I was glancing over a little bit of celebrity fluff in the Sunday Newspaper, and found this small piece from the actor Javier Bardem. He's speaking about a character he plays and said this:
"I don’t know if I’ll get to heaven. I’m a bad boy,” jokes the actor, 41. “Heaven must be nice, but is it too boring? Maybe you can get an apartment there and then go to hell for the weekends."
I was immediately reminded of the recent studying and writing I have been doing regarding the bible passages on Lazarus (see here), particularly the parable Lazarus. In the parable, we are clearly taught that the gulf between heaven and hell is fixed and permanent. There is no reversal or change after death. The opportunity we have to secure our position in either place is before we die. That's easy enough to do, see here. Ok, I was being a little facetious, it's not "easy" for some people to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but it's where we all have to start. There is something about that there Jesus. Look into it, check Him out. You might be surprised at what you find.
Anyway, I realize that Mr. Bardem's quote was meant to be taken lightly. But it illustrates for me a notion that a great many people have in making spiritual matters work in their own mind. I have come across this frequently when discussions with all sorts of people turn to God, life and death. It seems a good many folks are blending various religions, teachings and traditions with their own sensibilities and opinions, and using a hazy version of it as their spiritual authority. So many people want to believe various things about heaven and hell. They think that hell will be somehow a fun party rather than a place of torment. Heaven will be boring because there will be no vice there and the pleasurable aspects of our vices seem to hold us tightly.
If we use the Bible as our guide, which would make sense since it is the place that introduced the concepts of heaven and hell, and is one of the oldest and most reliable ancient manuscripts on a variety of subjects, there is a clear picture. Heaven will be a place of paradise, hell will be torment. Heaven will have the banquet party, a wedding feast. Heaven will be a place where there is not pollution of any kind, there will be unspoiled an beautiful landscapes to behold and explore. Heaven will contain a magnificent city and amazing architecture. There will be no pain there from the slightest ache to the most serious of diseases - none of that in heaven. No injustice or unfairness, no tears or sorrow of any kind. What's not to like about that?
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