“Heaven” – “What Is It”? / “What Will It Be”? – “Who Will We Be?” – And How Do We Get There?

The 1st two questions, “What is Heaven like?” and “What will Heaven be Like?” have two different answers. The present, intermediate Heaven is in the “Angelic Realm”, distinctly different from Earth. By contrast, the “Future Heaven” will be in the “Human Realm”, on Earth. Then, the dwelling place of God will also be the dwelling place of Humanity, in a “Resurrected Universe”.

(Revelations 21:1-3) – “I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth…I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down, out of Heaven from God…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with Man, and He will live with them. They will be His People, and God Himself will be with them, and He will live with them.”

Heaven, God’s Dwelling Place, will one day be on the New Earth.

The Bible says that “The throne of God and of the Lamb is in the New Jerusalem, which is brought down to the New Earth.” (Revelations 22:1) Theologian, Anthony Hoekema, writes “The New Jerusalem does not remain in a Heaven- far off in space. But it comes down to the New Earth. There, The Redeemed, will spend an Eternity in Resurrected Bodies.”

That God would come down to the New Earth to live with us fits perfectly with his “Original Plan”. “God came down to walk with Adam & Eve in their World (Genesis 3:8). “My Father will love him (disciple), and will come to him, and make His home with him”. (John 14:23)

This is the picture of God’s Ultimate Plan – Not to take us up to live in a Realm made for Him. But to come down to live with us…in the Realm He made for Us. The Incarnation is about God inhabiting “Space & Time”, as a human being. The New Heaven & New Earth is about God inhabiting Space & Time” as His New Eternal Home. (That doesn’t diminish God as Less Infinite – just as Christ was not Less Infinite inhabiting Man).

The Answer to the Question, “Who Are We?” (during this time in a New Heaven), is:

Disembodied spirits are who they once were. Continuity of Identity requires “Bodily Resurrection”. We are physical Beings. Just as our genetic code is Unique today, we should expect the same of our new bodies. Individual Identity is the essential aspect of Person-hood. God is the Creator of individual identities & personalities. (Not even Identical Twins are “Identical”).

Individuality preceded Sin & The Curse. “Individuality was God’s Plan from the beginning. Heaven’s Inhabitants are different from each & every person.” (Luke 15:4-7, 10). That’s powerful affirmation of separate persons in Heaven. When Moses & Elijah appeared with Christ at His Transfiguration, the disciples recognized each of them as distinct individuals – the same men they were on earth.

In his book, “The Problem of Pain”, C. S. Lewis expressed his awe at the diversity in which God Created us: “If God had no use for all of those differences, why should God have created more souls than One?… Your Soul has a Unique shape because it was made to fit the particular infusion of Divine Substance – A Key to unlock the door of the house among many mansions. It is not Humanity in the abstract that is to be Saved – But You. Your place in Heaven was made for you, and you alone, because you were made for it – as a glove is made for a hand.”

In the Final Resurrection, all of your facets will be restored and amplified–untarnished by sin & The Curse. When you are on the New Earth, you will be the Person that God Created You to Be.

The Last Question, “How Do We Get To Heaven?” is Answered in the blog post, “The Experiences of the Sanctuary of Our Soul” – (A summary of the 10 lecture sessions by Franciscan Priest, Richard Rohr, about the Letters of St. Paul). The Letters of St. Paul eschew “Ladder Theology” – that we Earn our way to Heaven by Keeping Commandments & Dong Good Deeds. We get to Heaven by accepting that God accepts us “AS IS”. As a “Result”, we will keep His Commandments & Do Good Deeds – Clearly, the “Redemptive Cross” is sufficient Forgiveness. God Accepts us “AS IS” – Imperfect Sinners.

Combined, the 2 blog posts are the Recipe for enjoying the Companionship of God on the “New Earth” – Forever.  Indeed, the “New Heaven” on the “New Earth”…with God walking among us…”Is a Wonderful World”:

Reflect upon it…Accept it…Enjoy It.