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What Heaven is like

Commentary

One of the greatest curiosities for Christians is the thought of what heaven will be like: how heaven appears, what we will do, and who we will see or be reunited with at the end of our journey on earth. We are given a glimpse of heaven’s appearance in the Book of Revelation, and Jesus describes heaven using parables that begin “The kingdom of heaven is like…” Jesus uses metaphors to compare heaven to something we can relate to, as to describe heaven directly we could never comprehend.

Heaven, the true dwelling place of God, the place of life eternal, the place where Jesus ascended, the hope and promise to all Christians of faith, where no sun is needed as God Himself is the light, will be a place without sin – man and everything there in a state of purity and perfection. We cannot imagine such a place while residing here on earth. All our experiences this side of life are influenced by sin, imperfection, decay and disease.

Perhaps one can imagine heaven as a place with no anger, no crime, no poverty. Yet the full removal of sin means so much more: no competition, no need of governing, no need of currency, no buying and selling for profit, no need of privacy or exclusion, no sickness or decay and so much more. Just imagine the vocations, even noble ones on earth that won’t be needed in heaven: no need of doctors to heal, no attorneys to ensure compliance, no law enforcement as no laws will be broken, no security as no one is threatened, no one needed to advocate for the less fortunate, the meek or for children, as the kingdom of heaven will belong to such as these. In heaven there will be no marriage, as no one is forsaken for another, no locks on doors, no property lines, no need of modesty as there will be no shame, no exclusivity, no private clubs, no retail stores as everything is provided, no banks for personal accumulation of wealth, no cosmetics or mirrors as there will be no vanity, no judgment, no lustful attraction or disdain; no need to enhance one’s appearance as everyone will be considered beautiful, restored to the image of God.

Imagine church 24/7 as we praise God continuously, no multiple Christian denominations with differences or disagreements. Imagine being unaware of who is missing in heaven, as all longing, suffering and heartache is removed, never turning back to a sin-filled place called earth or monitoring what you left behind.

These virtues of heaven boggle the mind as life on earth with sin and all its selfishness, pride and ambition is what we know, and these items mentioned only scratch the surface. Yet heaven, this paradise without sin is our true home, our dwelling place with God for all eternity. When Christ died on the cross, our sins were forgiven and we became justified to God. Eternal life has already begun for the faithful. As heaven remains a mystery, we believe it will be a place of joy, even though we cannot comprehend such a place.

Our churches are: St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fredonia (672-6731), Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gowanda (532-4342) and Trinity Lutheran Church in Silver Creek (934-2002).

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