Some envisage heaven and hell as the ‘ultimate destiny’ of humanity and think of these as simply being in the future and of no relevance to daily living. Christians are sometimes accused of being ‘so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.’ C. S. Lewis said, ‘A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.’ (‘The Hope Of Heaven’, C. S. Lewis)
There is indeed a future element to heaven, but at the same time, Jesus, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”’ (Luke 17:20-21) God’s presence can be known here on earth, right now, for Christ lives in us, just as God will dwell with His people. (Rev 21:3)
The picture we have of heaven in the Bible is one of life, fertility and light, and all these things exist because God is all these things. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). In Revelation 21, we are told John sees a ‘new heaven and a new earth.’ (Rev 21:1) ‘The sin-ruined creation of Genesis is restored in the sacrifice-renewed creation of Revelation.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Reversed Thunder’, P 169) There are elements of the Garden of Eden in this vision: ‘the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb’ (Rev 22:1) with a ‘tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.’ (Rev 22:2) But this is not a garden; instead, it’s described as a ‘holy city, the new Jerusalem.’ (Rev 21:2) It’s described in terms of precious jewels and gold and in terms of symmetry, echoing the perfect symmetry of the original Temple. In this holy city, no light is needed: neither the sun (created by God in the beginning) nor any lamp, for God is the light source. (Rev 22:5)
Clearly, heaven is seen as being wonderful, because God is there. But the symbolism used is used to help us to connect with what we already know. ‘The vision of heaven is not the promise of anything other than what we have already received by faith; it does, though, promise more, namely its completion.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Reversed Thunder’, P 172) It also makes clear that the offer of being with God, the offer of salvation, is made to us in the here and now. ‘We are already “new creatures” and in our life of faith are presently being transformed into God’s likeness. We are, therefore, in one sense “in heaven” – part of and participant in the new creation – the holy city in which God is ruling and having his way.’ (ibid., P 183) Only those who have bowed the knee to Jesus in this life will have access to the fullness of God’s presence in the life to come.
