Is This Life an Appetizer?

For about 15 years now, I’ve had one foot in the a-millennial world I grew up in, and another foot in the post-millennial camp, a la Douglas Wilson.

 

I just read an article in Tabletalk (decidedly a-mil) describing this present earthly life as an appetizer to the main meal of heaven.  It invokes Calvin, and Psalm 102:3, 11, to assert that “this life is but smoke and shadow.”

 

[An aside: Psalm 102 speaks of life as fleeting.  It is a false inference to assert from this, that earthly life is less real or important, as the Gnostic impulse does.]

 

It occurred to me as I read this, that this whole debate simply regurgitates the competing priorities of Plato and Aristotle.

Is heaven more real, and this earth is shadows of heaven? (Plato/A-mil)

Or is the earth foundationally real, and to be focused upon? (Aristotle/Post-mil)

 

When I enjoy a tasty meal, do I need to downplay it (Platonic, a-mil style) by remembering that heaven’s delights will be greater?

Or do I need to say (Aristotelian, post-mil style), that due to the resurrection of the body, we know that this IS what the blessing of the new earth will be like?

 

Can’t I claim both?  The blessings of the new heaven and earth will be greater.

But that doesn’t lessen the earthly blessings that God gives us.

 

The article gets one thing right, as CS Lewis wrote about:

This world whets our appetite for something more to come.

 

That shouldn’t lead us to denigrate earthly joys.

But neither should we measure blessings to come completely by them.

 

Lewis also said that if we focus on earth, we will miss heaven.  But if we focus on heaven, we’ll get earth thrown in with the deal.

Post-mils seem to want to focus on earth, and never mind heaven.

A-mils seems to want to focus on heaven, and never mind earth.

 

It reminds me of Chesterton: if you look at the sun and the moon, I suppose some fool will talk about which is better.

I don't doubt the blessings of heaven will surpass those here on earth.

But neither will earthly blessings pass away, nor be spurned in the Regeneration.