Making Sense of Eschatology (Heaven) from a Child’s Longing

I have lots of nephews and nieces, since I come from a very large extended family. Each of them is unique in character and I am often fascinated not just by the energy they demand from me but also by the sparks of thoughtfulness they provoke in me. Yet, I am waiting to see one who is as daring – not with mischief, but with her inquisitive mind – as Zina (short for Zinachimdimma, which simply translates as ‘Testify that my God is good’). Zina (8 years old) and I have had a lot of interesting conversations. In some of these, I struggle to be as lucid as possible while trying to keep up with her intelligent questions which she always fired like a finger placed on a trigger of a machine gun. Our topics range from school, to maps, books, my job, pictures, future, to her siblings, and so on. On one of such conversations, she triggered off a reflection on eschatology/heaven in me. Thanks to my friend Tony, with whom I shared the story. I will tell you about it shortly.

However, it is quite correct to say that theological topics like eschatology or heaven have always been tenuous due to the debate between the advocates of the simply ‘hereafter’ and those of ‘yet and the no yet’. To put it simply, arguments have always been seen, on the one hand, from the perspective of heaven as one of the ‘four last things’, which simply demands that people live uprightly in order to merit it, and so is intrinsically tied to (non-)sinfulness. On the other hand, there is the popular stand that the Kingdom of God begins here and now and extends beyond to the future (Eschatology). Thus, heaven as a future event or status is brought to the present without dismissing its character as a future that is yearned for. There is a lot to say within the ambient of hardcore theological argumentation on this topic, which for many pious or simple-minded individuals could make little or no sense. 

What the ordinary Christian understands as heaven is a place or state of eternal joy and happiness. It is the abode of God, who is the perfect goodness, perfect love, perfect beauty and purity. And before God one hopes to dwell in eternal delight of all perfect things. Heaven represents therefore that longing for an end to the strife, bitterness, sorrows and tribulations of this world. Often due to the lack of complete hope in the present circumstance that is constantly and gravely distorted by human greed, hate and sin the complete promise of serenity and peace can only be associated with the afterlife where the righteous would enjoy another ‘world’ in which only good things exist. It would be a life that is never boring, away from the distress, depression and despondency of the present.

Speaking of boring things, heaven finds a metaphor in being a place where there is no boredom. This was a revelation that I came across from the lips of my very inquisitive niece. During one of my telephone chats with Zina, I was subjected to a very rigorous cross-examination on why I am still studying at this age and after some years as a priest. 

Zina: “Why do you still go to school? School is boring!”

Myself: “No Zina, school is not boring. School is fun.”

Zina: “I disagree uncle. School is boring.”

Dumebi interjects. “Yeah, school is boring!”

Myself: “Really? Alright. What then is not boring?”

Dumebi: “Sleeping is not boring.” Zina, who is much younger, disagrees vehemently with Dumebi. “Sleeping is boring.”

Eager to learn from the very smart and ever-inquisitive Zina, I asked humbly: “What then is not boring, Zina?”

Zina: “Uncle, to go Disneyland and stay there forever!”

“To go to Disneyland and stay there forever”? I confess that I have never been to Disneyland, but I know a bit of Disneyland, from movies, books and news. Disneyland is a place of fun, fantasy, and fascination for kids. I think for most adults who have visited it too. It is an Eldorado of some sort. Everything glitters. Everything shines. It is a world of itself, yet never a ‘real’ world. It is part of the world of entertainment, culture and tourism. 

I do not know if heaven is anything short of an Eldorado. If so, then Disneyland is a taste of heaven. If not, then I wonder how anything short of an Eldorado could be associated with heaven. If Disneyland is a place of fun, peace, joy, beauty, glitter, charm and serenity created by humans, then heaven should be the better version designed by God himself. If that is so, then human imagination may have succeeded in recreating heaven on earth.

However, despite this great stride of humanity, there is still a missing link between Disneyland and heaven. A quick investigation already shows that Disneyland is gravely discriminatory: It has only 15 homes each of which is very expensive. Thus, there is only room for few people to stay and the poor are de facto not welcome! Yet heaven is a longing for all peoples. Meanwhile, if Disneyworld discriminates between the rich and the poor, then it cannot be universalized just the way heaven becomes accessible to all who strive to do good, and as such, is given by grace, unmerited at all. More still in Disneyland, people come and go but it can only ‘image’ heaven if there is the possibility of staying there forever by everyone.

But here is the big lesson: Disneyland’s attempt to replicate or to serve as a foretaste of heaven is not completely frustrated by the deficiencies that my comparison has just revealed. Rather, it can still serve as a symbol of what our hearts should be like. Can we make our hearts as beautiful and delightful as Disneyland? Can we rid our hearts of all vile elements of hatred, greed, war, perfidy, and sinfulness? Can we fill our hearts and minds with the beauty, joy, love, happiness, and glamour that one experiences in Disneyland? Only then can we never get bored, and only then can we transform our world into heaven … Disneyland. It is only through this means that Disneyland can be universalized, and made accessible to everyone. Interestingly, once everyone can live in Disneyland, then no one is poor anymore.

Thank you Zina! You will read this when you enter college. Not now! You are still in Grade II…I mean Grade III.