glimpses of glory... (or Hastening the Day, the MU, Time, Work, and Sex in Heaven?)

I was looking through my journal the other day and I saw an entry from about two years ago. I wrote: “Friday night in the MU – a glimpse of glory.” Now, if anyone has seen the MU, you probably know why that is a statement that has probably been uttered on few occasions regarding the Mobile Unit which houses the guys staff at Camp Willow Run. And certainly, the condition of the MU (particulary the bathroom) is more often a reminder of the Fall than the Glory that is to come. However, on that particular Friday I had been reunited with old friends. We spent the evening throwing Frisbee, eating, talking, and just hanging out. As I lay in bed that night, I was reflecting on the pleasure of good company. And as I lay on the stiff mattress in the frigid (thermostat: 62) MU with 5 other guys, it occurred to me that the contentment that I was feeling in that moment was but a glimpse of what was to come.

I used to be scared of going to heaven. It sounded boring. I know that God is going to be in heaven, so I felt kind of bad for thinking that His heaven sounded boring. But, that’s what I thought.

I have come to realize that there are a number of misconceptions about how we will spend eternity in Glory. I believe this stems from a misunderstanding of the nature of worship. We rightly understand that we will spend the coming aeons worshiping God. We wrongly understand what worship means (or at least I have). For too long I thought of worship as the singing part of church. Thus, I (wrongly) envisioned heaven being an eternity of singing to God. This always sounded extremely boring, and for thinking that, I was ashamed. But, I was wrong to think of worship in that way. Likewise, I was wrong to think of eternal splendor that way.

Glimpse #1: Worship
Scripture teaches that life is meant to be lived as worship to God (Psalm 51:17; Romans 12:1; Colossians 3:17). From this, as well as other passages in Scripture, I think we see that the worship of God in Glory will be a worship of a life lived to the praise of His name. Certainly that will include singing at times, but I think there will be a lot more to it.

Glimpse #2: Seeds
There is another thing that I believe feeds misconceptions about Glory. I think people forget that the universe is going to be reborn. They imagine eternity taking place in the clouds or some ethereal place. However, Scripture gives the picture that most of eternity will happen in the redeemed universe. I think that if more people thought about this, it would change their view of Glory. The world we see now is fallen and subjected to futility and decay. It contains remnants of what it once was. It also contains glimpses of what it will one day be. I say “glimpse” because the Spirit says that what we see is comparable to what is to come in the same way that a seed is comparable to the plant that springs forth (1 Corinthians 15:35-41). This world is the kernel; the New Creation is the rose (or the oak, or the willow tree, or the whatever...).

Glimpse #3: Eden
In Scripture, Eden gives us a glimpse of Glory. There will be harmony and peace in the created order. There will be perfect stability in creation. Man will properly exercise dominion over the earth. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and “the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den” (Isaiah 11:6-10). And look, I just saw Bear Grylls eat an adder and it didn’t look like something that a child should put his hand over...

Glimpse #4: Jesus doing crazy stuff in the Gospels
Christ, in the Gospels, gives us a glimpse of Glory. There will be a healing of sickness and disease and we shall feast (Matthew 14:13-21; Revelation 19:6-9). Christ exerted a control over creation as He could calm the storm and walk on water. Peter got to experience the coming day of the New Creation when he stepped out of the boat onto the waves. In that moment, Peter got a taste of what it will be like to see Him and be made like Him (1 John 3:2). Christ, in His resurrected body (which we too shall one day have) ate, passed through walls, disappeared and reappeared, and flew (maybe He merely ascended...). I see all of these things as pictures of what is to come.

Glimpse #5: Time flies (or drags on)
I think that our experience of time gives us a glimpse. When things are going well, time seems to pass quickly. It feels as though it escapes us. This points to our innate desire to experience goodness without end. Conversely, when things are going poorly, time seems to drag on. This points to our innate desire to experience only goodness. In Glory, the expression “time flies” will lose its meaning. We will never have to fearfully check our watches to see if we are out of time. We will never agonizingly glance at the clock and realize that we have to endure more time of boredom or pain. One day we will experience the good of life without the worry of when it will end.

Glimpse #6: Work
Alright, this here is a perhaps a bit of speculation, but I think we will work in Glory. In Eden people were meant to work even before the Fall. With the Fall came toil and hardship. Toil in labor, not work itself, is a result of the curse. I think that there are even glimpses of this here in this life. Work can be satisfying at times. Many people fear idleness, and those who prefer laziness are typically looked down upon. There is a general sense that work is a good thing – you just have to find what you enjoy. We also see in Scripture that we will rule the created order and will even judge the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). It is also evident that the best aspects of every culture and civilization will be represented in the New Creation (Revelation 21:24-26). In light of these things I do think that we will work in Glory. But it won’t be the sort of work that is described as toil or agony.

Glimpse #7: Pleasure & Contentment
Finally, I think any genuine pleasure that we experience is a glimpse of glory. On several occasions guys from the past few summers at CWR have asked me about what sort of things I think there will be in Glory. Will there be sex, or fishing, or wine, or dancing, etc. ? While I do think that there are some things that we can confidently say will be a part of eternity (since Scripture names some things explicitly) I am reluctant to say specifically what the experience will be like. However, I can say that whatever we do or have has to be at least as good as the best pleasure on earth. Will there be sex or candy in heaven? Whatever there is, it has to be at least as good as sex and candy. The pleasure of heaven has to be at least as good as the pleasure derived from fishing, or wine, or dancing. We know this because that which is to come is greater than that which currently is.

So, what does this mean for us now? “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the elements will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:10-13).

How do we hasten the day? We spread the Kingdom of God. We share the Gospel, the storyline of Scripture, and set hearts on fire (Luke 24:32) by the Word of God as people turn towards the Christ.