Heaven and the Glorious Body
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.
At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail; Unwillingly to school.
And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress’ eyebrow.
Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the bard, Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon’s mouth.
And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lin’d, with eyes severe and beard of formal cut, full of wise saws and modern instances; and so he plays his part.
The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon, with spectacles on nose and pouch on side; his youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide for his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble, pipes and whistles in his sound.
Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivion; sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.” — Jaques (“As You Like It.” Act II, Scene VII, lines 139-166)
While the Bard of Avon divided maturing into seven stages, three are enough to see life’s progression toward what most everyone in this modern era perceive as paradise.
A child thinks Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory is a vision of a pure, joyous heaven. To be able to eat all the wonderful delicacies to his heart’s content forever is the epitome of delights.
When a child reaches the passage to adulthood – which is the next stage being considered here – he begins to think Hugh Hefner’s palatial mansion filled with scantily clad, beautiful young ladies is a glance into heaven. Hollywood strives to prepare both male and female to move and settle in that neighborhood1.
The mature person begins to see things of educational growth, financial stability and physical security as a vision of peace and therefore, heaven. It is our society’s highest goal to achieve this security for one’s last days on earth.
The heavenly vision of paradise is entirely different. The Judeo-Christian view is not at all like the concept of the average person who declares himself to be a true believer. Eye has not seen nor ear heard.2 It will be so much more than that; it defies description and the sheer joy and magnificence of that paradise.
First of all heaven is not a simple place per-se. It is a rather complex condition that is only described as being in God’s presence eternally. It is a condition where the souls of the believer offers up continually praise and thanksgiving to God as well as “work” (Service) to be performed.
The believer will inhabit a body of flesh and bone3 not flesh and blood. Blood is the life of this body of flesh that mankind inhabits; the Spirit of God will be the life of that resurrection body. It will be a body that never needs food water etc. and never knows weariness, pain nor suffering. It is referred to as a “glorious”4 body like the body that Christ arose from the dead to inhabit. It is called his resurrection body.
Time, place and circumstance only have meaning in this present economy and do not apply when earth transitions into the golden age of God. The Bible gives little evidence of how and what will take place there. The Holy Spirit reveals a great deal to the believer, who is willing, to devote time, study, effort and energy in seeking revelation of that glorious event.
Most people see the inside of a church for christening, confirmation, baptism, marriage and at his own funeral; a large number only see two of those events, marriage and funeral. It is difficult to get any but the most hardy believers in church two times a year on Christmas and Easter Sunday let alone all day every day!
Even when one considers a the tree time a week Christian; frankly will such a person “fit in.” If a person is not seeing Christianity in this present world as a devoted way of life to be lived daily now in his present circumstances, is that person going to be truly happy worshiping God through out all eternity? With out some sort of miraculous change it is sincerely doubtful!
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