Til Death Do Us Part?

So after my last blog (depressing much!!?) it is time for a change in topic. Enough about weightloss, it's a boring subject really, kinda like watching paint dry (or fat melt lol). I am once again optimistic and driven so let's forget about that for a while.

That's right, everybody take a big sigh of relief.

Now on to something far more interesting!!

As you all know, I have the best husband in the world. Actually. Sorry if you think your's is the best; you are wrong. And this has nothing to do with me loving being right. 

You are just wrong. Simple as that.

(awwww aren't we the cutest!!!)

My amazingly wonderful husband and I were talking in bed last night about how sad it is that even the best things, like marriage for example, are tainted by the sadness that one day it ends in death.

Yes, I am serious, we talk about things like that in bed.

Maybe we both need counselling.

We weren't being morbid just for the fun of it, rather we were debating whether or not there is marriage in heaven (*co....geeks....ugh*)

Luke was saying how sad he would be if he wasn't married to me in heaven (seeeeee....best husband EVER!! He said it without any prompting even!). Kinda made me teary hearing him talk like that but my view of heaven is way different.

If Jesus wipes every tear from our eye and there is no more death then heaven seems like a pretty awesome place to be.

(Note: when I speak of 'heaven' I want to put a disclaimer out that this means anything after death whether that be heaven, new earth or renewed earth. Lemme just say that before some theology nerds argue with me over something I don't mean haha).

Also, if heaven is where our love for God and love for each other is perfected then we would have overwhelming love for complete strangers. Not erotic love, so whether or not there is sex is heaven is an interesting addition to this, but love where we see the other as fully human and loved by God.

If this is the case then we would never be lonely. We would never want for companionship. We would find people to talk to and share life with wherever we go.

Would then this render marriage obsolete?

If our deep emotional connections were being fulfilled elsewhere would the purpose of marriage in heaven be only for children? But if everyone lives forever wouldn't it get really overpopulated really fast?

I see marriage in this life as an amazing wonderful gift where we can experience the closest we can to what it means to be loved fully by another human being. And even then it gets messy at times.

Will we need that in a place where we experience love all the time?

There is also the issue of what happens if say, hypothetically, I die tomorrow? If Luke and I are married in heaven does that mean for the rest of his life he must remain a widower?

I would hate him to be alone for the rest of his time here!!! But it would make things a tad tricky if he then had to choose which woman he wanted for eternity (I might get the tinsiest bit homicidally jealous if it wasn't me. Just saying).

I kind of like Luke. He is pretty awesome. And the thought of us being separated by death sucks big time.

But does death part us? 

Or does it lead us into a new understanding of each other, of God and of others?

I guess no one really knows til we get there, until then I will just keep treasuring our night time talks, morbid or not, and every moment I get with him.

Why Eschatology is so important

Now I know that as soon as some people read this title they are gonna have their guard up or perhaps not even read this. Eschatology, or our idea of the end times, is a hot subject in Christian circles. Much time is spent arguing whether or not their will be a rapture, whether one is a pre-, post-, or amillenialist. Our ideas of heaven and hell and how God will (or will not) judge people and who will be saved. All of these are, if not overtly, hotly contested issues within churches and some people will go to a church or not depending on the churches view on eschatology.

Others take a different approach. Many people, in reaction to the hype around these issues, believe that it is better to ignore them. If we don't argue about them then it is better, in fact no one really cares or needs to care about the end times; what happens will happen. While I agree with some of this I also think that, while we could definately argue less, I would say that our view on what happens after this life or at the end of the world shapes how we live today. Let me explain.

If you are an atheist and you believe there is nothing after this life expect worms and darkness, then this will affect how you live your life. You will probably need to find a reason for being on this planet for 80 odd years. Usually that involves fun, money, work, family etc. They become your purpose but there is no need to rack up 'brownie points' by living for anyone or anything other than what you want and what makes you happy. You may chose to help others and be a giving person but that would be out of your own desire not from any belief that a person is intrinsicly worth something or compassion and love is something that has a 'higher purpose'. Your belief in nothing after life will dictate how you feel about life and how you respond to others.

On the other hand if you believe that there is something after this life then that will have an impact to. Maybe you don't believe in bodily resurrection. If you don't then your attitude towards people with physically disabilities may be one of deep sorrow and very little hope for those people. They have been 'cursed' in a sense and will never know anything else. If you believe in bodily resurrection then you will have hope for their one day being able to run and walk and be healed. There is a reason to not despair. Your view on bodily resurrection after this life affects how you think and feel and act in this life.

If you believe that everyone will be saved then you may not evangelise as much as someone who believes passionately that there is a selection process that people go through. In fact religions that have a belief in life after death are much more evangelistic than those that don't. In other words our eschatological beliefs shape how we act towards others and how we think about the value of life.

I think that this is something we need to be aware of. We need to discover what we believe about life after death and the end times, and why we believe it, so that we can see how this impacts the way we view others and humanity. Many Christians never look at what they believe will happen and don't see the impact that it has on their actions. Churches are often so strong on eschatology or so anti teaching it that people can get quite an unbalanced view and never see how it impacts today! So think on your eschatology, don't avoid it, argue and debate and think and ponder and challenge yourself and others. Perhaps what you find out about yourself and how you think about others will shock and challenge you.

Eschatology is not your enemy, embrace the tension!