A Spectacle Unto Angels
Why are you here? All of you?
We never left.
Near the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry finds himself standing among unexpected guests. Right before his eyes are his long-lost parents, a faithful friend, and a trusted professor. The Resurrection Stone has made their presence visible to Harry in a fresh way.
Upon the faces of James and Lily, Sirius and Remus, there is only peace. Confidence. Hope. They are not shaken by the events to come. They know, better than Harry does, that good will win in the end. The scene is powerful. This encounter seemingly gives Harry the courage and strength needed to face his ultimate test: death at the hands of Lord Voldemort.
Whether she realizes it or not, J.K. Rowling taps into a theological reality that we Christians tend to miss or ignore in our own story of redemption. Borrowing the terms “triumphant church” (the saints of the Church now in heaven) and the “militant church” (the saints of Church now on earth) from Herman Bavinck, it is my assertion that the “triumphant church” has not left the “militant church” in the rearview mirror (Reformed Dogmatics, IV.639–640).
We are right to dismiss any notion of talking to or interceding for the dead. There is no biblical support for such practices. But perhaps, in our aversion to these beliefs, we have swung the pendulum too far. We have so naturalized the Bible, adopting a “closed-system” framework for our universe, that we greet any hint of supernatural activity with suspicion.
“We are, to borrow Paul’s phrase, “a spectacle unto angels” (1 Cor. 4:9). ”
The way we talk about those living in Everlasting Rest can convince us that an impenetrable divide exists between them and us. They have gone to be with the Lord. They have departed. Their eyes behold the King, face to face, in all His beauty—how could they turn away? This is all true. Yet it does not mean the departed saints go about their living blinded to the happenings of the earth, deaf to our murmurings and cries.
What sort of relationship might we share with “the church triumphant?” And how does it prove beneficial to the Christian life? With the help of Scripture and some key theologians (in this case, Herman Bavinck and Francis Schaeffer), we learn how our forerunners of the faith help and encourage us, even today.
On a Stage, Observed
We do not interact with the saints in Glory the way Potter did with his family and friends. But the Bible is a supernatural Word that points us to supernatural realities. Those in Heaven do not stand on a cement, soundproof floor. We are, to borrow Paul’s phrase, “a spectacle unto angels” (1 Cor. 4:9). Francis Schaeffer, in his classic work True Spirituality, draws the marrow out of this verse:
The word in the Greek which is translated as “spectacle” has nothing to do with our modern use of that word. It is the idea of theater; we are on a stage being observed. [Paul] says here that the supernatural universe is not far off, and that while the real battle is in the heavenliness, our part is not unimportant at all, because it is being observed by the unseen world. It is like a one-way mirror. We are under observation. (Francis Schaeffer, True Spirituality, 106)
Schaeffer goes on to cite 1 Timothy 5:21, where Paul charges Timothy “before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels.” Timothy is under observation, and Paul makes sure he knows that. But the end to which these angels observe is not to sneer or look down on us. We can draw encouragement from their taking notice of us.
A Unity Not Even Death Breaks
While the elect angels observe us, Scripture points us to a profound truth about the triumphant church: We are united to them. Not only can death never separate us from the love of God in Christ (Rom. 8:38) but it also cannot, in truth, separate us from the faithful witnesses who go before us. The Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck writes a compelling section in his Reformed Dogmatics about our “communion with the church triumphant.” Though death is a reality we all eventually face, Bavinck argues that death itself cannot fully break us, in Christ, apart from one another:
Believers are nevertheless members of one, holy, catholic, Christian church. The unity that binds all believers together, the dead as well as the living, is anchored in Christ, and through him in fellowship with the same Father, in the possession of the same Spirit, and in joint participation in the same treasures of salvation. (Bavinck, RD, IV.640)
As Paul puts it, the Body is comprised of many members (Rom. 12:4–5), with Christ as its head (Col. 1:18), baptized into one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). Our unity hinges not on our living, but on the living Christ. Bavinck calls the fellowship of all of God’s blessed “the joy of heaven.” Such fellowship, he argues, does not take away from our fellowship with Christ but actually “reinforces and enriches it” (Bavinck, RD, IV.640).
An incredible passage pointing to this unity is Hebrews 11:39–40. “And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
Here, the author of Hebrews points to the “Hall of Faith” inductees (Heb. 11:1–38) and reminds us that these great men and women of the faith received only a taste of God’s promise. They await a glorious future hope that finds its culmination, its perfection, alongside us. Here the author binds the Church of 2000 B.C. and the Church of A.D. 2000 together. Together, and only then, will we partake in this perfection. And to that end, they pray.
Prayer from Above
None of us object to being prayed for. Even atheists tend to appreciate the prayers of “the praying types” when something in life goes wrong. None of us take offense to learn that one has gone before the Lord on our behalf.
Even further, it is comforting to know that the living Christ Himself prays for us. Indeed, He “lives to make intercession for us” (Heb. 7:25). But Jesus is not the only One who prays from the heights of heaven. A host of God’s saints, in the presence of Christ, pray with him. For us.
“But Jesus is not the only One who prays from the heights of heaven. A host of God’s saints, in the presence of Christ, pray with him. For us. ”
In Luke 16:27–31, Jesus gives support (in parable form) for such intercession. But even more concrete evidence is found in Revelation. Revelation 5:8 mentions the “prayers of the saints,” which may include the saints of earth but certainly doesn’t exclude those in heaven. The very act of their praying in heaven seems to suggest they cannot be unaware or detached from the things of earth. After all, if not for the saints of earth, what would there be to intercede for when one finds herself in Eternal Rest?
We see the triumphant church cry out for God’s judgment and vengeance in earthly matters (Rev. 6:10). The Bride prays, “Come,” to its Bridegroom, beckoning His Second Coming (Rev. 22:17). A simple act of earthly repentance sparks a joy-filled moment of thanksgiving in heaven (Luke 15:10). To be clear, nothing in these verses gives us license to pray to these saints. What we do glean here is that Scripture does not present us with an image of the heavenly host that is too preoccupied with what God is doing in the world.
The Cloud
I find encouragement from these biblical realities. To know that so many men and women of the faith are attentive, aware, prayerful for you and I and all that we face. To know that Peter and John, Bavinck and Schaeffer, stand not simply above us but with us. We are, truly, “surrounded” by a great cloud of witnesses.
This great cloud of witnesses has passed the baton to us. They have left us, but in some ways, they haven’t. It is now our turn to run with endurance “the race that is set before us” by their example (Heb. 12:1). But let us be clear that all of God’s saints, past, present, and future, are running the same race. In this race, we find ourselves on their team. Their example compels us forward, and our hope to be a team player keeps us moving. The triumphant church is cheering us on.
We do not face our trials, our temptations, or our fears alone. The Triune God Himself is our help. And the company of saints with Him join with Him, too. Nothing will cease their praying. Nothing will break our unity. And with that in mind, we run.
Zach Barnhart currently serves as Student Pastor of Fountain City Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is married to Hannah, and they have three children. You can follow Zach on Twitter or check out his personal blog, Cultivated.