What IS Heaven Like? (5 Things We Can Know for Sure)
Whenever a loved one dies, we mourn, and we call that loss. We do not see our loved ones on this side of death, but if they are a believer, we can believe we will see them again. Death often gets us thinking about heaven, but can we really know what heaven is like? Yes and no.
Here are five things we can know for sure because the Bible tells us.
1. Heaven is a Real Place – Jesus told his disciples in John 14 that he was about to go. To comfort them he says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, also believe in me. My Father’s house has many rooms, if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
If you believe you will have a place – made especially for you and with you in mind – in heaven. God is an infinite being with infinite imagination and infinite good in store for you. Heaven is real, and you will see it one day.
2. Heaven Will Amaze You – God created everything we see, and things we have yet to discover on this earth. Scientists find new lifeforms all the time. We may not like spiders or fish with huge teeth and lightbulbs on their heads, but in those things and many more we see God’s imagination and design abilities are unmatched.
In 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 Paul reminds us what the Prophet Isaiah said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind can conceive the things God has prepared for those who love Him…” By the Spirit of God, we may catch a glimpse, but the fullness of God’s majestic splendor in Heaven will only fully be realized in eternity. It will take that long for us to explore it all.
3. Heaven is Joy-Filled and Pain-Free
Revelation 21:4 says, “(God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Watching a loved one die of a prolonged disease or mourning the sudden, unjust loss of a child can make this promise a delightful one. The pain of loss and death lingers on this side of heaven, but once we arrive there, God himself will wipe every tear away.
4. Our Bodies Will Change
We don’t die and get angel wings. We aren’t changing species; we are getting transformed and perfected bodies. Bodies that can hold up to the longevity of eternity and can stand in the presence of a holy and perfect God. Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 15:40, and 52.
“There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another… In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet… we will be changed.”
5. Heaven is the Majestic Dwelling Place of God
A place of incomparable beauty and newness, God will dwell with His people. No longer a far-off idea or hope, the new heaven, and the new earth will be home for us all: together. God, Himself will be our light and source for everything. We will live with Him in the fullness of life as He’s longed for since before time began. This is the ending we get for our faith and trust in Him: He is our great reward.
