A common catchphrase cautions believers from being “so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.” The problem? More often than not, the issue is not that Christians are “so heavenly minded,” but that they don’t think correctly about heaven in the first place. Dozens–if not hundreds–of myths and misunderstandings swirl in Christendom about this future, heavenly home. Many of them are repeated so frequently they “become fact.”
Here are 5 frequent misunderstandings about Heaven:
- Heaven is not primarily a place where believers go to engage in favorite hobbies or past times.
While Scripture does not say Christians refrain from sinless activities they enjoyed on earth, nowhere does it indicate that heaven is endless sunny days of fishing, eating, or playing golf. Is heaven enjoyable for the child of God? Without a doubt. God desires to bless His children with good gifts. But the primary reason the Christian will enjoy heaven is because of the presence of God. Any earthly past times will fade in comparison to the opportunity to worship Jesus face to face.
Similarly, Heaven is not primarily a party in the sky. To be clear, heaven is not boring, either. The God who created taste buds and sunsets and adrenaline certainly wouldn’t neglect His awesome power of creativity when designing an eternal home for His children. But using language like “a party in the sky” to describe Heaven undercuts what God has planned. The greatest party on earth fails to hold a candle to the eternal celebration of God that believers will experience after death. And if Revelation is any indication, believers will want to fall on their face and cry, “Holy! Holy! Holy!”
- Heaven is not the end of relationships forged on earth.
Yes, the Bible is clear, in Heaven believers will neither marry nor be given in marriage (Matthew 22:30), but marriage isn’t the only relationships Christians had on earth. The Bible says nothing to indicate relationships on earth won’t be taken to a better, closer level. Scripture would specifically indicate that people recognize each other and share good memories of God’s faithfulness. Keep in mind, if fellowship was created by God to bring glory to God (which, since Genesis has been the case), it would make sense that fellowship continue to please God in Heaven.
- Heaven is not void of work.
To make the assumption that there is no work in Heaven is to believe the misconception that work is a direct result of the curse. The problem? Work was not part of God’s punishment for sin; sin became painful as a result of sin. Work can be a joyful, fulfilling proposition. Man worked before the Fall, and Scripture seems to indicate work occurs in Heaven. John 5 says that God Himself is at work in Heaven. One thing would seem to be clear. Any work in heaven will bring joy and not be burdensome for the believer who will be forever in a glorified body.
- Heaven is not (necessarily) in the clouds.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 says, “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Notice it does not say believers will stay in the clouds. Scripture never actually indicates the location of Heaven, other than that it is where God dwells. And that is enough.
- Heaven is not a place where believers suddenly know everything.
God is omniscient; believers are not. Which means Heaven will be a place where Christians still have things to learn and discoveries to make. When Christians die and go to Heaven, certainly they will see things in a clearer way. The issues of earth, for instance, will fade in comparison to the presence of God. But the reality that believers have questions for God (as seen in Revelation) would seem to make clear that Christians will still need to learn and grow. Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan preacher, believed “the saints will be progressive in knowledge to all eternity,” adding, “The number of ideas of the saints shall increase to eternity.”
Truth be told, the idea that believers could have assignments to do or things to learn should bring immense hope that we will be no more one or two-dimensional in Heaven than we are on earth. God has great and wonderful things planned far above anything we can think or imagine!
~ Christian Patriot Daily
