By David Jeremiah
Heaven is on the minds of people more than we realize. We have an instinctive belief in heaven and hell because life doesn’t make sense without a resolution to our existence. Despite all our medical advances, the rate of death is exactly the same now as it was thousands of years ago—100 percent for every generation. That’s certainly a sobering thought; but for those who know Christ, death holds no sting. According to the apostle Paul, going to be with the Lord is “far better” than remaining here on earth (Philippians 1:23). He was pondering the knowledge God has given us about heaven for those who know Christ. This is a perspective we need, a hope we crave, and a reality we require for our own mental and emotional well-being.
When we forget that God has prepared a place for us in heaven where we’ll spend eternity—a glorious, wonderful place that’s real and not imaginary—we begin to try to create our own heaven here on earth. We spend our money and our passions trying to build an environment that, somehow in the back of our minds, resembles some of the things we’ve heard about heaven. We want to get rid of all our pain, live in beautiful mansions, and relax in gorgeous surroundings. We tend to forget about the eternal consequences of our actions, and we don’t live with a sense of the judgments and rewards that will one day be issued. Our concern about personal holiness begins to slip away, and we lose our passion for winning others to Christ.
That’s why the Bible warns us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world…. Little children, it is the last hour…. Little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (1 John 2:15, 18, 28).
You can never approximate here on earth what God has in mind for you up there in the place we call heaven. You can try for the rest of your life; you can get consultants to help you; you can make and spend lavish amounts of money; you can do anything you can imagine to try to create heaven on earth. But it’s impossible.
God has placed within your heart a hunger for eternity, a hunger for heaven, and a yearning for everlasting life. Our secular society tells us we’re nothing more than lifeless atoms that somehow joined together temporarily as carbon life forms with a limited shelf life. Such a mistaken philosophy breeds nothing but despair, and it’s one I wholeheartedly reject. God has created us for eternity. We are made for heaven—that’s our true residence. That’s our country. That’s our destination.
Without the Scriptures, which are inspired by the Holy Spirit, we would have no idea of heaven’s existence or description. But God has revealed to us what heaven is like. Granted, even with the biblical data, we can’t fully visualize heaven or appreciate all its glories. But we can form a very biblical concept of what heaven is like, and we can visualize it within the parameters of biblical revelation. Heaven is a precious place. Everything that is near and dear to you and me, everything that is important to Christ followers, is in heaven. Everything!
First of all, our Redeemer is in heaven. When we get to heaven and we see the golden streets and the gates of pearl, I believe they will somehow fade into insignificance when we see the Savior. Imagine the moment we see Jesus! When at last we are able to focus our eyes on Him who, though He was God, became a man and paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, what a moment that will be! Everything else will pale into insignificance.
Second, heaven is precious because our relationships are there. Our loved ones who have died in Christ are all in heaven. I’m looking forward to the day when we will be with the Lord and with each other, according to the promise in 1 Thessalonians 4:17: “And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”
Third, our resources are in heaven. You have an inheritance in Christ that will never be touched by inflation. It won’t be lost in an economic crash. Its value will never decline or decrease, and it is both reserved and preserved for you. Your name is on it, and your eternal resources are there.
Heaven is also precious to us because our residence is in heaven. I’m not just talking about where we will live; I’m talking about our citizenship. We are not citizens of earth who are going to heaven; we are citizens of heaven who are traveling through earth.
Our Redeemer, our relationships, our resources, and our residence are in heaven—and so are our rewards. Jesus told His followers amid persecution, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12).
Heaven is also precious to us because that’s where our riches are. The only way we can get our treasures from here to there is by investing in God’s work. We can’t take our money with us to heaven, or our homes, cars, boats, or articles of clothing. But we can take other people with us by investing our lives and resources in the spreading of God’s Kingdom.
Finally, heaven is precious because our reservation is there. There is a book in heaven, a registry, called the Lamb’s Book of Life, in which the names of all who will be in heaven are recorded. No one comes to the Father except through the Savior who died for us and rose again. But here’s the good news. God is still accepting reservations for heaven. If you’re reading these words and aren’t sure your reservation is secure, I urge you to pray about it right now. Confess your sins. Acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Do it now. Turn your life over to His grace control, and accept His free offer of the gift Of salvation.
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