It's better than you've ever imagined. And tell everyone.
The apostle Paul knew something about heaven. He'd been beaten, shipwrecked, stoned and left for dead, and while he was chained to Roman guards, he wrote, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21 ESV). If Paul were in heaven right now, here's what I think he'd tell you.
"It's better than I ever imagined"
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT).
This world has been dying and decaying since sin entered it. Sin tainted the human heart and the world around us more than we know. But in heaven, sin and death are swallowed up, and everything is brand new. It will be like living in 4K after a lifetime in black and white.
Here's what makes it so good:
God is there. That's what makes heaven heaven. Here we see glimpses of Him. There, nothing stands between us. Like Thomas, I'll get to put my fingers in His nail-scarred hands and worship at His nail-pierced feet.
The people who followed Jesus before us are there. It's going to be a huge reunion.
It's beautiful. John saw a throne "as brilliant as gemstones," with "the glow of an emerald" circling it like a rainbow and "a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal" (Revelation 4:3, 6 NLT). A few years ago, Megan and I drove through a neighborhood in Town and Country with some of the biggest houses I've ever seen. As we passed the biggest one, the sun was setting and two deer came prancing across the front lawn. It was like the family inside saw us coming and said, "Cue the deer." It was breathtaking. And it's a garbage dump compared to heaven.
Everything wrong is made right. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore" (Revelation 21:4 ESV). No war. No lying or fighting. No bickering and no bathrooms. (Okay, I'm kidding about that part, but wouldn't that be nice?) No tragedies in the news. No market crashes. No racism. No funerals. No jealousy, which means no catfish filters.
It gives us hope. Here is tough. Here has grief. Here has pain. Here has loss. But one day! That's why the second-to-last verse in the Bible says, "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20 ESV). "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere" (Psalm 84:10 ESV).
Paul could call everything he'd suffered "this light momentary affliction" because he knew it was "preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV). "My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better" (Philippians 1:23 ESV).
Heaven isn't for good people
You might be thinking, "Surely good people go to heaven." Here's the truth: there are no good people in heaven. There are no good people in hell either. "No one does good, not a single one!" (Psalm 14:3 NLT).
If heaven is the reward for good behavior, then Jesus isn't your Savior; He's your employer, and heaven is your paycheck. That's not how this works. Jesus is the Savior because no matter how hard you try, you could never earn a right relationship with God. Heaven isn't for good people. Heaven is for forgiven people.
"Tell everyone"
Paul knew where he was going. You'd think he would just relax and coast home. Instead, he spent two years reasoning with a corrupt governor who was hoping for a bribe. He preached to the guards he was chained to. "Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others" (2 Corinthians 5:11 ESV).
The man in hell says, "Warn them." Paul in heaven would say, "Tell them! It's worth everything. Don't hold back!" Both voices from eternity are saying the same thing to you: tell them.
If you're not sure you'd be there, start with What Happens When You Die? And if you'd like to talk with someone, reach out to us.
Scripture: Philippians 1:21, 23; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Revelation 4:2–6; 21:3–5; 22:20; Psalm 84:10; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Psalm 14:2–3; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Acts 24:24–27