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Biblical Reasons Why We Should
And Practical Suggestions on How We Can
Create Heaven on Earth
The idea for the title of this book comes from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., the state author of New York. I haven't read any of his books, just seen a few quotes here and there. He doesn't appeal to me. I just happened across a recent article of his which, while confirming the good sense of my not reading his books, did have an interesting anecdote that gave me the ispiration for my own book. The article is here.
The article begins with a typically anti-Christian but uniquely honest statement:
If you really want to hurt your parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be a homosexual, the least you can do is go into the arts.
So much for "Honor thy father and mother." So much for the idea that homosexuality is not a choice. (I'm sure Vonnegut would say he was just being sarcastic, but the cat's out of the bag.)
It's a twisted culture when society's most popular authors -- in this case an author officially declared by the State of New York to be the state author -- would give tips on how to hurt people -- especially the very people who brought you into the world, protecting you when you were completely dependent and vulnerable. If I wanted to create hell on earth, destroying the loyalty and affection we should have for the people who gave us life would be my first step. Getting people to hate strangers would then be a piece of cake.
Nevertheless, here's his story:
And now I want to tell you about my late Uncle Alex. He was my father’s kid brother, a childless graduate of Harvard who was an honest life insurance salesman in Indianapolis. He was well-read and wise. And his principal complaint about other human beings was that they so seldom noticed it when they were happy. So when we were drinking lemonade under an apple tree in the summer, say, and talking lazily about this and that, almost buzzing like honeybees, Uncle Alex would suddenly interrupt the agreeable blather to exclaim, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”
I like that. I think gratitude is a powerful and Godly attitude.
This gave me the idea for a "spiritual exercise" -- a way of stretching the mind and building spiritual muscle to be able to lift heavy theological truths with greater ease.
As someone who has long been committed to working for the prayer of Jesus -- that God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven -- I suspected that this might be a way of making that task appear easier, and might be a way of casting doubt on all the theological rationalizations offered for silence, inaction, and just "waiting for the rapture."
Can you say to yourself or to others, several times a day, "If this isn't Heaven, I don't know what is"?
What if we imagined that this is heaven, that we're in heaven now, and spent our time appreciating all the wonderful, marvelous, and beautiful things there are to appreciate?
If someone who lived more than a thousand years ago were to be transported through time and see the way we live, he would be astonished. His jaw would drop to the floor. Turn on a CD and let your guest enjoy a symphony orchestra in your climate-controlled living room. Talk on the phone about the symphony with people in Japan. Or you and your friend in Japan can turn on the TV and watch an Olympic event in Russia at the same time, as it is happening live. Our technology, our global society, the absence of a tribal dog-eat-dog spear-chucking world, would fill the Apostles with awe. We live lives of unparalleled wealth and luxury. And the rate of progress is even more amazing. Even my own mother's dentist extracted teeth without anesthesia. Diseases can now be cured which killed thousands just a few decades ago. And the genetic code is just being cracked.
Your first reaction is to think it's ridiculous to think that we're in heaven now.
I've read a couple of books on brainwashing (what we do to our enemies) and self-hypnosis (the same process, only done to ourselves), and I'm confident that with enough time and a willing guinea pig, working every day for a few hours, I could brainwash or hypnotize anyone into believing that this is heaven.
Would you be willing to hypnotize yourself into feeling an intense sense of gratitude for everything in your life? Can you say "If this isn't Heaven, I don't know what is" with heartfelt appreciation for all you have?
Some people have an intense reaction against this idea. It would be somehow blasphemous or sacrilegious to say we're already in heaven. This couldn't possibly be heaven. "This guy's a nut!" you're saying about me.
I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, that I've asked others, just to get you started thinking about heaven and heaven-on-earth. The more effort you put into thinking about the answers, the more you'll get out of the exercise (and the better I'll look!). I'll list a few typical answers to help you get started.
Of course, people don't really believe half of what they say will happen in heaven. Nobody seriously looks forward to walking on clouds or playing a harp. One person who lost a leg said "I'm gonna get my leg back." So I guess he looks forward to walking or running in heaven. Another said "fishing." I think he was half-joking.
"Praising God" is a good and Biblical answer, but the answer raises two questions:
The Bible says human beings were created to "exercise dominion over the earth" (Genesis 1:26-28). In the Garden of Eden we were to "dress and keep" the Garden, that is,
A farmer has a deep-down sense of value when he realizes that his labor is feeding other human beings. A construction worker builds houses for families. Each of us has a part to play in "exercising dominion" and meeting the needs of others. If we were deprived of these responsibilities, these opportunities, we would be like fish out of water. If all the things God created us to do were lost to us, would we really enjoy "heaven?"
You may want to scour your Bible right now and read all the verses on heaven and see what you're going to be doing there for all eternity. Hint: the Bible really doesn't say that much.
The Bible says a whole lot more about what we're supposed to be doing here on earth, and encourages us to carry out these responsibilities, and cherish these opportunities "on earth as it is in heaven."
But "Praising God" is also part of our nature. "The Chief End of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever," says the Catechism. But can't we praise God here on earth? Did God make a mistake when He told us to "exercise dominion over the earth" -- did He overlook the fact that we can't dress and keep the garden and praise God at the same time? No, I think we are capable -- indeed, required -- to praise God while we work, to praise God for our work. And when we finish our work, we can praise God for our accomplishment and our rest. "Pray without ceasing," Paul tells us; "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." We can pray while we work, while we rest -- at all times, and we can pour out our gratitude toward God "in every thing."
Let's look at this another way.
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