First, I do not think God will answer our questions on the other side. I think we will have a more clear understanding of who God is, but our search for meaning and for God will not end in the life of the world to come. Rather, we will constantly and continually disc0vering anew the grace, peace, and love of God so deeply. It will be a constant exploration that will encompass all parts of our life. Indeed, this was the way it was always meant to be.

Second, heaven is not just a ‘nice’ place. I think we need to get rid of this kind of language. The idea of heaven also as ‘perfect’ place seems to me lacking. I am not even sure I have words to describe the idea I have of heaven. I think the rejection of ‘perfect’ or ‘better’ also helps us to reject any kind of platonic notions of heaven as a ‘more perfect earth.’ Heaven is none other than the kingdom of heaven where the will of God is always done. Because God is king, he reigns in such a place without the force that political leaders in our contemporary world must use to elicit subjugation of its citizens (whether the subjugation seems forced or not is not the question, but the fact that it exists in all places).

With the coming of the Kingdom of God, we will see the end of such forceful political force and the beginning of what Hauerwas calls The Peaceable Kingdom.

‘suffer eternal life’ is a striking combination of words.

Peace to you today.

It deals with this question.

And Nietzsche’s idea of the eternal return deals with a similar question. He suggests that we should live as if we were destined to relive our lives in every detail over and over and over.

Shelley and Nietzsche were, of course, writing about how to live this life.

I am with you and the sage who that death is the final enemy. I would be glad to suffer eternal life with God.