Heaven

Have you ever thought much about heaven and what it will be like?  This morning I was reading through Revelation 4 and 5 and was blown away again at just how incredible heaven is going to be. 

Growing up in a church environment I was regularly inundated with imagery of heaven, ranging from pearly gates, streets of gold, and a mansion reserved for me.  While variations of these images are found in Scripture, I don't believe they are to be the focus of our desire for our eternal home.  What does heaven really look like?  I'm not completely sure, but I care less about its dimensions than I do about its content.  You see, I am anxious for heaven because when I am there I will be in the very presence of my precious Lord.  That is the true definition of heaven.

But what will we do in heaven?  I used to imagine as a kid that, since there was no night in heaven, I could play without ever having to come inside for supper, which was okay because I probably would never get hungry anyways.  I remember asking my grandmother if we would be able to walk through things, like walls or ketchup bottles (not sure where I got that one).  Heaven was a mystical and magical idea, one that focused on my expectations and pleasure.  As exciting as these prospects can be, they take the focus of heaven and put it on us and not on the very reason heaven exists.  Heaven is for God's glory, not our own.

When you read through Revelation 4 and 5, perhaps you'll be struck by the same two dynamics that struck me.  First, heaven is all about being in the presence of God, "the One seated on the throne."  In this passage, there is no mention of mansions or rivers or gold.  God is the focus and all of heaven's inhabitants surround Him.  God is there and so is Jesus: the Lamb of God, The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.  Will we recognize others, such as loved ones who have gone before us?  That's entirely possible, but even if we do that recognition pales in comparison to being in the presence of God.  He will be our focus.

The second dynamic of heaven from Revelation 4 and 5 that stands out is that the conduct of heaven will be that of constant and passionate praise to God.  I have heard many people express the idea that they would be bored in heaven if all they did every day was sing praises to God.  If you find living for God with every fiber of your being boring then perhaps you aren't living for God in the first place.  Being bored is a purely modern concept, one that has no synonym in antiquity.  The idea of being bored in the presence of God is a concept that the biblical writers could not grasp because it simply isn't possible.  It's a shameful testimony when we allow cultural norms to determine what the "entertainment value" of heaven should be like.

Heaven is about God and the praise and glory that He deserves.  Our lives on earth are but a vapor in comparison with what we will experience in His presence for eternity.  Bear in mind that while heaven is all about God, if we are there in His presence then we will experience inexpressible and abundant joy (Psalm 16:11).  We won't be sitting around miserable!  I pray that you look forward with great anticipation to one day being eternally and constantly in the presence of the Lord.