What is Heaven going to be like?
Good question! What will heaven be like? It would be nice to know, especially since we're planning on spending an eternity there! I'll be honest though. I don't think we will ever completely know what Heaven will be like while we are on earth. The bible does give us some sense of what to expect in the book of Revelation, but it sure doesn't give us everything. Who can comprehend what God has prepared for each of us whose names are written in the Book of Life?
Obviously, God must have figured that He gave us enough information to go on, or you think He would have had people write more about Heaven in the bible (at least that's my own personal opinion). We have to take what revealed Truth God has given us and trust Him with the rest of it that we don't know yet. I'll tell you this. I don't have to know everything about Heaven to know that Heaven is a place where I want to end up after I die.
As for the little we do know, I would suggest reading Revelation, chapters 4-5 and 20-22. We need to be careful that what we come to expect in Heaven isn't based upon what our culture thinks but rather based upon God's revealed Truth in His Word. I think our culture paints Heaven out to be a place where it's all about you and your happiness. However, I believe the bible shows us that Heaven is going to be all about God and Jesus and His glory, not ours. Our focus in Heaven will be on our Lord and Savior, just like our focus on earth should be on our Lord and Savior.
If you would like to dig even deeper into this subject, I would suggest visiting our church library, where Mrs. Gerard could recommend some good books for you on Heaven.
That is one good question. I just happened to borrow a book from the library on Tuesday and I started reading it on Thursday. What good timing! The book is called 90 Minutes in Heaven. It's about this guy who got in a crash and was declared dead. He was dead but after the crash a man came and felt God was telling him to pray for him. While the man is praying Don (the guy who got in the accident) is up in Heaven. The book says that Heaven was to wonderful to even describe in human terms. He says that when he first is there he sees a lot of people whom he had known on Earth who had died and who were Christians. He says that they looked how they had looked before they died but without the blemishes, wrinkles and imperfections that they had on Earth. He then says that they brought him to the "Gate of Pearl" that the Bible talks about, but instead of being made up of pearls it is one big pearly shiny gate. Everything there is bringht and he hears singing, lots of different songs but they all sound wonderful together. He hears angel's wings flapping above him. He doesn't just say that they sound like normal wings. He says they sound beautiful, nothing like the wings of birds here on earth. When he walked through the gates there were streets of gold. Literally. When he was walking down the gold streets the angel wings and songs got louder and even more beautiful and it just kept getting brighter and brighter. Then suddenly he starts singing with the songs of Heaven and he is back to Earth, alive, singing in his car. The man who was praying for him suddenly stopped and told everyone Don was alive. Don lived through his injuries but he no longer can use one of his legs.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this helps us see what Heaven will be like, perfect, but since he never really went all around Heaven I'm sure there is a lot more he missed and that God would want us to just find out for ourselves anyway.
+Emily+
thanks Emily for your comment and i fully agree with you.i also believe that God has it all planed out for us.all i know is that i here on earth to do as God commands me and to love others. but this is what revelation says that heaven will be like.
ReplyDeleterevelation 4
1. After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, (a voice) as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter. 2. Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne; 3. and he that sat (was) to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and (there was) a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon. 4. And round about the throne (were) four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones (I saw) four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold. 5. And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders. And (there was) seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; 6. and before the throne, as it were a sea of glass like a crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind. 7. And the first creature (was) like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature (was) like a flying eagle. 8. and the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, (is) the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. 9. And when the living creatures shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth for ever and ever, 10. the four and twenty elders shall fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11. Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.
sorry i couldn't get it in the niv translation, but heres what i think.
*Ellen*
I also read that book, Emily. The experience he had after dying was so interesting, and takes all the fear out of dying.
ReplyDeleteThe chapter of I Corinthians 15 is one place that talks a bit about our new bodies. It only gives little hints, and doesn't really describe alot, other than to say we will have very different bodies in heaven.
It also seems to say that we don't get those bodies until after the resurrection. It says "For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die." So, I'm not exactly sure if Don saw the transformed bodies of this friends and family or not. It's all a big mystery. But it WILL all be good! And I can't wait.
I guess the most important issue in this whole interesting discussion, is to know for a fact that we and all the people in our lives are indeed going to Heaven.
The Bible only gives tiny hints about heaven. Here are a few I've found, though there are many more:
ReplyDeleteThere will not be marriage.
There will be no need for the sun or moon.
There will be no death.
There will be no crying, sorrow, sadness, pain.
We will get a new name.
There will be singing and shouting - like a victory party maybe - praising the Lamb (Jesus)
A possibility is that maybe we will have work?? (Before sin entered the world man had the job of caring for the animals and earth - so because that happened in a perfect world, maybe it will be true in the next perfect world - that's just a thought.)
dort
We think of 'life' as something organic. As such, we are limited in our knowledge by time and space. Being organic, we usually tend to think in terms that 'life' has a beginning and an end. Beyond that, we can only imagine. But the bible teaches that there is more to us than the organic body in which we live. That life is not found in the flesh - it is in the spirit. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I AM the way, the truth, and the LIFE." This takes some real meditation in order to think past our organic approach to life. Jesus IS life, and heaven (and the NEW earth) will be the eternal expression of true life. There will be no death. We cannot even imagine a place where there is no death, or even a threat of death. A place where there is no fear, no anxiety, no worry, no jealousy, no arguing, no rivalry, no enemies of any kind. A place where everything continually contributes to life, and nothing contributes to death. We have never experienced anything like this in this life. It is the FULLNESS of the Kingdom of God, where His dominion is unchallenged by selfishness, pride, envy, or any other kind of rebellion, and everything is in complete harmony with His purposes. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says "No eye has seen, norear heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him." Our imagination just isn't big enough!
ReplyDeleteBut ... as His disciples, we are to be manifesting the reality of His Kingdom in this world even now, by obeying His command and following His example. If Jesus truly has dominion in our lives, then others should see the evidence of His Kingdom come on earth, even as it is in heaven. Jesus never preached the gospel of salvation ... He preached the gospel of the Kingdom.
Think about it.
i have a question is the kingdom of God good in all Christians life or just the "players"
ReplyDeleteadam
I had a question about one of the new questions we got this week. The one that says " Will people of other religons go to heaven?" I was wondering maybe if they meant instead of religons they meant demoniations. Anyone who has execpted Jesus into their heart IS GOING TO HEAVEN. I think the Bible is pretty straight forward about that.
ReplyDelete~Kari