50 Shades of Heaven

A number of movies and other medium, both secular and Christian, have portrayed heaven. No matter whether the heaven displayed is meant for comedic or dramatic effect, and even though each heaven is distinct from the other, they have one thing in common: God has no place in those heavens! He never seems to be around.

It’s a bizarre though rarely noted phenomenon. And it is intentional. Modern society (alas, the only society we have today) is big on inclusiveness and tolerance. These can be good things. But when it comes to heaven and to God’s design, in order to make heaven all-inclusive you have to disregard scripture. God is love (1 John 4:8), and He is forgiving (Daniel 9:9). He is also intolerant towards unrepentant sin. The bible pulls no punches where is describes the results of sin left unacknowledged and hearts unrepentant (Revelation 21:8, Romans 2:6-8). To disobey and outright ignore God’s will and design for our lives is to choose a path that leads away from Him—for eternity. This cultural idea that pretty much everyone is going to their own version of heaven, where they will be served up their every whim and answer to no one, is absurd, and smacks of irreverence.

The world is afraid of offending people, and yet no one seems afraid of offending and disrespecting Almighty God, who created the world and made the rules. This is backwards. It is displayed most blatantly in the idea (even from so-called Christian movies) that God just isn’t around in heaven, because there are many faiths and many versions of gods. It is ridiculous and irreverent.

Hard Biblical Truth #1: If all those other faiths were true, then Christianity would be false.
Hard Biblical truth #2: Heaven is exclusive. It’s like a mile-high club; you can’t expect to get in just because you think you deserve to. There are rules and conditions set by the owner. His club, His rules, whether you like it or not.

I have put forth no personal opinions in this post. My views did not come into play. I love God’s word, therefore I believe it and adhere to it. ‘The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works’ (Psalm 145:17). That’s what the bible says, that’s what I believe. In this world you choose what you revere. I choose to revere my Creator, not my fellow humans with their fickle cultural opinions.