Realms of Glory
Hebrews 9:24- For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us”
Charles Spurgeon told his seminary students “when you speak on Heaven be sure to smile and make your face light up. And when you speak on Hell….Well, Your ordinary face will do.”
There is a great deal of literature and media presentations on the theme of heaven. Many ideas are from our imagination. One young man concluded he was not interested in going to heaven for as he understood by preachers it is an eternal church service with way too much singing and preaching. Others talk about getting their harps and wings. Still others imagine being turned into angels.
How do you explain something that we have not experienced? Only through figures of speech and making comparisons with what we know. There are things explained to us and it is natural to want to fill in the blanks with what we think it might be like. It is with humility we must recognize the difference between what the Bible teaches and what our own ideas might be. We do not have a complete picture of heaven while on earth.
Scriptures picture heaven as a garden, a city, a kingdom, a throne room, all of which adds to our wonder. We are told Jesus is preparing a place for us, a mansion, a throne, a dwelling. The Bible talks about it being a place.
I enjoyed reading and teaching a study on Heaven by Randy Alcorn. However, I found his imaginations often falling more into the conjecture than revelation. 1 Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” That points us to the wonders that are unimaginable because we can only compare a seed to a tree as the vast difference of what God has planned.
When I fill in the spaces with my thoughts, I will try to warn you.
Like Stephen at his stoning, I believe we will be greeted by Jesus. You will know Him and He already knows you and calls you by name. You will have entered into His presence without a break in consciousness.
Like Alcorn, I also believe God is eternally creating. We will not know everything there is to know when we get to heaven for some things do not exist yet if God is perpetually creating and renewing things. There will be an eternity to keep discovering and having responsibilities and enjoying our growing relationship with our wonderful Lord. I like the idea that just like the angels will be shown more things not yet revealed to them, so we too will discover more and more about God as eternity continues.
