13: Into Eternity – Discussion Starters
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1. Famous atheists such as Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche criticized the Christian belief in eternity by arguing that it was an “escapist” tool to convince people to devalue earthly life and passively wait for heaven. Yet, psychologists (see the book The Time Paradox) who have studied belief in eternity have been surprised to find that those who believe in eternal life tend to have the highest
happiness, the highest health status, and a high degree of commitment to enjoy earthly relationships. Why might this be the case?
2. The authors of The Time Paradox, as well as other psychologists (see Baumeister et al., “Some Key Differences Between a Happy Life and a Meaningful Life.” Journal of Positive Psychology, 8 (6), 505-516) 1 also found that people who believe in eternity are less angry and impatient with the frustrations of modern life. Believers take a long-term view of what God is doing for them. They seek the “meaning” of why we are here more than just straight-up “happiness now.” The Baumeister study found that people whose primary focus was “happiness now ” tended to be “takers,” less willing to engage in any commitments that might become demanding at times; similarly, this group reported a dramatic drop in life satisfaction when their immediate happiness was blocked. By contrast, people whose primary focus was “meaning” tended to be “givers,” more willing to engage in commitments to others that might make demands upon them. This group also showed higher, more consistent life satisfaction even when challenging circumstances impinged on their moment-to-moment happiness. Why might this be the case?
3. In what way are the great tumults of Revelation Chapter 6 a helpful Scripture for every generation, not just the last one?
4. What earthly battles in your life right now pull your attention away from eternity?
5. The author of our lesson says we live in a world that clamors for attention. What earthly distractions pull your attention away from eternity?
6. According to science, the book or tablet in your hand is not exactly as ‘simple’ as it looks. Science tries to give us a visual “model” of atoms in motion that are “tending to stick together” to make an object we can sense, so we can understand it better. Should we then expect heaven to be so simple to understand? Our lesson quotes Ellen White reminding us that “No finite mind can comprehend the Paradise of God.” Indeed, all Biblical imagery of heaven uses a human model we can understand to give us just a glimpse (paradise, a garden, a beautiful city, healing trees, a wedding, a banquet, a reunion) of reality. When you think of heaven, how do you picture it?
7. What moments in your life seem to you to give the closest thing to a “taste of heaven?”
8. A theologian once said, “All those who will be saved are all those who would be
happy to be in heaven.” What do you think of this concept?
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