I am planted squarely on this side of eternity. I don’t think about heaven and what life will be like after the resurrection very often. And yet I hold to the belief that someday I, and everyone who believes in Jesus, will live throughout eternity with God in heaven.
Many people have their visions and ideas about heaven. Dog people can’t wait to be reunited with pets. Loved ones dream of the day they will be reunited with husbands, wives, children, parents. Some dream of endless play, beautiful golf courses, perfect surfing waves, or receiving angel’s wings.
I don’t know about all of this…the few glimpses of heaven in Scripture don’t necessarily click with these ideas. But I don’t think about this much.
However, today’s ‘Jesus teaching’ causes me to ponder heaven. Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.
But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive” (34-38).
If I read this correctly, all those nice thoughts about being reunited with loved ones in heaven as if they were still our beloved spouses (or by analogy, siblings, relatives, etc.) isn’t quite accurate. Yes, all who believe in Jesus will be together with the Lord, but it seems that our earthly relationships will be transformed even as our earthly bodies will be transformed. I’m not going to get dogmatic about this but it seems life in heaven is going to be quite different than life as we know it now.
There will be no death or mourning or crying or pain in heaven (Rev 21:4). That’s good. No longer any curse! (Rev 22:3). That’s really good. And God will be there in the midst of things… the center and light of all things (Rev 22:5). Extraordinary! Those in heaven will be in the actual presence of God and to gaze upon His wonder and beauty. WOW!
Heaven will be wonderful and probably more wonderful than I can truly imagine, but it seems like it will be very different than life as we know it now.
In heaven and throughout all eternity we will be with Almighty God… and that alone makes all the difference... at least it does for me.
Lord, I cannot truly fathom what eternity with You in heaven –the new Jerusalem- will be like. But it will be wonderful… and until then I seek to serve You with all of my heart and mind and soul and strength. Amen and Amen.
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