C. S. Lewis felt that time was one of the greatest pieces of evidence for the existence of heaven. Mankind seems constantly surprised by the passing of time. We see someone we haven't seen since they were a child and we're astonished, genuinely so, at their growth and development. It's almost as if we expected them to remain the same. Parents are always taken aback when their child gets married, remarking, "It seems like only yesterday when they were only this big." Why is this?
Lewis contends that humans being shocked by the passage of time is about as ridiculous as a fish constantly startled by the presence of water. That is, unless that fish was really meant for land. So it is with us; we are meant for a timeless existence. We know it, deep down. We aren't supposed to get old, wrinkles and watch people die. Why would this seem unjust unless we instinctively knew that it wasn't our destiny?
Heaven, as it is described in the Bible is not full of celestial virgins, or one's own planet; it is a timeless, eternal, neverchanging existence with the Creator. Before the fall of man (see: Adam & Eve), life on earth was quite similar. Afterward, we became bound by time, human limitations, death and a severe separation from God.
The Bible says that God placed "eternity in (our) hearts." Every human being that ever existed has had a sense of the eternal. This can easily be seen in moments of sorrow, panic, and pain. The first thing people ask when they feel pain is, "Where is God now? How can there be a just God if there is so much injustice in the world?" Well, how would we know injustice unless we had a just God to measure such injustices? The question proves the existence.
Why would people cry out to a higher power, question that power's benevolence and lament the passing of time unless there 1.) was a higher power, 2.) He was/is good and 3.) we're meant to live with Him in an eternal, timeless place?
One of the many lovely questions brought by my favorite author of all time--Clive Staples Lewis, aka "Jack."
Posted by Portia at October 9, 2005 09:25 AM | TrackBack
