No Elections in Heaven

Heaven may be home to the elect, but I am glad to know there will be no elections.

What a relief. No need to compare and contrast one flawed candidate from another - - no candidates.

No debates. No stages lined with flag-pinned, suit-clad hopefuls, their faces turned toward their opponent’s, smiles stitched in place as they appear to listen, legal pads at the ready for scribbled rebuttals. No more flustered or tough moderators interrupting to reign in heated words. Nothing left to debate.

No Town Hall Meetings with a correspondent handing the microphone to the inquisitor of her choice. No screeners approving or disapproving questions because none will be off the table. No more controversy or dissatisfaction, or need to ask what will be done to help us, keep us safe, educate, or feed us.

No one will be able to unseat Heaven’s incumbent, and those deluded enough to think they are will have already slipped away, fists clenched, into despair and defeat.  

One great Ruler and one forever collective sigh of relief from those ruled. If you don’t know Christ, you may find my longing for a single ruler misguided. You may think that would be terrible to have our choices removed, no way to impeach or replace. But I know Him. For me, there can be no greater peace than to be ruled once and forever by Jesus Christ.

I’ll tell you why I think He’s the best and only one capable of making anything great again; why we will only be stronger together with Him. Certainly His divine knowledge, wisdom, and power make Him a shoe-in for the best-ever King. But, Jesus loves us and that is the icing on the cake - - on our tongue, stuck to the corners of our mouths, and coating our fingers - - that we cannot do without in our search for a perfect leader. He is always right, and He loves us.

Because Jesus loves us He will rule our forever home with patience. As our Creator, His intimate knowledge of our failings, fragility, and weakness, won’t cause him to turn away from, or mock us but will prompt Him to give of Himself - - to give us His strength so we can stand for all eternity. He will patiently remove our trespasses as far as east from west. He will patiently restore our bodies and minds, making the disabled able. He won’t try and grab a headline or sound bite, but with forbearance, will tell the whole story because He has nothing to hide and He has the best story ever. Context will be the goal, not something He’ll try and conceal beneath piles and piles of words shrewdly chosen to manipulate and fool His listeners. He won’t confuse, but clarify. No question will irritate, enrage, or befuddle Him. He will not hedge, duck, swerve, deny, mislead. He won’t flinch as we see right through every Word He utters because on the other side He knows only His glory and tender heart will be revealed.

Because He loves us, He will rule with kindness. Though a perfect man, who embodies all the riches of the Kingdom of God, he will prefer us over Himself as He always has. He won’t just look like He’s listening. He will listen, and hear, and never forget the things that pour from our hearts and land at His feet. In kindness, He will wipe away our tears and make sure we are never sad again. In kindness, He will assure us we have no need to worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear, and in kindness, He will provide all we need. He will make good on all of His promises.

Because he loves, he does not envy. No need to covet, He is content. Contentment is found when we do not lack, and Jesus lacks nothing, His needs are met within Himself. Without needs, he doesn’t burden us with demands for money or labor. This might seem like something we shouldn’t like - - not being needed, but whatever we have, we will in Heaven, be joyfully compelled to give because instead of needed, we will be wanted. Gone will be the instinct to hoard things for later. There’ll be no concept of deprivation. We will require and be satisfied with only Him. Jesus need make no desperate grab for power in order to fulfill his goals or to help others. Power has been granted Him by God, and His throne is eternal. So He is preoccupied only with the glory of His Father and the good of His people. Personal ambition will never cloud His judgement. Full of light and life, He is satisfied in Himself and is able to completely satisfy us.

Did I mention He’s perfect? He is, but because he loves us, He won’t boast. Boasting is a means to an end. Men boast to exalt themselves, to convince others of their own perceived greatness. He will have no need of boasting, his greatness will be indisputable, his exaltation our pleasure. Yes, He’ll have a throne, but I promise it won’t seem too grand or self-indulgent. It will make sense that He be lifted up higher than the rest. It will also make sense when He steps down to walk alongside those who worship Him. When He proclaims bold things, like how all of history was really about Him, it won’t be bragging. He will state this for our good, so we will have a clear vision and know what is true because he knows truth makes us free. And that is all He has ever really wanted for us - - freedom. This is another thing that makes Jesus a standout, every proclamation of greatness, he can back up. He, like no other, has cause to be proud, to be arrogant, and yet He is not. He willingly, joyfully comes down from His throne to call us brother and sister; to walk and live among and in us. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of Heaven and Earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.”  (Acts 17:24 NLT) His “building” is us and that is where he prefers to dwell, not in a structure of shiny gold and cold stone. ( See Luke 24, Hebrews 1, Colossians 1:15-23)

Because he loves us, He is not rude. He may enjoy some light-hearted teasing with friends from time to time, just ask the “sons of thunder.” But he does not mock, slander, or gossip. His words will always be true, noble, right, and pure; always lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. He doesn’t call names in hopes of damaging another and gaining some kind of leverage; in hopes of inciting a crowd against someone. Will he speak truth to those who are wrong and do harm? Yes. He does often in Scripture but never for selfish gain, instead he speaks truth to protect and treasure the name of His Father and in hopes of turning people from error and death. His Words bring hearts and minds out of darkness. (Philippians 4:8 )

Because He loves us, He does not demand his own way. He moves and transforms our thoughts with gentleness and unwavering truth. He gives a clear picture of His way and makes plain that it is one of only two possible paths. He lies us down in green pastures, leads us by still waters, restores our souls, and loves us but does not demand we love Him; only shows us time and again how lovely, and worthy His way is. (Psalm 23 along with the whole Bible)

Because He loves us, he doesn’t stop loving us. He knows we often fail to love Him, but he doesn’t resent us or grow irritable when we leave Him out or choose another. He remains patient and sweetly persistent in His pursuit. He gets angry but is not an angry man. His anger is reserved for those who dishonor the Father and who mistreat the poor and vulnerable. But even in anger, he controls himself. Does he turn over tables? Sure. Self-control doesn’t mean never acting in a daring way. He wasn’t out of his mind; wasn’t making statements off the cuff that had no basis in fact. He was clear-headed and intentional in emptying a holy place of unholy people and unholy acts;  unconcerned for his place among those of wealth and high standing, unconcerned for a costly bit of architecture. It was a strong and necessary defense born of zeal for His Father’s house which he knew resided in the hearts of his Father’s people not in brick and stone.

Because He loves us, he is joyful and glad. Out of these, He will serve us. I don’t mean he'll sit in a nice office passing laws or making deals, “serving the people” as we have come to understand it. He will prepare and serve us a meal, he may wash our feet afterward, he’s been known to do such things. After dinner, he might tell us the best stories ever imagined or lift his voice and sing over us. He’ll serve things no one else can, like lasting peace, real truth, perfect health, forever happiness. His brand of through and through joy and peace leaves no room, either today or tomorrow, for any worry, fear, or misery to ever creep in again.

He will be the Victor. The best and only choice. No contest. And because He loves us, we will be victors as well. He won’t hand out hats, flyers, or buttons that will one day break or decay, but instead freely give wisdom and understanding so His words will be plain to all people, and the gifts He lavishes on us will be free, forever, and more costly than - - thanks to His work on the cross - -  we can ever comprehend. Leading up to the revelation of His big win, there will have been plenty of analysis and speculation. Plenty of doubt. There will have been those who were called crazy or simplistic or deluded for believing in Him, not because he was somehow unfit, but because the doubters did not believe He really ever existed. There will be those who claim they are enough, that they don’t need Him. They will believe and boast that they have what it takes to fix it all. But once in His presence, the doubters, haters, and braggers will instantly know that Heaven’s Leader will not just possess all of the answers - - He will be the very answer Himself.

His love is our only hope.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:4)