What Is Heaven Like?

Some people believe that Heaven is our reward for our good behaviour on Earth. Anyone who knows anything about Christianity wants to 'go to Heaven' when their lives on Earth are complete. There have been many accounts of what Heaven is like, and let's face it; wouldn't we all love to know?

A select few have had what is known as "Near Death Experiences' and have given very detailed descriptions of what or whom they have encountered on the 'other side'. There are many stories of people who have been on the brink of death so to speak, and have come back telling their fascinating stories. Most of us however, will not have that kind of opportunity; we will have to wait until it is 'our time' when we come to the end of our life here.

The Bible tells us that in order to 'get into Heaven', we must receive our Salvation - we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. Romans 10:9 says "If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved." What are we being saved from? We are being saved from spending an eternity in Hell. Praise God!

A lot of people, some of them Christians, believe that because they are nice people and because they do good things like donating money to charities, helping the needy and are kind to their families and neighbours, that this is their 'ticket' to Heaven. Whilst it is very admirable to do good deeds for our fellow humans, this alone is not enough to guarantee our salvation. Ephesians 2:8 states "For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it."

It is true that as Christians, we have a certain moral code of conduct to live by, and certainly God loves it when we do kind and noble deeds, however, it is by our faith and our acceptance and love of our Lord Jesus Christ as our saviour that we shall be given eternal life.

Salvation is available for all. It is written in Romans 10:13 TNIV "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." That includes you and me! What a wondrous opportunity we are being given!

So what is Heaven like? As mentioned earlier, there have been many descriptions from people whom have crossed over and been shown glimpses. At the moment of death, there seems to be a common experience, that of either seeing a brilliant light, of course beyond any earthly comprehension, and then of loved ones coming to greet the person into Heaven. Some have even experienced waiting outside the pearly gates.

It is written in Genesis 28:17 NKJV 'And he was afraid and said, "this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" This was after a dream Jacob had in which the Lord was telling him all about the very many descendants he will be given. Genesis 28:12 NKJV says "then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."

People have also been documented to have experienced seeing the most vividly beautiful and dazzling colours; colours that we don't even experience here on Earth!

Some have experienced a complete and utter joy unparalleled to anything they have experienced on Earth even in their happiest moments. People recount having seen their loved ones, who were very sick, renewed with healthy and youthful bodies. It is written in Philippians 3:20-21 NKJV "for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

Some people have experienced hearing glorious heavenly music and sounds of continual joyous praise and worship for God the Father! Revelations 5:11-12 NLT says 'then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered - to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.' Sounds like one great big celebration doesn't it?

Jesus, when he was dying on the Cross, described Heaven as 'Paradise' to one on the criminals who was also dying alongside of Him. Luke 23:43 says 'And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

Some very fortunate people have even been allowed to experience Heaven inside the pearly gates and have described beautiful scenery, cities and riches beyond belief, and even of meeting Jesus Himself, however, it is not for the scope of this text to go into it here.

Whilst we don't know what it is to be given the opportunity to see Heaven, these claims are all about seeing for yourself the beauty and the joy of living on Earth with the promise of a future place in Eternity. God's love will see to it. All you need do is to commit now to a life with Jesus and you will find all the treasures you need for this life and into the next. This is my promise to you. Amen.

PS  One final thing, if the truth be told about how it is to be for you when you go to Heaven, you would want it now! There is much to be enjoyed in this place called Heaven - unending peace, freedom from all pain, suffering and sorrow, an absolute understanding of what it is to be loved in totality, and an experience of complete and utter bliss and joy that is unfathomable. This is what Heaven is like! Amen.

Glory be to the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, whom I believe have gifted me with these words for you today. Amen and Amen!

I Am The Lord Your God!

Exalt Him above all else and the Kingdom shall become yours. It is written in Psalm 113:1-3 "You servants of the LORD, praise his name! May his name be praised, now and for ever. From the east to the west Praise the name of the LORD!" In this temporal place called Earth, there are many trials and tribulations one must face. It is part and parcel of living here. John 16:33 NKJV says that "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

If we are to receive the Kingdom on Earth, then we must offer up praise and thanksgiving no matter what is going on around us. We must give thanks for our lives, our circumstances and for everyone around us. This is God's will for us.

We are to give thanks, not only when things seem great, but when trouble strikes and threatens to take away our happiness and peace of mind. It is written in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus." If we do this, even when it doesn't seem right or even logical, then we are claiming that the Lord is our God and He is then able to act on our behalf and deliver us from whatever is transpiring in our lives.

We must also guard our tongues with great care, and speak forth only that which we wish to experience. It is written in Proverbs 18:20-21 NKJV "A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who live it will eat its fruit."

When you find in life that certain things keep happening over and over again, one must ask 'why is this so?' Could it be because we are receiving exactly what we are speaking? If the power of life and death are in the tongue, then we must use if for our good. We must use it to speak forth life. We must use it to speak forth joy and so on.

The entire Universe was created by God. With His spoken word, He created the Earth. You only have to read Genesis in the Bible to discover how this was done. God spoke everything into existence with his commands. Genesis 1:3 NKJV says 'Then God said, "Let there be light", and then there was light.'

We all want to experience Heaven on Earth. The Bible says that we are made in His image. Genesis 1:27 NKJV says "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." So then, if we are made in His image, then we too can utilise His word and bring things into being by speaking them into our lives and situations. When we declare something positive and good with our mouths, we are giving force to the promises that God has for all of His children.

The power of His word is available to us all. Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." When we activate His word with our voices, there is no limit to what can be achieved. His word is alive!

Just about every topic you can imagine is written about in the Bible. He has got it all covered! We are to use it for the betterment of our families, our relationships, our businessess, our churches, and even for our nations. That's why prayer is very powerful. When we speak forth the written word of God and claim the promises from within the Bible, God will act upon them. After all, He has set them there for us to use as guidelines on how and what we should pray for. How about that for taking care of His flock!

John 15:7 NKJV says "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." God is faithful. He will faithfully carry out His plans for you and for all of His chldren for all eternity. When we seek to please Him above all else, and when we seek to do the will of God, the Kingdom shall be ours, and we will experience Heaven on Earth. Matthew 6:33 says "but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Praise His might name! Amen.

PS  We have a lot to be thankful for don't we! Psalm 100:5 says "The LORD is good; his love is eternal and his faithfulness lasts for ever." Praise God!


Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit whom I believe have gifted me with these words for you today. Amen.