Why Paper Thin?
What do you think of when you think of heaven? That final resting place where you will escape to after you die and leave this crazy and sometimes evil world?
If I were honest with you, I’d have to say that I’ve rarely thought about heaven, except at funerals when my grief was stilled by the fact that my loved one was with Jesus.
But where is heaven physically? Is it in some far away place? Is it high above this earthly domain? Well, honestly, I have no idea.
But I do know this. When God first created the Garden of Eden, heaven and earth existed within the same realm. Mankind dwelt with God and the garden was paradise, a temple for God to inhabit with his people. It was God's original intention that heaven and earth continue to coexist like this. The fall of man made that impossible. Yet every future dwelling place of God, from the tabernacle to the temple, was God’s message that he wanted to dwell with his people.
When Jesus overcame sin and the powers of darkness through his death and resurrection, God’s rescue project began. All along God had a plan for redeeming both his people and his creation through Jesus. Those who call Jesus Lord became his dwelling place, called to reflect to the world the image of who he is. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God's temple and God’s spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Corinthians 3:6)
One day heaven and earth will finally come together again. As New Testament historian and scholar NT Wright writes, “The final accomplishment of God’s great design, to defeat and abolish death forever— can only mean the rescue of all of creation from its present plight of decay.”
In the meantime.....what? We are living solidly on this earth but we have an awareness that there is another reality...a better reality in the Lord.
Remember when Elisha was threatened by the King of Aram in 1 Kings 6? His servant expressed his fear to Elisha about the soldiers who were sent to capture Elisha.
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked.
"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
In this story, heaven is not far off, but rather in a different dimension. Wright puts it this way, “Heaven and earth, it seems, are not after all poles apart, needing to be separated forever when all the children of heaven have been rescued from this wicked earth. Nor are they simply different ways of looking at the same thing, as would be implied by some kinds of pantheism. No, they are different, radically different, but they are made for each other in the same way as male and female. “
I’m no theologian, but sometimes I think that, like Elisha’s servant we see glimpses of heaven on earth now. I have experienced a communion with him, and the close intersection of heaven and earth—in prayer...during worship. Sometimes I feel his closeness with absolute certainty. Other times I think I hear his voice, then immediately wonder “was that really you? How do I KNOW that was you?”
We are clearly not in heaven yet. But the realm of heaven may be closer than we think.
Some days his presence is palpable to me. Other days he feels very far away. But when I feel out of place and homesick for that final renewal of all things, I know I don’t have to wait until I die to be in the presence of God and to glimpse a piece of heaven on earth. I believe by faith that he is with me always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20)
When days are dark and the future looks grim, I take a deep breath, read his word, play my favorite music, go on a walk by the river, laugh with my children, or listen to the birds sing in my backyard. I sit in quiet or joyful places and find the healing presence of my creator. I remember Elisha’s servant and ask God to open my eyes to his kingdom around me. And when my eyes are opened I find that he is there.…with me and not far away. I find that the line between heaven and earth doesn’t seem so vast. It seems fuzzier, blurred.... and even paper thin.