Can you imagine a builder of grand, upscale houses – ones consisting of many perfectly decorated rooms, with every conceivable accessory – living in a tiny, rundown, rat and cockroach-infested apartment? No, that’s impossible to imagine.
How about the CEO of a luxury car manufacturer – vehicles equipped with all the latest high-tech options that only the most affluent can afford – driving a personal car covered with dents on every side, paint hopelessly faded, and its tires nearly bald? Nope, can’t see that happening either, right?
Why is that? Because we would rightly assume that creators, makers and providers of the highest quality products and services would want to enjoy that same standard of quality themselves. We wouldn’t expect the top executives of Neiman-Marcus to buy Christmas gifts for family members at a dollar store, or purchase their office attire at a thrift store.
Then how is it, I’ve often wondered, that we feel hesitation and uncertainty in considering the prospects of dying and going to heaven, the domain of the Creator of the entire wondrous, expansive, complex and mysterious universe? It’s nice to trust that when we’ve drawn our last breath we won’t dissolve into nothingness, but we’re still facing the unknown. When we hear the common question, “Where do we go when we die?”, we might think, “I’m going to heaven. But what’s it like?”
This comes to mind because in recent weeks, two more members of our extended family have passed away. Life as they knew it has ended for them; they no longer have to contemplate what heaven must be like. For them, in the words of the classic hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul” – faith has become sight.
The Bible teaches, of course, that not everyone goes to heaven. It’s reserved for those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who have received Him and His gift of forgiveness for their sins:
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).
This is why I offer the analogies above. Just as we wouldn’t expect a builder of exquisite homes to live in a rundown shack, why would we think that God’s eternal home would be any less beautiful than what we have experienced on earth? Actually, I wholeheartedly believe that from the Lord’s perspective, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
In fact, that’s what the Scriptures tell us:
“However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him…’” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
During His time on earth, Jesus often talked about what awaits His followers after our earthly days are over. For instance, He said, “My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2). Other translations use the terms “mansions” or “dwelling places” instead of “rooms,” but Jesus’ point is clear: Our heavenly Father in providing a very special place for each of us, and we have every reason to believe it will be magnificent beyond anything we could imagine.
The apostle Paul, who served as an unabashed, unwavering ambassador for Christ after his dramatic encounter with Him on the road to Damascus, viewed the next life with great expectation. He wrote, “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).
We find imagery in the Book of Revelation, describing “a new heaven and a new earth…. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass…” (Revelation 21:1, 21), its walls consisting of precious gems. Without an equivalent to that on earth, we might find ourselves scratching our heads in uncertainty.
Consider wonders of this world, such as the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, towering sequoias, the awesome majesty of Niagara Falls, a glorious sunset at the beach, a festive field of flowers. If only we could enjoy such beauty perpetually, right? God promises that one day we will:
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1).
Holding fast to that assurance, we have no reason to fear – but every reason for great anticipation.
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