Heaven on Earth
Ooh, baby, do you know what that’s worth?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We’ll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
- 80’s pop sensation (and inadvertent theologian) Belinda Carlisle.
So I’m listening to this show on the radio the other day, and people are fighting about Heaven.
Heaven's Rays. Image courtesy of wallpaper-s.org
Go ahead, let that one sink in for a minute.
The panel that was discussing had gotten worked up and heated, all because they disagreed on some of the finer points about what Heaven looked like and what the Bible means when it talks about the new Heaven and new Earth.
Did I mention this was a Christian radio program?
Sigh.
Personally, my vision of Heaven does not include sitting on clouds playing harps or honest to goodness streets of gold - But I’ll be the first to admit that I have no idea what Heaven’s going to look like.
And I’m okay with that. I know that it’s going to be amazing, and that’s good enough for me.
Sure, every now and then I’ll pick up a commentary or something just to see what someone else thinks, but I’m not about to argue that I (or anyone else, for that matter) has the afterlife and God’s future plans for this world completely and accurately figured out.
To me, it’s less important to focus on the details of the ultimate Heaven than it is on bringing a little bit of Heaven to Earth.
So how do we do this, this bringing Heaven to Earth?
We love, as much or more than seems reasonable or humanly possible.
We serve our families, friends, neighbors and strangers, giving our time and talents to others and delighting in the ache in our bones at the end of a tiring day spent doing good.
We lead the charge into the darkest of places where the light is most needed - even when it seems scary or uncomfortable.
We work tirelessly for peace and justice in a world that honors both far too little.
When Jesus walked this earth, he spent just as much time helping the sick and the poor and the hungry as he did preaching about the life to come.
Jesus was literally heaven on earth.
I think it’s crucial that we strive to follow his example as best we’re able…and then some.
Adam Bodendieck, 31, is a lifetime resident of St. Louis currently working in human services. He holds a BA in English from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and resides happily in Eureka with his wife, 3 boys and 7 dogs and cats. He and his wife are founders of and contributers to echad, a blog that examines what Christianity looks like in contemporary culture. They also work closely with proVISION India, a charitable organization dedicated to empowering poor and disadvantaged people throughout South Asia. 
Jesus told the disciples that we should pray:
…that your Kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven…
We are told so many things about what this means. But as I have grown to know God more and have read studied scripture over the years, I am discerning that Jesus was speaking about his death and the Holy Spirit that would come to earth a part of Him (Jesus), who was from heaven.
I think that we bring heaven on earth when people can see Jesus in us by the way we behave and carry ourselves at all times.
I totally agree with you about the details about the New Heaven and New Earth details not being too important since we do not have them. We get a few hints here and there but absolutely know exact details, it take an awful lot of imagination to get details. (lol).
I think that the promise is all that is truly important, that things will be just as God originally intended and that all who make it will be pleased and content beyond anything we are capable of imagining with our intellect. There will finally be peace on earth, this new earth.
Thanks Adam.
We need to not only serve those in need, we need to teach our children to serve as well. Everyone benefits when we give.
I think we are losing that today with programs that do all the giving and searching for those in need for us. We are desensitized to the needy because someone else is taking care of it in our place. We don’t feed and clothe the poor as Jesus did, we let programs do it. I have always noticed He didn’t spend a lot of time on the couch, Jesus was out working with those in need. Do many Americans today do that?
D. Walker,
I’m unfamiliar with this teaching.
Could you cite the full verse/sentence/paragragh?
I AM familiar with that portion of the Our Father, “…Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven;..”, but that is altogether different.
Lee,
My assumption is that she’s referencing the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in the Gospel of Luke (which I’m reprinting here for anyone else who may be interested):
And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
Luke 11:2-4
According to the notes found in the ESV Study Bible:
“Your kingdom come has a twofold emphasis: (1) it is first a prayer that God’s rule and reign would continually advance in people’s hearts and lives until the day Jesus returns and brings the kingdom in perfect fullness; (2) thus it also refers to the future consummation of the kingdom already realized in part by Jesus’ coming”