My wife got an email about preview showings of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. I really like the movie series. If you’ve been with me long enough, you know I’ve written something on both of the previous ones. Are there dragons in Heaven and The alpha protects them all. This one reminds me of when Paul writes about the things God has prepared for those who love him.
No, it’s not a Christian movie. But then, since God is everywhere, we should be able to find something of Him in anything – either His good qualities, or the fact that we need Him. In The hidden world, it’s something good. Something beyond anything we could ever think of.
Here’s what Paul wrote:
Wisdom From the Spirit
1Co 2:6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
1Co 2:16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
The things God has prepared for those who love him – Wisdom
OK – that was about wisdom. And so it’s tempting to think I took Paul’s statement about the things God has prepared for those who love him out of context. But let’s hold that thought for a moment – keep an open mind – and keep going.
Here’s the immediate passage, which is indeed about wisdom:
9 However, as it is written:
“No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
These three verses clearly tell us that something – actually, all things in the next life – from God have never been seen, heard, or even thought of by us mere mortals. One of the keys here is to recognize that Paul’s writing about what God has prepared for those who love him. That’s not the world we now live in. Remember – even the very best things we see, hear and think of in this world are, in one way or another, corrupted by Satan. Everything.
There was a time when things in this world were “very good”.
Ge 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning— the sixth day.
Ge 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
For more on the question of literal versus figurative “days”, please see It’s time for Christians to acknowledge what Darwin REALLY did, which goes over the alleged differences between what the Bible says about Creation versus what the theory of evolution says. You’ll see that the only real difference is whether credit is given to God – or if it’s somehow all random chance. Note: it takes more “faith” to believe it’s random than to believe it was God.
I also invite you to check out Is evolution a concept from Satan?, which goes into the Hebrew / Jewish concept of a “creation day”. The Old Testament is, after all, Jewish scripture. For anyone to remove their cultural concept of a creation day and substitute a 24-hour day in its place is, at best, a misunderstanding of what they believed.
After reading those two articles, your should have a very different view of what Genesis actually records about creation. Not the English version. Or French, German, or whatever language you use. But the original version – Hebrew. And, with the cultural concepts of the people at the time it was written – not the beliefs of our time with so much of the rich meaning behind the Hebrew words removed.
Very good
So – back to “very good”. We don’t really know what “very good” meant. We don’t have a clue what the world was really like in the time of Adam and Eve. Even the fact that there were no poisonous plants (they could eat every plant), no mosquitoes (no living being ate another living being), and no danger from anything (other than the serpent).
But even that thought is minor, at best. After all these thousand of years, the best scientific minds of our time still cannot even begin to honestly figure out how this universe we live in came to be. I say “honest”, because all those theories about what happened really aren’t “honest”.
They’re all theories. Not facts. Theories. Worse yet, competing theories. Even more so, mutually exclusive competing theories. The simple, honest truth is that we just don’t know.
But God not only knows how it happened – He made it happen.
According to Genesis, God made it happen just by speaking. Oddly enough, even one of our (human) theories says that vibrations are what makes everything in our universe what it is. For a simple explanation, please see Science vs God – The Concepts of String Theory.
Wisdom and very good
So you see, there is a connection between what was “very good”, what will be “very good” (or should I say unbelievably good?) and wisdom.
Don’t believe it still? Think that these things don’t relate? Let’s look an one more passage before we move on. One that I use from time. It’s so full of wisdom.
God’s Wrath Against Mankind
Ro 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
…
Ro 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
If you’d like to read the entire passage, just click on Romans 1:18-32.
What we see here is that evidence of God is “plain“. Obvious. And visible would be a word to describe something that obvious. Things we can see. But look at verse 28. … they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God. There are things we used to know, but don’t know anymore. Things that were understood from what has been made. But now, for example, we’ve turned that knowledge into belief in random events.
The source of knowledge
The source of knowledge, of course, is God. We learned that way back in Exodus.
Ex 31:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments , both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”
We know that Satan corrupts that knowledge. But evidence is all around us that over time, God has given us more and more knowledge. Through that knowledge, we should be learning more and more about God. And in fact, as we learn more about the universe we live in, and as we learn more about even our own little planet, we should also be learning more and more about God. However, as Paul wrote in Romans, in general this doesn’t happen.
But for those Christians who do believe that this all came from God, and that learn more and more about how incredible and awesome God is – that same knowledge must also exponentially increase our realization that God is even that much more awesome than we could ever dream of.
Very good + incredibly good + knowledge = Dragons and the things God has prepared for those who love him
Ultimately, this leads to where I’m trying to go with this.
Look at what the world was like, as described in Genesis. Look at the knowledge God gave to people in Biblical times. Now, look at what we know today. True, some of that knowledge has been corrupted, but the base of that knowledge is good and did come from God.
Now, consider that God created what Adam and Eve saw. And consider that God also created the good things that we see today – either directly or via knowledge He gave to us. Next, realize that we can’t even begin to fathom the things God has prepared for those who love him. The next life will be a new heaven and a new earth. Unbelievably better than what we now have.
What will Heaven be like?
Hold what you’re thinking for just a few moments.
Let’s look at an undated article on Christianity Today titled, What will Heaven Be Like?
Here’s one of the questions:
17. Will there be nature in Heaven?
Scripture tells us there will be “a new heaven [that is, sky] and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1). If we have a new body, we need a new Earth: bodies are not for drifting in empty space. And if a world, why a dead world, like the moon, rather than a world brimming with life, like this Earth? I think we will have a much more intimate relationship with nature than we do now, not less. I think the images of the nature mystics and pantheist poets are almost right, but as prophecy: In the heavenly future we will get inside the secret of life that we now stare at as outsiders.
C. S. Lewis suggests, in his great sermon “The Weight of Glory,” that the reason we have peopled the Earth with gods and goddesses is so that these projections of ours can do what we long to do but cannot do, or at least cannot do yet: touch the inner secret of the beauty we see in nature. “But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we will get in.”
Look at that last part again:
… these projections of ours can do what we long to do but cannot do, or at least cannot do yet: touch the inner secret of the beauty we see in nature. “But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we will get in.”
Dragons and the things God has prepared for those who love him – riding a night fury?
Watching the movie, seeing the Hidden World where the dragons live in safety, gave me an idea of something I cannot now do, but would love to be able to do – in the next life.
We see nature as we now have it. But we know it’s fallen. It can / will be better.
We saw the movie in “regular” format. Not IMAX or 3D. When it opens, I will see it again in 3D.
Why see How to Train Your Dragon: the Hidden World in 3D? Because I’d love to do something like ride through the universe, God’s creation, on a Night Fury like Toothless. That Hidden World in the movie was absolutely beautiful. Even on a regular size screen. Even in 2D. On a large screen in 3D, with the lights and dragons flying around the theatre? Even better. It is DreamWorks – so you know the 3D will be great.
It’s something I can imagine. And yet, Heaven will be so much better than even what I can think of. Like I said, the movie is DreamWorks. How much more incredible, amazing, and awesome will God’s creation in the new Heaven and new earth be?
A child’s dream?
No – I’m not a child. Not in chronological age at least. But I try not to turn into a “grumpy old man” either. I want to keep the child-like wonder of what God has created. Even though I want to understand as much of it as I can – I still want to keep that sense of awe and wonder.
But before you dismiss riding around God’s creation on a night fury dragon as a child’s dream, consider another couple of questions from What will Heaven be like”?
19. Will there be animals in Heaven? Will my dead cat be there?
The simplest answer I know to this question, so frequently asked by children, is: Why not? Children’s questions are usually the best ones, and we should beware treating them with any less seriousness than their askers have in asking them. Right now, pets, like everything else in this world, can mediate God’s love and goodness to us and train us for our union with him, or they can distract us from him. In Heaven, everything mediates and nothing distracts.
Of course, I like his answer to whether or not our pets will be in Heaven. I really hope ours will be. I especially believe the part about pets can mediate God’s love and goodness to us and train us for our union with him. I have learned so much about the way we should behave towards God from the way they interacted with me. I have written about that many times. You can see the list at Learning from dogs.
But the big thing for this article is:
Children’s questions are usually the best ones, and we should beware treating them with any less seriousness than their askers have in asking them.
Don’t ignore the child in you. So many of the things we learn, as we saw from the Romans passage, lead us away from God. So don’t just write off the things that may lead you to Him.
The other thing I want to bring up from What will Heaven be like is this:
9. What happens in hell?
Nothing.
10. What happens in Heaven?
Everything.
At first, I thought, how can there be nothing in Hell? But after a moment, it makes sense. Who creates things? God. Satan can create nothing. He can only corrupt things that are already created. And even the things I mentioned earlier that God “creates” via knowledge He gives us – we need the raw materials from God. We cannot “create” something, turn one thing into another thing, without first having the raw materials from God and the knowledge from God.
Therefore, if Hell is the place where God isn’t, then there’s nothing of God in Hell. No things. Nothing. No knowledge. Nothing. And that means nothing that Satan can corrupt. Nothing. Absolute nothingness. How incredibly awful.
But on the flip side, everything that happens will all be in one place – Heaven. And since there won’t be any corruption of the things in Heaven – it will all be good. Very good. Incredibly awesome and very good.
Think about all that, and about what Jesus promised:
Mt 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mt 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Mt 5:5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Mt 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Mt 5:7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Mt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Mt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Mt 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mt 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Pretty awesome, isn’t it? If you’d like to learn more about this passage, The Beatitudes, please see The Beatitudes series.
Conclusion – Dragons and the things God has prepared for those who love him
So – do I really expect to ride Toothless?
I won’t just dismiss the idea out of hand. Who knows?
But really, the simple truth is that whatever awesome things I can think of, Heaven will be even better.
So I’m just looking forward to being awed and amazed.
The goal here wasn’t to tell you that Toothless will be in Heaven. And it wasn’t to get you to want to ride around the universe on him. No, the goal was to get you to think. Even more so, to dream. And dream big. Really big. And very good. To get you to realize that no matter how good you may think this life is, the next life will be so much better. Better than you think. Better than you can dream about. And something you really don’t want to miss.
If you don’t believe in God yet, give Him a chance. If you don’t think Jesus can create something infinitely better than what you now have, learn about Him. Believe in Him.
I had a dream one time. You can read about it in What does God want from us? It includes:
Then I see myself going to a concert with Jesus.
And Jerusalem Ridge is being played.
Jesus asks me if I liked it.
Of course I did.
Then He tells me – if you liked that – check this out.
Hope to see you at the concert, with music like we’ve never heard. Or maybe cruising around the galaxy, in awe at God’s creation. Or at whatever He has planned for us. No matter what – I can’t wait.