Heaven
By R. J. Rushdoony
A pastor friend has suggested that I write something about heaven. The first thing to be said is that the Bible assumes the reality of heaven but tells us very little about it. God's Word speaks, not to satisfy our curiosity, but to command us as to our service to Him. This world is very important to the Lord, and it must be important to us. It is the place of our testing and refining for His eternal kingdom and service. Revelation 22:3 says of the new creation, "his servants shall serve him."
Second, the criterion for our entrance into heaven is entirely God's grace through Christ's atonement. None of us earn or deserve heaven. God in His grace makes us members of His eternal Kingdom. That membership begins here and now. All of us have times and problems that lead us to wish that God would spare us these evils and heart-aches. But these things are a part of God's grace to us, a means of preparing us for His eternal service. This is why Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). We are to cease from our anxiety and see God's glorious purpose in all things.
Third, in Hebrews 4, we are told that heaven, the eternal Kingdom, is God's great sabbath rest for us, even though it is also a time of service (Rev. 22:3). Because then "there shall be no more curse," the impediment of sin and evil is gone, and work and rest are a joyful unity in Christ. The removal of the curse means that "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:4). Fourth, I am sorry to say this, but it is wrong to make heaven (or the rapture) too important in our thinking. It is the Lord alone who must be central. To focus on heaven is to focus on ourselves and our future. It leads to a self-centered, not a God-centered, faith. We must with simple trust do our duty and believe that our God is faithful to His Word. "Trust and obey."
Fifth, heaven is one part of God's glorious creation, a place for His people. Even as He made the earth, so He made heaven. In Jesus Christ, God the Son "tabernacled" with us, even as at the end the Triune God shall "tabernacle" or live with men (Rev. 21:3).
Sixth, in Revelation 22:2, we are told that the tree of life will bud and bear fruit simultaneously and continuously. This means, as Dr. K. Schilder wrote, "Promise and fulfillment will have become one." Our potentialities will all become actualities because the tree of life, Jesus Christ, heals all "nations" or families of the earth.
Seventh, the reality of heaven, the resurrection of the dead, and the new creation, is beyond our ability to grasp. Our bodies are compared by Paul to seed that is sown (I Cor. 15:36-38). If we have never seen an oak, it is not possible for us to imagine the mighty tree that grows out of an acorn. So too we cannot imagine the glory of the resurrection body, nor, for that matter, of a glorious realm we have never seen.
I began by saying that the Bible bars the door to our curious questions about the world to come. We are not to think about "what's in it for us?" but about our duty here and now. Some may say that they are too old and infirm to serve God now, but this is not true. I have known and know many aged and slowly dying people who are constantly in prayer for many persons and causes. As long as our minds are clear, there are things we can do, and prayer is at the top of any list.
God's sovereign grace determines all our days and our place in His Kingdom. In John's vision (Rev. 5:13), all creatures or created things in heaven and on earth praise God. Let us be in earnest in joyfully praising Him now.
A pastor friend has suggested that I write something about heaven. The first thing to be said is that the Bible assumes the reality of heaven but tells us very little about it. God's Word speaks, not to satisfy our curiosity, but to command us as to our service to Him. This world is very important to the Lord, and it must be important to us. It is the place of our testing and refining for His eternal kingdom and service. Revelation 22:3 says of the new creation, "his servants shall serve him."
Second, the criterion for our entrance into heaven is entirely God's grace through Christ's atonement. None of us earn or deserve heaven. God in His grace makes us members of His eternal Kingdom. That membership begins here and now. All of us have times and problems that lead us to wish that God would spare us these evils and heart-aches. But these things are a part of God's grace to us, a means of preparing us for His eternal service. This is why Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). We are to cease from our anxiety and see God's glorious purpose in all things.
Third, in Hebrews 4, we are told that heaven, the eternal Kingdom, is God's great sabbath rest for us, even though it is also a time of service (Rev. 22:3). Because then "there shall be no more curse," the impediment of sin and evil is gone, and work and rest are a joyful unity in Christ. The removal of the curse means that "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:4). Fourth, I am sorry to say this, but it is wrong to make heaven (or the rapture) too important in our thinking. It is the Lord alone who must be central. To focus on heaven is to focus on ourselves and our future. It leads to a self-centered, not a God-centered, faith. We must with simple trust do our duty and believe that our God is faithful to His Word. "Trust and obey."
Fifth, heaven is one part of God's glorious creation, a place for His people. Even as He made the earth, so He made heaven. In Jesus Christ, God the Son "tabernacled" with us, even as at the end the Triune God shall "tabernacle" or live with men (Rev. 21:3).
Sixth, in Revelation 22:2, we are told that the tree of life will bud and bear fruit simultaneously and continuously. This means, as Dr. K. Schilder wrote, "Promise and fulfillment will have become one." Our potentialities will all become actualities because the tree of life, Jesus Christ, heals all "nations" or families of the earth.
Seventh, the reality of heaven, the resurrection of the dead, and the new creation, is beyond our ability to grasp. Our bodies are compared by Paul to seed that is sown (I Cor. 15:36-38). If we have never seen an oak, it is not possible for us to imagine the mighty tree that grows out of an acorn. So too we cannot imagine the glory of the resurrection body, nor, for that matter, of a glorious realm we have never seen.
I began by saying that the Bible bars the door to our curious questions about the world to come. We are not to think about "what's in it for us?" but about our duty here and now. Some may say that they are too old and infirm to serve God now, but this is not true. I have known and know many aged and slowly dying people who are constantly in prayer for many persons and causes. As long as our minds are clear, there are things we can do, and prayer is at the top of any list.
God's sovereign grace determines all our days and our place in His Kingdom. In John's vision (Rev. 5:13), all creatures or created things in heaven and on earth praise God. Let us be in earnest in joyfully praising Him now.
