Nearing Home - Billy Graham [63]
WHAT IS HEAVEN LIKE?
I don’t believe I have ever known a person (or at least a Christian) who did not want to know what Heaven is like—including me! This is not mere curiosity, however, like wondering about some place we have never visited. Instead we know that Heaven is our final home—the place where we will be spending all eternity. Why wouldn’t we want to know what Heaven will be like?
Admittedly the Bible doesn’t answer all our questions about Heaven. One reason, I’ve realized, is that Heaven is so much greater than anything our limited minds can ever imagine. Even if God answered all our questions about Heaven, we wouldn’t be able to understand them! The Bible says,
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)
Only in Heaven will we be able to grasp completely its endless glory and wonder and joy. Then, the Bible says, we “will share in the glory to be revealed” (1 Peter 5:1).
But even if the Bible doesn’t tell us everything we want to know about Heaven, it does tell us everything we need to know. And everything—without exception—that it tells us about Heaven should make us want to go there! (On the other hand, everything— without exception—that the Bible tells us about Hell should make us not want to go there.) What, then, is Heaven like? The Bible tells us at least five important truths about Heaven.
Heaven Is Glorious
We sometimes speak of a beautiful sunset or a warm spring day as “glorious,” but even earth’s most awe-inspiring nature is but a shadow of the glory of Heaven. When the apostle John was given a glimpse of Heaven’s grandeur, he barely could find words to describe it, comparing it to the most wondrous objects on earth—only far greater: “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. . . . The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. . . . The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb [Christ] is its lamp” (Revelation 21:11, 21, 23).
Why is Heaven glorious? It isn’t simply because of its incredible beauty, overwhelming as that will be. Heaven is glorious for one supreme reason: Heaven is the dwelling place of God. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘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.’ . . . They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 21:3; 22:4). Think of it: if you know Jesus Christ, someday you will be safely in God’s presence forever! I can barely imagine what that will be like—but it will be glorious beyond description.
Heaven Is Perfect
Not only is Heaven glorious, but it is also perfect. This shouldn’t surprise us: since God is perfect, so, too, is Heaven, His dwelling place.
Why is this important? Because it reminds us that in Heaven everything imperfect will be banished. As the Bible says, “When perfection comes, the imperfect disappears” (1 Corinthians 13:10). Think of all the sins and evils that afflict us now: disease, death, loneliness, fear, sorrow, temptation, disappointment, disability, addiction, war, conflict, anger, jealousy, greed—the list is almost endless. But in Heaven all those will be banished! Every evil and sin will be destroyed; every doubt and fear will be removed; every disappointment and heartache will be healed. One of the Bible’s greatest promises about Heaven declares, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old