I don’t often do a religiously-oriented blog anymore. I’m not sure why not. The inspiration just doesn’t come all that often anymore. However, I’ve been reading a book, which is sometimes a somewhat dangerous thing to do. The book is an older one titled Heaven by Randy Alcorn. In the book, Alcorn makes the argument that what we think of as eternal life in heaven, or going to heaven when we die is in reality a melding of the new heavens and new earth as mentioned several times in the Bible. We will, he says, be in an eternal existence on a renewed earth that has combined with heaven, an existence much like that of Adam and Eve before the fall. We will inhabit incorruptible bodies much like the one Jesus had after his resurrection, Alcorn says, and we will be active, thinking, rational human beings…except there will be no sin to mar the perfection.
I don’t know what I think of this just yet. I’m not finished with the book. But I must say he makes a compelling argument from scripture and from what we know of God’s creation and His intent for His creation. I’ve always thought that there was something to this new heavens and new earth thing, and I’ve always thought that when Paul says we will be like Jesus in our resurrections, he means it. But I never took the time to take apart the Book to the extent Alcorn has, and develop the arguments he has developed.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really wish to float in some ethereal, wispy-ghostly state on a cloud (or anywhere else, for that matter). And eternally having nothing to do except singing and falling down before the throne of God appeals to me not one iota. Don’t misunderstand that last statement, folks. I’ll do more than my share of praise to the God of Heaven. I think there’s more to it than that, however, and am looking forward to finding out what it is.
Whatever you think about death, heaven, hell, eternal life, etc, know that in all probability you will be in error. Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard what we have in store for us as God’s elect. Soli Deo Gloria.
2 comments:
From your description of what Alcorn has written, I agree with him. I think we too often think of heaven in some etherial kind of way that takes away the reality of what I believe the Bible says heaven will be like. I also agree with you that we will all have some surprises when we experience the reality of heaven.
I have read some of this book, and I too thought he made some pretty sound reasonings from Scripture why he thinks what he does about Heaven. I need to get busy and finish it; not sure why I never did other than I just got lazy.
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