Looking forward to heaven

by Dr Leong Tien Fock

Sept 11. That happened too far away. Dec 26. The tsunami was too close for comfort. Now they say the bird-flu pandemic is not a question of "if" but "when". Millions worldwide are expected to die. How could a horror like the Black Death that swept across Europe in the 14th century happen in the 21st century? If we have not been thinking about heaven (read death) lately this is a good time to do so. The word "death" is replaced by "heaven" not because of taboo. It is because of theology. Christians do not look at death the same way as those who have no hope beyond the grave.

In fact, when Christians worship God they are preoccupied with the subject of death (read heaven). We cannot truly worship God and not catch a glimpse of what heaven is like. The prophet Isaiah says that in heaven the former things will not be remembered or come to mind (Isa 65:17). Not only are the worst times forgotten, the very best times are not worth remembering. Even the most rapturous worship we have ever experienced in this world is at best only a foretaste of heaven. So it is hard to worship God without longing to be set free from this mortal body and to exchange it for an immortal one.

It is no accident that the hymns are preoccupied with death and heaven. Just look at the last stanzas of so many of them. Who but Christians would sing joyfully, "While I draw this fleeting breath, When my eyes shall close in death, When I rise to worlds unknown And behold Thee on Thy throne"? Only Christians would look forward to the day "When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave… Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing Thy power to save". For who but Christians could sing confidently, "When we've been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise, Than when we'd first begun"?

Please do not misunderstand. Being so "heavenly minded" does not mean we are "of no earthly good". Otherwise it is a different heaven that we have in mind. For suicide bombers are very "heavenly minded", too. In fact it is hard to be truly of any earthly good unless our hearts and our treasures are where Christ is. For only then are we likely to do good without being tainted with the thought: "What's in it for me?"

When Paul was under house arrest in Rome he faced the possibility of execution (Phil 1:12-26). He tells us he did not know whether to desire life or death. For to him, to live is Christ (fruitful labor in the world), and to die is gain (blissful rest in the presence of Christ). He struggled between desiring the "much better" (death) and the "more necessary" (life). He felt it was more necessary to remain only because he believed he had not yet fulfilled his calling. It was not because of any personal agenda, hidden or not. He was later released from house arrest. About five years later when he was writing his second letter to Timothy, he was in prison and again facing the possibility of execution. This time there was no struggle at all: "the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:6-7). All he desired was the "crown of righteousness" that Christ would award to him and to "all who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim 4:8). He had no desire to stay longer than necessary. Paul did not survive this imprisonment.

Every sincere Christian wants to be found faithful to God on the day of Christ's appearing. But sincerity is not enough. Paul said that though his conscience was clear it did not therefore mean he was innocent (1 Cor 4:4). Is there any way we can avoid self-deception? Yes, by wholeheartedly loving the Lord's appearing. We cannot genuinely love the Lord's return until and unless we feel free to leave this world whenever He calls. And this will not be the case if we have a personal agenda that may be hidden from even ourselves. No wonder we are awarded for loving the Second Coming.

So it is important for Christians to feel something of Paul's struggle in Philippians, and the lack of it in 2 Timothy. For this is most helpful in revealing how much we love the Lord and how much we love the world. Only then can we tell how much of our sincerity matches reality. And we cannot assume that we have no need for this if we have given our life to Christian ministry. For Paul said there were even those who preached the Gospel out of selfish ambition (Phil 1:17). Having prayed, "Search me, O Lord, and know my heart," we need to immerse ourselves in the appropriate Scriptures so that He can answer our prayer. We know that, as a rule, we speak to God through prayer and He speaks to us through His Word.

Learning to identify with Paul in Philippians and 2 Timothy will do us more good than just revealing our motives in life and in ministry. For example, we cannot feel the way Paul felt without seeing how trivial the things that we fight over, or that weigh us down, really are. Perhaps we will never know the freedom from the cares of this world that is the birthright of every child of God until we would and could say with Paul, "To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." For when even death is gain, what is there in this world to lose or "lose out"? Unless this is how we see death, we may not be able to worship God truly, and bask in the anticipation of seeing our Lord face to face.

Dr Leong Tien Fock is Research coordinator of Malaysia Campus Crusade for Christ.