Boredom

[Lynx]

Ever wonder what we'll do in Heaven for all eternity?  Ever wonder if we'll get bored? 

It's easy enough to get bored as it is, and this life is finite.  People complain of boredom all the time.  It's the main reason televisions are so popular.  Humans can get bored very quickly.  Even the best of friends can run out of things to talk about on a long car trip.

But Heaven is for eternity.  The Bible says Heaven will be a finite physical space, with a finite number of people (those who are saved.) And though the Bible doesn't say anything about new babies being born in Heaven, Jesus did say we would be as the angels, neither marrying nor giving in marriage.  And though I will want to hear your stories from your time on earth, there will only be a finite number of stories to tell. 

Mind you, I don't want you going around saying that Bro. Isaac claims Heaven will be boring.  I don't personally think it will get boring.  But I want to hear your take(s) on this.  What do you think we'll do for all eternity?  How do you think we will keep from getting bored?

[Raven180]

I kind of have a wild, unsubstantiated theory, one that I'm not overly dogmatic about, and don't even really believe. But it serves as an answer to your question.

We know that 1/3 of the angels fell with Satan (Revelation 12:4). We also know that, as you mentioned, in the Resurrection, we will be like the angels (Matthew 22:30). Now, what's interesting about that word "like" (which in the KJV is "as") is that the Greek preposition hos (translated as like or as) can also mean "even as".

My theory is that the final tally of all the saved saints will be directly equal to the number of angels who fell in the rebellion.

Essentially we will replace them and take their place.

Here's the twist.

Some commentators speculate that the planet existed at least once before. This is based on two passages of Scripture.

Genesis 1:2,

2. And the earth was without form, and void...

Jeremiah 4:23-27,

23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

Regarding the first verse, the claim is that even though the earth was formless and void, it still existed (The Hebrew word for "without form" means to lie waste; the Hebrew word for "void" means to be empty. This suggests the planet existed, but had been ravaged in or by some undisclosed calamity.

This relates to the passage in Jeremiah. It is believed that Jeremiah, in a close parallel of Genesis 1:2, actually refers to and gives some details regarding the supposed undisclosed calamity that ravaged earth prior to, what amounts to, it's RE-CREATION (This would help explain why the earth appears to be millions of years old, and yet Scripturally speaking, appears to be only 6,000 to 10,000 years old).

This then is the theory: God has been doing what He does forever, literally. Right now, we are in the midst of one particular chapter of the saga. It will culminate, as Scripture declares, sometime after Revelation 22. Then, after an unknown amount of time in eternity, God will start over, recreate the ravaged earth (the New Earth of the Bible), again bring life to the planet in some form or another, and we, as angels and sons of God, will sing together and shout for joy at the new creation of God (Compare to Job 38:7).

Then, sometime after all that, the saga will play out again in some fashion. We, as angels, will serve our purpose in the next chapter much the same ways angels currently do. Some may fall, and one may even become the next world's version of Satan. This then, will occupy our time and will give us something to do, so we won't get bored with forever.

[Lynx]

If we replace the fallen angels 1-for-1, then the total number of people who can be saved was set when the angels fell.  That would be more toward Calvinism, predestination, etc. 

If this planet is essentially the same one with a face-lift, how are all old things done away with and all things made new?

However, these are topics for another thread.  Basically you are saying we will become angels and assume their duties?

[Scott]

That theory is very close to some Mormonistic ideas.

[Melody]

That's depressing.

[Raven180]

C'mon guys. It's just some fun speculation.

If we replace the fallen angels 1-for-1, then the total number of people who can be saved was set when the angels fell.  That would be more toward Calvinism, predestination, etc.

Only if God predetermined it all to occur and made it happen. But, if in God's foreknowledge, before He ever created anything, He saw all this transpire, and omnisciently knew the numbers involved, it wouldn't be predestination.

If this planet is essentially the same one with a face-lift, how are all old things done away with and all things made new?

Depends on how materialistically you want to understand that verse. We are in Christ, all things have become new, and yet, we're still in the same old bodies (for now) with the same old everything else, except for salvation, materially speaking, so does that mean all things didn't become new for us when we were saved?

Basically you are saying we will become angels and assume their duties?

A guess is all.

[Scott]

C'mon guys. It's just some fun speculation.

Speculation like that is how false doctrine gets started.

If we replace the fallen angels 1-for-1, then the total number of people who can be saved was set when the angels fell.  That would be more toward Calvinism, predestination, etc.

Only if God predetermined it all to occur and made it happen. But, if in God's foreknowledge, before He ever created anything, He saw all this transpire, and omnisciently knew the numbers involved, it wouldn't be predestination.

That is almost  a direct quote from Calvinistic thinking and arguments.

If this planet is essentially the same one with a face-lift, how are all old things done away with and all things made new?

Depends on how materialistically you want to understand that verse. We are in Christ, all things have become new, and yet, we're still in the same old bodies (for now) with the same old everything else, except for salvation, materially speaking, so does that mean all things didn't become new for us when we were saved?

You are adding to the scriptures

Basically you are saying we will become angels and assume their duties?

A guess is all.

[/quote]

Let's see what the bible says...
1 Corinthians 6:3-5
King James Version (KJV)
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

[Lynx]

Let's see what the bible says...

Precisely.  Raven I have nothing against speculation - this thread is specifically inviting it in fact - but speculation that directly contradicts what the Bible says is not what I was after.  It's one of them slippery slope things: "If this, then maybe that" can be very dangerous when you start with an "If this" that goes against what the Bible says.

[Lynx]

Sthpeaking of sthpeculation... Anyone else have any ideas?

[SippinTea]

Ever wonder what we'll do in Heaven for all eternity?  Ever wonder if we'll get bored? 

It's easy enough to get bored as it is, and this life is finite.  People complain of boredom all the time.  It's the main reason televisions are so popular.  Humans can get bored very quickly.  Even the best of friends can run out of things to talk about on a long car trip.

But Heaven is for eternity.  The Bible says Heaven will be a finite physical space, with a finite number of people (those who are saved.) And though the Bible doesn't say anything about new babies being born in Heaven, Jesus did say we would be as the angels, neither marrying nor giving in marriage.  And though I will want to hear your stories from your time on earth, there will only be a finite number of stories to tell. 

Mind you, I don't want you going around saying that Bro. Isaac claims Heaven will be boring.  I don't personally think it will get boring.  But I want to hear your take(s) on this.  What do you think we'll do for all eternity?  How do you think we will keep from getting bored?

Funny. Chris and I have had similar conversations.

Personally, I tend to think we'll have plenty of jobs/work to do in addition to just being in His presence and worshiping Him. And... there are a number of Scriptures that talk about rest for His people. I dunno about you, but I'm worn out. Resting for the first hundred years or so might be nice. As far as the having work to do thing... it's not that I exactly have Scripture for it, but God seems to place a lot of emphasis on work that's worthwhile, faithfulness in our assignments, etc. And I kinda don't think that's going to end just because this world ends.

[Scott]

1 Corinthians 2:9

New International Version (©2011)
However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" -- the things God has prepared for those who love him--

New Living Translation (©2007)
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."

English Standard Version (©2001)
But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"—

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

[Lynx]

Personally I don't believe the concept of boredom will have any validity because there will be no time.  We use the term "eternity" and we think of it as Heaven having a starting point but no endpoint, but I don't think we can really wrap our minds around the concept of there being no time at all.  When God created the universe He created time as a part of it, to give it chronological structure.  But God exists outside time and is not constrained by it (which is how He could know what to tell His prophets to say will happen.) 

I'm not saying I can really comprehend what it will be like to exist without time either.  But as boredom does seem to be a function of time, or rather a human reaction to the passing of time, I don't think it will have any place to factor into existence in Heaven. 

Or maybe I've just read too much science fiction.  You decide.   

[clark thompson]

I think the last verse in amazing grace sums up what heaven will be like. We know from the bible praises of God won't cease so in heaven is where they then would continue so, we will be praising God for ever without struggles or pain we will worship Him. " And when we've been there ten thousand years we have no less days to sing His praise."