"Jesus died so that you could be saved from your sins and so that you could go to Heaven."
This is what I've always heard and known to be true. I heard it in Sunday school growing up, all the way through college. It's a simple, yet completely complex sentence when it's unpacked, and up until today, a sentence that I never thought could've been mis-shaping my reality of what Heaven may be like.
First off, let me start by saying that I agree with the above sentence. I believe that Jesus died so I could be saved from my sins and one day see eternity; however, today, something was pointed out to me that completely rocked my world. At the end of the above sentence is the phrase, 'go to Heaven.' It's a phrase that we all use when a loved one passes away, when referencing the 90's Disney movie about dogs going to Heaven and when talking about the after life. Going to Heaven is something to hope and long for; however, what if we have it wrong? What if, ultimately, we don't all go to Heaven, but instead, Heaven comes here?
There's a simple conversation in Luke 24 that takes place after Jesus has come back from being dead. He shows up to His disciples and asks them if they have anything to eat. Then, they give Him a piece of fish, and He ate it.
That's it.
That story was enough to convince me that maybe my views of Eternity and Heaven have been far from accurate. You see, I've always imagined, like many people, that Heaven is a place of harps, clouds and togas (oh, my!). I've tried to imagine its pearly gates, unending worship and perfection, but honestly, I think I've been imagining it wrong. I've been imagining Jesus' resurrection wrong, and therefor have imagined Heaven wrong (even though it's still probably unimaginable).
Jesus died, and He didn't resurrect in Heaven. He resurrected on earth. He didn't come back as a ghost or a spirit, but He came back as a fish-eating human with scars on His hands, feet and sides. He brought the resurrection to earth and brought Heaven to earth in turn.
No longer do I just believe that I'm going to go to Heaven when I die for eternity. But I now see and believe that because Christ resurrected from the dead, He will in turn resurrect me from the dead, and not just me, but the whole earth. He will bring Heaven to earth, and it will be perfect, just in the way that it was intended. God will walk with us as He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden before the Fall, and all will be perfect. All because Christ first resurrected, He is now and will continue to resurrect us.
-Cliff
Cliff's Note: I'm a living, breathing Hell, and it's up to Jesus to resurrect me.