True education should prepare its protégées to be successful citizens in this life, and to look forward to the new heaven and the new earth. Christian education is expected to inject into the mind of the student to aim at the Kingdom of God. The ultimate goal of Christian education, and that of the Christian hope, is to live eternally in the new heaven and the new earth, which await the faithful when Christ returns.
Dear Youssary, may I respectfully disagree with your premise that heaven’s hours, days, years, eternity, will be filled with work-related activities. To those of us involved in day-to-day activities on planet Earth, and are rewarded for our labour it is all very well to think of such a concept. For the billions of people who have existed on this planet, under duress, extreme hardship, forced or unpaid labour, slavery, underfed and unloved - the concept of ongoing work is not something to look forward to. However, the ability to be creative, to allow oneself to be vulnerable, to be open to new ideas, to be whole in body and mind, and take eternal life one step at a time, with Jesus - that’s the education that will be most meaningful to the meekest, shyest, hungriest, hurting of God’s children. Take care, and keep pondering your way through His word. (Heather, from a Queensland Sabbath School)
I think we need to be careful of falling into the same trap as Eve did. The devil was able to make her think about what the future holds and not what the present required. The future promised God’s wisdom, being able to know good and evil, while the present demanded her to do the will of God and not eat from the tree.
We might need to reconsider this “true education” if it is to make us heavenly bound but earthly useless. I think true education needs to help us in the here and now… loving God and loving one another as ourselves… it’s in he here and now that we learn the importance of telling the truth. True education needs make us realize the consequences of coveting.
Heaven and all it entails will take care of itself. Unless God reveals it to us we have no business obsessing over it. Or else we will fall into the trap of thinking about how our works can get us there. The blood of Jesus and what it’s done for every single person in this world, that for me is true education; It’s not racist, tribal, sexist etc…
How can a man who still sees color comprehend what true heaven will be like?
Otherwise, I like how Randy Alcorn in his book heaven as you put it, “suggests”… that’s all we can ever do about a future don’t know, suggest.
I appreciate the author’s speculation of the New Earth (heaven is not our home). I believe meditation and a sanctified imagination are important to God and learning. They can give us enlightenment and joy. I wouldn’t use the term work exactly about the new life, but we shall surely be busy and most of all motivated more than this earthly existence has given most of us. But our motivation and energy will come from God and all that we do will glorify Him. We will be free to use our talents. This is not obsession, but a desire. We are different in our interests, and some are more imaginative than others. The love that motivates us here to serve others will be much more in a place where sin and selfishness does not reign.
That’s right. The mention of Tree of Life bearing it’s fruit every month is metaphorically speaking of continual advancement of what God plans to impart to us. More perfecting. We never reach perfection here. We are just counted as perfect as we continue to become more adapted through the Spirit in "The Way, The Truth and The Life. “Heaven is a ceaseless approaching to God”.