Observation: Near the beginning of his apocalyptic message, John of Patmos describes a vision of being brought up to heaven "in the spirit." It's a strange vision indeed, with a throne surrounded by lightning, twenty four elders worshiping, and four living creatures--with faces of a lion, ox, human and eagle--proclaiming God's holiness. As alien as this vision may seem, there are many allusions to Old Testament texts that John's audience would have recognized. This reminds John's audience that his message is in line with the prophets of old, and it comes from the same God they've always known.
Application: That's the tricky part, isn't it? What do we make of these strange visions, and how do they apply to our daily lives as Christians? Should the heavenly numbers--seven, four, twenty-four--have some special significance in our decision making? Do jasper and carnelian have a special role to play in our following Jesus? What are we supposed to make of any of this?
For all the complex references and strange, terrifying visions found in the Revelation, its basic message is surprisingly simple: God is in charge. God holds the future. Nothing that has happened or will happen will take God by surprise.
I know many of us have grown up believing that Heaven is our ultimate destination: a cloud-laden realm of angels, far removed from this earth, where we will be reunited with all our loved ones after we die. We are taught that "this world is not our home." That we should think of it as temporary, and not to get too comfortable here. And yet in John's bizarre vision, Heaven does not seem like a very comfortable, familiar place. That's because of one simple fact: we actually don't belong there. Not yet. N.T. Wright talks about Heaven as "the cockpit of the universe", from which God controls all things. If you were to be invited into the cockpit of a passenger jet, you'd see any number of instruments, gauges, and screens that you don't understand. But you can definitely trust that your pilot knows exactly what they are, and how and when to use them to get you both where you need to go. You don't need to be up there during the flight. In fact, you shouldn't. You need to let the pilot do her/his job.
If you follow me, I think Heaven is the same way. I believe, based on the witness of the New Testament, that there is an "other place," a place beyond the dimensional experience of our world, from which God reigns. When we say that Jesus "ascended into heaven," that's where we are saying he is. But he's not staying there. God will not remain in the cockpit once history has reached its final destination. The witness of Revelation, and many other New Testament books, is that when evil is finally put to rest, heaven and earth will be renewed...and united. The home of God will be among mortals. God will reign in heaven and earth as one kingdom.
How this applies to our lives today is that our daily lives, who we are, where we are, when we are in history, is exactly where we belong. For now, it is our home, fallen as it is. And we need not look to heaven for a better life. We can get started today, in seeing that God's will is done on earth as in heaven. God will take care of the rest. We can glance into the cockpit, but God will fly the plane, thank you very much.
Prayer: God, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Amen.
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