Heaven has been regarded by some as a place where good people go to after they die. Even if they have done some bad things, the good will outweigh the bad and they will go to a beautiful place that reflects their own goodness, a place of peace and rest where they are rewarded for all the good they have done. But what if heaven isn’t a reward for goodness?
And Jesus said to him, ” Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
LUKE 23:43
There are many good people in the world. They love, care for others, are selfless and give of themselves tirelessly to promote the health and wellbeing of those in need and less fortunate than themselves. Such love is wonderful, powerful, a love that overcomes much evil and is believed to transcend this life into eternity. Love certainly does overcome much evil and continues on into eternity, but in a way we may never have imagined.
Existing beyond the realm of the natural world, heaven is considered a beautiful place full of everything that is good and as such, the place where a good person’s soul goes to after death. Conversely, the soul of the evil person is believed to go to an evil place after death, hence the fulfillment of sovereign justice where everyone receives their just reward in accordance with how they live their life.
Heaven has also been regarded as the dwelling place of God, the creator of heaven and earth, the source of all goodness and life who, throughout the course of history has sought to reveal Himself to humanity whom He loves. Those who have known Him have spoken of His love and compassion for them, how He would engage with them personally, care for them, provide for them and protect them in spite of the bad things they did, being in awe that almighty God wanted to be a part of their lives and wanted them to be a part of Him. The fullness of the revelation of who He was however would yet be realised as God would come to the earth Himself as a human being to personally invite all to come to Him and be with Him.
When God came however He extended His love, compassion and acceptance to those who didn’t deserve it. Those who did good couldn’t understand why God would respond in such a way given that wrong deserved condemnation and punishment, not goodness in return. But they didn’t know God, and they didn’t know themselves. For all of humanity had a nature that rejected God and was separate from Him, separate from the source of all goodness and life, a nature that gloried in itself and in its own goodness yet had the potential for such evil and even though many would do much good, that nature would always be there exposing itself in subtle expressions of arrogance, jealousy, revenge, hatred, rejection and even worthlessness.
So God manifested Himself as a man in the likeness of humanity to take the condemnation and punishment demanded by it for all the evil done. Through His death, sovereign justice would be served and through His resurrection from the dead and ascension back to heaven, the reality of who He was, declared since the beginning of time would be affirmed and the way established for all to come to Him and be with Him.
For God is pure, holy and righteous with no darkness or evil in Him and to be in His presence is to be confronted with that truth, a truth that demands either denial or acceptance. Those who deny Him cannot be with Him but those who accept Him are with Him forever, with the one whom heaven personifies, the God of all goodness and life, the very essence of love itself who gave of Himself completely, a sacrifice so powerful it destroyed evil forever, where heaven came to earth to abide in the hearts and minds of all who would receive Him ensuring His love continues on into eternity.