Heaven

What is heaven really like?  I have talked recently with a group of young people about heaven. This group included some who have been raised in church and some who weren't. It surprised me that their "visions" of heaven were so similar. We envision white clouds, doing nothing all dayb ut singing hymns and bowing to God. I wonder how many of my fellow church goers are dreading heaven. Some come to church 15 minutes late every week to avoid singing. They must feel heaven will be a little but of hell on earth. So what does the Bible say heaven is really lik?.

We were created in God's image. One major character of God is that he is a Creator. First He created the dust then He breathed life into it. I highly doubt that He would then create a heaven where we do not use our creative minds. I believe we will be fluorishing in the characteristics that we embody that are like God. God loves individuals. I don't believe that in Heaven we become some robot that will not recognize others, that we somehow lose our individual personalities. His greatest command is "Love Him", his second command is "Love your neighbor." I think in heaven these 2 commands will be our nature. We will get to know all the other believers and our love for each other will be overwhelming. There will be no impediment to loving each other. On earth there are those that are harder to love - not in heaven.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death will be no more. neither shall their be mourning or crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Rev 21:4. I imagine this to be full communion with God, like the Garden of Eden. If we think about how many regrets, how much guilt we think about even in the smallest way every day, heaven will not have any of that. 

There are many things unknown about heaven. But somewhere along the way, God's heaven got hijacked by some crazy assumptions. I see no evidence that the New heaven and the New Earth contains believers, transformed into winged angels floating on clouds with harps singing day in and day out. I see a New Earth like the Garden of Eden with all of the Lords wonderful creation without death and decay. I see believers   seem to dread heaven for to get to heaven we must let these earthly bodies die. I pray that God will continue to spur my desire for heaven even more. For heaven should be our encouragement, not our dread. Paul described this beautifully in 1 Corinthians 15:35-37. I guess the early church goers struggled with this same thing.