubt: ‘If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied’ (1 Corinthians 15:19).

If people’s hope of Heaven is fading, let’s consider why.

CHANGING TIMES, CHANGING ATTITUDES

Life in the ancient world, without anaesthetics or adequate sanitation, could be nasty and short-lived. No wonder people hoped for something better in the great beyond. But today heart transplants and hip replacements can help to prolong our existence here below. I often hear heartfelt testimonies, but few of them look forward to the joys of Eternity.

Great advances in neuroscience have revealed the close link between our brains and our personalities. Blips in my grey matter keep me company as I write this article and occur in yours as you read it. But if the essential ‘me’ is so closely linked with my physical brain, then does ‘brain-dead’ mean ‘done for’?

Arguments such as these can seem sadly persuasive to the modern mind and help to erode the Christian hope of Heaven.

PERSONS-IN-RELATIONSHIP

Yet such reductionist ideas are selfcontradictory. Cut my head open and you will find grey gunge, not thoughts. Nonetheless, thinking is still real. You can share my thoughts as well as having your own responses while reading this article. You can even understand the thinking of someone long since dead by looking at words on a page. Yes, our brains work through electrical impulses, but the world of the mind and mutual awareness are real. We can understand each other’s thinking and get to know and love each other.

So, while thanking God for every advance in neuroscience, we can affirm the reality of persons-in-relationship – which we could call ‘souls’. But souls don’t have to be immortal, so let’s turn to the idea of resurrection.

THE GOD OF THE LIVING

Consider the debate between Jesus and the sceptical Sadducees, who try to ridicule the very idea of resurrection by asking a trick question about a woman who was married to seven men in a row (see Mark 12:18–27). They call for proof from their Scriptures, the Law of Moses.

Jesus replies by telling them that the idea of resurrection is implicit in the revelation of God at the burning bush. ‘I am ... the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’ (Exodus 3:6), God told Moses, not the ‘late Abraham, the deceased Isaac and the much-lamented Jacob’. Far from playing with words, our Lord affirms that God’s goodness is not restricted to space and time. His love for the patriarchs – and by extension us – extends far beyond the bounds of space-time, overflowing from here into eternity.

Let’s not be afraid to affirm the good news of life before and after death.

NOTIONS OF HEAVEN

This still leaves us wondering what Heaven could be like. Many traditional ideas from bygone centuries – harps, crowns and robes of white – seem slightly comical nowadays. Once again help comes from Paul, who quotes Isaiah: ‘“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” – [these are] the things God has prepared for those who love him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9).

The reality of Heaven goes far beyond our limited imaginations. In Luke 13:29 our Lord compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a great feast, where no doubt a good time is had by all. I’m happy to hope for that.

Live in the light

Major Tim Johnson reminds us of how we should live as children of God

1 JOHN 1:7–10 AND 3:1–10

‘WHERE do you live?’ I asked a new acquaintance in Harare. ‘I live in Mount Darwin,’ was the reply. (Mount Darwin is about 90 miles from the city.) Realising my mistake, I then asked, ‘And where do you stay?’ ‘Oh, I stay in Avondale’ (a suburb of Harare).

For Zimbabweans, you live where your people are from. You may stay somewhere else – indeed, you may have been born and brought up there – but the place you go home to is kumusha, the homestead where your family lives.

John writes his letter to a group of believers and we need to read it with that collective, community experience in mind. Note all the uses of ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘us’ in 1 John 1:7–10. We each play our part in living the life of light where we are – that’s the challenge of holy living – but as the people of God we have a calling to a common understanding of the gospel. We are sinners, but God in his grace and mercy has forgiven us and purified us from all unrighteousness.

Our home is in the light. We do not always occupy it, because our failings mar us and bar the door to us. But – hallelujah! – God is always ready to cleanse and receive us again. We are always part of his people, even if we’re not at home at any particular instant.

Perhaps invite a good friend of faith to read with you the song ‘We Have Not Known Thee as We Ought’ (SASB 630) and pray it through with them.

QUESTION

As you spend time in prayer, is there value in sharing a common confession of both sin and grace received?

In his Gospel, John writes that we are ‘children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God’ (John 1:13). In 1 John 3:1–10, John reminds us that we are gifted, redeemed and named people: we are the children of God.

We have this undeserved honour because of God’s undying, gracious love. This is not a static moment of perfection, but a place to grow from. We’re not there yet! What we will be has not yet been made known.

Ask God for a vision of what you might be and where the next step in your discipleship journey lies.

Through the week with Salvationist

– a devotional thought for each day

by Major Howard Webber

SUNDAY

God’s love to me is wonderful!/ He lights the darkest way;/ I now enjoy his fellowship,/ ’Twill last through endless day./ My Father doth not ask that I/ Great gifts on him bestow,/ But only that I love him too,/ And serve him here below.

(SASB 25)

MONDAY

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1)

TUESDAY

Though it be the gloom of night,/ Though we see no ray of light,/ Since the Lord himself is there/ ’Tis not meet that we should fear./ Night with him is never night,/ Where he is, there all is light;/ When he calls us, why delay?/ They are happy who obey.

(SASB 689)