Upon a first reading of the Bible,
it may seem that very little information is given about heaven. But as we
become familiar with all of Scripture, we begin to find little nuggets about
what heaven is like in a number of different places in the Bible.
There is singing in heaven.
In three Psalms with extensive prophecies of the sufferings of Christ, we find
the resurrected Christ singing and praising God. "In the midst of the
congregation will I praise Thee" (Psa. 22:22,25; Heb. 2:12). "He has
put a new song in My mouth, even praise unto our God" (Psa. 40:3). "O
God, set Me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will
magnify Him with thanksgiving" (Psa. 69:30).
The curtain of heaven is rolled
back briefly in Revelation 5 and we find the saved ones (represented by the 24
elders) singing "a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and
to open the seals thereof:for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by
Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation"
(verses 8,9; see also 14:3 and 15:3).
There will be variety in heaven.
"The foundations of the wall of the [heavenly] city were garnished with
all manner of precious stones," representing many different colors (Rev.
21:19,20). "The tree of life … bore twelve manner of fruits, and yielded
her fruit every month" (22:2).
There will be knowledge in
heaven. "Now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face;
now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Cor.
13:12). We will be with our all-knowing Creator and Saviour throughout
eternity. There we will be able to learn everything there is to know about the
created Universe, and there we will undoubtedly learn much more about the Man
Christ Jesus, especially His love and grace and sufferings for us. However,
there may still be knowledge about the Trinity that is beyond man’s
comprehension (1 Tim. 6:15,16).
There will be work in heaven.
"They who … have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb … are … before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in
His temple" (Rev. 7:15). "The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be
in it, and His servants shall serve Him" (22:3). One aspect of this
service is that "the saints shall judge the world" (during the
thousand-year reign of Christ) and "we shall judge angels" (1 Cor.
6:2,3).
It is well to notice here that,
contrary to the thought of worshipers of leisure time, work is not a curse of
God upon man. God gave Adam work to do in the garden (Gen. 2:15,19,20). As a
result of sin, work became more difficult and complicated (Gen. 3:17-19), and thus,
no doubt, less enjoyable and fulfilling. But in heaven, where sin will not be
found, enjoyable work will again abound.
There will be enjoyment of
God’s creation by those in heaven. There are at least hints and intimations
of such activity in several passages (1 Cor. 3:22; Eph. 1:10,11,21-23; Rev.
4:10,11; 21:7).
There will be no more tears,
death, sorrow, crying, pain, or night in heaven (Rev. 21:4,25).
We will have a new kind of body
in heaven. When "our earthly house … [is] dissolved, we have a building
of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we
groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from
heaven…. Not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality
might be swallowed up of life" (2 Cor. 5:1-4). The apostle Paul looked
forward, not just to being released from the trials, labors, and pain of his
earthly life, but to being clothed upon with his new body that would perfectly
fit him for heaven. The relationship between our present "natural
body" and our future, "spiritual body" is likened to that
between a seed that is sown and the plant or bush or tree that grows from that
seed (1 Cor. 15:35-44). In other words, our present bodies are like a seed and
our future bodies will be like the full-grown plant.
This suggests powers and
capabilities that go far beyond those of our present bodies. With our new
bodies we may be able to sing with perfect pitch and harmony and rhythm, and
perhaps with a much wider range than our voices are capable of presently.
Similarly, we may have keener hearing and vision and be able to see a much
wider spectrum of color and discern more subtle differences among colors.
Our new bodies, if like Christ’s resurrection
body, will be capable of eating (Luke 24:43; John 21:13; see also Rev. 22:2;
however 1 Cor. 6:13 suggests the contrary thought). If we will eat in heaven,
we can well imagine having taste buds that are sensitive to a far greater range
of taste experiences than at present. But if it turns out that there is no
eating in heaven, not to worry! We can be certain that the Lord has prepared
other pleasures so wonderful that they will cause us to forget we used to eat
(Psa. 16:11).
There will be no sin in heaven.
While heaven will be a happy place, it is first and foremost a holy place (Isa.
6:3; Rev. 4:8), dominated by a holy God, His sinless Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son (Rom. 8:29),
and "when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as
He is" (1 John 3:2). Just think of it! In heaven there will be no pride,
no offenses, no hard feelings, no selfishness, no cliques, no put downs, no
hypocrisy or pretending, no disappointment. Every individual will be totally
righteous, good, loving, giving, friendly, helpful, patient, kind, meek, and
humble.
There will be reconciliation
and unity in heaven. "And you who were sometime alienated and enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now has He reconciled in the body of His
flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His
sight" (Col. 1:21,22; also John 17:20-23).
There will be a very close
relationship with Christ in heaven. Far above all the other blessings of
heaven mentioned above, we shall "be present with the Lord" (2 Cor.
5:8; also Luke 23:43; John 17:24; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:16,17; Rev. 20:4); we
shall see His face (1 John 3:2; Rev. 1:13-16; 5:6-8), hear His voice (2 Cor.
12:4; Rev. 1:17-20), and be united with Christ as bride with Bridegroom (John
3:29; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:7-9).
How Shall We Then Live?
Are you looking forward to going
to heaven, as the apostle Paul was (2 Cor. 5:2,4,8; Phil. 1:23)? Would you be
happy if the Lord came today (1 Thess. 4:17,18)? Do you believe that "in
[God’s] presence is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand there are
pleasures for evermore" (Psa. 16:11)? Do you truly believe that heaven
will be at least a million times more enjoyable than your present life on
earth?
If your answer to each of these
questions is "yes," then you will be interested in beginning to enjoy
the pleasures of heaven even now. Here are a few suggestions as starters:
1. Singing hymns of redemption
with other believers in Christ (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).
2. Gaining as much knowledge as
possible of the Bible, of God and His attributes, and of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).
3. Serving the Lord (Psa. 100:2;
Rom. 1:9; 14:18; 1 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:14).
4. Not sinning, being holy (Rom.
6:11; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 4:3,4; 2 Tim. 2:21; Heb. 12:10; 1 Pet. 1:16;
2:21-23; 1 John 2:1).
5. Being reconciled with persons
from whom we are estranged (Matt. 5:23,24; 6:14; 1 Cor. 7:11; Jas. 5:16).
6. Beholding, communing with, and
meditating upon Christ (John 15:4; 2 Cor. 3:18; Col. 3:1-3).
May "the Lord direct your
hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ" (2
Thess. 3:5; 1 Thess. 1:10). Let us "earnestly desire to be clothed upon
with our house that is from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:2).