Have You Ever Wondered
What Heaven Is Like?

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what Heaven is like? Thought about the realm where God dwells and endeavoured to understand what it must look like and what kind of things go on there? For a Christian it is perfectly natural not only to wonder, but to be keenly desirous of knowing what the Bible says about Heaven. This is because Heaven is not only where God dwells, it is also the very place to which we depart upon death. As the apostle Paul makes clear in II Corinthians 5,...

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (II Corinthians 5:6-8)

Right now we are "absent from the Lord" being "at home" in our bodies. The Lord is in Heaven and we are here on the earth. But when we die, and for all those who have already "died in Christ," we are no longer "absent from the Lord." Upon death we are "absent from the body," our soul and spirit having departed from our physical bodies. We depart and "be with Christ," as Paul declares elsewhere (See Philippians 1:23) and we become "present with the Lord." As such, we are "present with the Lord" where He is, where He dwells, in Heaven.

Therefore, it is only natural for us to wonder what Heaven is like. We do so in anticipation of our own death, and as we think of loved ones "in Christ" who have already died.

Unfortunately, it is commonly thought, and taught, that the Bible says very little about what God*s Heaven is like. This may be the conclusion you would come to if what you are looking for is a passage particularly dedicated to describing it. For there isn't one. However, this does not mean that God has set forth little or no information in the Bible about it. On the contrary, He has set forth a great deal of information about His Heaven. Yet many Christians fail to realize this due largely to the fact that they are unaware of how God has done it. In turn, they are unaware of how God informs us about His Heaven because they often do not understand a very basic issue about God*s purpose for creation, particularly for the earth. In view of this, they do not see the very way in which God provides for us to appreciate what His Heaven is like.

This booklet is a brief examination of how God expects us to understand what His Heaven is like. In it we will look at some of the fundamental issues set forth in the Bible about Heaven, from which we are able to possess a measure of understanding about its appearance, environment, and activities. This, however, is just a simple primer on the subject and is not meant to be a thorough examination. Yet it is hoped that the issues presented herein will prompt you to continue the study on your own. May they challenge you to enhance your understanding and appreciation for what Heaven is like. - Keith R. Blades.