What does heaven look like?

Perhaps not surprisingly, images of heaven abound, but people cannot help but wonder what heaven looks like. Because the concept of heaven has changed a lot over time.

Until the end of the 17th century, Heaven mainly talked about marvelous vision (Beatific Vision). The perfect happiness of eternity in Heaven includes worship, praise and worship of God along with angels, saints, martyrs, worthy people in the Old Testament and even some non-believers as noble as the great philosophers Plato and Aristotle.

Heaven is about seeing God "face to face" , not through "a dark glass" . It is an eternity centered on God or Christ in heaven. Therefore, the final judgment (1425-30) of Fra Angelico shows that Christ sits on a throne surrounded by angels, Mary and saints. His right hand is directed to Heaven, the left is to Hell. To the right of Christ, angels are sending the saved people through a paradise garden to a city in heaven, while on his left, demons are sending wicked people to Hell.

Picture 1 of What does heaven look like?
Christ's fresco in the glory of Niccolo Circignani Il Pomarancio (1588) in the Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo church in Rome, Italy.Western art is complete with images depicting the Christian paradise.(Image: Getty Images).

Traditional Judaism is somewhat more discreet about the next life. But when it is mentioned, it is based primarily on the spiritual vision of God. As a third-century cleric explained: "In the coming world there is no eating, drinking, no mating, no trading, no jealousy, no hatred; instead, the righteous sit with the king crown on your head and enjoy the splendor of the supreme being ".

Muslims also have the idea of marvelous ants. But Heaven is also a place of sensual pleasures. In the Islamic Paradise, the lucky ones will live in happy gardens, on benches facing each other. A cup of delicious wine from the stream will be passed on to those who did not do bad things. Fruit and meat will be available. And there will be young women, "with black eyes, as big as hidden gems The reward for what they have done" (Quran 56: 22-4).

But from the middle of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century, the concept of Heaven had a gradual shift focusing on human activities. The medieval notion that people in Heaven would be happier if they could see the sufferings of those who were tormented in hell disappeared, especially when people were more discontented when they saw public sufferings. testimony of another.The concept of hell as a place where eternal corporal punishment has begun to disappear, instead has the notion that all can ultimately be saved, at least if they wish.

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Modern heaven has been romanticized.Lovers will meet again.

Heaven today is closer than it was in the beginning - only a thin veil separates the living from the dead. It is also a continuation of physical existence , only when there is no suffering of this present life. Although Heaven is still a resting place, the saved people are increasingly active, creating an environment filled with joy. Human love has replaced the superiority of the divine love. The relationship between people becomes the foundation for the afterlife and the concept of family and relatives will be reunited. Modern heaven has been romanticized. Lovers will meet again.

However, despite our uncertainty about the existence of a life after death , Heaven is considered a post-death state in which we continue to be aware of ourselves and memories of our lives on Earth. Along with this, there is still the belief that we will be reunited with the people we love on this earth. Life there, as on this earth, will be a place of good people living happily, loving and developing morally, intellectually and spiritually.

Although we will no longer be in the physical body, there is still hope that we will be ourselves. In short, this life, despite all the sadness and suffering, gives us a glimpse of life afterwards. It is believed that the next life will be perfect if in the present life, we do good and avoid evil.