When I was younger I had two expectations of Heaven.
- My cousin, April, who has cerebral paslsey, will be able to see me (she is blind). Know who I am (she is severely mentaly hadicaped). Be able to go for a walk with me (she is in a wheelchair) and be be able to tell me about her life and hold a conversation with me (she is completely mute).
- In an extremely childish way. I hope that in Heaven I will be able to breath, see clearly, and be able to withstand pressure of swimming underwater. Just cause I love swimming but hate being bound by the body and our land loving ways.
But after reading
50 Days of Heaven by
Randy Alcorn. My thoughts of Heaven have definitely changed. There is more to look forward too and more to prepare for. Using my talents to refine skills God gave me to do more good in this world so I will be better prepared for Heaven. Just having a better understanding of the logistics of Heaven is interesting too. You dye, go to like an interim Heaven, then go to New Earth, which is what we really expect Heaven to be like. We will have jobs and something I found extremely comforting was knowing that there is no reason why pets wouldn't be there either. So Dainty, my collection of fish throught the years (maybe I'll get to go swimming with them in my perfect body), and guinuea pigs will all be there too. We will have even more meaningful relationships then we could ever imagine, not just with God, but with our friends and family as well. How cool would it be to sit down and talk to my great-great grandmother about what life was like for her in Sweden when she was 22? There are endless possibilities and an infinite amount of time to explore them all. Reading this book also helped me realize that thinking about Heaven isn't as morbid as I thought it was. When you think about it, I will be spending more time there then I do on any trips or vacations, so why shouldn't I spend more time planning/researching that destinate then I do for my shorter trips?
Anyways, what are your thoughts on Heaven? What do you think it will be like? Include the childlike ones too!
4 comments:
Randy Alcorn knows what heaven is like? How?
Good question. I guess my post kind of came off like Alcorn does what Heaven is like. When he doesn't. Since Heaven will be so unbelievably mind blowing cool that we aren't able to even begin to fathom it. However, I do know he has spend way more time studying Heaven, Randy attended Multnomah Bible College, where he earned his BA in Theology (Bachelor of Theology) and Western Seminary, where he earned his MA in Biblical Studies, than I ever have.
Alcorn's "50 Days of Heaven" looks like a great book. My men's group just started reading the more detailed, previously published "Heaven". We are planning to take our time reading, with our Bibles alongside.
Who does know what heaven will be like? Scripture says God provided detailed glimpses of heaven to some, including Isaiah, Ezekiel, Paul and John.
Alcorn is considered to be a foremost authority on the subject. He says his entire foundation for his work is based on scripture. I like that he encourages readers to let him know if they find ANY discrepancies between what he writes and what the Bible says.
My perceptions on heaven (and those of most people in the world) have been greatly influenced by secular conventions (cartoons, TV, Movies, stories about post-death experiences before resuscitation, etc.) that are pure fiction.
I am excited to study Alcorn's work because I think God wants us to know what's ahead. I think that was what gave Paul the drive and stamina for his unrelentless run for the prize!
Jeff - Let me know if Alcorn's "Heaven" book is good. I'm def. into reading it. It's always awesome to hear what other Bible Studies are up too. I just joined a new Bible Study and we are reading about Prophecies. Something I know nothing about (like Heaven before I read Alcorn's book). It is really mind blowing stuff.
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