Most religions and religious organizations, including most Christian denominations, teach that good people go to some sort of paradise, usually heaven, after they die. Heaven is usually characterized as a place of unsurpassable happiness ,the ultimate paradise. It is commonly taught and believed that all who go there will live joyfully forever.
Yet, considering what a wonderful place it is supposed to be, it seems no one is in a hurry to go there.
Death, which according to most traditional beliefs is the gateway to heaven, is generally viewed as something to be avoided at all costs. Through medical science we usually do everything we can to prevent death as long as possible. If such a journey to heaven could be by means of some heavenly express, wouldn't we find that almost no one would want to buy a ticket? Wouldn't we find that most people would prefer the continuation of their present life here on earth to any immediate possibility of taking up residence in heaven? Our actions indicate this is the way most of us think.
Perhaps the reason for the reluctance to enter the hereafter through death is that no one has ever provided us with a truly compelling explanation as to what the righteous would do once they arrived in heaven. If we are to spend all eternity there, you would think God would tell us in the Bible what we should expect once we arrive. Will we spend our time plucking harps? Will we sit and simply gaze upon God? These are both popular concepts of heaven, but most people can't imagine doing either for eternity. Eternity is, after all, a long time!
Maybe we should ask ourselves whether these common concepts come from the Bible. Many people who expect to go to heaven admit they can find little in the Scriptures about what they can expect once they get there. British historian and author Paul Johnson put it this way: "Heaven ... lacks genuine incentive. Indeed, it lacks definition of any kind. It is the great hole in theology" (The Quest for God, 1996, p. 173). If heaven is the goal God has set for His servants, why has He revealed so little about it in His Word, the Bible?
There is an excellent reason we encounter a vacuum when we look in the Bible for what the "saved" will do in heaven. The reason is simple , the Bible does not say the righteous will receive heaven as their reward.
Yet, considering what a wonderful place it is supposed to be, it seems no one is in a hurry to go there.
Death, which according to most traditional beliefs is the gateway to heaven, is generally viewed as something to be avoided at all costs. Through medical science we usually do everything we can to prevent death as long as possible. If such a journey to heaven could be by means of some heavenly express, wouldn't we find that almost no one would want to buy a ticket? Wouldn't we find that most people would prefer the continuation of their present life here on earth to any immediate possibility of taking up residence in heaven? Our actions indicate this is the way most of us think.
Perhaps the reason for the reluctance to enter the hereafter through death is that no one has ever provided us with a truly compelling explanation as to what the righteous would do once they arrived in heaven. If we are to spend all eternity there, you would think God would tell us in the Bible what we should expect once we arrive. Will we spend our time plucking harps? Will we sit and simply gaze upon God? These are both popular concepts of heaven, but most people can't imagine doing either for eternity. Eternity is, after all, a long time!
Maybe we should ask ourselves whether these common concepts come from the Bible. Many people who expect to go to heaven admit they can find little in the Scriptures about what they can expect once they get there. British historian and author Paul Johnson put it this way: "Heaven ... lacks genuine incentive. Indeed, it lacks definition of any kind. It is the great hole in theology" (The Quest for God, 1996, p. 173). If heaven is the goal God has set for His servants, why has He revealed so little about it in His Word, the Bible?
There is an excellent reason we encounter a vacuum when we look in the Bible for what the "saved" will do in heaven. The reason is simple , the Bible does not say the righteous will receive heaven as their reward.