Friend, all my letters have been leading up to this, the subject of Heaven. I have led you in this direction along this meandering and occasionally redundant path because I hoped to build excitement in you about what is in store for you as a believer in Christ. And I do not mean only for you, but for me too, because as I said in the beginning, my hope and longing is that we will be together in fellowship in eternity. I care far too much about you to be satisfied having enjoyed your company for only a little while.
So, on to it. What is Heaven? If you imagine Heaven is a place where the streets are paved with gold, the gates are made of pearl, and the walls adorned with precious jewels, you would be right but preoccupied with the wrong things. Focus on this: Heaven is the divine dwelling place of God, an actual realm where everything operates according to his flawless will. Heaven is a place of peace, love, community, and worship, where God is surrounded by a heavenly court and other heavenly beings. It is the very embodiment of God’s perfection, where life will be free from death, pain, sickness, disappointment, cruelty, and anything that isn’t perfectly lovely. Your future life in Heaven will include the best of the life you now live, plus additional joys far beyond your imagination.
The Lord Jesus is in Heaven, at the right hand of the Father, making intersession for you and me just now as you read this letter. Myriads of angels are in Heaven, too, serving the Lord in various ways. And the saints of God who died on Earth are in Heaven. Everyone who has genuinely trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior will be there, including those we dearly love and who have given themselves to Jesus. What wonderful company we shall have! And in Heaven, God will know us as we truly are, inside and out, past and present, with nothing hidden but everything known. When we awake in Heaven, we will know each other as God knows us because all the secrets and flaws of this life will have been removed. In this life, sin has caused us to deceive others and ourselves in a vain effort to hide our misdeeds. But when we are finally freed from the influence of sin, then we can be as we were created to be, without sin, shame, and embarrassment. No one will begrudge us for any reason because everyone will love each other in the same unconditional loving way that Jesus loves you today. I am so eager to present myself to you in this cleansed and redeemed state, for as good a friend as I have tried to be, I know I have offended or disappointed you from time to time.
Best of all, let’s not overlook this: in Heaven, we will see Jesus himself face to face. We will worship the Son of God and praise his great victory over sin and death in his very presence! The best worship you have experienced on Earth will pale in comparison to the celebration you will enjoy at the feet of your Savior. How wonderful it will be to walk with him literally!
Do I know all there is to know about Heaven? No, but I am sure of this one truth. No one will go to Heaven except by the grace of God and through the merits of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, you have no hope of seeing Heaven. Friend, if you know Jesus, you have nothing to fear. So put your trust in Jesus. Stand with your full weight on the merit of the author and finisher of your salvation. May God help you to trust in Jesus Christ and him alone for your salvation. May God grant that we will meet again in Heaven one day. Amen!
I hope you have enjoyed these posts from my book, Letters to a Friend: Simple Lessons in Christian Living. You may purchase an autographed copy here, or order a Kindle or paperback edition from Amazon.
