The idea that heaven and heavenly bodies are more REAL is described in C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce”. (Unfortunate title, since it refers not to the end of marriage, but to the great chasm/divorce between heaven and hell.) Visitors to heaven find heaven’s grass so REAL that it pokes through the soles of their spirit feet.
It’s a good read, and I’ve found it helped me re-think the idea of hell. Instead of flaming torture it is the ultimate collection of narcissists whose individualism has run amuck. It’s worth reading.
The idea that heaven and heavenly bodies are more REAL is described in C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce”.
A good book, and one of Lewis' that doesn't get as much attention as others.
Lewis is careful to make sure we know he's not providing us a real picture of Heaven and Hell.
I did read the CS Lewis book, The Great Divorce, but the heaven my Dad showed me was much different...Lewis probably described the people in heaven and hell very accurately, though. Anyway, here’s something else I have permission to share, from the family of a patient whose death I attended.
This lovely lady died of cancer, and I was her night nurse. She asked me to stay with her, her last night, and said she was going to die. I told my supervisor, who gave me permission to stay with her until her family arrived, and give her anything she asked for.
She didn’t want anything, but started talking. “Can you smell the flowers?” she asked. It was a typical cancer death room, and there were no flowers, and the smell was the usual, any nurse will know. “Smell the flowers” she insisted, “Oh, can you see? They are soooo beautiful!” She put her hands up to her face, and breathed in very deep, with a lovely smile.
“Oh, there’s Jesus!” she said, sounding surprised. She said a couple of words that indicated He did not look the way she thought He would, but that He was such a beautiful man. I can’t recall those words, but I remember saying, “Tell Him I said hello. Tell Him I love Him...” and then, with her eyes wide open, she relaxed back onto her pillow, and passed. I closed her eyes, but I remember they were clear, serene, and calm.
I burst into tears. My super came in, and while we cleaned her body, I told her everything. “Be sure to tell her family what you told me,” my boss said.
Her family came in about a half hour after, and we all talked, cried and hugged each other. I have never been so privileged to be a nurse, and I will never forget that night. I’ve posted about it before, but somehow it never gets old. Neither does heaven, I think. ;-D