Happy Easter (Heaven isnt forever.)

If you want to go to Heaven I hope you get to experience it, but luckily you won't be there forever. That's is part of the good news of Easter, of the resurrection, of life after death, and life after heaven.

I was riding in the car with some friends the other day and we were talking about heaven. I mentioned that I was actually much more excited for life after heaven. One friend ask 'Do you mean the rapture and that stuff?' Yeah, something like that......

One thing about seminary is you end up reading the bible a lot more. The more I read the bible the more I realize it doesn't spend that much time talking about heaven, but it does spend a great bit of time speaking about the coming of God's Kingdom to earth, the renewal of creation and humanity, and the coming of salvation to be fully revealed in the last times.

Jesus came and experienced life, death, life during death(heaven/hell), and life after death. There is some debate as to where Jesus went during those 3 days of physical death, but the much more exciting news is that his life experiences completion here on earth. Jesus prayed 'Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven'

The good news of Easter is that heaven isn't the end game. In the resurrection Jesus began the process of uniting heaven and earth. And he left his Spirit for us so that we could aid in the reconciliation of creation. I'm not sure what our experience of heaven will be like(probably peaceful), but because of the resurrection I can be much more excited about the renewal of creation. Through the compassionate response of God to creation he has provided the paradigm needed for what should characterize our cooperation with him in the completion of uniting heaven and earth.

Not only because of the resurrection do we get to go heaven, but even greater we get to participate in the creation of heaven on earth.

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