Where are the Songs about Heaven?
Growing up in a Southern Baptist church in Georgia I was accustomed to hearing songs about heaven in the worship services. We use to sing songs like “When We All Get to Heaven,” and “In the Sweet By and By.” I would venture to say that today we do not sing songs like these very often - songs focused on our eternal home.
I was reminded of that when I came across a song written by Bob Kauflin called “It Is Not Death to Die.” Kauflin based this song on an older hymn text of the same title written in the nineteenth century. Why don’t we sing songs in worship like these today? Songs that give us an eternal perspective and remind us that “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.”
Is our lack of eternal perspective related to a culture focused on materialism and pleasure-seeking? Do we really like our earthly home better? It seems that those who speak of heaven and spending eternity with Jesus most often are those who are in the midst of strife whether it be health issues, persecution or poverty.
I know that I need to keep an eternal perspective and not be so focused on the distractions of this world. I am reminded of the I John passage (2:15-17):
Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of the God lives forever.
I appreciate songs like “It is not death to die” which gives an eternal perspective and reminds us of our real home with the Father. I think we need more songs like this to help us stay focused on the goal (Hebrews 12:1-3).
It is not death to die,
To leave this weary road,
And join with saints who dwell on high,
Who’ve found their home with God.
It is not death to close,
The eyes long dimmed by tears,
And wake in joy before the throne,
Delivered from our fears.
Oh, Jesus conquering the grave,
Your precious blood has power to save.
All who trust in You,
Will in Your mercy find,
That is not death to die.
It is not death to fling,
Aside this earthly dust,
And rise with strong and noble wing,
To live among the just.
It is not death to hear,
The key unlock the door
That sets us free from mortal years,
To praise You evermore.
Original words by Henri Malan (1787-1864). Translated by George Bethune (1847). Music, chorus and alternate words by Bob Kauflin.
Sample of song:
http://www.sovereigngracemusic.org/albums/category/sovereign_grace_music/come_weary_saints
Dr. Brewton,
I think you’re right on when you speak of our lack of eternal perspective. It is vital that our churches sing songs about heaven so that our minds will be renewed and directed towards our destination. Our longing for the eternal kingdom will produce fruitful labor as we live in the already but not yet.
I would like to add a comment about “songs about heaven”. Not only do we not sing songs about heaven enough but the songs that we do sing often misrepresent the biblical perspective of our eternal destination.
Many songs seem to picture heaven as our final home of rest. The Bible seems to place the final home for the believer at the future resurrection when our bodies are completely renewed in the new heavens and new earth. The ressurection of the dead, new heavens and new earth, and making things right are themes often left our of worship literature about heaven in place of descriptions of escaping the material world and entering into a spiritual one.
The emphasis on the later is on going. We are going to heaven. Lyrics like, “When we all get to heaven” and “There’s a land that is fairer than day, And by faith we can see it afar; For the Father waits over the way To prepare us a dwelling place there” are a few examples of this going theme. The danger is that in singing songs like these we become tempted to view the physical world as bad and the spirit world as good. It almost becomes Platonic or even Gnostic. Instead of hoping for a renewed body we end up hoping to escape the body and “go be with Jesus in paradise”.
Please don’t get me wrong. I do not believe in soul sleep. When the believer dies he is in heaven with Jesus but that is not the final story. The Bible seems to describe the eschatalogical fulfilment as an event where heaven comes to us. Isaiah 65:17 says “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”
Consider Revelation 21:1-3, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
Not only do we need to sings songs about heaven but we need to sing accurate songs about heaven. Where are the songs about the resurrection of the body? about God renewing every broken piece of the physical world? about justice and righteous filling the entire earth? Our home is not apart from the physical world in some kind of Greek spirit life. No, our home is in the new heavens and the new earth with a new body.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I would agree that some of our “heaven songs” from the past are not necessarily a biblical perspective of heaven. My comments about singing songs about heaven were intended to help us refocus on our calling as Christians to be about the Kingdom work here which will continue for eternity.