Why Heaven?

Why Heaven?


Of all the questions asked about heaven, there is one that rarely if ever gets asked. Why heaven? What is the purpose of heaven? Why does it exist at all? What is its role in creation and salvation?

Could not God create a universe without heaven? Or is heaven an integral part of creation? Can earth exist apart from heaven, or are they both interdependent?

We know that heaven is a place were the elect, the saved, the believers go. It is our reward, our rest, the place beyond the veil where all our answers will be answered and were we will be reunited with those who have gone on before us. At least that is what we have come to believe is the case. But what if that wasn’t the whole story? What if heaven and earth are so intricately bound together that one would not exist without the other?

Let’s loom at spatial dimensions. Which dimension is the most important? A three dimension world is far more complex and sensual than a two dimensional world. Does that mean the three dimension world could exist without the two dimensional world? Can you build a house without walls, or a box without sides? Just because one dimension is less dynamic than another, does not mean it is less important.

If heaven is the fourth spatial dimension of earth, which means earth (the created world, not the people on it) is part of the foundation of heaven. Earth is the first page of a vast encyclopedia, the table of contents for heaven. It gives just a glimpse of what’s ahead.
In physics, a higher dimension cannot exist without the lower ones, even the fourth temporal (time) dimension cannot exist without the three spatial dimensions. Time and space cannot exist apart from one another. This does not mean that earth can exist without heaven. For now, let’s say that earth without heaven would be like that single sheet of paper in a windstorm. Just as the universe without the gravitational force of dark matter would cause every galaxy expand and disperse like a cup of coffee in a swimming pool.

What is the purpose of heaven? It is our reward. A reward for what? For good behavior? For doing God’s will? Scripture tells us that no man is righteous, it goes so far as to say our righteousness are filthy rags. As a burgeoning Calvinist I have come to understand that there is nothing I can do to add to my salvation, so why should I receive this reward?

Was our heavenly reward part of God’s ultimate plan? Were we supposed to remain in Paradise eternally, or was the deck stacked against Adam and Eve?
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth. Were these heavens made as a back-up plan? I would think not.

However, we know that heaven is not just about us. It is the realm where the angels dwell, where the Throne of God sits. Heaven is where windows open to flood the world as well as pour out blessings. I like to think of heaven as Earth 2.0, a perfected world. On the other hand I do not see heaven as a world of rainbows and marshmallows. Heaven was where sin entered the universe, where the first murders, the first war, the first banishments occurred. The sin of Adam, which affected all of mankind, was minuscule compared to the treason committed by Satan.

Heaven’s role. From a strictly scientific point of view, higher dimensions are necessary to explain why things work the way they do in our world. String theory postulates no less than eleven dimensions while M theory requires twenty-three. If heaven is the fourth spatial dimension, just imagine what would be in the tenth or nineteenth. Perhaps in one of those higher dimensions we may have some clue of the place where God resides. That brings us to heavens’ role in faith.

Form the beginning God had a plan set up, a design if you will, over the order of the universe. Heaven was part of that plan, a place for His children, but just to rest from the troubles of this world, but to work and build the next. In the end, a new heaven and a new Earth will come into being, be it physically, or spiritually it will come to pass. In the current heaven New Jerusalem will be constructed. I believe, by both angels, men and other heavenly creatures. But more on that later.

In conclusion, I must beg your forgiveness for my ramblings. There are many things I wished to say, but held back for fear of being repetitive. This blog is to be a long and arduous process. I welcome any and all comments and criticisms.

What is Truth?

What is Truth?

            What is truth?  This was the question Pontius Pilate asked of Jesus before his crucifixion.  One thing that the scriptures don’t tell us is the way a question is asked.  Was Pilate being sincere?  Was he sarcastic?  Was this a rhetorical question?  It didn’t matter that the truth was standing before him.  The special interest groups of the day prevailed and fulfilled the verse in Isaiah 59:14 “…and justice stands afar off; for the truth is slain in the street, and right cannot enter.”

It seems people are not interested in the truth.  The media, Hollywood, our political parties, even the church are more interested in their agendas, and they promote those ideas above all else.  Partisan politics have invaded the church, the schools, the workforce, and nearly every aspect of our lives.  Increasingly we have to identify ourselves with one faction or the other and are labeled with all the negative aspects of those mindsets.  The problem with that is that neither is interested in the truth. 

This blog is non-partisan.  It is not liberal or conservative.  Political views have no place here.  Seeking the truth, for good or ill, is my only concern. Christ said that He is the truth, and that those who belong to Him hear his voice.  That is the primary objective in this blog, to hear His voice.

Years ago I led a youth group and was bombarded with thousands of questions over the years.  I tried to answer them as honestly as I could.  I hope that I answered those questions truthfully more than I did ignorantly.  I tried to tell those young minds in my charge what I believed and what I guessed at.  I took a verse in the Gospels as a serious warning:  “But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believes in Me, it would be better for him that an ass’s millstone were hung around his neck, and he be sunk in the depth of the sea.” Matt. 18:6.

I took this seriously then as I do today.  I do not pretend to know everything.  I freely admit that I fall short intellectually.  And the more I study the Word of God, the more I realize how much I don’t know.  I do not place my writings alongside that of Holy Scripture or my thoughts above or beside those men of renown, the Church Fathers and theologians who have shaped this world.

I am inquisitive.  I seek the truth wherever it may lead.  Because I believe that where I find the truth I will hear His voice. 

While I am open to many thoughts, I do have a set of beliefs that I use as a starting point.  I am a Christian, a Protestant Christian.  Although I was raised in the Baptist church, I taught and served in the United Methodist Church.  I consider myself  more a Calvinist at this point in my life.  I ascribe to the tenants of the Methodist Church insomuch as I profess the Apostles Creed and agree with the Westminster’s Confession of Faith (at least all that I have read and understood of it).  These are my basic beliefs.  These are the doctrines that I will lay my life on the line to defend.  After all, that is what doctrine is, life and death.  We all believe that our doctrine is the correct one and are willing to gamble our eternal souls on those beliefs.  What I find offensive are those who defend a belief that they are wholly ignorant on.  Many defend doctrines because someone told them what to believe and risk heaven or hell to espouse. 

I welcome alternate beliefs and ideas to my suppositions.  That is what I created this blog for, to explore the true nature of heaven.  I do not welcome those who spout out ignorance, platitudes, and nonsense to prop up a political belief or denigrate a religious belief.  I am not politically correct, because I am not political.  I am not culturally sensitive, because I do not identify with one specific culture.  I am not religious, because religion is often dogmatic.  I am not scientifically accurate, because I am not a scientist.  I am not historically perfect; because I am not a historian nor have I live through all of history.  I am a fan of history, science, religion, cultures, and politics. I do not profess to any expertise or higher learning.  I am just a guy with questions.