This is speculation, so bear that in
mind, I really don't have a definite idea what heaven will be like.
I've heard a number of eschatology positions (theological study of
end time events), but I don't endorse any, because I haven't taken
the years required to know the thing. So when I talk here about
heaven, I'm not talking about a “new heaven and new earth” or a
thousand year reign of Christ; or anything that specific; I'm
referring to a time when God has intervened and removed the
difficulties of this world.
I look at those difficulties, and what
the best contemporary choices are. Do this for long, and you end up
with a knowledge of some of the ways people shortchange and mistreat
others. So it is that I let my mind wander, and started thinking
about a place where men did not and/or could not take advantage of
one another. I realize that this is only part of the suffering we
see.
Men play shell games with money, money
on a larger scale: Make all other mediums of exchange illegal, then
control the distribution of the one legal form. Control means
borrowing large amounts of money, spending it on preferred and
profitable causes; then creating more of the money units, so that
when you pay back the borrowed money, you're actually paying back
less. Control means setting interest rates, so that a lot of people
will borrow money to invest in the latest hot trend. When the trend
gets unsustainable, people start to lose jobs. Banks and others are
left holding overpriced mortgages. The controllers make more money
units, to pay back their banking friends, and try to create jobs. But
now, everybody's money units are worth less than before, so retirees
who saved for years aren't able to cover costs. The salaries of wage
earners don't buy what they did before. This is a crude and partial
analysis of the shell games the controllers play with the money.
Then think about taxes. Even if you're
low income, and think that you don't pay much in taxes, think again.
I've heard it said that trucking is the most heavily regulated
industry in America. How many of those regulations involve no fee,
just fill out the forms? Does the trucking company just say:”Oh
well, I guess we'll just operate at a loss, so goods can continue to
be distributed”? You pay. Think about how much the labor for every
part in a truck is taxed, before the tuck is assembled. Do you still
wonder why your paycheck evaporates as it does? That's just trucking.
Millions of government workers have to be supported, who in turn make
more regulations, more inspections, more fees. What does the
government do with this money? All kinds of things really, like pay
for research to determine if there are lesbian seagulls. I'm not
making this up; I'm creative, but I don't know if I could think of
that one.
So I wondered about a place where
money wasn't mandatory. It's pretty cool having a medium of exchange;
so that the violin maker doesn't have to barter with the ice cream
maker, who doesn't have to barter with the car manufacturer, who
doesn't have to barter with the diode maker, who doesn't have to
barter for a 20 acre parcel of land. I'm not talking about no money,
just a place where it's optional. Imagine vast interconnecting tracts
of land, all owned by God. You can travel as you wish. If you want to
use a car, OK, they're fun; but time is no more, so if it takes
(longer?) to get where you're going, so what? Lots of nice scenery
and people along the way. There are no freezing winter storms, so if
you want to sleep under shrubs and trees, that works fine. You won't
need a house, so they can't tax your property. Fruit grows year
round, so you won't need money for restaurants of grocery stores. If
you want to spend a hundred (years?) learning to be masterful at
music, blacksmithing, or any other skill, go for it. You won't need a
job to support yourself while doing it.
The sabbath is a picture of a final
rest. The bible talks about saints in heaven dressed in white. This
is probably a picture of being clean from sin, but I saw a possible
additional meaning. Peasants have long worn dark colored clothing to
hide stains acquired at work. When I see someone wearing phosphorous
white tennis shoes, to me it's a status symbol. I couldn't wear those
for 20 minutes without getting them scuffed and stained. My idea of
the sabbath day not only excludes work, but the pressure of work.
Think about a world with no deadlines, no getting fired, no past due
bills. Think about a world where no one can trick you out of part of
your earnings. Not here on earth. When people here start talking
about how the state needs to own the means of production, or any
other Utopian scheme; the solution is always worse than the problem.
Heaven is very real, and coming sooner
than you might think (time flies). You can be there, the offer is
open to you, but only on God's terms. His terms are that your sins
will keep you out. If you find the One that lived a sinless life, and
was willing to trade his sinless standing for your guilty standing,
then you will be adopted into God's family. There is only One who can
do this for you, His name is Jesus. If you have not already, ask him
to forgive you today. This life is the only chance you get to meet
His terms, otherwise, hell. You don't know how long you have before
your end, and remember, “time flies”.
