"Welcome to Heaven!"

“Welcome to Heaven!” Those are the words I am longing to hear. Don’t get me wrong, I have a purpose here that keeps me busy and satisfied. But I know, one day, I will hear my Savior say, “Welcome home son!” We have been studying what Heaven will be like in our Sunday morning worship hour. The series is entitled “Questions About Heaven” and the entire focus has been to open our eyes about the splendors of heaven. The questions we have studied and will be studying are listed below.

What do we really know about heaven? The Bible tells us that heaven is a real place. It is a place prepared for us and with us in mind. We also learned that heaven is a place of beauty. The bible speaks of heaven being a place of mansions, gardens, rivers, and most importantly a place of unions. We also learned that heaven is an exclusive place, in that Jesus has prepared the way to get into Heaven. He said, he was the only access into heaven. Not all roads lead to heaven! You can only get into heaven by believing on Jesus Christ!

Where do we go from here? We found out the heaven is spoken about in two terms, the present heaven and the New or Eternal Heaven! The present heaven is where God dwells now, and where the saints, those people how have placed their faith in God, go now when they die. This is a place of comfort, blessing, worship, Joy, rejoicing, rest and consciousness. But we also learned that one day this present heaven will become a part of the New Heaven and New Earth where God and his people will dwell eternally!

Can You Remember Eden? Have you ever just sat back and imagined what Eden must have been like? Well if you have, you have just gotten a glimpse into what the New Earth will be like. You see all of creation was cursed as a result of man’s sin, but God has promised to restore/redeem that creation and make all things new. God will dwell with man on the New Earth.

Will we “live” in heaven? Have you ever wondered what we will do in heaven? Some people imagine heaven as a large choir loft where we will stand and worship God forever. They never imagine haven as a place of activity! But what kind of activity will we be engaged in for all eternity? The Bible says that we will rule and reign with God.

Can’t we all just get along? There are events in history that seem to bring out the worst in people. Why is that? Why is it that a single event can ignite such heated responses? It is because there is something fundamentally wrong with mankind. But in heaven, that which is wrong will be gone! Then we will truly be able to get along.

Who’s at my table? Have you ever attended a wedding banquet and wondered who was going to be sitting with you at your table? Relationships are an important part of our earthly existence. In Heaven, we will continue to relate to other people, but in a much greater level. We will relate to others in perfection, and not only other people, but all of creation!

What should I be doing now? Heaven is a great place! And that fact should dominate not only our imagination, but also our actions right now. We are told to live with heaven in mind. We are told “to set our affection on things above”. We are told to “store up treasure in heaven”. The truth about heaven has an effect on us as we live our daily lives. We are to live with a heavenly perspective!