The World to Come
“For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,
nor has the eye seen a God besides You, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.” Isaiah 64:4
Nor has eye seen – “Every prophet only prophesied for the days of the Messiah; but as for the World of Come, ‘No eye hath seen what God, and nobody but Thee, will work for him that waitheth for Him.’”[1] Just so the rabbis asserted that we are left with only speculation about the next world despite the fact that the idea of another life in the hereafter is nearly universally declared. The penchant for speculation has not abated in twenty centuries. From Dante to Mitch Albom, literature and theological fantasy combine to give us views of the next world. None of it has any real biblical basis. In the end the rabbis concluded, as perhaps we should, that there is another life and we must prepare for it. End of story.
But we are hardly prepared for such a stark reality, are we? We all want to know that grandma and grandpa are comfortably residing in their mansions in heaven, patiently waiting our arrival for the spectacular reunion party. Of course, Abraham and Moses will be guests of honor. There will even be a place at the table for Elijah. We can’t abide the thought that we simply do not know what the next world will be like—at all! “Eye has not seen” what God has in mind, but that doesn’t stop us one bit. We just make up what we want it to look like and then populate the place with those people we want there.
Perhaps wishful thinking about the world to come isn’t so bad. Except of course when it diverts you from the task at hand, namely, tikkun olam, restoring righteousness here, on this earth. If we can’t wait to get to heaven, we are likely to ignore the necessity of bringing heaven to earth (“Thy will be done on earth . . .”). I’m afraid that if our objective is to get out of here, we will arrive at the Pearly Gates to find no one home. They will all have immigrated to earth with the new heaven. Even rabbinic thought portrays this otherworldly mythology. “The earlier generations of the Rabbis identified the Messianic era with the World to Come. The promised Redeemer would bring the existing world-order to an end and inaugurate the timeless sphere in which the righteous would lead a purely spiritual existence freed from the trammels of the flesh.”[2] If you don’t recognize the Platonic influence in this view, you need to read the Dialogues again. Nothing in the Bible supports the idea that departing this place means “purely spiritual existence.” In fact, there is virtually no information at all about what it means to live in the next world. Do you know why? Because whatever is going to happen in the next world is now, right now, a matter of trust, not information. Right now we trust in the character of God, not in the table of contents of The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Right now all we know is that the One True God is faithful. Speculation is spectacularly foolish. Is that enough for you?
Topical Index: Isaiah 64:4, heaven, world to come, tikkun olam
[1] Abraham Cohen, Everyman’s Talmud, p. 364 citing Berakoth, 34b
[2] Ibid.
I think there is enough hints in Torah to at least expel bad doctrine. Even if I have no idea what it will be, I do at least know much of what it will NOT be. That’s good enough for me until He comes.
If, as it said, that curiosity kills the cat…what does our morbid obsession about the afterlife do us? At the very least it wounds our shalom while opening wide the doors to speculation and fantasy which fuels our desire to know the unknown and unrevealed, which leads us to the occult and perhaps ultimately to the very place in the afterlife we fear. Foolish indeed. Michael
Trust is good enough for me. He has proven Himself to me time and time again in ways no human ever could. Here’s an example of His faithfulness.
http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=14965
Ask, listen, trust…..absolutely,
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come; He will glorify Me for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; Therefore I aid that He will take of mine and declare it to you.
“Because whatever is going to happen in the next world is now, right now, a matter of trust, not information. Right now we trust in the character of God, not in the table of contents of The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Right now all we know is that the One True God is faithful. Speculation is spectacularly foolish. Is that enough for you?”
I have to ask myself is trust enough for me. Having been brought up with “absent from the body, present with the Lord” I think about my life and all the mistakes I have made, trust is the only hope I have left. I think about loved ones who have passed away and how the consolation of well meaning people saying “don’t worry, they have gone to a better place.” The consolation I have with most of my family loved ones who have passed away is that their trust and faith was in YHWH and lived their lives in service for Him. They believed in Yahshua and served Him to the best of their ability.
Skip, you have challenged me time and time again with your prompting to search things out and question things I had been taught as Gospel Truth for many years and seek to find the truth.
I thank you sincerely for the time and effort you put into Today’s Word. I find encouragement and help to increase my trust in the True and Living Word.
“We just make up what we want it to look like and then populate the place with those people we want there.” Sadly deceived, with a false comfort/consolation
that does not challenge us to seek to walk closer to ABBA.
“…restoring righteousness here, on this earth..” is the place I desire to be-heaven on a restored earth where righteousness/true love, justice and truth reigns.
It would be the most wonderful place to live, as YHWH meant it to be from the beginning.
“purely spiritual existence”, it will not be. When Meshiach was resurrected, He could walk through walls, and in Luke- Meshiach asked for food; in John, could be touched by ‘doubting’ T’oma.
1Co 2:9 But as it has been written, “Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, nor have entered into the heart of man what Elohim has prepared for those who love Him.”1 Footnote: 1Isa. 64:4.
1Co 2:10 But Elohim has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all matters, even the depths of Elohim.
Whatever our Abba has in store for us, we will be satisfied with. I do believe that heaven is a real place but the dead are not there. They are sleeping awaiting one of two resurrections. I believe that we will spend the one thousand years spoken of in Revelation with out dear Saviour in His heavenly home and when the thousand years are ended and the judgement of the wick completed then this earth, made new, will be the eternal home of Abraham and his seed. Praise Him!!
Somehow, it always gave me an eerie feeling to think that people “in heaven” were “looking down” and watching me. And I also thought then, that I could wait til I made it there to “get it right”.
I am grateful for magical thinking turned toward Torah. 🙂