Imagining Heaven
This is the first of what I hope to be many posts using our imagination and the Bible as our guide to help us think about what it's actually going to be like in Heaven. I've been planning to do this for some time but I kept bumping into roadblocks, not from the Lord, not from the Bible, but from other Christians.
There's nothing like having a Biblically backed conversation about our futures in Heaven interrupted and trolled by self professing scholars who think wisdom was born with them and when they die, all wisdom will die with them.
Christians are encouraged to focus on things above and not of this world, but how is that even possible whenever anyone tries, there's always somebody who insists that Heaven is just a big white room with nothing in it and we're all gonna be just standing around looking at each other with Jesus and singing "Holy Holy Holy" for all eternity.
Christians in the Bible are encouraged to think and look forward to their futures in Heaven as it gives us a great source of peace and motivation. But it's hard to do that these days because there's so many know-it-alls who are quick to discourage those who do. So instead, we tend to devote much of our time and attention to things that are extremely temporary. We tend to keep our vision as short sighted as possible in the name of urgency and expediency. But that's not how the Bible teaches the Christian to look at things.
We like to call Heaven the afterlife, but it's not. Heaven is not the afterlife. Heaven is the future! And it's a future that is very near! When we finally get there, it won't be the afterlife, it will be the beginning of life!! Life hasn't even begun until we get to Heaven! We're encouraged by the Lord and throughout Scripture to look up and focus on that future while we continue to live down here. Not only did Jesus do this in His sermon on the mount, but He also did it in His parable of the shrewd manager.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus told us to store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven rather than treasures down here because everything here eventually gets stolen from us, everything here becomes corrupted, everything here becomes broken and everything here dies. Then Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." So if you're focused on your treasures in Heaven, you're gonna be focusing on Heaven itself and you're gonna be based in the reality of your future there.
When Jesus told His parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16:1-13, Jesus compared our lives down here to the life of this guy who was in a dead-end job for which he was about to be fired. Instead of the guy kissing his bosses butt to stay employed, he took advantage of his position in the company to gain points with the people on the outside because he knew he was about to be on the outside with them.
In other words, this guy basically screwed his boss in favor of the customers to get in good with the customers before he got fired. And Jesus actually taught us that this is how we should see our lives down here in this world. We all tend to act like we've got job security down here, but actually, we don't! We're all living in a dead-end job and we're all about to be fired. Why not think about our futures above and invest in it with what time we have left down here?
In Matthew 16:21-23, Peter tried to argue with Jesus about letting Himself be arrested and killed, but Jesus accused him of not being mindful of the things above, but of man. Peter was looking at the here and now while Jesus was looking at eternity.
In Luke 9:62, Jesus taught us to put our hands to the plow and look forward, not backwards. Heaven is forward. Everything else is backward and comes to nothing. How can we do this if everytime we look forward to Heaven, we're told that everything we're thinking about isn't real by people who either haven't read their Bibles or maybe they have read them but they've strangled what they've read through the filters of their own predetermined mindsets?
1st Corinthians 2:9 says, "Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, and neither has it entered into the heart of humanity, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him." People twist this verse to mean that it's impossible to imagine Heaven, so why even try? But I see this verse as a license to let your imagination run wild!!!!!! No matter what you think Heaven is, it's going to be even better, it's going to be even bigger and it's going to be so much more than your wildest imagination. So why not have fun and think about it? When someone wraps a present and says, "You'll never guess what I got you", does that stop us from trying to guess? Isn't that half the fun?
When it comes to what God has in store for us in Heaven, no matter what our wildest dreams and imagination can conceive, we can be absolutely certain that we won't be disappointed. Nobody will say, "Well, this is okay I guess but I was expecting more from Heaven than this." The very idea of that happening is absurd and yet, there always seems to be someone who is quick to shut down any conversations they hear about what Heaven will be like or whatever anyone else has imagined as fast as possible. Just expect it and try to ignore it. While the Bible teaches that Heaven is more than we can imagine, there will always be somebody trying to tell you that it's less!
But just look at these passages!!
"Shall anything be too hard or too wonderful for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14.
"With God, all things are possible!" Matthew 19:26.
"For with God, nothing shall be impossible!" Luke 1:37.
Jesus said, "All things are possible for the one who believes." Mark 9:23.
Nothing is impossible with God,
and everything is possible with God.
And that's just talking about here!
If that's true here, then how much more so in Heaven?
There's nothing like having a Biblically backed conversation about our futures in Heaven interrupted and trolled by self professing scholars who think wisdom was born with them and when they die, all wisdom will die with them.
Christians are encouraged to focus on things above and not of this world, but how is that even possible whenever anyone tries, there's always somebody who insists that Heaven is just a big white room with nothing in it and we're all gonna be just standing around looking at each other with Jesus and singing "Holy Holy Holy" for all eternity.
Us: "I really enjoy a good cup of coffee in the morning, I can't wait to enjoy that in Heaven. I bet the coffee is great in Heaven."I seriously wonder about these people. Have they ever even read the Bible at all?
Them: "There's no coffee in Heaven. There isn't a single verse in the Bible about coffee in Heaven."
Us: "My spouse and I are getting old. I'm looking forward to our new bodies so we can have a 2nd honeymoon and then tour Heaven in style."
Them: "You won't have a spouse in Heaven. We're all gonna be spayed and neutered and see everyone as brothers and sisters. Romance is earthly. There's nothing in the Bible about romance in Heaven."
Us: "I really miss my mom and dad. I can't wait to see my mom and dad again when I get to Heaven."
Them: "What about Jesus? Aren't you looking forward to being with Jesus? Do you love your parents more than Jesus? Didn't Jesus say we should hate our mothers and fathers? There's nothing in the Bible about families in Heaven."
Us: "The best friend I ever had was my old dog that followed me around for almost 20 years. I can't wait to be reunited with him in Heaven."
Them: "There's no animals in Heaven. Heaven is for people. The Bible doesn't say anything about animals going to Heaven."
Christians in the Bible are encouraged to think and look forward to their futures in Heaven as it gives us a great source of peace and motivation. But it's hard to do that these days because there's so many know-it-alls who are quick to discourage those who do. So instead, we tend to devote much of our time and attention to things that are extremely temporary. We tend to keep our vision as short sighted as possible in the name of urgency and expediency. But that's not how the Bible teaches the Christian to look at things.
We like to call Heaven the afterlife, but it's not. Heaven is not the afterlife. Heaven is the future! And it's a future that is very near! When we finally get there, it won't be the afterlife, it will be the beginning of life!! Life hasn't even begun until we get to Heaven! We're encouraged by the Lord and throughout Scripture to look up and focus on that future while we continue to live down here. Not only did Jesus do this in His sermon on the mount, but He also did it in His parable of the shrewd manager.
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus told us to store up for ourselves treasures in Heaven rather than treasures down here because everything here eventually gets stolen from us, everything here becomes corrupted, everything here becomes broken and everything here dies. Then Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." So if you're focused on your treasures in Heaven, you're gonna be focusing on Heaven itself and you're gonna be based in the reality of your future there.
When Jesus told His parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16:1-13, Jesus compared our lives down here to the life of this guy who was in a dead-end job for which he was about to be fired. Instead of the guy kissing his bosses butt to stay employed, he took advantage of his position in the company to gain points with the people on the outside because he knew he was about to be on the outside with them.
In other words, this guy basically screwed his boss in favor of the customers to get in good with the customers before he got fired. And Jesus actually taught us that this is how we should see our lives down here in this world. We all tend to act like we've got job security down here, but actually, we don't! We're all living in a dead-end job and we're all about to be fired. Why not think about our futures above and invest in it with what time we have left down here?
In Matthew 16:21-23, Peter tried to argue with Jesus about letting Himself be arrested and killed, but Jesus accused him of not being mindful of the things above, but of man. Peter was looking at the here and now while Jesus was looking at eternity.
In Luke 9:62, Jesus taught us to put our hands to the plow and look forward, not backwards. Heaven is forward. Everything else is backward and comes to nothing. How can we do this if everytime we look forward to Heaven, we're told that everything we're thinking about isn't real by people who either haven't read their Bibles or maybe they have read them but they've strangled what they've read through the filters of their own predetermined mindsets?
1st Corinthians 2:9 says, "Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, and neither has it entered into the heart of humanity, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him." People twist this verse to mean that it's impossible to imagine Heaven, so why even try? But I see this verse as a license to let your imagination run wild!!!!!! No matter what you think Heaven is, it's going to be even better, it's going to be even bigger and it's going to be so much more than your wildest imagination. So why not have fun and think about it? When someone wraps a present and says, "You'll never guess what I got you", does that stop us from trying to guess? Isn't that half the fun?
When it comes to what God has in store for us in Heaven, no matter what our wildest dreams and imagination can conceive, we can be absolutely certain that we won't be disappointed. Nobody will say, "Well, this is okay I guess but I was expecting more from Heaven than this." The very idea of that happening is absurd and yet, there always seems to be someone who is quick to shut down any conversations they hear about what Heaven will be like or whatever anyone else has imagined as fast as possible. Just expect it and try to ignore it. While the Bible teaches that Heaven is more than we can imagine, there will always be somebody trying to tell you that it's less!
But just look at these passages!!
"Shall anything be too hard or too wonderful for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14.
"With God, all things are possible!" Matthew 19:26.
"For with God, nothing shall be impossible!" Luke 1:37.
Jesus said, "All things are possible for the one who believes." Mark 9:23.
Nothing is impossible with God,
and everything is possible with God.
And that's just talking about here!
If that's true here, then how much more so in Heaven?
Thinking Of Heaven & Why Jesus Really Died
We're Going Home: The Rapture
What Does It Mean To Be Saved?
