What We Won’t Be Seeing in Heaven

The sun rising over the Tyrrhenian Sea reminds us of what
lies ahead for us on distant shores.

“What will Heaven be like?” That’s an interesting question to ponder, at least for those of us who believe our time on earth is just a tiny fraction of our eternal existence. The Bible speaks a lot about Heaven. Author Randy Alcorn wrote an expansive book on it, appropriately entitled Heaven. (I hope the creative mind that came up with the title received a huge bonus!) Other books and countless articles also have addressed the topic. But we still don’t know exactly what it will be like. 

Jesus told His followers, “In my Father’s house there are rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3). Other translations, instead of “rooms,” use terms like “many mansions” or “dwelling places.” While offering assurances of life after this one, Jesus didn’t volunteer other details.

Billowy clouds hover over this ancient,
ornate church in Assisi, Italy.

In 1 Corinthians 2:9 we read, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” The apostle Paul was quoting from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Some commentators have observed this applies to spiritual understanding we can’t gain from our senses. But it also could be alluding to what awaits us on “the other side of eternity.”

We wonder, therefore, what will we see there? And hear? And do? Good questions all, without definitive answers. So we speculate. But there’s another curious question worth considering: What won’t we see, or hear, or do in Heaven?

The answer to this could be many things. I doubt there’ll be a need for air conditioning. We probably won’t have Popsicles. Will we need bathtubs, or shaving cream? Don’t expect to have clocks or watches, even of the digital variety. I don’t think time will be an issue when we have all of eternity. Maybe we won’t even have Sunday school. But in giving this some thought, here’s a short list of serious, everyday things that, according to the Scriptures, we definitely won’t encounter:

Hospitals, doctors and nurses. Funeral homes, undertakers and cemeteries. Pain medications and opioids. Crutches, canes, wheelchairs and Band-aids. Ambulances, paramedics and EMTs. Police cars, law enforcement officers and jails. Homeless shelters and soup kitchens. Politicians and legislators. Courtrooms and lawyers. Murder mysteries. TV crime dramas. Horror movies. 

How do we know this? Because each of these is related disease, death, injury, discord, law breaking, hatred, ungodly thinking – and sin. According to the Scriptures, none of these will have a place in the eternal home God is preparing for us. In the last book of the Bible we read, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Things that bring pain and sorrow will be eliminated as “the old order.”

Isn’t it good to know death, sorrow and evil will not exist in Heaven? We won’t be turning on the evening news to get the day’s “body count.” There will be no need to fear a dreaded phone call bearing bad news about a loved one. We’ll not be awakened in the middle of the night by sirens announcing a fire, traffic accident, response to a misdeed, or someone’s health emergency. As Isaiah 25:8 declares, “He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken.” 

And we won’t see elderly folks huddling around a table to compare their latest maladies, or bemoan the toll taken by the passage of years. We’ll be made new, and never again fret about getting old. “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.' Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:54-56).

To be honest, I’m getting more and more eager to discover what we will not be seeing and experiencing in Heaven. How about you? 

Questions We Wonder About

Years ago Art Linkletter hosted a TV show called “House Party,” and the most popular segment was called “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” In this part of his show, Linkletter would ask little kids simple questions, such as “What is the first thing you would do if you were President?” or “When the four-alarm bell rings, what is the first thing a fireman does?” or “How does your daddy help your mom around the house?” And then he would wait for their candid, always touching, and sometimes hilarious responses.

Any of us that have had children, and grandchildren, if you’re lucky, know they also like to ask questions. A father said his young daughter asked him this: “Dada, what type of underwear will we wear when we go to heaven?” Now, isn’t that a question you’ve wondered about yourself?

Okay, maybe you haven’t been all that concerned over whether we’ll wear Fruit of the Looms or Hanes, boxers or briefs. But don’t you sometimes pause to consider, if there really is a life after this one – and I’m convinced there is – what it will be like?

The theatrical film, “Heaven Is For Real,” has just been released. I haven’t seen it yet, but did read the book by Todd Burpo it’s based on, and if nothing else, it’s provocative. Numerous other books on the same theme have been written, from 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper, a minister, to Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon. While not offering empirical proof, these books drawn from personal experiences are intriguing.

What's heaven going to be like?
We can only imagine.

We’ve all seen artwork of people in heaven reclining on clouds, and cartoons of angelic-looking folks floating around with harps in their hands. Those images might be okay for a brief vacation, but for most of us, if that’s all heaven is about, we’re not sure that would be the way we’d like to spend eternity.

So can we know what heaven will be like? Frankly, I don’t think so. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, our ability to understand eternal, spiritual existence is about as limited as trying to explain to an unborn child what life will be like after leaving the womb. It’s impossible, since there’s no frame of reference.

But that doesn’t mean heaven has to be a complete mystery. The Bible offers a few tidbits, essentially assuring us terrestrials, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” The apostle Paul was referring to this when he wrote, "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). In other words, “I’d explain it to you if I could – but I can't.”

Speaking to His followers, Jesus said, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you…” (John 14:2). He didn’t elaborate – at least the Scriptures don’t tell us that He did – but basically He was offering assurances that someplace very special awaited them. In other words, “Trust Me on this. It’s going to be really cool – much more than you could ever imagine.”

In the last book of the Bible we read about “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1), a place where pain, sorrow, death and anguish are banished forever. Now that is something to look forward to, isn’t it? “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain; for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

We cling desperately to this earthly life because it’s all we've known. And I think God wants it to be that way. When it’s our time to go, He’ll let us know. Until then we’re asked to faithfully live the life He expects of us and respond to opportunities He sends our way. But this “blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) should be something to eagerly anticipate, not fear or dread. The unknown isn’t always a bad thing.

But what’s it going to be like? What are we going to do? After all, eternity is a long time, right? Maybe that information hasn’t been fully revealed because our finite, human minds couldn’t comprehend it anyway. Kind of like trying to explain Euclidian geometry to a hamster.

Think about it this way: If you book a Caribbean cruise, or a vacation at some exotic location, you might see a travel brochure or two, and read a brief description. But nothing can prepare you for everything you’ll experience once you get there. Heaven’s going to be like that – only much, much more. Millions of times over. Don’t even try doing the math!

Can It Get Any Better?

Did you ever have one of those days when you thought, “It can’t get any better than this?” Physically you’re feeling excellent – not aches, pains or twinges. You’re upbeat, optimistic about what the new day has to offer. No financial worries for the moment, the car’s running good, relationships are free of conflict, you have plans to look forward to, and life in general seems cast in a rosy glow.

It can’t get any better than that, can it?

I had a morning like that last week. Woke up feeling good, took a shower, mentally ran through my to-do list. Couldn’t wait to get on with the day. And then…I twisted my back the wrong way. Ouch, and double ouch! Everything was downhill from there. Every time I rose from sitting, I felt an agonizing tweak in my lower back. No leaping tall buildings in single bounds for me that afternoon.

In a single moment, “can’t get any better” turned into not-so-good.

Living in the valleys helps us appreciate
moments on the mountaintops.

Sometimes I’m hesitant to enjoy care-free moments because Murphy’s Law could be lurking around the corner. If something can go wrong, often it will. So I’ve learned to temper mountaintop enthusiasm with a realization the valley lies below. But there’s great value in both the highs and lows of everyday life.

The high moments remind of how good life can be, even the simple joys of breathing, the first glimpse of sunlight, enjoying being with loved ones, having something worthwhile and fulfilling to do. The low moments give good times a context, helping us appreciate them since we know they can pass so quickly.

And there’s one other thing: The good times give us a hint, a small taste of even better times ahead, while the not-so-good times remind us not to cling to this life too tightly. God wants us to long for the life ahead, a life when there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

Followers of Christ are called to carry on lives of obedience and faithfulness, motivated by the hope – an unwavering assurance – that the best is yet to come, beyond our wildest imaginings. That’s why the promises in the Scriptures are so important – the God who truly loves us doesn’t make promises He won’t keep.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

To me, this says when that day comes we can truly declare, “It can’t get any better than this!”