Friar’s Corner: The last things
2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14, Psalm 117:1, 5-6, 8,15; 2 Thessalonians 2:16 to 3:5; Luke 20:27-38
These last weeks of our Church year look a little at the last things of our existence: death, judgment, heaven or hell. As many people as they move through their busy lives, they don’t want to think about the end of their life on earth. The older we get, from our many experiences, we realize that at some point in the future our life here will end here. Is our life struggle for naught? Or is there something after this life?
A clear belief in the afterlife was a late development in Israel. Today’s reading from the second book of Maccabees, written only in the second century before God’s Son (Jesus Christ) came to earth, finds this belief emerging. The Pharisees believed in an afterlife and resurrection. The Scribes were legalists and did not believe in a life after death. Jesus’ words to the Sadducee in today’s gospel passage, point up the difficulty in seeing our future life with our earthly physical body and relationships. In today’s gospel, Jesus admonishes people not to see themselves in heaven as getting married. There they will be like angels with no human bodies. This is where it is very important to study Jesus’ resurrection appearances in the Gospel stories.
What is heaven?
Heaven is not a large physical planet or a white hole in space (which we haven’t entered yet). The Jews and some on earth today, think of the heavens as what we see in the clouds and beyond. Scriptures move beyond that to a spiritual existence, not like our physical matter in this world. In the Old Testament, heaven was the place where God dwelt and where his power came from. There are too many dimensions of the Biblical heavens and recent learning experiences written by those who had their own afterlife experiences and were sent back to tell us about it.
Basically our Christian belief of heaven is that it is the dwelling place of God, his angels and those saints who have followed God’s direction in this life. They are living in the radiant and glorious love of God forever. St. John 14:2ff tells us, “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places. If there were not, I would not have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you. I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, you may also be. You know the way to the place I am going.” Jesus then tells his followers that he is the way, the truth and the new and glorious life.
St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, makes comparisons of our spiritual body and the resurrected body of Jesus. That is why I see the importance of studying all of Jesus’ resurrected experiences. How was his spiritual body different from his past earthly body?
Revelation visions
St. John also tells us about several visions he was granted about heaven and being there. We can look for those in the Book of Revelation. See 1:11ff where John is caught up in heaven and meets Jesus who tells him not to be afraid but write down what he is shown. Jesus said, “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living God. I was dead, but now I am alive forever, and I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.” See also chapter 4 where John sees the throne of God (our Father) and more descriptions of what happens in heaven. Then look at chapter 5 where John sees Jesus, the Lamb of God, and those on thrones around God’s thrones. The angels and saints are singing, praising and worshiping God. This is very beautiful and exciting. Chapter 19 further describes more singing and praising of God. Chapter 19 speaks of a new heaven and new earth. Next to last chapter 21 has more descriptions of heaven and 22 speaks of the “living water” flowing from the thrones of our Father and Jesus.
Revelation tells us that no unpurified person can enter heaven. The Lord said, “Nothing accursed will be found there anymore. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” There is no darkness or night in heaven for Jesus is its perpetual light. Amen! This should get us thrilled and want to get to heaven and see Jesus face to face in his resurrected glory.
Avoiding Hell
Hell, on the other hand, is the spiritual state of permanent separation from God. Hell is reserved for those who freely and consciously choose to reject God and his kingdom to the very end of their life. If we are not perfectly free of sin and the punishment due to our earthly sins, the church still sees hope in a state of spiritual purification it calls purgatory. However, let us repent, confess our sins and get rid of all the temporal punishment due to those sins so we can meet Jesus very shortly after our soul leaves our body. We will meet Jesus and our personal judgment takes place in those moments.
Let us get as close to Jesus each day as we can so we are ready to meet him right after we die. Have a fruitful week.
Peace and all good!
+ Father Bob Hilz
fbhilz@gmail.com
(© 2019 Father Bob Hilz, TOR)
