What is heaven like?

What is heaven like? Why do we have to wait for heaven? What does the Bible say I need to do to go to heaven?

After finishing a tour of duty with the Army in Germany,  I flew home and surprised my family and friends. After my long absence and finally arriving to see family and friends, I felt truly connected and enjoyed my renewed relationships with them. Heaven is like the ultimate home going.

When most people think of heaven, they think of a  place. The Apostle John in the last two chapters of the Bible (Revelation chapters 21 & 22) describes heaven as a glorious place. However, the key joy of heaven is not the amazing sites, but the fulfilling and continuing of our relationship with the Lord.  Jesus spoke these words “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. 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.  Heaven is the place where we will continue our relationship with Him

The main reason that we wait for the fullness of heaven until we die or when the Lord returns is that God is at work in and through us to accomplish the purpose of building His kingdom  A key phrase in the Lord’s prayer emphasizes this idea, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:10.

Heaven and hell are both logical extensions of our relationship or lack of relationship with God.  The Apostle John gives an invitation to establish a relationship with the Lord, in John 1:12 : “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”  We enter the family of God through faith, which is another way of saying ‘receive’ and ‘believe.’  The Greek word (exousia) translated ‘right’ in this verse has the meaning of power and authority which comes from being adopted into the family of God through faith in Christ.

Eternal life starts when a person places their faith in Christ.  This establishes an eternal relationship with God which is ultimately fulfilled in heaven. While many put off a relationship with the Lord, this is foolish since we do not know when we are going to die.  We should be enjoying a relationship with God now while we look forward to spending eternity with Him in heaven, our ultimate home going.