Part 1: A Theology of Heaven
I started reading Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven, the January selection for my Semicolon Book Club. I hate to admit it: I found the first part a little bit . . . boring. I think I must learn better through story than through exposition. I frequently find myself skimming through books that explicate Scripture, just as I zone out during sermons sometimes whether I intend to do so or not. It seems that I’ve heard most of this first part before, and I’m hoping to get to the “good part” soon, the part that tells me what I can expect heaven to be like.
Each sub-section begins with a question. I’ll give you a list so that you can see what I mean about having heard it before, and then you can know whether you should read the first part or skim it to get to the next part.
1. Are You Looking Forward to Heaven? Yes, I am. I know that lots of people have a misguided and uninformed idea of what heaven will be like. Clouds and harps and lots of singing. I don’t exactly have that problem, but I do have a somewhat “unformed” idea of what heaven will be like. I’m pretty sure it won’t be boring, and it won’t be repetitious, and it won’t be what I expect. But what will it be?
2. Is Heaven Beyond Our Imagination? Alcorn says no. “Everything pleasurable we know about life on Earth we have experienced through our senses. So, when Heaven is portrayed as beyond the reach of our senses, it doesn’t invite us; instead, it alienates and even frightens us. Our misguided attempts to make Heaven ‘sound spiritual’ (i.e., non-physical) merely succeed in making Heaven sound unappealing.”
3. Is Heaven Our Default Destination . . . Or Is Hell? Ouch. Most people think that they and their loved ones are headed for heaven. Unfortunately, the Bible says that ALL of us are headed for hell. Only those who grab onto life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are destined for Heaven.
4. Can You Know You’re Going To Heaven? Yes. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” What a wonderful, life-giving promise!
5. What is the Nature of the Present Heaven? Alcorn distinguishes between what he calls “the Present Heaven.” the place where those who trust in Christ go as soon as they die, and the Future Heaven/New Earth, the place that God is preparing for all for his saints to live after the return of Christ. Alcorn’s Present Heaven sounds a lot like purgatory to me, but I’m sure he wouldn’t appreciate that identification.
6. Is the Present Heaven a Physical Place? Alcorn says yes. We are physical beings, with physical bodies, made to live in a physical place.
7. What Is Life Like in the Present Heaven? Based on Revelation 6:9-11, Alcorn says that the saints who have died have gone to a place where they remember their lives on earth, where they know what is happening on earth now, where they pray for those of us who are still on earth, and where they learn and have fellowship with God. It’s as if they’re on the outskirts of Heaven, and in C.S. Lewis’s image headed “further up and further in.”
The first two sections of Heaven give much more detailed answers to the above seven questions. The next section is about redemption in a cosmic, eschatological sense. I’ll write some more after I’ve read that part. In the meantime, what does your imagination conjure up when you hear the word “heaven”? What do you know to be true, or think to be true, about heaven?
I picked Heaven by Joni Eareckson Tada instead of the Alcorn book for the very reason you mention: I don’t know if I would ever make it through. My husband tried to read it and never succeeded. Granted, I probably have a higher tolerance for just pushing through a book than he does, but still. I read an Alcorn novel last year, and while I enjoyed it, I thought it was way too long and in need of some editing. I’ve enjoyed the Tada book so far. It’s the first time I’ve read her, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised.
Sherry, your semi-review on the Alcorn book, HEAVEN, (the 1st Part, at least) is interesting, especially your comment about purgatory because I felt the same way about some of Joni Tada’s reflections that possibly correspond with what you allude to as Alcorn’s thoughts on “the Present Heaven.” Of course, I’ll have to reserve my final decision until I have read Alcorn’s book.
Since I have personal knowledge of your ability to devour your reading material in such a short interval, does a “pokey” person like me have a chance of muddling through the Alcorn book in time for your Book Club’s discussion? (I’m speaking about the book’s length.)
Yeah, you’ll have time to read it, or at least make a good start on it. You’re a pretty fast reader yourself.
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Thought your readers might like to know that Bible Study Magazine is giving away 40 signed copies of Randy Alorn’s Heaven.
Cheers
_ryan
I am two-thirds of the way through “Heaven” and find myself increasingly disturbed by the writer’s strong bent for Mormon theology. I have taken extensive notes as I read, for what I do not know, but find that he relies more on what others have written about life and God, rather than the scriptures themselves. I will finish the book, even though I am fatigued by the writer’s repetition,but will be surprised if my current estimation changes.
Alcorn’s book on heaven brings together just about all the Bible info on heaven; he has done us a great service by doing this. We need to write down the places where we disagree and look for scripture to back up our position and be ready to learn new things. If your approach is more symbolic, go with that, but be open to new ideas. The idea that the absence of sun and moon and sea are symbolic of human kings and leaders and of the gentiles rather appeals to me, but material/physical is not synonymous with evil, so let’s see if he may be on a good trail.
I am reading Randy’s book on Heaven and find it to be very repetitious. In reading the above comments I no longer feel guilty for feeling that it is way too long and extremely boring. I’m looking forward to the next chapter and hoping to God it gets better. I do feel that I will learn something and I am looking forward to sharing it with others.