Heaven Waits

Sermon: Apostle’s Creed VIII This is Chapter eight in our series on the Apostles Creed. The last time I spoke, we talked about the nature of Jesus Christ. We discussed the development of the Nicaean Creed and the concept that Jesus was God Incarnate, of the same substance of God. I think I need to point out that there are several million Christians who believe Jesus was the son of God sired by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin was crucified and rose from the dead, but he was a man and is not a God. I believe different, but it doesn’t make those millions of believers any less Christian. We can have different beliefs as long as the core of the virgin birth and resurrection are there. I am reminded of a small church in the small town where I went to high school that didn’t believe in dancing. Dancing was absolutely forbidden as the work of the Devil. Young members of that church were not allowed to go to the frequent sock hops following basketball games, but it was all right to make out at the drive-in movie. Different denominations interpreted the guidance in scripture differently, but that doesn’t make us any less Christian. I have told you the story about my conversation with a young teenage boy who suggested I worry about salvation issues and don’t spend a lot of time on others. We will move on through the Creed to the line following “He rose from the Dead.” It says, “He ascended unto heaven and sits at the right hand of God.” Why the right hand? You have heard the term “Right hand man.” Back in the days of chivalry, conquering heroes would sit at the right hand of the king. Knights who had done extraordinary deeds in the name of the king were honored by a place on his right hand. These were the king’s emissaries who were dispatched to right the wrongs within the kingdom. Jesus was God’s emissary sent to save mankind from sin. God knew man had a sinful nature. That was evident from Adam and Eve’s experience in the garden. So “God sent His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not parish but have everlasting life.” When Jesus’s work on earth was finished, He went back to the Father who sent Him and waits in heaven for the time of His return. We use the word heaven frequently, but have we ever stopped to ask ourselves, just exactly what is heaven?” Webster says it is, “The abode of the blessed after death.” That didn’t help me much, so I looked it up in my big Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Unger’s says scripture describes three heavens, or at least Second Corinthians speaks of a “third Heaven.” So there must be two other ones. Unger’s also quotes the book of Revelations which describes heaven as a city of gold with jewel encrusted walls and twelve gates, and the river of life running through the center. That didn’t do much for me either, so I went on line to see what the experts had to say. Theologians with PhDs and lots of titles are adamant that heaven is a real place not observable from earth. A place we will only experience when we get there. Most scientists dismiss the concept as fiction while others are more accepting. One group is convinced heaven is the other side of a hole in the northern sky about 21 light years away. Still others suggest heaven is in a parallel universe, sort of a fourth dimension that can only be entered through a portal in the time space continuum. I think I saw that theory on an old episode of Star Trek. The only common thread running through all the expert opinions is Heaven is where God is. Think about that for a while. I’ll come back to it in a few minutes. I conducted a Wednesday afternoon Bible study at Community Pride many years ago. Irene Hayes was one of the founders of the group. She was absent one session, and when I asked about her, I was told she didn’t feel well. After we were finished, I went to her room to visit. Our lesson that day had been the description of heaven in Revelations. I read it to her, and I always remember what she said. “It sounds like a wonderful place, and I am ready.” It was a gift, and I treasure the gift she gave me. Heaven is a wonderful place because it is where God lives. I think that is enough for most of us. It was enough for Irene, and it is enough for me. I don’t need to know if heaven is a physical location or if it is a parallel universe that is only accessible through a Star Trek worm hole. I only need to know it is where God lives, and I believe that someday my soul will reside in heaven with God. There also has been considerable research concerning WHAT heaven is. What does it look like? Will I be reunited with my Grandmother? All the questions asked by the song I sang a few minutes ago. The best source of answers lays in the reports of near- death experiences. Here again, there are significant differences between the conclusions of believers and nonbelievers. Scientists with no Christian foundation tell us the tunnel is simply your eyesight dimming then a bright flash as it shuts down. Out of body experiences are self-defense mechanisms to guard against trauma. Unbelieving doctors summarize the reports, “Everything we know about heaven happens in the few minutes before death, then there is nothing.” How do they know there is nothing after a few minutes? They should read some of the reports by scientists who have an open mind. Common elements associated with almost all near death experiences include an acute sense of sight and hearing even when out of body. There is a feeling of peace, painlessness and precognition. Those who have had near death experiences report a life review, sort of your life flashing before your eyes. They report the feeling of being in another world and encountering other beings. There is a loving white light at the end of a tunnel. Scientists can’t explain the interview with one patient who said, “I came into a golden light. I rose into the light and found myself in an unspoken exchange with the light, that I believed to be God.” Nor can they challenge the report of Dr Eben Alexander. Dr Alexander was a neurosurgeon who came back from seven days in a coma with no detectable brain waves. He related his experience in a book titled, ­­Proof of Heaven. It is a very good read. I recommend it.

I don’t know where heaven is, but I know it is out there. I can get glimpses of what it is like from the reports of near-death experiences, but I will never really know until I get there. In Irene’s words “It seems like a wonderful place.” It is where God is. Pray with me. Our Gracious Father, we ask you to bless us, guide us, and bend us to do your will so that we may share paradise with you. Amen