What Does Heaven Look Like?

With the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme of the European Union
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In this video, I explore where the idea of Heaven comes from, its descriptions and elements, and how Heaven has been depicted in art and film.

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INSTAGRAM - @EntertainTheElk
TWITTER - @EntertainTheElk

MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO:

[victorsanchez]

Wow man, I dont know what your religious beliefs are, but I gotta say, I appreciate the fact that you treated the Bible with respect and tried to actually understand the symbolism with context, it is way more significant and interesting than the superficial criticism that most channels do. Great job!

[bobbyshewan]

As a guy who was raised Christian, it’s beginning to dawn on me how I’ve never really asked questions like these to myself. Hell of an idea for a video

[TheGreatGonzales]

I appreciate and respect your knowledgeable understanding of the scripture and context used! It’s a breath of fresh air to hear and see people take care to understand it.

[kgomotsomashigo]

POV: you came from that video that says how does hell look like

[carlosquintanilla]

The numerical symbolism is very intriguing, for its found throughout the whole Bible

[SpookeyGael]

I feel like far too many people nowadays, religious or not, dismiss the Bible as some irrelevant book of dogmas and religious laws rather than a seminal piece of western/near-eastern literature.

[nawksybawks]

I believe that we can’t even imagine what heaven looks like because it is the most beautiful place ever. It’s ♾ times more beautiful than you think it is.

[flavoredsidewalk]

When I was like 4 I thought heaven would have a garden with a fountain outside with a bunch of clouds, and a big building made of pearls and gold, when you go inside it would be gold with marble and red carpet on shining stairs, different animals living in peace not too far away outside, all your family and friends but a younger version of them

[maxim-andreinedelcu]

I kinda teared up at that last bible verse.

[sqwatchy]

I never thought I'd come across anything that explained the Bible in an unbiased, intelligent, and interesting manner. Most videos come at it with the intent of disproving it, are very one sided and basically do nothing but mock it. This is refreshing, wonderful work!

[MarshalTennerWinter]

In the Peter Jackson movie "The Lovely Bones" [spoilers ahead] The girl's ghost that has been dwelling in a sort of purgatory, gets the opportunity to glimpse Heaven. The scene was executed perfectly and it's so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes. It's a great movie but I recommend it for that scene alone.

[AndyJCapes]

Bro, awesome job with this video. I can tell the amount of research, thought and careful writing that went into this. As someone who is currently attending seminary I thought you did an awesome job taking what can be some complex subject matter and making it accessible to absolutely anyone watching. I can appreciate that because I have tried it myself and it's super hard!

I find quite often with content whose subject matter is primarily Christian, it often falls into one of two camps. Either it's written by Christians for Christians and therefore becomes inaccessible to someone who did not grow up in Christian context / culture because it has too many unexplained assumptions / lingo. Or, it's written for a secular audience, in which case it is often oversimplified or lionized, or if it is written by a skeptical or unsympathetic writer it is often overcritical, poorly informed or dismissive.

That's why what you've done here is so amazing, you've been able to explain these Christian concepts in ways that is accessible to anyone, without dumbing down the subject matter. You treat the subject matter as fairly matter of fact, not attempting to either denigrate it, nor overtly evangelize with it. It actually reminds me a lot of the video you did on Sufjan Stevens and his Casimir Pulaski song. You were able to look at his lyrical content which had explicitly Christian themes (bible study and praying for healing) and explain and explore them in a neutral tone.

As someone who has been watching with interest the way that the Western world is secularizing and detaching itself from it's Judeo/Christian philosophical and ethical roots, to find any content that bridges these two worlds in a quality way is just awesome. Because I think as a society, unless we know, or more significantly understand where we are coming from, we will have no idea how we have got here and where here even is in relation to anything, let alone be able to make any good decision about where to go in the future. And I think being able to look at the themes, stories, ethic and philosophy of Christianity helps us do that.

So thank you so much! I really appreciate your time, effort and creativity. I've been a subscriber for a couple of years now and I love your content, but videos like this just make me love it more. Keep it up bro!

[someguy]

So amazing that it’s literally infinitely better than the best depiction of it in history.

[internetdinosaur]

This was a fantastic video. I don't know if you're a Christian or not, but I really love that you respected and represented the Gospel in a very clear and concise way, without any mocking remarks. Thank you, Elk! Amazing job on the video

[houston-coley]

Dude, I’m blown away by the video. Funny enough, I found it because you left a comment about CS Lewis on Andrew Saladino’s “Study More Than Film” video years ago! I’m a Christian, and I’ve been longing to see (and make) some well-informed and pure-intentioned videos about the artistry and narrative of The Bible for years now. I never expected to see any other video essayist feeling the same way! Your perspective on heaven took the words right out of my mouth - truly, it’s so cool to see someone depicting the nuances and dispelling the false notions so many people have. I’d highly recommend reading (if you haven’t already) NT Wright’s Surprised By Hope and James Paul’s new book What On Earth Is Heaven. We should totally collab sometime, man.

[aguy]

Aubrey Plaza giving you bedroom eyes. Question answered.

[ThanoSalt]

This is what heaven looks like. I had a dream once where i was just floating but couldn't speak, and I was in a golden mall with fresh clean water flowing from a fountain, families happily walking by, baby angles flying through the air. A woman with long black straightend hair looked at me and smiled. All of a sudden i was pulled in front of a large door, it opened up once I was in front of it, the light was so bright, so pure. I was brought into the light and all of a sudden i woke up suddenly crying.

[Dragoon]

I really enjoyed this video. I like how the story and the artistic come together and How they work together to express and idea of paradise. I also have to applaud you for being brave enough to talk on Christianity. People seem to shy away from it, but I think you've been able to represent it in a very positive light. Good job.

Also wanted to know what you thought about Avatar the Last Airbender? I think I asked you on one of your previous videos months ago.

[chJohnJobs]

Im 3 minutes in and as a christian im so far intrigued.

Mainly because you described something that so few people really know.

The fact throughout the entire bible there are different writing styles.
Across all 66 books.

Some people seem to ignore that or simply not notice and its always a topic that facinates me

Edit

I am done with the video and i must say, This is easily one of my favorites.

I have always wanted to make an essay style video around the bible talking about its writing in a littericy sense and talkikg more about its nuances but i never found the confidence to do so.

Watching this video has put me in am oddly good mood i dont feel too often abd it sparked a lot of imagination for me that has felt absent once you started reading the bible and talking about the Character
Of God and those who wrote the books mentioned.

And the interesting ways it has effected film and media and different interpretations was facinating throughout.

Easily my favorite video from you

[jenchulichaeng._.life]

No one knows what heaven looks like, but if your in heaven your dream will cometrue.