What does heaven look like
what is heaven like?
What awaits me on the other side? Even though life can be difficult, painful, frustrating, and heartbreaking at times, I think the truth of the matter is most of us do not find the thought of heaven all that appealing. Are you shocked? Truthfully, I think if we were honest, most of us would say our picture of heaven sounds boring. It sounds like endless days of cloud-sitting, harp strumming, and sing-alongs in the sky that go on forever and ever and ever.
But what does the Bible say about heaven? ”No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him”. I Corinthians 2:9 Many of us have read that verse our entire lives and we’ve thought, see, there’s just no way that we can begin to grasp or comprehend what heaven is like. But that’s not the end it goes on to say, “But God has revealed it to us by his spirit” and what he’s saying is God has spoken his word through the Bible and this gives us a glimpse of what heaven is like. Maybe not a full picture, but a completely accurate glimpse of what heaven is like.
So what is heaven like? First I want you to know heaven is a place of connection, closeness, and community. One of the things that makes heaven so attractive is who is there. People often wonder, will we recognize each other in heaven? Absolutely! Matthew 17 describes how Moses and Elijah, who had been dead for hundreds of years, appeared to Jesus and his disciples. Though the disciples had never met or seen Moses or Elijah, they immediately recognized them. They knew exactly who they were.
For some of you, though, life has been relationally challenging. Maybe you’ve led a kind of isolated and lonely existence. Or you’ve had relationships or maybe a series of relationships that have ended badly. Heaven is going to open up a whole new relational arena for you. The Bible says in Revelation that there will be so many people there. There will be multitudes from every tribe, from every nation, from every language. Heaven is going to be a place of unbelievable reunions for spouses and family and people that we love.
Typically the next question after who will be there is will there be animals in heaven? Dogs? YES! Cats? No! Sorry, that’s just the way it is. I’m just kidding! Actually, the Bible does describe animals in heaven. There are horses, lions, lambs, and wolves in heaven. Perhaps there will be other species as well.
What will we do in heaven?
Eternity will also be a place of intellectual growth and discovery. Some people just assume that when we get to heaven, we will automatically know everything. However, only God knows everything. So what will we be doing in heaven? Ephesians 2:6-7 says, “God raised us up with Christ and seeded us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” This is very exciting to realize in heaven we will experience ongoing growth and progressive revelation. There are so many unanswered questions that we have in life. Think of being able to ask God why certain tragedies were a part of His plan for your life. Think of being able to talk to the ark angel Michael. We’ll hear stories about how there were times we were protected by angels and didn’t even know it. Or we entertained angels and we were completely unaware. Think of all the things we’re going to be able to learn in heaven. Think of being able to take leadership classes from Moses, and courage classes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Think of being able to ask God questions like, “Why didn’t you get rid of Satan earlier?” God, help me understand how predestination works.
Are we going to be angels
Have you also considered that heaven will be a place with fascinating worlds to explore? Jesus said in John 14, “In my father’s house are many rooms, and many mansions.” The idea is this is a big place and there’s a lot of places to explore. I like that because I want to do some traveling when I get to heaven. The universe is a big place and in my opinion, it would be the height of arrogance to believe that the only interaction God is going to have in the universe is to deal with this third little planet from the sun that we call Earth. Eternity is a long time and the universe is big, and scientists tell us that it’s expanding and it’s getting larger all the time. When you think of the Rocky Mountains, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, or the Great Coral Barrier Reef, these are just a sneak preview of what awaits you in heaven. Heaven is a place with fascinating worlds to discover.
Heaven will also be a place of productivity and accomplishment. Revelation 7 and 22 point out that in heaven we will serve God. I Corinthians 6:3 says, “Do you not know that you will judge angels?” Maybe you’ve heard that when we die we become angels. That’s not what the Bible teaches at all. Angels are different beings. The Bible teaches that in heaven, we will rule over and govern angels. We will make important decisions and we will work productively.
The Bible talks about heaven as a place of rest, and sometimes people kind of assume, well, that just means we’re going to just sit around. It’s just going to be eternal rest all the time. And if you’re exhausted right now, I hate to shatter your image of heaven, but it’s not going to be like lying around in a hammock sipping pina coladas for all eternity.
Heaven is also a place of joy and laughter. Heaven is anything but a boring place. How can it be boring when the one who created mountains, rainbows, giraffes and even the platypus will be there? Did you know God has been anticipating your arrival, not only that but he has been preparing it for you! Heaven will be exhilarating, refreshing, fulfilling, and thrilling. Everything good in this life that we see now, will be PERFECT in heaven. There will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain for the old order of things has passed away.” Heaven is going to be pain-free. Some of you live in pain every day of your life. Heaven for you is going to be arthritis-free, Advil-free. You’re going to have bodies that are fit and trim. No more counting fat grams, no more drinking. In heaven there’ll be no more terrorism, no more hunger, no more rape, racism, or cancer. There will be no handicapped parking places in heaven. You’ll never hear the words divorce, no anxious waiting rooms, no motionless ultrasounds, no flag-draped coffins.
Maybe hearing about all the things to expect in Heaven has helped. It’s helped alleviate some of the anxiety. But there may be others of you who now have more questions. The Bible says the person who has the son of God in their life has life. The person who does not have the Son of God does not have life today. Have you said yes to the Son of God?
Today could be your day to get on the road that leads to heaven. Some of you right now feel a pounding, or heaviness in your chest. I want you to know that’s God. That is God, the Holy Spirit working in your life and He’s drawing you. He’s calling you right now. Jesus said, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone will open the door, I will come in. That’s Jesus knocking on your heart today. He’s saying, will you let me in? And if this is what you want, would you join me, right where you are pray with me?
Jesus, today I opened the door. Come in. I need you. I need your grace. I need your hope. I need the purpose that you can give my life. And so I trust you and put my faith in you. I don’t just believe that you exist, but I trust you. I trust the payment that you made through your sinless perfect blood on a cross to be payment for my wrongdoing and my sin, and I receive that payment and I choose to follow you today for the rest of my life and forever.
Our team has compiled some of the most challenging, difficult, controversial, frequently asked questions we get about faith and Christianity as it relates to life, morality, current events, the end of the world, and more. We will explore these questions in ways that I think you’ll find surprising! Why take on these controversial topics? Because these questions are often roadblocks for people when it comes to faith and Christianity. For more discussions on these topics, you can read Eastside’s Got Questions Blog and check out the series You Asked For It.
Author: Gene Appel
Eastside Christian Church
Anaheim, CA
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THE HEREAFTER
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