Have you ever imagined how the Kingdom of Heaven will be? Or maybe you are satisfied with the assurance of salvation and eternal life? Well, for those of you who are curious, I will outline what life in heaven is like. Each religion may have its own picture of heaven. For example, Judaism, their teachings explain that in heaven humans can find peace, so that they are more able to feel the presence of the father than on earth. While Hinduism says that heaven is a temporary stop, before humans are reborn on earth or reach Nirvana, a place more beautiful than heaven.
Islam describes heaven as a very beautiful place, where rivers flow, white light shines and smells sweet, and there are beautiful wives. And atheists, people who don't believe in God, think that heaven is just bullshit. Then, how is life in heaven according to Christianity? Since we believe that the Bible is the only source of Father's truth, we will use the Bible as a basis for knowing how life in heaven is like. In the Bible, the word heaven comes from the Hebrew shamayim. And in Greek, the word heaven has the same meaning as ouranos.
Picture of Life in Heaven
There are 420 syamayim words in the Old Testament and 284 ouranos words in the New Testament. There are three kinds of heaven that the Bible says about. First, heaven is most often mentioned in the Old Testament, namely the sky or firmament consisting of clouds and flying birds. Then the second heaven is outer space, where the stars, moon, planets, and other celestial bodies are. And the last heaven, is the heaven that is not revealed, aka the abode of the father. Well, heaven is what we will discuss in this article. Let's see how the Bible describes the picture of life in heaven, as follows:
- First, what does the Bible say about heaven? According to John 14:2-3, in heaven there are many dwelling places. The Lord Jesus was taken up to heaven to provide a place to live for those of us who believe in Him and will pick us up so that we can be where Jesus is.
- The thing that can get us to heaven is not because we do good while on earth. Because, no matter how good we are, we will not reach God's perfect standard. No matter how hard we try not to sin, we will surely sin because we are helpless in the bondage of sin. And the slightest sin can lead us to death. So because of that weakness, the father provided a way for humans to be able to reunite with Him, namely through Jesus Christ. So, it is not goodness that can get a man to heaven, but his faith in Jesus Christ. Because He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. You can find out more about how to get to heaven by reading the article on the requirements for entering heaven according to the Bible.
- According to 1 Corinthians 2:9, heaven cannot be imagined by human logic. The image of heaven has never been seen by the eye, nor has the ear heard, nor has it arisen in the human heart. This verse concludes that no matter how beautiful the imagination we create regarding heaven, it will never come close to the true picture of heaven.
- The apostle Paul also gave a little description of heaven, namely that in heaven there is no flesh and blood and the perishing has no share in the imperishable.
- Psalm 96:6 describes the state of heaven as a holy place.
- Life in heaven according to Revelation 19:6, it is said that in heaven all people from all tribes, nations, and languages gather to praise and glorify the father. Their number is innumerable, they sing and worship their father tirelessly, so that their voices are likened to the sound of a flood and the roar of a mighty thunder. And those who stand before the throne of the Lamb are all dressed in white and holding palm fronds in their hands.
- In Isaiah 65:23 it is said that in heaven humans will not struggle in vain, will not give birth to children and die suddenly, because they are all descendants who are blessed by God.
- In heaven there is also no one who does evil or acts rotten according to Isaiah 65:25.
- There are no cripples, deaf people, lame people, or any other kind of disease because they will all be healed. (Isaiah 35:5-6)
- In heaven there is no lust, so there is no marriage or sex.
- Everyone in heaven rejoices in the Holy Spirit, and their joy is eternal. Not joy because of pleasure or satisfaction alone. Revelation 7:17 says that in heaven there are no tears because the father wipes away their tears.
- No death, no hunger, no thirst, there are no wars, no riots, and everything in heaven is holy like angels.
- In heaven there will be no strife, there will be nothing to make us sad, and in heaven we will not do anything that will offend God.
- In heaven we have perfect knowledge, no questions we cannot answer, and no stupidity.
- We will be free from the bondage of the devil so that we will not commit the types of sins in the Bible. We will love God perfectly and be loved perfectly by Him.
Such is the picture of life in heaven according to Christianity. Of course, even though many specific things are written about heaven, we still can never imagine how heaven really is. Because the human brain will not be able to reach the greatness of the Trinity father. But one thing is for sure, God has designed heaven so extraordinary for us who want to be faithful. And our duty on earth is to always obey Him and strive to achieve the vision He has given to each of us.