Heavenly Love

Jesus in Luke 10:17-20, shares an account of an event that occurred during His ministry wherein His closest disciples, who He had given spiritual authority to assist Him in the proclamation of the Gospel, have just returned from a highly successful mission in which they have cast out demons and miraculously healed sick people, while proclaiming the Gospel and seeing people get saved. They are exceedingly joyful, probably high fiving each other, anxious to share the details of their spiritual victories with Jesus and one another.

Jesus, however, does not let them get too carried away with this experience, but advises them that what they should truly and continually rejoice in as His disciple is that their names are written in Heaven. He essentially was saying to them (and to us) that their greatest joy, their greatest pleasure, their greatest fulfillment will not be found in their experiences and accomplishments in this world, but in the joys and pleasures of the infinitely glorious life they will have with Him and one another throughout eternity.

The reality of Heaven, of an extraordinarily joyful life that begins upon our physical death and extends into eternity, is the great hope of all Christians as well as many non-Christians.

Now much of what people believe about Heaven comes from their own or someone else’s imagination.  Over the past few years there have been a number of people who have claimed to have died and gone to Heaven, who write books and make movies about their experiences, which win them at least temporary fame and fortune, but bring little glory to God.  Their experiences are mostly inconsistent and contradictory to what the Bible does reveal about life after death.  It would seem that if God had wanted the glories of Heaven clearly revealed, there were a number of people raised temporarily from the dead in both the Old and New Testaments who could have shared what they experienced within scripture.  In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul reveals that while alive, he was “caught up” to Heaven by God, either bodily or through a vision in his mind, and that what he saw he was forbidden to speak of.

Also, we are told in Hebrews 9:27, that upon our death we will immediately face the judgement of God, wherein it is determined if we will be welcomed into Heaven or confined to Hell.

Now the Bible does offer us some idea of and information regarding what life after death will be like for those who come to love Jesus above all else while in this world (Luke 10:25-28).  Some of what it presents is explicit, such as what we have in the book of Revelation, primarily in Revelation 21 and Revelation 22, in which we have revealed the new heavens and new earth where God’s people will dwell forever in their resurrected bodies.

We also have in Revelation, Chapters 4, 5, 7, and 19, brief glimpses of present activity in Heaven which centers around the worship of God, as those in Heaven now see clearly His beauty, magnificence, excellence and splendor; inducing in them “joy unspeakable and full of glory”(1 Peter 1:8).

We are told also in Luke 15:4-10 that each time a person comes to salvation there is a joyful celebration among the inhabitants of Heaven.

We even have in 1 John 1:1-3, a description of what we will be like in Heaven, restored to the glorious image of God that was corrupted by sin, with the perfection of being necessary to enjoy Him forever.

However, much of what we can know about Heaven is implicitly presented to us throughout the Bible.  We are told, however, in 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 , that God reveals or illuminates these things by the Holy Spirit to the hearts and minds of those who truly love Him, as He wants us to be able to live our lives in this world in joyful anticipation of all that awaits us when we enter into His immediate presence (Psalm 16:11).

One man who set his heart and mind on pursuing an understanding of Heaven’s joys while in this world was Jonathan Edwards, whom I introduced in a previous post.  In a lengthy sermon titled Heaven, a World of Love, Edwards attempts to describe this glorious life of true love and intimacy with God and one another that Christians will immediately begin to enjoy in Heaven upon our death, and forever in our life in the new earth and universe  that Jesus will create at His second coming.  Edwards writes:

And oh! what joy there will be in the hearts of the saints after they have passed through their wearisome pilgrimage on earth to be brought to such a paradise as this.  Heaven is joy unspeakable and full of glory- joy that is humble, holy enrapturing and divine in its perfection.  Love is always a sweet principle, and especially divine love.  This love, even on earth is a spring of sweetness, but in heaven it shall become a stream, a river, an ocean!   All in heaven shall stand about the God of glory, who is the great fountain of love, opening as it were their very souls to be filled with those effusions of love that are poured forth from His fullness, just as the flower on the earth in the bright and joyous days of spring open their bosoms to the sun, to be filled with its light and warmth, and to flourish in beauty and flagrancy under his cheering rays.  Every saint in heaven is as a flower in the garden of God and holy love will be the fragrance and sweet odor that they send forth, and which will fill the bowers of that paradise above.  Every soul there is as a note in some concert of delightful music – that sweetly harmonizes with every other note. 

There is much more in this sermon I hope to share with you in future posts.  Edwards also authored a book titled Jonathan Edwards on Heaven and Hell that is worth your time reading.   

The most comprehensive Biblically based book regarding Heaven I have come across is by Randy Alcorn and titled Heaven. There is a link to this book on the Resource Page of this website.

Grace and Peace ×