Heaven

Wow… If I thought last week’s topic of “Forgiveness” was a big subject how much more so this week’s topic is!  Heaven is one of the most fascinating things to think about – maybe because there is absolutely nothing like it on earth.  Even in our wildest imaginations and most spirited thoughts we are probably incapable of giving Heaven’s beauty even a remote amount of justice.

What are some things that come to your mind when you think of Heaven?  For me, wow… words can’t even describe it…   Absolute peace beyond comprehension.  No fear and perfect rest.  An unfathomable joy that reaches every atom of my being.  Beauty that is impossible to imagine with my limited earthly thoughts.  I think about so many things…

When I knew the topic was going to be Heaven for this week there was one question that came immediately to my mind:  What is that first moment when we arrive in Heaven going to be like?  I can only hope and imagine what glorious sights, sounds, and feelings we’ll experience.  First and foremost:  to be physically present with our God for the first time… To be able to see our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as we’ve always wanted to see Him.   The sheer glory and majesty surrounding the throne of God that makes our legs shake… the power and might of His presence which causes us to fall prostrate on the ground.  Will we even have the courage to look upon Him?  Will His fabulous white and pure glory enwrap us so that all we can do is fall down and breathe-in His presence?  Or perhaps, when we fall on our faces, will Jesus reach down and pick us up and give us that one and only kind of perfect hug that we’ve all been waiting for?  Something inside me says that this glorious bear hug awaits His children. The final completion of everything our souls have been longing for:  Forever eternal, literal and perpetual union in Heaven with our Heavenly Father.  It’s true that we have an eternal relationship with Him here on earth, but in Heaven we will never lose the fellowship we have with God.  The mountains and valleys we experience in our walk with Christ here on earth will never be found in Heaven.  There will be no sin to cloud that relationship. That in itself is a glorious thought.

Beyond finally meeting our Lord face-to-face, the other joys of Heaven pale in comparison… but are exciting things to think about.  What other sights and sounds will we see? Will it be white and golden with vivid colors?  Will it be like combining the most beautiful sunrise we’ve ever seen with the most breathtaking scenic vista we’ve ever discovered?   We get some descriptions in the Bible, and also of the New Heaven and New Earth that come after the defeat of satan. But exceedingly great detail about Heaven isn’t really given.  I believe God knows that sometimes, surprises are more enjoyable than knowing exactly what’s going to happen.  But we do know that Heaven is going to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen on earth.  No artist’s rendering could ever touch the surface.  Not only is the visual beauty incomprehensible, but what we will hear is unlike anything we’ve ever heard as well.  Innumerable amounts of angels praising God in a chorus like no other.  I’m sure that we also will be joining the voices and lifting praise to our Father.  Just think… millions of believers from since the beginning of time exclaiming His goodness in one accord.  We’ll see the faces of those we knew on earth and once again be reunited with believers who have gone on before us.  We’ll know believers that perhaps we never met on earth, but we will know them there.  And what about what we will smell?  Will there be scents? I think so… like stepping out on a beautiful spring morning and filling our lungs with the smell of honeysuckle and clover wet with dew.  That fresh, clean air that makes you want to inhale deeply and sigh with sublime happiness.

I also know there will be a time where we stand before our Maker and give an account for our lives… A time when God will give us crowns in Heaven based on how we have lived our lives for Him here on earth.  Knowing this causes me to want to live the most God-honoring life possible while I am alive in this world.  I don’t know what that interaction is going to be like with my God, but His Word says there are no tears in Heaven, so I can rest in knowing that it will be a loving judging of my life–not one of harsh words which one could expect here on earth.

This brings me to my final thoughts for this post… I find incredible peace and joy in knowing that there will never be sorrow, will never be pain, will never be worry… period.  No one will ever be concerned with all the fallen human issues that we face today like: sin, guilt, sadness, abandonment, sickness, hunger, persecution, and death… I am very much looking forward to that kind of place.

As believers who look forward to eternity in Paradise such as this, let us be sure to live a good and productive life for God now.  Sometimes we can get so caught-up in the future, that we forget about the present. This could be another reason God didn’t fill us in completely on what Heaven is going to be like… He doesn’t want us rushing to get there and surpassing the existence we have now.  He has us on earth living our lives for a purpose.  Let us never forget that.  Since we are in Christ, we can look forward to that day when we arrive to our Heavenly Home… right now we are simply visiting planet earth for a very short time in comparison to eternity.  We need to not waste each opportunity God presents to invite others to come with us to that Resting Place.  After all, that’s one of the very reasons He’s placed us here.

Andrea MacBean –  Listener and Contributor