What heaven looks like
As already mentioned, heaven is a place where pure souls will be in the future. The question of how it looks in reality is one of the most important. All descriptions emphasize that it is impossible to convey in earthly words all the beauty of this place. It is also stated that there are “many mansions” in heaven. For everyone who ends up there, there will be a different monastery depending on how close the soul was to God for the duration of its life. However, everyone in his “abode” will have access to the highest bliss.
Church teachings say that heaven is God's high creation that was created on earth. God stepped there, and while he was not yet separated from the earth, water flowed out of paradise, divided into 4 streams. These streams irrigated the earth, and the water itself connected the Garden of Eden with the earth. Paradise was huge and located on a mountain that was the center of the earth.
In an Orthodox church, heaven is symbolized by the altar. And the temple itself personifies the universe.
What is the tree of life?
Not what, but Who, and the heavenly tree of Life, according to the patristic tradition, expressed, in particular, by the Byzantine theologian St. Niketas Stiphatus (XI century) - called
“God himself, the Creator of everything... having... life, and bearing edible fruit only to those who are worthy of life, as not subject to death,” giving “inexpressible sweetness to those who have a part in His divine communion and distributing to them immortal life.”
We also find a complete analogy of the Tree of Paradise from the book of Genesis, which nourishes the human race, in the Revelation of St. Apostle John the Theologian (Rev. 22: 2, 14). Such a sublime interpretation, based, we note, on real spiritual experience, does not cancel the literal-historical understanding, just as the most sublime understanding of the sacrament of the Eucharist, the timeless “marriage supper of the Lamb” does not cancel the material and spatio-temporal component of everything that he is surrounded during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the temple.
The road to heaven
Everyone has ever wondered whether they will go to heaven? Are there ways to get there? It is said that heaven is prepared by the Lord for everyone. There are no clear instructions, but there are guidelines in the New Testament.
The Church asks that the chapters of the Testament be read daily. In this case, after a year, you will begin to evaluate your life and actions from the point of view of God's laws. And they are the basis of Christianity.
When a person dies, he will stand trial. It will be determined whether the gates of heaven will open before us.
But how should you spend your life to receive heavenly blessings:
- Open Faith. A person must be open and simple towards his faith throughout his life. There should be no doubt in his soul, wickedness. You need to be open to the words of your parents as a child. For those who do not believe and are disingenuous, the road will be closed.
- Repentance. People who during their lifetime did not create a worthy fruit for repentance will be punished. During life, you need to change your consciousness and repent.
- Humility. It is important that a person be contrite in heart and humble in his will. It was for pride that Satan was expelled from paradise. Therefore, the gates do not open to such people.
- Follow Christ. This involves renunciation of everything that binds one to life on earth. If your soul strives for the Kingdom of Heaven, then all problems should fade into another plane.
Man is a macrocosm
Creation of Adam;
mosaic of the Cathedral in Montreal. 12th century Image from the site ruicon.ru Man is more than once called the king of the universe in patristic tradition. In what sense? Adam was called to preserve and cultivate paradise, and his descendants bear full responsibility for the created material world, which is a kind of continuation of human corporeality.
St. Maximus the Confessor, reflecting on the Gospel text (John 19:23), which speaks of the division of the clothes of the crucified Savior by soldiers, writes: “... let us understand what the intention of Scripture is in this case, and how in us, with our negligence for good, crucifies The Lord, and how He is exposed due to our failure to do good, and demons, to serve the passions through us, divide, like [His] clothes, His creation. <…>
If, in addition to what has been said, you wish to understand the world of incorporeal and intelligible entities under the tunic woven on top, and to think of nature under the outer clothing, which Scripture divided into four parts, as into elements, then you will not sin against the truth. From these two worlds, [the demons] destroyed the body through corruption, gaining power against us in breaking the law of the commandment, but they did not tear the soul, as akin to the heavenly world.” Commenting on these words, patrolologist prof. A.I. Sidorov notes: “Rev. Maxim here proceeds from the idea of man as a “microcosm,” which is similar to and closely related to the “macrocosm,” consisting of the intelligible and sensory worlds corresponding to the soul and body of man.”
It is also interesting that a number of holy fathers (St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Simeon the New Theologian, St. Nikita Stifat, St. Gregory Palamas) considered man as a “macrocosm” in relation to the world – “microcosm.” This approach is due to the approach to man as the image of God, placed at the “center of the universe” and responsible for the entrusted universe.
Description of heaven in religions
What real paradise looks like can be determined for yourself based on mythology and religion. Let's look at the most popular historical descriptions.
Elysium
This name refers to ancient mythology. In addition, paradise here also received such names as “valley of arrival”, “Elysees Fields”. This place is called special. It was believed that Zeus settled here only with special people who died in battles. Later this place became available to those who were dedicated and blessed in soul during life.
The Island of the Blessed was described as a place where spring is eternal, there are no worries or sorrows. The righteous here lead a blissful life that includes evenings of music and even sports games.
Iriy
In the East Slavic and East Polish descriptions, paradise is presented as a mythical country. Iriy in this mythology is located near the warm sea, where birds fly to spend the winter.
The tree of paradise has the same name. Birds live on it, and the souls of the dead go there too. There is a belief that the cuckoo is the first to fly here, as it opens the gates here with its keys; the last to fly to Iriy is the stork.
Eden
The idea of what life in heaven looks like in Christianity was expressed in the Kingdom of God. A clear description and idea of this place is not given. It is spoken of as a place for righteous souls or described as the kingdom of God.
If we consider the theological concept, then in Christianity there is a goal of “deification.” From this point of view, heaven is communication with God.
There is another image that shows what heaven looks like. In this description it is presented as a place that is opposed to “Babylon” on earth. Angels and the Lord reside here. Night never falls here, light always shines. The tree of life bears fruit every month, and everyone serves God.
Jannat
There is a more specific description of the afterlife in Islam. Here they call it Jannat. What does heaven look like in Islam? This place is divided into levels, each of which includes a certain category of righteous people. Paradise is decorated with gold, everything is blooming and fragrant everywhere. Everything is surrounded by fruitful gardens and milk rivers. Sinless people can be close to Allah and receive eternal benefits.
There are castles in the gardens; these places are decorated with carpets, pillows, bowls. The righteous can eat wine, fruits, meat, and they themselves are dressed in silks and jewelry. Islam says nothing about women in heaven, but men are surrounded by Gurian maidens and their sons.
Sukhavati
Buddhist mythology tells of a paradise ruled by Amitabha. This place is called Sukhavati, where all the buildings are made of precious metals and stones, and the soil and water are noble. This place is inhabited by people (or beings) who during their lifetime decided to become a Buddha for the benefit of others. Here they achieve nirvana and receive unlimited happiness.
Here they believe that for the deceased this road is not the final one. Once in heaven or hell, having received bliss or punishment, she moves into a new body. Buddhists call this transition samsara.
After the soul had migrated for a long time, it was sent to a special place called nirvana. Especially righteous souls were subjected to this. The difference between Nirvana and the first place is that it gives eternal peace and happiness, but it is all more like a dream.
Ialu Fields
And this afterlife belongs to Egyptian mythology. Otherwise, paradise here is called “Reed Fields”. In this place, after the trial by Osiris, the deceased continued to lead the same earthly life. However, it differs in that he received immortality, happiness, and the gods provided him with gifts and allowed him to receive a rich harvest.
So that the deceased no longer had to work in the kingdom of the dead and could rest, figurines made of clay or wood were placed in the tomb.
They could have the form:
- porter;
- scribe;
- the reaper
Wealthy Egyptians placed one figurine for each day of the year. If the families were poor, then the figurines were replaced with scrolls containing a list of 360 names of helpers. When the deceased found himself in the Fields of Ialu, a magic spell made it possible to revive the list and create workers.
Valhalla
“Palace of the Fallen” is exactly how the heavenly place located in Asgard is translated. According to myths, this place is intended for those who died in battle. Odin rules here. If you believe the legends, this place does not look like the photos from the films. Here is a high hall with a roof made of golden shields, and they are supported on spears.
There is a belief that the final battle will come and then 800 warriors called Einherjar will enter the hall through 540 doors. Their battle continues every day. They fight to the death, after which they are resurrected and feast at the table.
Warriors eat meat. They get it themselves by killing game, which can also be resurrected. Their drink includes honey from goats. The goat's name is Heidrun, she eats leaves from the World Tree. And at night, maidens come to the Einherjar and give their caresses until the morning.
Will animals be resurrected?
Adam names the animals.
Fresco of the church of the monastery of St. Nicholas the Pacifier in Meteora (Greece). 16th century, master Theophan of Crete. Image from wikipedia.org In general, the Orthodox tradition does not recognize the immortality of not only the physical, but also the spiritual nature of animals. Saint Basil the Great says about this:
“Why does the earth plague the living soul? So that you know the difference between the soul of cattle and the soul of man. You will soon learn how the human soul is created, but now listen about the soul of the dumb. According to Scripture, the soul of every animal is its blood (Lev. 17:11) , and condensed blood usually turns into flesh, and decayed flesh decomposes into the ground; then, in all fairness, the soul of cattle is something earthly. <…>
Consider the connection of soul with blood, blood with flesh, flesh with earth; and again, in the reverse order, move from earth to flesh, from flesh to blood, from blood to soul; and you will find that the soul of cattle is earth. Do not think that it is older than their bodily composition, and that it remains after the destruction of the body.” Saint Gregory Palamas writes: “Sensual and dumb creatures of the animal world have in themselves only the spirit of life, and even that in itself is not able to exist, they are completely devoid of an immortal mind and the gift of speech;
beings that exist above the entire sensory (material) world - Angels and Archangels - although spiritual and rational, have an immortal mind and word (mind), but do not have a life-giving spirit in themselves, and therefore do not possess a body, which receives life from the life-giving spirit;
man, the only one created in the image of the Trinitarian Nature, has an immortal mind and the gift of speech and a spirit that gives life to the body (associated with him)”;
“The soul of each of the irrational living beings is the life of the body, animated by it, and having this life not in essence, but in action, as life in relation to another, but not in itself.”
Indeed, it is difficult to imagine that after the Fall of man the nature of animals changed so much, which led to the mortality of the immortal souls of “dumb” living beings. Apparently, they were created initially as transient and limited in their existence in time.
At the same time, it can be assumed that before Adam’s crime, their transition to non-existence was not associated with the same physical sensations and suffering as in the present era.
Next life is eternal
The joys of this world come to an end sooner or later. Someday a person gets tired of what used to bring pleasure. And he is looking for something new to replace what is boring. In Paradise, everything is different: a person will not experience boredom, and every activity will bring more and more joy.
Besides, worldly life is short. Not everyone even lives to be seventy years old.
“Say: “This world’s blessings are short-lived, but the Hereafter is better for him who fears God.” (Quran 4:77)
In Paradise life is eternal. The Almighty says:
“Rivers flow there, food does not dry out, and the shadow does not disappear...” (Quran 13:35).
“What you have will run out, but what Allah has will remain forever” (Quran 16:96).
“(They will be told): This is Our inexhaustible provision” (Quran 38:54).
A few words about genies
The sacred texts speak not only about people, but also about jinn. These creatures also have a soul and a mind, which means will and the right to choose. On the Day of Judgment, they, like people, will appear before Allah, who will decide their fate.
Jinns can be believers. In this case, they adhere to a righteous life and do everything necessary to get to heaven. But there are also those who do evil and will be sent to hell by Allah.
The consequences of the Fall and the promise of the Savior
When the first people sinned, they felt ashamed and afraid, as happens to everyone who does wrong. They immediately noticed that they were naked. To cover their nakedness, they sewed clothes for themselves from fig tree leaves, in the form of wide belts. Instead of receiving perfection equal to God's, as they wanted, it turned out the other way around, their minds became darkened, they began to be tormented, and they lost peace of mind.
All this happened because they knew good and evil against the will of God, that is, through sin
.
Sin changed people so much that when they heard the voice of God in paradise, they hid among the trees in fear and shame, immediately forgetting that nothing could be hidden anywhere from the omnipresent and omniscient God. Thus, every sin removes people from God.
But God, in His mercy, began to call them to repentance
, that is, so that people understand their sin, confess it to the Lord and ask for forgiveness.
The Lord asked: “Adam, where are you?”
Adam answered: “I heard Your voice in paradise and was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
God asked again: “Who told you that you were naked? Have you not eaten fruit from the tree from which I forbade you to eat?”
But Adam said: “The wife whom You gave me, she gave me fruit and I ate it.” So Adam began to blame Eve and even God himself, who gave him a wife.
And the Lord said to Eve: “What have you done?”
But instead of repenting, Eve also answered: “The serpent tempted me, and I ate.”
Then the Lord announced the consequences of the sin they had committed.
God said to Eve: “ You will give birth to children in illness and must obey your husband.”
».
Adam said: “ Because of your sin, the earth will not be fruitful as before. She will produce thorns and thistles for you. By the sweat of your brow you will eat bread
”, that is, you will earn food through hard work, “
until you return to the land from which you were taken
,” that is, until you die.
“ For dust you are, and to dust you will return
.”
And he said to the devil, who was hiding in the snake, the main culprit of human sin: “ You are cursed because you did this.”
"... And he said that there would be a struggle between him and people, in which people would remain victorious, namely: “
The seed of the woman will erase your head, and you will bruise his heel
,” that is, from the wife will come
a Descendant - the Savior of the world
, Who will be born from the virgin, he will defeat the devil and save people, but for this he himself will have to suffer.
People accepted this promise or promise of God about the coming of the Savior with faith and joy, because it gave them great consolation. And so that people do not forget this promise of God, God taught people to make sacrifices
. To do this, He commanded to slaughter a calf, lamb or goat and burn them with a prayer for the forgiveness of sins and with faith in the future Savior. Such a sacrifice was a pre-image or prototype of the Savior, Who had to suffer and shed His blood for our sins, that is, with His most pure blood, wash our souls from sin and make them pure, holy, again worthy of heaven.
Right there, in paradise, the first sacrifice for the sin of people was made. And God made clothes for Adam and Eve from the skins of animals and clothed them.
But since people became sinners, they could no longer live in paradise, and the Lord expelled them from paradise. And the Lord placed a cherub angel with a fiery sword at the entrance to paradise to guard the path to the tree of life. The original sin of Adam and Eve with all its consequences, through natural birth, passed on to all their offspring, that is, to all of humanity - to all of us. That is why we are born sinners and are subject to all the consequences of sin: sorrows, illnesses and death.
So, the consequences of the Fall turned out to be enormous and grave. People have lost their heavenly blissful life. The world, darkened by sin, has changed: from then on the earth began to produce crops with difficulty; in the fields, along with good fruits, weeds began to grow; animals began to fear humans, became wild and predatory. Disease, suffering and death appeared. But, most importantly, people, through their sinfulness, lost close and direct communication with God; He no longer appeared to them in a visible way, as in paradise, that is, people’s prayer became imperfect.
Note
: see the Bible in the book. "Genesis": ch.
3
, 7-24.
Where to look for heaven - the opinion of theologians and mystics
The location of the “higher spheres” interests humanity no less than evidence of the existence of paradise. Neither a scientist, nor a mystic, nor a theologian will tell you the exact coordinates. Now one of the most popular versions is the assumption that the tabernacles of paradise are still in heaven. However, it will not be possible to get there even with the help of a space shuttle.
Paradise is located in a different space-time. Or, if you prefer, in some “subtle sphere” inaccessible to material objects.
The Catholic Church does not entirely agree with this formulation of the issue. Thus, the Pope called in 1999 to reject erroneous ideas about heaven as some kind of physical, geographically defined place.
According to the head of the Vatican, heaven is a direct, continuous connection with the Trinity on a spiritual level. And idyllic springs, flowers, lawns among the clouds are a metaphor. It is designed to simplify the understanding and perception of the idea.
However, the Pope’s calls can only suit deeply religious people who follow the principle “I believe because it is absurd.” Scientists continue to search for the location of heaven. And there is some progress in this direction.
