I remember one Sunday School lesson, the teacher stood at the board and told us to say what we thought Heaven would be like, and he’d draw them on the board. A couple of trees, Pizza Huts and stadiums later, we’d all got to say what we wanted to be in Heaven.
I was reminded of this lesson when I was sat in a room full of Christians, discussing all manner of spiritual issues. One girl’s comment had punctuated my thoughts when she emphatically said, “If Heaven’s not the way you want it, it is not perfect and therefore not Heaven.”
This is not the first time I’ve heard this argument, but to me it displays a fundamental misunderstanding about Christianity. So I’d like to share my biggest revelation of the last twelve months concerning the Kingdom of Heaven.
At the recent National CMF Student’s Conference, John Lennox was preaching up a storm as his final session came to a close. He used a phrase that pinpointed the meaning of The Kingdom of Heaven perfectly, “The Governance of God”.
When used in the context “Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven” the word Kingdom denotes a place, but not the glowing sky palace that we may imagine. Rather, the Kingdom is anywhere that is ruled by a King. The Kingdom of Heaven, therefore, exists wherever God is in control.
This idea of “who rules your life” can be traced back to the Garden of Eden.
Gen 2:15-17
The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
If you’re anything like me, you may have wondered what was so bad about knowing good from evil? I would have thought Adam would have known eating the fruit was wrong, therefore didn’t need its fruit. However, the Hebrew word used here for “Knowledge” can be used to mean, “Discernment/ decide”. God had decided that the fruit of the tree was wrong, and all others were right. For the man to take the fruit, he be deciding that God was incorrect about calling something wrong. God’s authority was displaced, and man became his own god. Man could decide what was right or wrong.
Some people ask “Is God good?” Of course He is, He decides what’s good and what isn’t. We are only good when we agree with God. Sin occurs when we disagree, and displace God from his rightful place. This is why all sin is equal, because the insult to God is that He’s displaced; His rule isn’t followed, regardless of the subsequent act.
The story goes on, some of the highlights are recorded in Hebrews 11; the Bible’s Hall of Fame. These men were described as aliens or foreigners to the world- because they were willing to deny control of their own lives and come under a Heavenly authority.
This was not completed until thousands of years later, again involving a man in a garden. Jesus was praying in Gethsemane. The Son of God had spent the previous 33 years as a human. He’d been tempted in every single way, but had never left the authority of God. This was the crescendo moment, before him lay the prospect of humiliation, abuse, hatred, beating, spit, blood, pain, isolation, whips that would tear the flesh from his back, screams, a crawl through the streets lined with mockers, the nails breaching him, hours of suffocation, abandonment from his Father, and death- a punishment fit for someone who’d told the creator of the universe that he was wrong, and that the creation was right. Punishment deserved for treating the King of Kings as though he was stupid and worthless. Punishment that I deserved.
What was Jesus’ response?
“Not my will, but yours be done”
This statement, and the subsequent action of Jesus, allowed everybody to enter the Kingdom. state that Jesus is their Lord and therefore is the overriding ruler in their life, and act accordingly. That is how to gain access to the Kingdom of Heaven.
So now, when people try to convince me that my pets/ favourite foods/ sports/ etc will have to be in Heaven for it to be perfect, I smile politely and walk away. The truth is that I have no control in the Kingdom, as I gave up my control to enter the Kingdom.
Christian Alcock
I was reminded of this lesson when I was sat in a room full of Christians, discussing all manner of spiritual issues. One girl’s comment had punctuated my thoughts when she emphatically said, “If Heaven’s not the way you want it, it is not perfect and therefore not Heaven.”
This is not the first time I’ve heard this argument, but to me it displays a fundamental misunderstanding about Christianity. So I’d like to share my biggest revelation of the last twelve months concerning the Kingdom of Heaven.
At the recent National CMF Student’s Conference, John Lennox was preaching up a storm as his final session came to a close. He used a phrase that pinpointed the meaning of The Kingdom of Heaven perfectly, “The Governance of God”.
When used in the context “Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven” the word Kingdom denotes a place, but not the glowing sky palace that we may imagine. Rather, the Kingdom is anywhere that is ruled by a King. The Kingdom of Heaven, therefore, exists wherever God is in control.
This idea of “who rules your life” can be traced back to the Garden of Eden.
Gen 2:15-17
The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
If you’re anything like me, you may have wondered what was so bad about knowing good from evil? I would have thought Adam would have known eating the fruit was wrong, therefore didn’t need its fruit. However, the Hebrew word used here for “Knowledge” can be used to mean, “Discernment/ decide”. God had decided that the fruit of the tree was wrong, and all others were right. For the man to take the fruit, he be deciding that God was incorrect about calling something wrong. God’s authority was displaced, and man became his own god. Man could decide what was right or wrong.
Some people ask “Is God good?” Of course He is, He decides what’s good and what isn’t. We are only good when we agree with God. Sin occurs when we disagree, and displace God from his rightful place. This is why all sin is equal, because the insult to God is that He’s displaced; His rule isn’t followed, regardless of the subsequent act.
The story goes on, some of the highlights are recorded in Hebrews 11; the Bible’s Hall of Fame. These men were described as aliens or foreigners to the world- because they were willing to deny control of their own lives and come under a Heavenly authority.
This was not completed until thousands of years later, again involving a man in a garden. Jesus was praying in Gethsemane. The Son of God had spent the previous 33 years as a human. He’d been tempted in every single way, but had never left the authority of God. This was the crescendo moment, before him lay the prospect of humiliation, abuse, hatred, beating, spit, blood, pain, isolation, whips that would tear the flesh from his back, screams, a crawl through the streets lined with mockers, the nails breaching him, hours of suffocation, abandonment from his Father, and death- a punishment fit for someone who’d told the creator of the universe that he was wrong, and that the creation was right. Punishment deserved for treating the King of Kings as though he was stupid and worthless. Punishment that I deserved.
What was Jesus’ response?
“Not my will, but yours be done”
This statement, and the subsequent action of Jesus, allowed everybody to enter the Kingdom. state that Jesus is their Lord and therefore is the overriding ruler in their life, and act accordingly. That is how to gain access to the Kingdom of Heaven.
So now, when people try to convince me that my pets/ favourite foods/ sports/ etc will have to be in Heaven for it to be perfect, I smile politely and walk away. The truth is that I have no control in the Kingdom, as I gave up my control to enter the Kingdom.
Christian Alcock