What is heaven?

What do you think of when you imagine Heaven? 

Photo credit: Jocelyn Mathews

I usually start out with a superficial heaven. With all of the objects and trinkets that would make it perfect for me. Maybe a beautiful room, with lovely IKEA furniture, a crazy amount of adorable kittens and a never ending supply Slurpee machine. Then, I usually realize that’s not appropriate, and I try sift those things out and try to imagine all the important things like seeing my loved ones and being at eternal rest and peace. If you are anything like me then you might start to consider how it lasts forever. This isn't just “forever” Like the last five minutes of a dreadfully drab math class that just seems to last for an eternity. This isn't even the “forever” in “I will love you forever till death do us part” that we say at our weddings. No this is Forver-forver, until the end of actual time, when the universe ceases to exist and nothing exists, no earth, no hell no heaven.

Well, perhaps Heaven isn't actually forever- forever, until the end of time and all that stuff. What if heaven is going on right now? I don’t know… there are allot of problems in the world, people are getting hurt and dying every day, just trying to stand up for their inherent rights. Pretty lame excuse for heaven in my opinion. Most people would agree it feels more like hell more than anything else sometimes. It’s so bad that usually I think we don’t need a real hell because everyone has made a hell on earth for themselves.  Maybe if we can bring about hell on earth, maybe we can bring heaven to earth too! I think that John Lennon guy was on to something.

“Imagine there's no heaven.. It's easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky. Imagine all the people living for today!”(John Lennon, Imagine)

There sure are allot of different ideas here… we went from imagining heaven as a room full of kittens and Slurpee’s to quoting a dead Beatle on his ideological perspectives… Maybe we should just ask Jesus... Jesus what is heaven?

“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

When Jesus speaks about the Kingdom of God, it’s the same “Kingdom of Heaven” from the Gospel of Matthew. “Heaven” was a polite way of saying “God” that didn't offend the Jewish people of Matthew’s audience. So, Heaven equals God, But what about the word “Kingdom”?  In the bible Mark and Luke use the term “Basileia” that we translate as Kingdom. But the Greek word “Basileia” is actually closer to meaning “kingship,” “kingly rule,” “reign”, or “sovereignty.” We can now deduce that Kingdom means a state of rule. So therefor, Kingdom of Heaven equals Kingdom of God equals Reign of God.

What if instead of the superficial heaven we initially imagine, heaven means inviting the reign of love within us? Well then that love would overturn the reign of hell in our lives. Perhaps heaven isn't a self-absorbed universe constructed desire for material possessions. What if accessing heaven exists within all of us already? After all, life is only something we are given and participate in, then give away again to the next generation, as-well as death is nothing more than the cessation of breath. I believe the Kingdom of heaven is now, within all of us and if you don’t think its in you I suggest you figure it the hell out!