Heaven Awaits: Anticipate Your Future Hope, Your Eternal Home, Your Daily Reality

Introduction

Investing in Eternity

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IKE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

from around the world, I came to America to discover a new life. Nearly fifty years later, I clearly remember the hours my wife, Elizabeth, and I spent preparing to move to the US. We pored over books and magazines, searching out every detail we could find about this nation we would soon call home.

The hours we spent learning about America were well-invested. Soon after we stepped off the plane in Los Angeles, we discovered how different the US is from any other place we had lived before. We found ourselves dealing with a new currency, a new climate, new forms of housing and transportation, a new education system, and most of all, new political freedoms. Every experience was fresh, surprising, and exciting.

The way Elizabeth and I prepared ourselves for coming to America is the way all Christians should prepare for going to Heaven. We should look forward to Heaven with excitement and anticipation. We should want to read everything and learn everything we can about our future eternal home.

Yet I find that few Christians make any serious preparations for Heaven. We spend most of our time planning our next vacation or preparing for retirement. We seldom give any thought to eternity.

Our earthly business can often seem so pressing that we tell ourselves, I really don’t have any time to think about Heaven today. Maybe tomorrow or next week. But our eternal future is one of the most foundational truths of the Christian faith.

If you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ, your place in Heaven is assured. Why wouldn’t you want to know everything you can about what it will be like? Why wouldn’t you want to study the beauty, benefits, and blessings of your eternal home?

Heaven is a real place. It exists right now. Jesus said, My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:2-3).

The apostle Paul longed so intensely for Heaven that he confessed he only continued his earthly ministry out of a sense of duty. He truly wished he could leave this earthly life and join his Lord in Heaven. He confessed, I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body (Philippians 1:23-24).

In 2 Corinthians 12:2, Paul talks about a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up into Heaven. Bible scholars agree that Paul was obliquely speaking of himself. He had actually seen Heaven firsthand, though he adds, Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. Because Paul had experienced Heaven in a deeply personal (though temporary) way, he couldn’t wait to be in Heaven forever.

In this earthly life, we cannot know the same privilege Paul knew of being taken up for a direct experience of Heaven. Yet we can catch a glimpse and a foretaste of Heaven through the Bible. The more we learn about Heaven from God’s Word, the more real it will be to us—and the more we will long to be there with Jesus.

Heaven is the fulfillment of all our greatest spiritual longings. As Solomon wrote at the height of his wisdom, God set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

My goal in this book is to stir in your heart a hunger for eternity; to fill your mind with a knowledge of all the wonders and glories that await you in Heaven; and energize you to live each day in light of the reality of Heaven. You have no reason to fear death—and neither should you be afraid of truly living in every moment of life.

Heaven is not only our future reality; it is also the present reality of every believer. Heaven is real. In fact, once you reach your eternal home with Jesus, you will discover that Heaven is far more real than this earthly experience you now call reality.

Our earthly lives are slipping away and quickly fading. That’s why Jesus tells us, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-20). In other words, don’t merely invest in your life on earth, but invest in eternity. Invest in Heaven.

I hope this book will serve as your investment guide as you store up eternal treasures in your heavenly home. I want you to be fully prepared because Heaven is now, and Heaven is forever.

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Heaven Is All about Jesus

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EFORE FOUNDING

The Church of the Apostles, I often traveled overseas on behalf of the Haggai Institute, a leadership training organization for evangelists. Several times a year, I was away from home for two weeks or longer at a time. When I was away, I deeply missed my wife and children. The pain and loneliness of those times of separation were eased only by the knowledge of the joyous reunion that would take place when I returned home.

I knew that, at the end of that long road, I would be greeted with hugs, kisses, and happy faces, and I would catch up on all the events I had missed while I was gone. I think those joyful reunions were but a faint echo of what our reunion in Heaven will be. When I think of Heaven, the image that comes to mind is one of joyful reunions with family members and friends—and above all, the joy of seeing the face of Jesus.

Randy Alcorn beautifully captures the emotions of that reunion in his book titled Heaven: Think of friends or family members who loved Jesus and are with him now. Picture them with you, walking together in this place. All of you have powerful bodies, stronger than those of an Olympic decathlete. You are laughing, playing, talking, and reminiscing. You reach up to a tree to pick an apple or orange. You take a bite. It’s so sweet that it’s startling. You’ve never tasted anything so good. Now you see someone coming toward you. It’s Jesus, with a big smile on his face. You fall to your knees in worship. He pulls you up and embraces you.[1]

Won’t that be amazing? Won’t that be thrilling? I can hardly think about Heaven without wanting to leave this earth right now. Why would anyone want to cling to this life when Heaven is waiting to receive us?

What Makes Heaven Heavenly?

Let me ask you a question: What is the one thing that makes Heaven heavenly?

Is it the fact that Heaven is made of precious stones and purest gold (Revelation 21:18-21)? Is it the great reunion of believers that will take place there? Is it amazing features such as the tree of life and the river of the water of life? Is it Heaven’s immense size and the vast number of mansions it contains?

No, none of these things makes Heaven heavenly. There is really only one aspect that makes Heaven what it is: the presence of God. Imagine the joy of seeing God’s face, of being physically in the presence of the Lord Jehovah. Think of the blessing of seeing Jesus face-to-face and thanking him for giving his life for your salvation. Next to the privilege of adoring and worshiping him in person, nothing else matters.

Jesus is what makes Heaven heavenly.

All of Heaven’s other glorious aspects and features will fill us with wonder and amazement. Certainly we look forward to them. But without Jesus, it would not be Heaven.

To be in Heaven is to behold Jesus face-to-face. To be in Heaven is to behold God the Father face-to-face. In the Psalms, the sons of Korah poetically expressed their deep longing to see God: As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42:1-2).

The thought of seeing God face-to-face exhilarates me, excites me, and fills me with emotion. It fulfills me and satisfies me completely. The thought of one day meeting God in person ignites my passion and energizes me to work harder for him.

The thought of seeing God face-to-face should comfort us when we grieve and encourage us when we are sick. It should enable us to rejoice amid the disappointments of life. It should empower us to persevere through opposition and adversity.

We will see God! That’s what Heaven is all about.

Shekinah Glory

Does the prospect of seeing the face of God thrill you the way it thrills me?

The truth is that not all Christians are thrilled by the idea. Some do not have seeing the face of God on their wish list. Others are ambivalent about God or even afraid of him.

As children of God, if we have never contemplated the awe and wonder of seeing his face, we should take some time to think about it. The hope of seeing God face-to-face should be our greatest inspiration. It should be what we live for in this life. It should affect every decision we make. It should motivate us to live and work and speak and sacrifice with the hope of eternity always on our minds.

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel believed that God was present among them in the Holy of Holies, in the Tabernacle or the Temple. They didn’t think the Holy of Holies contained God, but they believed that he dwelled among his people in a special way, in the form of the shekinah glory—the glory of God that filled the Holy of Holies. (shekinah means dwelling in Hebrew.)

Though the Old Testament Israelites believed that God dwelled among them in the Holy of Holies, they didn’t imagine it could be possible to see God’s face. In fact, seeing his face would result in instant death.

Only the high priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, and he went there only once a year. The book of Exodus specifies that the high priest’s robes were to be adorned with embroidered pomegranates and small golden bells. The sound of the bells will be heard, the Lord said, "when he enters the Holy Place before the L

ORD

and when he comes out, so that he will not die" (Exodus 28:35). The bells enabled those outside the Tabernacle to know when the high priest went into and out of the Holy of Holies.

According to an ancient Jewish tradition, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, with a gold or scarlet rope tied to his foot. Though Scripture makes no mention of this practice, tradition has it that the purpose of the rope was to make it possible to retrieve the high priest’s body if he should ever fail in his duties and be struck dead inside the Holy of Holies. If the golden bells on the high priest’s robes went silent, the other priests would know to use the rope to pull the dead man’s body out of the Holy of Holies.

No one but the high priest dared to enter the Holy of Holies, because that was where the shekinah glory dwelled, symbolizing the presence of God. Under any other circumstances, for a mere mortal to stand in the presence of God’s glory would mean certain death.

There is a fascinating scene in Exodus 33, where Moses says to God, Show me your glory (Exodus 33:18).

God replies, You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live (Exodus 33:20). But God, in his mercy, arranged for Moses to stand in a cleft of a rock while he passed by. The hand of God shielded Moses from the glory of God’s face. Then God took his hand away, and Moses saw God’s back, but not his face (Exodus 33:21-23).

Moses, that great man of God, was not permitted to see the face of God. But you and I will see God’s face in Heaven. That is one of the most magnificent promises ever written (Revelation 22:4).

Only Sinless People

Without holiness, the Bible tells us, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). At first glance, this seems like bad news for every human being who has ever lived. Who among us is holy? Who among us is undefiled by sin? If only sinless people are permitted to see the face of God, what hope do you and I have? And yet the Bible is clear: Without holiness no one will see the Lord.

You may be thinking, You just got through telling me that I will get to see God. And now you’re telling me I won’t because I’m a sinner! This is the worst news ever!

Ah, but I’m just getting to the best part.

It’s true that you and I are sinners. We have no holiness or righteousness of our own on which to stand before the Lord. But if you have committed your life to Jesus Christ, if he is your Savior and Lord, I guarantee you will see God face-to-face.

You will not stand before God clothed in your own filthy rags of good intentions. Instead, you will stand before him clothed in the radiant white garments of the holiness of Jesus Christ. If you have repented of your sins and received the forgiveness of Jesus, then God the Father will see you through the prism of Jesus, the perfection of Jesus, and the sinlessness of Jesus—and you will see the face of God in Heaven.

Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. But Jesus is our holiness. His sinless perfection will be imputed