There has been some controversy in recent years over what the Bible teaches about our new life. While I don’t believe these are disagreements worth splitting over, some aspects — particularly the ones most commonly known — have done some damage. In popular culture (esp. various forms of entertainment media) and within the church, we commonly refer to the next life as “heaven”. The purpose of this article is not to discuss or debunk or promote any particular viewpoint necessarily, but to hopefully change the way we look at this subject in general.
I watched a discussion between Dr. Jordan Peterson and Dr. Niall Ferguson yesterday (12.11.2023), and Dr. Ferguson said out loud what I’ve often heard whispered up to this point. I’m paraphrasing, but he said, “We are drawn to catastrophe and end-of-the-world fantasies because it makes us feel better [about our own mortality]. And, if we’re honest, the idea of heavenly bliss as it’s been taught seems rather dull” [emphasis mine]. He is not alone in his assessment.
This article can be summarized with the following points:
- We were saved to have a hope of the next life (Rom 8.24; I Pt 1.3, 9; I Thess 4.13-18).
- God has been very specific in what he communicated to us about our new life (Mt 19.28; II Pt 3.13; Rom 8.22-25; Is 65.17; Rev 21.1-2).
- We need to honestly and sincerely sift through our beliefs to determine which of them come from God’s word, and which come from men (I Jn 4.1).
- We must not let our respect for family or for those we perceive as spiritual giants override our trust in God’s word (cf. Gal 1.8).
- Shouldn’t we be willing to test any teaching by God’s Word?
- Whatever the teaching is, whatever the subject is, we should be concerned about how God will perceive us when we meet him (Js 3.1), and not about how some will react to our teaching (cf. Ac 5.29).
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