We Have a Home in Heaven
Yesterday, we were sitting with family and the topic of heaven came up. We were all Christians and expect to go to heaven when we die, and yet we did not have a thorough knowledge of what heaven is going to be like. We have lost family members that are already in heaven. Sure, we had bits and pieces from sermons, songs, and parts of scripture, but there is a lot we didn’t know about our future home. We did, however, realize that eternity is a long time.
When Jesus left our earth after his resurrection, He told His disciples He was going to prepare a place for them. I have started the book “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn about three times and seemed to get bogged down in the book and never finished it. I have a desire to start it again when I get home. I also have a desire to dig into God’s Word and find out more about heaven.
Although God has not revealed everything about heaven to us, Scripture does provide us some insight on heaven.
John 14:1-3
Before Jesus died and rose again, He told His disciples He was going away to prepare a place for them and would one day return and take them there. This is our ultimate hope.
We know that our Heavenly Father is in heaven. In Matthew 5:16 during the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus indicates our Father is in heaven. So, we know we will be with our Heavenly Father.
Matthew 5:16
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
We also know that Jesus will be in heaven. When Jesus ascended into the clouds in Acts two angels told the disciples.
Acts 1:11
11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.
We also have been told in Colossians that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:1
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
John 14:2 Jesus is preparing a place for us.
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?
When Christ returns for us, He’s going to transform our bodies into glorious bodies like His. I am sure glad about that as my body is showing it’s age.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
In Luke 10 Jesus tells the 70 disciples that they should rejoice that their names are written in heaven. I can remember sitting in church as a small boy in Amo, Indiana hearing the pastor talk about our names written in the book and it frightened me. What if my name wasn’t in this book.
Luke 10:20
20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
So, as you can see there is a lot I don’t know about heaven. I do know that in Ephesians, Paul tells us that if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
