HEAVEN

I’ve been missing my dad so much lately. My heart has felt such a loss and I’ve been thinking of everything he lost when he died- everything our family lost when he died. My dad won’t be here to see my kids grow up. He won’t get to cheer them on at their games, or encourage them and snuggle them. He won’t get to see them graduate, have their first broken heart, get married or have children. He won’t get to enjoy his retirement and grow old with my mom. He won’t get to share in our family vacations and he won’t be able to make new memories with us. The list of things he won’t get to do gets longer and longer and my sorrow grows.

One day as I was wallowing in these thoughts, I heard God speak to me. Not audibly, but he spoke to me. I believe he told me to stop focusing on what my dad is missing, what we are missing. I believe he told me to focus on what my dad is seeing. What my dad is experiencing in Heaven. To look forward to what I will one day experience with my dad. How our whole family will one day be reunited.

That led me to start thinking about Heaven and really evaluating what I knew to be true of Heaven. Growing up in a Christian home, I heard the usual- that the streets are paved of gold, there are pearly gates and it is a perpetual place of worshipping God and singing his praises. These things all sound very nice, but honestly, it sounds a little mundane. I said it. My view – and perhaps your view of Heaven- is lacking. We can’t appreciate the true splendor of such a place. We can’t wrap our minds around it. Or can we?

I’ve had well-meaning friends and family tell me, take comfort, your dad is in Heaven and you’ll see him again. Or they will tell me, take heart- he’s watching over you. But I was not finding peace in that. I wasn’t finding peace that my dad is in Heaven- because while I’m happy for him- I’m sorry for us! And I have had a hard time believing he’s watching over me- I wish that were true- but is that even biblical? But I realize that part of why I am not finding comfort in the fact that he’s in Heaven is because I don’t have a firm grasp of what Heaven is really like.

All these questions led me to grab a new book aptly named, Heaven, by Randy Alcorn. As I began reading, it became very clear I had no real idea what Heaven is really like. I have been crying as I turn the pages in this book. I have felt such joy and anticipation and excitement over the new knowledge of what Heaven is really like! Boy, did I have it wrong!

Over the next few weeks – or however long it takes me to finish this 492 page book- I will share what strikes me and share with you. Here are some of the amazing truths I’ve learned – taken directly from the book.

1. I have been merging my belief of heaven around a general heaven. I haven’t separated present heaven from eternal heaven- or the New Earth. “Present heaven is not our final destination. Though it will be a wonderful place the present Heaven is not the place we are made for- the place God promises to refashion for us to live in forever. This place is the New Earth! In the present Heaven, we’ll be in Christ’s presence, and we’ll be joyful, but we’ll be looking forward to our bodily resurrection and permanent relocation to the New Earth.” (Rev. 21:1, Rev. 22:1, John 14:23)
2. “Faith not works will get us into Heaven.” We know this to be true, but the Bible indicates that all believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of their lives (Romans 14:10-12, 2 Cor. 5:10). “This judgment is a judgment of works, not of faith (1 Cor. 3:13-14). Our works do not affect our salvation, but they do affect our reward. Rewards are about our work for God, empowered by his Spirit. Rewards are conditional, dependent on our faithfulness (2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 2:26-28, 3:21).” This is such an important truth for believers to get behind. We need to store our treasures in heaven!
3. We can use Earth as a reference to what Heaven will be like. God created Adam and Eve to be on Earth and to enjoy the Earth. That was the plan! So it makes sense that God would bring us back to the New Earth and have Heaven come down after the resurrection. We may think that we can’t envision what eternal Heaven will be like, but we simply need to look around at the beauty we see on Earth and multiply it!
4. Can people in Heaven watch over us? This one is a big one that I thought was simply a trite response to bring comfort- not something specifically biblical. But Alcorn shares the story in Revelation 6:9-11. “When (the Lamb) opened the fifth seal, I saw under the alter the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they maintained. They called out in a load voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were killed as they had been was completed.”

Alcorn gives 21 observations from this passage, but I’ll just share what impacted me the most. First of all, Alcorn says, “the martyrs personal history extends directly back to their lives on Earth. Those in the present Heaven are not different people, they are the same people relocated, and those people will be remembered for their lives on Earth. They asked God to intervene on their behalf, they were free to ask questions.” I love thinking of my dad in Heaven asking God questions! And to think that he is aware of his past which makes me realize he remembers me! He still knows me!

• “Those in heaven know what’s happening on Earth (v.10). They martyrs know enough to realize that those who killed them have not yet been judged. The martyrs remember their lives on earth- they knew they were murdered for their beliefs. The martyrs in heaven pray for judgment on their persecutors who are still at work hurting others. They are acting in solidarity with, and in effect interceding for, the suffering saints on Earth. This suggests that saints in Heaven are both seeing and praying for saints on Earth.” I can just imagine my dad in Heaven praying for me and our family! I love that he is interceding on my behalf.  Again, I didn’t really think about how he is thinking about me, or our family. I thought that he would not have a clear recollection of the family he left behind because that would mean he would be sad and the bible says that there are no tears in Heaven. But what I didn’t realize is that that verse refers to the Eternal Heaven or New Earth- not the present Heaven.  Again, it’s important to understand context!
• “There is time in the present Heaven (vs 10-11). The white-robed martyrs ask God a time-dependent question: ‘How long, Sovereign Lord…until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ They are aware of time’s passing and are eager for the coming day of the Lord’s judgment.” Can you picture your loved ones in heaven anticipating our arrival? Anticipating the day when we will all be reunited as one body of Christ?  I can see my dad up there smiling just thinking of the day!
• “If the martyrs in Heaven know that God hasn’t yet brought judgment on their persecutors (Rev. 6:9-11) it seems evident that the inhabitants of the present Heaven can see what’s happening on Earth, at least to some extent. When Babylon is brought down, an angel points to events happening on Earth and says, ‘Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.’ Rev. 18:20. That the angel specifically addresses people living in Heaven indicates they are aware of what’s happening on Earth.” What an exciting truth! Alcorn goes on to say that “while Earth may be ignorant of Heaven, Heaven is not ignorant of Earth.”  People in heaven are not walking around in a hymn-singing daze.  They are fully aware of what is happening!
• My favorite part of the text is when Alcorn demonstrates Hebrews 12:1. “Run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” “The great ‘cloud of witnesses’ refers to the saints who’ve gone before us, whose accomplishments on the playing field of life are now part of our rich history. The imagery seems to suggest that those saints, the spiritual ‘athletes’ of old, are now watching us and cheering us on from the great stadium of Heaven that looks down on the playing field of Earth.” Now if you know my dad, he was always his family’s biggest cheerleader. I can see him fist bumping in Heaven, cheering his twins on! He is telling me, Run that Race, Jenn! You can do it! Keep going! God is for you! Who can be against you? And then his favorite verse, Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” Keep going! I can’t wait to see you again. I can’t wait for our family to be together again. Run the race. Don’t give up.

What encouragement!  What joy!  How great is our God? How great is the place he is preparing of you and for me?  This book has so many more biblical truths to share, and I am so excited to share more with you. The biggest takeaway here is to realize that when we get discouraged, dismayed or downtrodden, look up! Look to the Lord. Seek his scriptures, his words provide comfort. In my situation I only need to seek the truth.  To seek what Heaven was really about to find comfort and joy. Psalm 119:50 says “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Focus on the promises of God! This is a daily choice I have to make and something we must choose daily. 2 Cor. 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” I’m choosing to focus on Heaven, how about you? Aren’t you excited for that day to come? And if not, then pick up this book and I promise you will!  Or stay posted for more blog entries on this topic!