Heaven: Four Popular Misconceptions
Most everyone who believes in heaven has an idea about heaven. The problem is: Many of our ideas come from movies, TV, or other media that cause misconceptions about heaven. Here are four popular misconceptions about Heaven:
1. We will spend all of eternity in the clouds.
“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV)
After the final judgement, God will remake the universe and there will be a New Heaven that is relocated to a New Earth. God will live with His people there. No up in the clouds, no harps for eternity, there is a New Earth, and we live there.
2. We will live forever without a body.
The idea that anything physical or material, including bodies are bad, while immaterial things like souls are good, came from Plato. This idea leads to a conclusion that human souls are better off without bodies, and therefore Heaven must be a disembodied realm where we just float around like spirits.
But that is not what the Bible teaches.
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” 2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV)
We are given new bodies.
God’s plan is for a renewed physical universe where we eat, drink, live, laugh, play, rest and work, and most importantly worship and serve King Jesus. God plans to restore all of creation. That includes us, the earth, and all the rest of creation.
“Who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” Philippians 3:21 (NIV)
3. Heaven will be boring.
This idea comes out in questions like: What will we do for millions of years? I’ll be bored. How long do we have to strum harps?
Thinking heaven will be boring just shows our own brokenness that keeps us from being able to imagine all the possibilities in heaven. That is earth is the ultimate of everything. Also, thinking that Heaven will be boring means ultimately, we are making a huge mistake—we think God is boring. The God that made 350,000 species of beetles,
10 million colors, and 60,000 different types of trees is not boring! He is pretty anti-boring!
We are told that Heaven is a city.
“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” Hebrews 13:14 (NIV)
Cities have music, art, science, and technology. Cities also have people involved in conversations, work, play and gatherings. I believe all those same things will happen in heaven. C. S. Lewis said it this way: “Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
4. We won’t remember our former lives or be us anymore in heaven.
The idea that we lose our identities when we die is not Christian, it is Hindu. Resurrection means we have new bodies as individuals. You will be you in heaven. Since we give an account of our lives here on earth, we obviously have memory, we remain us. If we wouldn’t recognize others, the comfort described in scripture would not be much comfort at all.
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NIV)
Until then…
We should look forward to a world without evil, pain, suffering, hate or death, where God will wipe away every tear forever. Heaven will be glorious, fun, exciting, creative, and definitely not boring.