Why Do You Worry About the Final 7 Years on Earth? Do you Know What Heaven is Like? Check Out These FACTS.

We know that we are in the end times, and it is understandable that all of our pondering time is spent going from Biblical Sign to Sign. I get that… I can relate. It is so interesting to see the Book of Revelation play out before our very eyes.

In my conversations last week, I was surprised to hear a man say to me… “I’m not ready to leave this earth. There are too many things that I’m not quite ready to give up yet.” Curious, I asked him what those things were. He said, “I have a boat, and my family loves to waterski. This is such a fun time that we have together, I’m not ready to give that up.” He also went on to say, “I’ve finally got into a house that we’ve always wanted. I want some time to enjoy the “fruit of my labors.”

It was so clear to me that this man has no idea what heaven is like. He was hooked on his material things that were binding him to this earth. Sure, a boat and a new house are awesome, and fun things to have… but… Seriously, that’s the top of the food chain to you?

I started to think, “I wonder how many people there are that DON’T know what heaven is really like? What are the FACTS about heaven?” We may all speculate about the details, but for now, let’s just look at the FACTS.

Here’s what we KNOW:

1. Heaven will be free from pain, sorrow, and sin.

Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

I am certain that all of you reading this post have experienced these three things while on the earth. Can you imagine for a moment living in an environment free from pain, sorrow, and sin? Let’s make this personal, shall we? Take a moment and think about all of your pains and sorrows. Start with the big ones, and think how devastating they have been in your life. They have been very difficult for me in my own life…And to know that I will never have to experience these emotions again…I’m certainly ready for this, are you?

Let’s keep going.

2. We will have new, perfect bodies that are no longer subject to weakness or death.

Philippians 3:20-21 – “The Lord Jesus Christ… will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.”

As I consider the body that I have currently here on earth, it is far from perfect. Plagued with arthritis, hurting while I move is one of my greatest physical challenges in my senior years. I also am challenged with the difficulty of being bi-polar, having depression and anxiety. And then there is THIS. I don’t have any earlobes. I’M SERIOUS. This has bothered me my entire life. All of these imperfections will be gone. This is what I have been praying for my entire life, is that ALL of these things that I have listed would be eliminated, so that I will not have to endure the daily struggles that they bring.

Are you down with having a perfect body? One without the quirks of physical looks, as well as those imperfections that cause our life to be difficult?

Just by listing these two items that we will experience in heaven, doesn’t this beat a boat and a new house?

Let’s continue with the list.

3. Believers will experience eternal joy and receive rewards for their faithfulness.

Matthew 25:21 – “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”

One thing for certain, these last few years have seen a diminish in the JOY that I have felt. How about you? Especially with the condition of depression, joy seems to be hard to come by.

This bible scripture states that we will “Enter into the joy of your master.” Our environment will be that of JOY. This is far from an earthly neighborhood filled with drama, hate, and selfishness… But rather, JOY!!

4. The Bible describes heaven as a place of unimaginable beauty, peace, and joy in the presence of God. While we may not fully comprehend its glory, Scripture gives us glimpses of what to expect:

The Glory and Beauty of the New Jerusalem, “Heaven.”

Revelation 21:18-19, 21 (KJV)
“And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones… And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV)
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Read those two scriptures again. Heaven’s beauty will be beyond our comprehension. My family and I took a trip to Hawaii. I can remember just being overcome with the beauty of the island. Palm trees, the white sand of the beaches, and the waterfalls were breathtaking. If Hawaii was heaven, I would certainly be satisfied with living in the most beautiful place ever imagined. But in reality, heaven will even be beyond the beauty of Hawaii. Can you imagine???

Revelation 21:1 (KJV)
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

Here is a clue I’m certain that you have never considered: … “and there was no more sea”. This is a curious statement. To me it also indicates that Heaven will not be exactly as you imagine.

Here is another interesting fact of heaven:

Revelation 22:5 (KJV)
“And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

These scriptures describe the environment of heaven. It will be a place so beautiful, that we can’t even imagine. But, what will we do?

Even in my own discussions with my family, let me state an obvious question that many of us might have regarding what we will do in heaven… “Will it be like going to church 24/7? =)

This is actually a question that needs to be explored. There are many positive experiences that many of us have in church, but let me be so bold to state the obvious… Church can sometimes be boring. Are we going to do boring things like “church” for all of eternity?

Let me explain the answer to that question in a very logical way.

God created this earth. And, you and I have been able to find many things to do on this earth that bring us JOY. Here are some of the things that I have found to be enjoyable:

Rappelling from cliffs.

Boating and Waterskiing.

Snow Skiing.

Scuba Diving.

Eating Nummy Food.

Riding a motorcycle through the mountains.

Sight Seeing.

Driving my Car Fast.

Fishing.

Hiking.

Etc………….

Perhaps some of these events might be tying us to this earth life because we find joy and pleasure by doing them.

Just as God created this earth, He too will also be creating Heaven. And just like earth, we have found many ways to find joy upon His creation of Earth… So, it will be in Heaven. We will have an opportunity to search and find things in heaven that will bring us joy… just like earth. Oh, and the difference… They will be 100 times better, and 100 times more enjoyable.

We are not giving up things that we enjoy on earth, we are simply enhancing these things 100 times. Does this just excite you to no end? We are going to be able find new things in heaven by exploring what God has created. And, during our time exploring, we will be able to find things to do that will bring us joy and pleasure far beyond what we are experiencing here on earth.

Here’s a scripture that describes the joy we will find in heaven:

Revelation 4:10-11 (KJV) – “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

We will also spend time worshiping God. I picture this in my mind as being a joyful time. We will have time to praise Him, and express our appreciation for all that He has done for us.

Revelation 7:9-10 (KJV) – “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”

I also would expect that there will be times of teaching, as well as working on ourselves to even be better that we are at that moment.

John 14:26 (KJV) – “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

So, has your interpretation of what heaven will be like changed after reading this? These details give me a sense of excitement for what is to come. We will be actively involved with learning, serving others, praising God, as well as finding those things that will bring us joy and happiness. We will not have the limitations of imperfect bodies and minds. We will be able to learn without the difficulty of brain-fog.

I would like to leave you with the answer to a question that you all have, but perhaps are afraid to ask… Will There be Food in Heaven?

Yes, the Bible suggests that there will be food in heaven. While our glorified bodies may not require food for survival, Scripture indicates that we will still be able to enjoy eating in the presence of God.

1. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

• Revelation 19:9 (KJV) – “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”
  • This verse speaks of a great feast in heaven, celebrating the union of Christ and His Church.

2. Jesus Ate After His Resurrection

• Luke 24:42-43 (KJV) – “And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.”
  • Jesus, in His glorified resurrection body, ate food, which suggests that eating is possible in eternity.

3. The Tree of Life Will Bear Fruit

• Revelation 22:2 (KJV) – “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
  • This indicates that the Tree of Life in the New Jerusalem will produce fruit regularly, suggesting that food will be part of heavenly life.

4. Jesus Spoke of Eating in the Kingdom

• Luke 22:29-30 (KJV) – “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
  • Jesus promised His disciples that they would eat and drink with Him in His kingdom.
• Matthew 8:11 (KJV) – “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”
  • Sitting down at a banquet implies fellowship and feasting in heaven.

There… now you know! This is also very telling to me regarding the fact that even though our bodies will not require food, God will be providing food to us in heaven so that we may enjoy the pleasure that eating brings to us.

It is my hope that all of you will spend some time considering the heaven that we will soon be in. It will be glorious in so many ways, and far beyond what you can even imagine. It will be as if we finally end up in a place that we have been praying for our entire life. No sickness, no weakness, no sin, a perfect body, surrounded by those we love, engaged in doing things that will bring us joy. Now, who’s ready to go there?