God abides in heaven, scripture says, sitting on his throne. Some say that such descriptions are metaphoric. But what gives man the right to dismiss the words of scripture and impose his personal interpretation on it? Contemporary scientists and philosophers present new theories every year. Therefore if we can impose our personal conceptions on scripture, then what is the value of scripture? Therefore let us accept scripture as scripture is presented to us. This is called “fundamentalism”. Otherwise, with each passing year, passing decade, passing century, the Bible is presented to us according to the speculative thoughts of the men of this world.
So, God abides in heaven. He sits on a throne, and he’s surrounded by the heavenly host. How large is that heavenly host? There is no ability to count such an infinite number of individual souls. And there, in heaven, there is neither birth nor death. Everyone is eternal. Because spirit is eternal. The souls in heaven have eternal spiritual bodies. There is no material body in heaven. Material nature is “ashes to ashes, dust to dust”. From dust the material form arises. And to dust it returns. Three destinations for this material body that we love so much. Earth, ashes, or stool. If the body is buried, it composts and returns into earth. If it is burned, it is turned to ashes. And if it is thrown to the the animals, the vultures, and the dogs, it is digested and is excreted as stool.
In heaven, God is very happy. And the heavenly host is very happy. Therefore, what is the need for God to create the material world, where everything is temporal, and where there is so much suffering, where all of us experience the process of birth, old age, disease and death?
The need is explained in the Bible. All the souls in heaven love the Lord completely, with all of their hearts…just as Jesus instructed to the Jewish clergy…“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all of thy heart.” But if we are forced to love God, if we have no freedom of choice…that is not love. Therefore although God has created all of us only for that purpose, to love Him completely, He allows us to choose, to exercise our free will. And therefore there is some contingent, some minority of souls, who choose independence. Some souls who decide to live independent of God’s advice. That choice is always available to us. Just like Adam and Eve. They yielded to that temptation. Therefore God creates the material world. To house those who make that less intelligent choice. And here we are. The Garden of Eden is not here on this earthly planet. The Garden of Eden is the spiritual world. And we have been evicted…to indulge our desire for life in separation.
Just like, in every city, there is a prison house. The city counsel does not want prisoners. But they know, there will be a rebellious element in society. Therefore they construct a prison house, when the city is constructed. They create a prison. This material world is God’s prison house.
In the prison house there are so many unhappy conditions imposed. Similarly, in the material creation, there is so much suffering, of mind, of body, of nature, due to other living entities, etc., etc. And every one has to work very hard, by the sweat of their brow, in order to pursue enjoyment. And no matter how successful a man’s life appears…no one can keep it. It is all taken away at the time of death.
But God is very kind. The material creation is not only for our suffering. It is for our redemption. Just like the man in prison…he is given some time to think things over, to consider having a change of heart. Only one who begins to have a change of heart, can begin to hear the message of freedom. Therefore, when we are suffering here in this world, God sends His messenger to us, His counselor, His therapist. And for those who are responding to God’s therapeutic arrangement, Jesus says, “Those who have ears, let them hear.” And this is the purpose of God’s material creation. it is for giving us a second chance. Otherwise, when God is living in heaven with the heavenly host, why would he cause us to be born here in this world of birth and death? He places us here, because we have chosen independence. We are the “prodigal sons and daughters” of God. And He sends Jesus here, into the prison house, to take us home.
Jesus is the parole officer. And if we report to him consistently, he takes us out of this world. And if we break parole, we are placed back behind the bars of this material creation. Therefore this material world exists for this one purpose…for our redemption. And because God loves us more than we can imagine, he has created this material world to give us a second chance.
There is one verse in Bible wherein God says, “Before you were placed in your mothers’s womb, I knew you.” We are eternal spirit souls. But we have been placed here, in the material creation, for our redemption.