What do you
think Heaven will be like?
Although
the promise of resurrection and life everlasting in Heaven is central to
Christian faith, no definitive picture of Heaven emerges from Christian
scriptures. Why is that? As persons of faith, we can
reasonably expect that Heaven will be this wonderful place of beauty,
abundance, joy, and peace. We can also reasonably
expect that in Heaven we will experience a renewed and much closer relationship
with God, who loves us. Perhaps the
Bible does not provide a definitive picture because Heaven will be so
incredibly awesome that it is beyond the ability of current human words to
describe and beyond our present mental abilities to even conceive. As God says in the book of Isaiah:
For my thoughts
are not your thoughts
nor are your
ways my ways, says the Lord.
for as the
heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways
higher than your ways
Perhaps Heaven is just so incredibly beautiful, abundant,
joyful, and peaceful that it is beyond our earthly comprehension—and thus,
there is no definitive Biblical description of it.
This
Sunday, April 21st, I will be preaching on what we can already know about
Heaven. My sermon is part of a six-sermon series on “What
Happens to Me When I Die?” Selections
from the Gospel of John 14 will form the foundation for my reflections and
proclamation. In this chapter, Jesus
describes Heaven in terms of God’s heavenly mansion, with many rooms. Jesus reassures his disciples and other
followers that he has prepared a place for each of them individually in God’s
heavenly mansion.
As we
reflect on what Heaven will be like, I will explore the phenomenon of “Near
Death Experiences” (NDEs) and whether persons who have had NDEs are
eyewitnesses, who have briefly visited Heaven.
I will discuss two books on NDEs; the first is Heaven is for Real, which describes the NDE of Colton Burpo, the
four year-old son of a Nebraska pastor. The
second book is Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife,
written by Eben Alexander.[2] I will also explore criticisms of NDEs, such as
the suggestion by neurologist Oliver Sacks that NDEs are not actually journeys to
Heaven, but rather hallucinations.
From a
Christian point of view, it would be great if NDEs are actually reports on
Heaven. Many—perhaps most—Christians probably
see these NDE stories as exciting eyewitness accounts of the existence of
Heaven. However, the Christian promise
of resurrection and an afterlife in Heaven with God is not dependent upon these
NDE eyewitness accounts. So Christians
of good will may disagree about the importance and credibility of NDE
accounts.
Many Christians will definitely
disagree with me on this, and I would be grateful if someone could convince me that I
am wrong, but I am highly skeptical that NDE accounts
are eyewitness accounts of what Heaven actually is. While I think the concerns raised by critics
such as Dr. Sacks are very serious, the principal reason for my doubt is a lack
of consistency between NDEs, such as those reported by Colton Burpo and Dr.
Eben Alexander. If both individuals went to the
literal, actual Heaven during their NDEs, wouldn’t we expect that there would
be at least some correlation between the accounts of Colton Burpo and Dr. Eben
Alexander? In actuality, the two
accounts appear to describe two very different places.
As Christians, what are we to make
of these NDEs if they were not actual journeys to Heaven? Rather than calling them hallucinations as
skeptics do, I would suggest that they are, in fact, deep encounters with the
Divine in which God provides NDEs as visions designed to encourage and support
our faith—but, they are not actual visits to Heaven. And, so I see accounts of NDEs as visions
which can strengthen my faith, but which do not describe the actual Heaven.
I should also point out that this interpretation
of NDEs as visions to strengthen faith fits more consistently with my overall
understanding of the Resurrection of Christ as an actual physical resurrection. This interpretation also fits more
consistently with my view that our resurrection will occur at the end time as
part of the New Creation when everything—indeed, the universe itself—will be
transformed, in accordance with God’s plan from the very beginning.
Always feel free to post your
comments on this blog. If you live in the Meriden-area and do not have a
regular church home, please consider attending Meriden United Methodist Church
this Sunday. Meriden UMC is located at the corner of Dawson and Main. Our
worship service starts on Sundays at 10 am. Everyone is welcome and accepted
because God loves us all. Also, feel free to check out my webpage at www.richardorandolph.com.
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