joy unspeakable and full of glory. Have you ever been full of glory, a sense of the real presence of the Lord while worshiping or praying? If that is what heaven is then I imagine its not hard to think about bowing or falling or casting for lengthy periods of “time”. But personally I believe that God created the cosmos whether around us (heavens)us or in us (heart, literal and figurative) so we could learn about it. we obviously cant go out into the cosmos now because we would just sully the whole thing up. but with out sin i think we will be permitted to personally in an very close manner observe many things of life, space, psychology, spirituality to learn about who God is personally, creatively, individually and collectively for eternity always learning but never all because he is eternal. Ever had an amazing revelation in his word or through prayer where you learned something about who you are or who God is, maybe even just a treasure from his word. I could definitely do that 24/7

[...] Patton’s recent post over at Parchment & Pen in regards to the prevailing wrong understanding that many have of heaven, or the age to come, got [...]

I can’t reconcile the sexuality aspect of this. With Jesus mentioning us not being given or taken in marriage, but God clearly making Eve as Adam’s perfect companion.

Why would the Lord take away the wondrous physical attraction He gave me for my Wife and it’s complimentary fulfillment in sex when He restores all things to what he intended in the beginning?

I don’t mind waiting to find out, because I’m sure it will be lots better, woohoo, wont THAT be a hoot! Can I talk like that here?

The new Heaven and the new Earth will be good.

As to what they’re like? Well we’ve probably all had moments of pure wonder at the beauty of a sunrise or standing under a tree with the sun falling on us.

The new Earth is probably a lot like the old one, just without the bad things (and the annoying people).

Also, I am a Calvinist, yes, but I don’t believe that God controls everyone’s actions. I don’t know of any who do. Calvinists are not divine fatalists. Hope you research a little more before you make such statements in public.

Ouch! Thanks for the gentleness and respect.

There is a disclaimer about the “over the top” titles that I give this series. I am sorry you find them offensive. I have thought about changing them since people often take them the wrong way.

You sure like to refer to everyone’s beliefs as stupid statements. But what can be stupider than “I think God controls everyone’s actions.” You make the stupidest statement of all, being a Calvinist. Perhaps your problem with “In Heaven, We Will Be Bowing Down Before the Throne of God 24/7″ is that you refuse to bow to him because you hate him, which is also why you are a Calvinist who spreads lies about him and accuses him of being a malevolent lottery commissioner and respecter of persons.

Maybe we will fly. I wonder if animals will verbally communicate. Maybe we can walk through walls. — ScottL

What I would like to see is to have the creatures of our imagination — from Unicorns to Dragons to Sphinxes to Minotaurs to Faeries to Sea Serpents to My Little Ponies to Cat-Bears to Skitaire to Kuvrahk — become real. To be Resurrected from Imaginary into Reality.

“When you are in heaven, sinless and in perfect submission to God’s will, you will be perfectly and joyfully content bowing before the throne of God all day, everyday.”

What the wags over at Slacktivists Left Behind deconstruction blog call “Worship Bots”. And what I call “Eternal Cosmic North Korea”, where the Happy North Korean People Dance Joyfully with Great Enthusiasm before Comrade Dear Leader. Forever.

(When I first posted that image in another blog two years ago, I got a reply that “Only a certain kind of Preaching can turn a Father throwing a party for his kids into a Fascist Rally”.)

I once set out to teach a Sunday School series on Heaven. I started as I always do, by printing out an exhastive list of all the bible passages that contain the word “heaven”, or the greek translative, “ouranou”.

I was a little surprised to find that there was not a single appearance of the term that explicitly or necesarily denoted “place of eternal destination” (though there are many that are inferred to mean this.)

I was struck by the extent to which the binary constructs of Heaven & Hell dominate popular doctrine given the paucity of teaching on it by Jesus and the apostles.