To explain and elaborate on the previous sentence, if you are only a Christian because you want to get to heaven, then you are a Christian for all the wrong reasons. Our goal as a Christian isn't to do good things so we can get to heaven, that isn't the payoff for being a Christian. The reward, for lack of a better word, for a Christian is to be united with Jesus and the God of the Universe. Our soul longs to be with our Father and the Creator, and we are not whole without Him (2 Corinthians 5:8). Heaven is the sprinkles on the cupcake, it's not even the icing. So before I continue, know that heaven is where we will spend eternity united with our King, not the majestic place we all aim to go after we pass away from this realm (John 18:36).
Now some would have you believe heaven is a place where you stand around all day and worshiping God for every second of every minute of every hour of everyday. For me, that would be perfect but that's not even close to what heaven will be like when we die, from my understanding. Again, I do want to preface the upcoming statements in the blog as my own thoughts and beliefs of what heaven will be like after we die, not 100% fact but from scripture. Most of my ideas come from pastor interpretations and my own conclusions from the bible. Also Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:7-9 says that we can never fully understand and imagine what God has prepared us in heaven, for those who love Him.
The picture above would be all I need to know for me to want to end up in heaven. Jesus walking up to me, me falling on my knees and hearing Jesus say, "Well done my good and faithful servant." Then He picks me up and then I am given a hug by my savior would be beyond words. If heaven just stopped there I would be satisfied, I would need nothing else. But there is so much more that I can't even fathom what my eyes will see and the knowledge that will be bestowed upon me about the God of the Universe.
Revelations 21:4 says that God will wipe away every tear and death shall be no more. There will be no more pain, suffering, and all former things will pass away. Essentially we will no longer be oppressed by sin because it will have been fully removed and defeated, and we will be made perfect. If you suffer from an earthly illness, that will be no more. If you lost a limb or were disfigured in some way, you will be restored completely. So know that whatever obstacle you face here on earth, God loves you and His promise to restore you will be fulfilled on that day.
John 14:2 says Jesus is making a place for us in His Father's house. For me this has two meanings. The first meaning is that Jesus is fulfilling His promise that He will, for a lack of a better term, "vouch" for us when we reach heaven. We will be covered by His sacrifice and holiness. The second meaning is that when the old earth and heaven are destroyed and the new ones are created, Jesus will make a room for us to be with the Father (Revelations 21:1). How amazing will that be to have Jesus and God as roommates?
What is even better, not only do our bodies get restored, we will be given a special name by God himself. Some call it a love name and it will be inscribed on a stone, and no one but yourself and God will know the name and meaning of the name (Revelation 2:17). God will call you by this name and it is meant to be personal because you are new and for your personal relationship with Him. All this will be done in accordance with the transformation we will undergo into the likeness of his Son. Because of this special name, our relationship with God will be extremely personal and intimate beyond any other relationship you have ever had!
I have heard some pastors say the relationship that we will have with God in heaven will be so intimate and powerful, to sum up all your life's positive experiences into one instance will not even compare to how we will feel every second with God. His glory is beyond comprehension and I lack the words to describe what that feeling will be like with God in heaven, but my earlier statement sums it up in the best way i know how today. In heaven, we will never be hungry or thirsty...our fill will come from God's glory alone.
When we think of heaven we also think about our current relationships and wonder if they will exist in heaven. My answer to that is I don't know. I don't know because if we remember everything from our earthly life, that would mean there would be hurt and sadness included. Since this cannot be in heaven I am unsure if we will continue our relationships. Paul does mention in 1 Thessalonians 4 that we will be taken with the Lord together and will comfort each other there.
Now this could be disappointing for most of us if we do not get to be reunited with our loved ones in heaven, but is that our end goal? My personal opinion is that we will know each other in heaven and see our loved ones who were believers in Christ there. I say this on the fact of reading other articles and their take and position on this topic. Since the bible references Elijah and others, who had passed on already, being present during Jesus transfiguration I would have to assume that we will see our loved ones as well and know them. Because there was recognition of Elijah and Moses, we should recognize our loved ones in heaven.
To answer the questions of marriage, children, and ect. in heaven...I truly don't know and I haven't seen anything scripturally that mentions/hints at the possibility of this being possible. Jesus does teach that marriage and procreation will not be apart of heaven. Paul mentions that the reason there is no need for marriage in heaven is because we will live in perfect harmony with one another. Marriage was established on earth because it gave us a better understanding of the relationship of Jesus and the church with ourselves. In other words, earthly marriage helps us understand how we should love Christ Jesus.
You may think this isn't fair since you love your wife or husband and do not want to part. The fact is that only the marriage will end between you and your wife/husband, not the deep relationship you both have. Marriage will be irrelevant because of the perfect harmony and deep relationships we will have with one another in heaven. As for pets, I don't have an answer or thought on this today.
As for what life will be like in heaven, I am not 100% sure on this either. I would think it would be much like it is here on earth, but without the pain and suffering. We will live in different parts of heaven, travel to see friends and family, worship our Lord, and other exciting things. Don't think that heaven is just a place where we kneel at God's throne all day praising Him. God is worthy of our praise and if that was what heaven is like I am okay with that too. But in heaven we will be able to explore the wonders of our King, the universe, and heaven itself.
In closing, I hope this helps and sheds some light on whatever thoughts, ideas, and or fears you may have about heaven. Again, this is not exactly what you should look forward to, as it is my own opinion based on my interpretation of scripture. Know that God loves you and what is in store for you in heaven will exceed your every expectation 100 fold. If you have other ideas or disagree, please feel free to share your comments because I would like to learn from you all as well. Remember, heaven isn't our end goal and only through Christ, grace, sanctification, and repentance do we have the opportunity to enter heaven. May Christ be with you!
Glory to God, always!
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