What is heaven really like? The trouble is that no-one has ever gone right there and then come back to tell us. Some people have gone right to the door and peeped in, and come back to tell us how bright and full of light it is. There is a wonderful feeling of love, and then they have woken up in their hospital bed and realised they are back in this world again. Some have heard beautiful music such as has never been heard on earth, and others have had a sensation of everything being so spotless and clean that this earth seems very grubby compared to it.
So what does the Bible tell us about heaven? Paul told us in one of his letters how he had seen heaven, and that he couldn’t begin to describe it, words wouldn’t do it justice! Besides he didn’t know how to begin telling the things that he saw. He wasn’t sure whether he had really gone there or just had a vision of it all.
It left him with the feeling that he just wanted to go and be there NOW. But he knew that he hadn’t finished the work that God had for him to do on earth, so he would be content to wait for God’s time. He knew that life with the Lord Jesus was going to be far better than anything he had ever known before.
Jesus is the only person on earth who knew what heaven was like because He had come from Heaven and was going to go back there. But He too didn’t tell us very much about it, because He knew we couldn’t understand it while we live on earth. He told us that there is plenty of room for everyone who wants to come to Him, but that there is only one way to get there. He said the gate to heaven is very narrow and quite hard to find; in fact He is the only way to get there. Some people think they can get there by their own good works, but that road is a dead end and will never get them there.
People don’t want to humble themselves to walk with God, and they think that their way is good enough. What a dreadful shock to go through death’s door and find God isn’t there!
Sometimes when people are right at death’s door they seem to see heaven open up before them, just enough to give those beside them a faint idea of what they can see. In the book of The Acts, we read how Stephen saw heaven open up before him and the Lord Jesus standing beside His Father God just before he was killed by the Pharisees.
One time, a lady’s daughter who was with her mother as she died, heard her say with wonder in her voice, ”Oh! I had no idea it was like this!”
King David could say, You will show me the path of life: in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16,v 11). And As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Your likeness. (Psalm 17:15)
One thing we need to realise is that no person on earth can go through the door to heaven with us. The only person we can call on is the Lord Jesus, and He has promised to always be with those who have come to know Him on earth. In fact, He is calling everyone to come to Him right now. He says, ”Look, come to Me NOW! I am coming unexpectedly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according to what he has done”.
God has told us that heaven is a place where there are no more sins or horrid things; people won’t get sick or be sad, and we can’t even begin to imagine the things that He has ready and waiting to show us. If we think that life here is great, it is going to be far more exciting than we can imagine in heaven!