WOL Newsletter 157: Heaven: What Will It Really Be Like? Part 1

(I'm sorry I'm late with getting last week's out [this week]. This week's is coming soon, also...)
1 John 2:15-17: “¹⁵Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. ¹⁶For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. ¹⁷And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
I’m a little torn. While I admit that there have been moments when I have hoped and prayed that my time here on earth is prolonged to experience things I’ve wanted to experience (getting married- check; having a career- check; having kids…) but lately, I don’t know. I find myself looking forward to Heaven. Here’s where I’m torn: I honestly can’t tell you if I am looking forward to Heaven because God is just so good and I’m ready to spend eternity with Him; or… (and here’s my fear)- that I’m praying for Heaven now because I am just so tired of being tired; and hurting. Don’t get me wrong- I acknowledge and appreciate all the good in my life- (and my life is good!) but truly, it is NOTHING compared to what’s on ‘the other side’. And that’s what I want. But again- do I want it because I truly want to be with Jesus or because I’m selfish and don’t want to be here anymore.
I can’t answer that. As I get older, I have learned to appreciate all that God has done for me (and not done); as well as all the beauty surrounding me. And, as I get older, I can also see all the ugliness. I understand all the years my grandmother complained about wanting to ‘go home to Jesus’. There is so much here to be thankful for; and yet so much to be sorrowful for. I don’t want to hurt anymore; and I don’t want to see anyone else hurt anymore. It’s so easy to complain about the bad in this world; and getting harder to see the good anymore. But there is good. I guess that’s what we have to hold on to.
And when we find the good, and cling to it; then we can let our imaginations start running wild (not really- we’ll get the facts next week). Because if it’s good here- it’s even better there! Think about it: God created this world to be our perfect home. WE screwed that up; not Him. And He’s recreating our ‘New Home’ as we speak. So enjoy this world while you’re here; and be thankful to Him for what He’s given you. He made this world for us. He wants us to be happy; to find Joy. And there is Joy in Him; through His Spirit. So while we can’t be in Heaven with Him just yet; He is here with us for now.

Heaven: What Will It Really Be Like? Part 1

Do you ever think about and anticipate what it will be like to get to Heaven? Or do you still have too much you want to experience here. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t seem like a comparison to what we have and live now… we’d have to give up our ‘life’ to wander around as a disembodied spirit, knowing all, being perfect, singing hymns… nothing to do, work towards or challenge ourselves in perfecting; nothing to explore, invent, discover or learn… But Heaven is nothing like the ‘Out of this World’ mentality most visualize. Everything God has planned for us reflects His love, creativity and relationship with us. We should be full of excitement and anticipation when we think about our future- and when you get the real picture; you can’t help but feel this way. Where is Heaven right now? Luke 16:20-22: the beggar is in Heaven (somewhere other than here) and in a spiritual state (not body of flesh). So let’s start with the basic detailed information about Heaven to understand it better. In Genesis (in the beginning)- God intended for us to dwell in Paradise, and live and reign (Eden/Earth); we had physical bodies; we explored, discovered, ruled over, ate, drank, breathed… it was sin that cursed everything and tainted God’s ‘Heaven on Earth’; sin separated us, and God does dwell in another place called Heaven now; and when we die, our spirit does go there to be with Him, for a time. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 but this is not God’s final plan for Heaven for us. He reveals the whole, beautiful, logical design to us in Scriptures- but most of us don’t study closely enough to see it. God plans to restore His original creation, not come up with a different plan; meaning we enjoy eternity in a perfect body, made of flesh (not bodiless spirit); but our current bodies have been corrupted by the curse of sin, so they can’t see Heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:50-54; Philippians 3:20-21; Luke 24:36-40: He is the First Resurrected, in a new and perfect Body, that He will live in forever with His people; so we are restored back to the original plan: a perfect, incorruptible body of flesh and bone. God’s original plan was for us to live and reign on earth (not in the clouds): Daniel 7:13-14; Isaiah 66:22; Revelation 11:15; Matthew 5:5: Jesus will set up His eternal Kingdom of Heaven here on earth… We ended our study of end-times at: we live on earth for 1000 years, reigning with Christ; then Satan is let loose for a short time to deceive those that aren’t truly living for Christ; then the final resurrection of the lost and unsaved takes place for their Judgment before God and they are cast away: Revelation 21: Satan, sin and death and all of the curse they brought with them have been dealt with and it is time to make all things perfect again: Revelation 21:1-7: Verse 2 clearly states The Holy City, already built; prepared in Heaven; by Jesus; coming down to be occupied on the New Earth, as Christ comes to live with His people. This is consistent with John 14:1-3- not contradictory. The Gospels not only showed us a Savior that came to earth to become human so He could take away sin, and feel what we feel; but a Savior that was resurrected in that same Human Body, to forever be like the people He would love and lead because He had plans to one day raise us up with the same new bodies and live with Him on this New Earth that He created for us from the beginning. So, Heaven really won’t be ‘Out of this World’- because it will be this world, made fresh, new and beautiful.
This goes along with everything that the laws of science have shown us about this earth, and the entire universe we have discovered thus far: The Second Law of Thermodynamics shows without exception that everything in the known universe is deteriorating irreversibly (moving from a state of usable energy and order into a state of no energy and total chaos). It’s all been tainted by the curse: suffering a slow death, just longing for the time when it is made new. Romans 8:19-23. Every time we see something deteriorate or grow old and worn out, it is a reminder that soon we will be on a new earth with a new glorious sky above us, that will be as young and eternal as our new bodies.
This is why part of us dread to leave this creation, and enter into Heaven- no matter how awesome it may have seemed: we were made to live in, long for and love this creation we have been placed into by God; this is our home- tarnished by sin.