What do you think of, when you think of heaven? I was shocked to discover that the majority of people (including Christians, who should know better) believe it is a somewhat boring place, where everyone sits around on puffy white clouds, playing harps. Somewhat like this:
No wonder people are so much more interested in living here, on earth. Too bad they fail to understand completely what heaven really is.
To begin with, there are no dead people in heaven. The dead people are here on earth, walking around, completely unaware they are lacking life. Jesus said, “I am come, that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” If you don’t know Christ, you are already dead. The unsaved breath, walk around, eat, and believe they are alive. But in truth, they are actually the “walking dead”.
But once you have accepted Christ’s free gift of life, you are transformed into a living soul. You cannot, will not, die. People also have a misunderstanding of what death is. Death is not that moment where we pass from this world into the next. That’s just a doorway. That’s like saying we have died every time we walk out of our house into our garden. No. True death is the absence of true life…and true life can only be found with God.
Dead people don’t go to heaven. Dead people continue on to eternal death. Living people go to heaven, the place of eternal joy and life. The Bible doesn’t tell us very many details about heaven, probably because if we really understood what it is like, we’d never be able to bear living here. The most wonderful, most beautiful place on earth is a filthy slum compared to heaven. The most happiness we’ve ever felt here on earth is horrible despair compared to the joy of heaven. It’s indescribable.
When I went looking for images, I couldn’t find anything to picture heaven. But the people who think it will be an endless “church service” of harp music and hymns are wrong. The God who created this world is not a God who could possibly be boring or uncreative when it comes to preparing a place for us to enjoy. As someone said once, it took Him six days to create this world…and He’s been working on Heaven for two thousand years! It’s going to be ALL the things we love here, in their most perfect fulfillment.
I couldn’t find anything to picture heaven, but I found some pictures that, for me, capture a tiny fraction of what I know it will be like. Color, beauty, love, truth, perfection, joy, and always, perfect love in the presence of my Savior.
And no fear. Absolutely never, ever, any fear.
I cannot wait to ride those horses and hug those lions….
Maranatha, Lord Jesus. Come soon.
Out of Eden 