He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:3-5
This exclamation is taken from the larger description of the new order Heaven establishes. God will dwell among his people. He will be with them, and they will be his. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:3-4).
When someone who is close to us dies, their loss leaves an empty place they used to fill. We wonder what happened to them and where they are now. For the person who believes in Christ, a glorious eternity awaits them. We can trust that the people who have died and left this life are alive and whole, unencumbered with limitations or impairments, freely enjoying the sights and sounds, the joy and light, or Heaven.
Heaven is a real place created by God and is home to angels, and to every believer. Heaven is where God is. It is a place free of pain, death, or sorrow. God’s glory gives it light. His holiness is the reason for unending praise. His family, our brothers and sister in Christ, live there. The ones who died have already arrived. Those who are still on earth will someday join them.
We will recognize people in Heaven, and they will recognize us. Since there is no pain in Heaven, the effects of sickness will not show on people’s restored, heavenly bodies. Neither will old age or physical limitations take their toll. Heaven is eternal. There is no need to mark the passage of time. Our physical selves will no longer tire or wear out. God makes all things new. We will be our true selves, with freed spirits in God’s Heaven, able to last for eternity because we’ve received His gift of life.
Heaven matters. To us, who are still very much on earth, held down by gravity, facing struggles, and grieving those we’ve lost, Heaven can seem inaccessible. And yet, if we’ve made the decision to believe in Jesus, we live with eternity in mind instead of focused on only today and our immediate needs or discomforts. This gives us great hope because we know our source of strength lies beyond ourselves. God holds the future. He holds our lives. He welcomes into his presence those who have died, and he will someday do the same for us.
