I sometimes wonder what Heaven is like. Not necessarily what it looks like, but what life would be like. The culture. The "day-to-day" goings on. What will we be doing?
I'm no expert on the Bible. I've never read it all the way through. I've only read a small portion of it. Bits and pieces here and there. I know I should be reading it everyday, but I've never been able to do anything on a regular daily basis. Shower, brush my teeth, shave, take my medicine. Nothing except check my e-mail or Facebook status. Whatever.
Regardless of my considerable lack of knowledge about the Bible, I do know enough Scripture references that make me wonder what life will be like in Heaven. Jesus said, "In my Father's house there are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you." That means that I'll be getting a mansion. My sister will get a mansion. Her husband will get a mansion. My friend Stephen will get a mansion. My mother and father will each get a mansion. Every person whose name is written in the Book of Life will get a mansion.
Does that mean that there will be only one person living in each mansion? Is there no one else? No servants? No staff? No family members? I know there are angels in heaven. Would they be our servants? Or would they have their own mansions?
Angels are created beings. They have a beginning. Everything that exists was created. It has a beginning. The only being that has not been created is God Himself. He is eternal in both directions. He always has been, and always will be.
So has there ever been a time when God was alone? As in the only thing/being in existence? Because if everything else has a beginning, that would imply that God was alone. There had to have been a moment in eternity that God said, "Let there be Heaven," and "Let there be angels." So what happened before that? Before the creation of all things. Not just the physical universe, but the heavenly realm, as well.
Why is there no salvation plan for Satan and his minions? Lucifer was second only to God Himself. Yet he sinned. He thought himself better than God. So God cast him out, along with a third of the angels. So why is there no forgiveness for him? Why can't he repent?
We humans, we also sinned against God. We murdered, we raped, we stole, we blasphemed, we worshipped false gods and idols. And yet, God provided a way for us to get back with Him. To restore our unity and fellowship with Him. A way to wash away our sins so that we would be deemed worthy to be let into His Kingdom.
Angels and humans are created beings. They were given the ability to choose their own paths, make their own decisions. Satan chose to rebel against God. We chose to rebel against God. Satan's doom is set in stone. Ours remains in question. What makes us different? Why is there salvation for us, but none for Satan?
None of that really bothers me. They're just fun questions that come to mind when I'm sitting in church and the sermon is particularly boring. But there's one story in the Bible that makes me uneasy. It makes me question the humanity involved.
It's the story of Ananias and Sapphira. They were a husband & wife who sold their property and kept part of the profits for themselves. They gave the rest of the money to the church but claimed that was all of what they received for the land. When Ananias presented the money and lied about it, Peter called him on it. Suddenly Ananias keeled over and died. Three hours later, Sapphira showed up and also lied about the profits. Peter accused her of treachery and she kicked the bucket.
What the heck? Why was Ananias and Sapphira's sin so great that they deserved to die right them and there? People have been lying about money since the invention of money. Tax collectors skimming off the top. Heck, there was a certain tax collector who became one of the twelve disciples. So why was lying about profits a terminable offense? Why did they die right then and there? Why weren't they given a chance to repent and bring forth the money that they kept?
But that's not what bothers me the most about this story. It's Peter's apparent inhumanity. His words caused the death of a fellow human being. A Christian, nonetheless. A brother in Christ. And then three hours later, he does it again. He causes the death of another, a sister in Christ.
It's as if Peter had no emotions whatsoever. He didn't care about Ananias and Sapphira. Only about the morality of the situation. They did something wrong. Therefore they must die. Ananias died right in front of him. Did he lose his humanity so much that he decided to do it again? Where was Peter's compassion?
Is this
really what Jesus would have done? He went ballistic when He drove out all of the sellers and merchants from the temple, but He didn't kill them. Would He really have killed Ananias and Sapphira?
That's one thing that bothers me about some Christians. They get so wrapped up in their own righteousness that they lose touch with their humanity. Their righteousness is there, but their love is gone. They show no compassion when other people are hurting.
I remember when Josué, one of my best friends, passed away several years ago. I went to the church we used to attend to tell some of the people who knew him. When I told Mark, a man who used to run a Bible study we went to and who I used to respect, he simply looked at me and told me how I should think of my own salvation. A friend of mine died, and he took the opportunity to preach to me. No condolences. No "I'm so sorry." No attempts at comfort.
That pissed me off so much. I don't know if he went to Josué's funeral. I used to look up to him. He was very important in teaching me about the Christian life. But since that incident, I lost all respect for him.
I must confess that I am also guilty of this. I remember when I had a brief anti-paranormal crusade. Anti-ghosts. Anti-UFOs. Anti-psychics. I asked a co-worker if she believed in ghosts. She told me that she did and that she knew that her deceased mother was still in her house watching over her. I proceeded to tell her that it wasn't true and that ghosts aren't real and how paranormal activity was all hoaxes and fakery. What I failed to realize is that her mother had died and was trying to hold on to the memory of a person who was very dear to her. Instead of showing compassion for her pain, I became cold and superior in my knowledge of the truth.
Ever since the incident with Mark, I have vowed to never be that cold. To always show compassion when someone is grieving. There are and always will be times that I just don't care. But I will make an effort to offer comfort or at least condolences.
Unless they're crying over the death of a celebrity. Like Michael Jackson. That's when I tell them to get over it.
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