Many human achievements cannot be celebrated because of comparison to spiritual, heavenly ideals. For example, instead of rejoicing in the wonders of a symphony performance, the music of angels is considered superior. The same goes for the natural world — a spectacular sunset is seen as only a hint of God’s glory, a “foretaste of things to come.” Thus the believer is never really allowed to be here, immersed in the joyous experiences of this life. Instead, the present world is seen as essentially hopeless, the dominion of Satan in which no amount of human endeavor can ever amount to anything,
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