What will heaven be like?
We can glean form Scripture that heaven is the spiritual realm where the glory of God's presence is everywhere, where the angels of God reside, and all believers who have finished their earthly existence dwell (Hebrews 12.22-24). The few glimpses of heaven given in Scripture reveal an ever-present sense of the pure holiness of Almighty God (Isaiah 6; Revelation 4-5). Those who have had glimpses of heaven describe awesome visions (Isaiah 6; Daniel 7.9-28). When Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord, He was sitting on His throne and he was overwhelmed.
Scripture also tells us that heaven is a place which human words are inadequate to fully describe. Ezekiel could only describe a likeness of heaven (Ezekiel 1). In reporting on his apparent visit to heaven, the apostle Paul said that he "heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak" (2 Corinthians 12:4). Heaven is among those things the apostle Paul described as "things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man" (1 Corinthians 2:9).
We also know that for all those who are saved and belong to the Lord are taken immediately to heaven when they die. Paul wrote that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). He also stated that to depart from this world, he would "be with Christ" (Philippians 1:23). To the thief on the cross, Jesus said, "Today you shall be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).
In heaven we will have a much greater understanding of the nature of God. As it is now, it is impossible for us to truly comprehend the glory of God and His incomparable majesty that will reign forever and ever but one day we will be able to grasp all of it. When our bodies are transformed at the Rapture they will possess perfection that we can now only imagine. Not only will our bodies be loosed from illness and aging, our overall capabilities will be tremendously expanded and transformed.
When the apostle John was given a vision of life in the new creation, he was so stunned that he was told to record what he was seeing and to be confident that what he was shown would come to pass (Revelation 21:5; 22.6).
Revelation 21 and 22 give short thought-provoking exciting descriptions of the future heavenly realm. Even so come Lord Jesus!
