Are there more detailed descriptions how it is in Heaven?

Upvote:-1

I wondered if there are more detailed descriptions than the hints in the bible.

No, there aren't. None, anyway, that would be reliable. Anything extra-biblical is necessarily going to be pure conjecture.

That said, I think the bible may be able to answer some of your questions. (With respect to Ray Butterworth's comment, I'll assume that by "heaven" we're talking about "paradise" / "the New Earth" or wherever it is that the faithful end up in eternity. Which is, after all, the colloquial meaning.)

Are there modern houses and roads? Do people drive cars? If there are modern houses, do they have electricity?

Heaven is eternal, why would you be in a hurry to get anywhere? I expect either you'll walk everywhere (and enjoy doing so), or there will be some means of travel that is much better than mere automobiles. (Perhaps wherever you want to go is always just around the corner.)

Also, those in Heaven will need no lamps (Revelation 21:23). This book (which, BTW, seems to be the sort of thing you're trying to find) raises an interesting thought: "the dark world's lamps are copies of the sun". (The "dark world" here is a Narnian analogy for the Cursed Earth.) If artificial lights in this world are merely poor imitations of the True Light, what a wonder it will be when we no longer need such!

heaven would have modernized its infrastructure

Maybe, but why? I think they knew how to make comfortable chairs and beds (assuming we need them). Given that the climate is presumably idyllic, I'm not sure I'd even get worked up about not having indoor plumbing. What else do you really need? (Hint: I'm pretty sure people in Heaven won't be addicted to "smart phones"...)

Moreover, I would reiterate the previous point. The infrastructure (and transportation) we have created in this world is, at least partly, an attempt to make up for something we lost when Creation was Cursed. I would consider it quite likely that we won't need such things in the New Creation.

people need to work

No. God will provide for all our needs. The New Creation is in many ways a restoration of the original Creation, which means you ought to look to Genesis 1 and the Garden of Eden for inspiration. God's original plan was for man(kind) to live in the garden and eat of the food that the garden provided. The need to work the ground for food was part of the Curse.

Revelation speaks of believers serving God and singing His praises. It's unclear if individuals do this continually (which wouldn't leave much time for other things!) or if rather there is a continuous rotation of believers engaged in these activities. Keep in mind, however, this isn't "work" in the sense you might be thinking. Imagine, rather, something you want to do. Then imagine being able to devote all your time to this enjoyable activity.

Someone would need to operate the power plant

I would consider this unlikely. If there is electricity (see above), God Himself may simply supply it directly. Or maybe someone wants to operate a power plant, and does so.

This reminds me of something else I don't think you are considering, however, which is that entropy is part of the Curse. Even in biblical history, there are examples of God suspending entropy (the Israelites clothes not wearing out during the 40 years of wandering in the desert (Deuteronomy 29:5). In Heaven, any object that you have will never wear out, and because of this, if it isn't provided by God Himself, it is probably made lovingly and by hand by yourself or a fellow believer who enjoyed creating it. (Why wouldn't you make everything by hand? Time isn't an issue! Needing to replace it isn't an issue!)


My personal take: it's fun to speculate, but just remind yourself that it's Heaven. It will be wonderful, because you will be with God, face to face. Don't get too worked up wondering about the details.

You also mentioned:

I only have basic knowledge of the bible

I definitely recommend reading the bible. Ideally, all or at least most of it (maybe skip some of Leviticus that deal particularly with the Jewish ceremonial law). To your specific question, however, I would recommend Genesis 1-2, most/all of Revelation, and parts of Isaiah (chapter 65 in particular, but there might be others) and the Psalms.

Upvote:2

That is a good question. While I agree with others that there is no definitive source for information about the afterlife other than Scripture, we can try to address your question about modern conveniences by a thought experiment. This experiment could start with the following two questions and then we can explore the possibilities.

Personally I think that "The Great Divorce" and "The Last Battle", both by C. S. Lewis, along with his various comments on Heaven in his other books and writings, provide lots of great material for additional thought experiments and reflection on what Heaven / new creation might entail.

  • Will Heaven / the new creation have laws of physics that are similar to those of earth? If not, then the types of things that people would invent would be entirely different. If so, then it would be rational to assume that if the same challenges met us in a similar environment, you would end up with similar technology, though it may have advanced well beyond what we have now, with quantum physics and all sorts of other fun things.

  • Will we need these modern conveniences in the new creation or will God, like in Eden, provide such a perfect habitat that we simply feel no need for them?

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

“There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of ‘Heaven’ ridiculous by saying they do not want ‘to spend eternity playing harps’. The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them. All the scriptural imagery (harps, crowns, gold, etc.) is, of course, a merely symbolical attempt to express the inexpressible. Musical instruments are mentioned because for many people (not all) music is the thing known in the present life which most strongly suggests ecstasy and infinity. Crowns are mentioned to suggest the fact that those who are united with God in eternity share His splendour and power and joy. Gold is mentioned to suggest the timelessness of Heaven (gold does not rust) and the preciousness of it. People who take these symbols literally might as well think that when Christ told us to be like doves, He meant that we were to lay eggs.”

More post

Search Posts

Related post