Reflecting on Heaven

by Pastor Rob Decker

The celebration of resurrection Sunday has recently passed us. And I am sitting here reflecting on one of the ultimate joys for a Christian because of it- heaven. It is waiting for those of us who know Jesus as Savior and Master. We know death is not the end. What do we get for an average lifespan upon this earth? Maybe 70, 75 years? But on the other, eternal side, the Christian knows there will be trillions of trillion years of freedom and joy. 

What will heaven be like? To begin with, the current expansion from our experience of a four dimension world will radically expand to who knows how many more dimensions? five? ten? It boggles our brain capacity. Just compare it to what we know now- beautiful oceans, sunrises and sunsets, mountain landscapes that change in their multicolored beauty with each new season. But what we know now is imperfect. I Imagine heaven will be well beyond the sights and sounds, tastes and smells that we know here, but one thing is for sure, it will be perfect. 

The pictures people often think of for heaven are so foreign to how God describes it in His Word.  We will not sit on clouds, clothed in white robes and angel wings to play our harps. After about three days of that tedious strumming, I would be so bored and ready to play some pickleball. Our Lord describes heaven like this- the eye has not seen nor has the ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love Him (1 Cor. 2:9).  I have a hard time imagining that, but I can tell you this much-- I have seen enough sickness, sadness, and death in my life. I have seen enough abuse, assaults, and wars of a broken world. I have lost many friends and family along the way. The older I get, the more heaven sounds like a good place to be. I am certainly not afraid to die. I long to enjoy a place called heaven and to see the person who loved me like nobody else and saved my soul.