Description
As far as I know, most people believe there is life after death. Practically all religions, including the so-called nature religions, teach that the soul, and maybe the spirit, continue to exist. Even many non-religious people sense this, though they might want to ignore it.
Where does this sense come from, this wish for a better world? And, if we are seeking the truth and do not merely want to ignore it, we search and ask ourselves the question, “Where can we find reliable information about heaven, about God, about eternity?”
What about an answer from heaven? Just imagine that you live in some insignificant little place which you have never left. You have heard about the world metropolis, New York, the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty, the famous quarters and parks, the skyscrapers, the subways and the shopping centers. You would like to know more about them, and find out whether everything you have heard is true. Nobody in your town has ever been there, however. One thinks this and another that. Just imagine that somebody comes to your town who has spent his whole life in this city. Is it not so that this person can tell you about New York best?
The best information about heaven, only someone who came from heaven himself, who has always lived there and even had part in the building of it, could give us. And this person exists! It is the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Please do not turn away indifferently. You will surely agree that Jesus is a unique and very special person. His history is so unique and fascinating. But we do not want to hear people talking about Jesus now; rather, we’d like to let Him speak for Himself.
For example, when Jesus was here on earth, He said, “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13). With this statement, Jesus emphasizes three things: 1. that He will return to heaven, because 2. He came down from heaven to earth, and 3. that heaven is His heavenly home.
If we cannot believe the Lord Jesus, who can we believe?
We always connect heaven with something beautiful, another world with no suffering or pain. A while ago, I walked around a beautiful lake near where we live. It was a glorious spring day. I could see the Alps, the sun mirrored in the water, reeds, birds, ducks. Young and old were out enjoying the beautiful day.
We often think that if there were no evil, no destruction or, as the Bible puts it, no sin, we would really have heaven on earth. But why should there not be a place where sin is not present and we can enjoy the absence of evil and sorrow?
Just as there is an earth, there is also a heaven! But for this we must be made ready, because no sin or evil can enter there. If God would take us to heaven in our sinful condition, heaven would no longer be heaven. That is why Jesus came, as our Redeemer. We receive forgiveness, are made righteous before God, and gain entrance into heaven via Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus says of Himself, “I am the door” (John 10:9), or “I am the way” (John 14:6).
In another statement, Jesus emphasizes the purpose of His descending from heaven to earth, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). Jesus came down to earth from heaven to do the will of God. And it was the will of God to pave the way for man to be able to go to heaven. Jesus paved the way. He came down from heaven in order to take us to heaven. Jesus Christ went to His death on the cross, rose from the dead for this truth, and returned to heaven.
How glorious it must be in heaven! If God created all that is beautiful on earth, it cannot be less beautiful in heaven. On the contrary, it must be much more glorious and delightful, above all because all evil has been taken away.
