What the Bible Says About Heaven & Common Beliefs
For those of us who put our faith in Jesus Christ, the Bible paints a breathtaking picture of the eternal home awaiting us we call heaven. This is a place of unparalleled joy, peace and unbridled fellowship with God Himself. While our mortal minds can scarcely comprehend its glories, Scripture provides glimpses of this remarkable paradise to strengthen our hope.
One of the most vivid descriptions comes from Revelation 21:1-4 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'”
Heaven will be a restoration of perfect shalom, this means peace, wholeness, and rightness in our relationship with God, each other, and creation. It’s a tangible new reality where the Lord’s reign removes all effects of the human curse. No more sorrow, suffering, deterioration or separation from Him. What joy to finally and forever experience total communion in His life-giving presence!
Jesus promised to prepare an eternal home for His followers: “There are many rooms in my Father’s house…I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2-3). While these “rooms” defy our comprehension, they symbolize the immense vastness and permanence of our heavenly dwelling designed by God Himself.
Heaven’s physical realities are mind-boggling. Revelation 21-22 describes a brilliant holy city with streets of gold, foundations of precious gems, the river of life flowing from God’s throne, and the Tree of Life producing fruit monthly with healing leaves. Currently unseen by human eyes, these are tantalizing hints of the “inexpressible and glorious” inheritance reserved for believers (1 Peter 1:4).
Outshining the splendid surroundings will be the perfected fellowship and ecstatic worship of God. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” In heaven, we’ll be able to openly gaze upon God’s radiance and existence essence. Revelations 21:22 confirms, “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.”
While our current experience grows weary with hardship, disease and death, Paul says our new heavenly dwelling will be “an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1). He reminds us, “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened…so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life”. The perishable will finally be replaced by the imperishable.
Heaven is the incomparable, eternal home believers have to look forward to. A place of pure joy, unfading worship, and perfect union with our Creator and Redeemer. In spite of current sorrows, we can eagerly await “a better country, a heavenly one,” reserved specially for those redeemed by God (Hebrews 11:16).
Popular Notions of Heaven
From childhood, most of us develop ideas about the afterlife and what heaven might be like based on religion, culture, movies and stories. While the Bible gives glimpses of the eternal reality awaiting believers, our finite human minds can shape some interesting – and rather inaccurate – popular notions about our forever home. Here are some of the most widespread concepts about heaven:
Pearly Gates and Streets of Gold
One of the most iconic images associated with heaven is the idea of magnificent pearl gates and pure gold paving the streets and buildings. This imagery comes from the apostle John’s vivid description in Revelation 21 of “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal…The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.” While the symbolic meaning is debated, the picture clearly conveys heaven’s unparalleled splendor.
Clouds and Halos
Drawings of heaven often depict puffy white clouds with angels sitting or flying on them wearing halos of golden light circling their heads. The classic cartoon image of heaven has its roots in artwork portrayals from the Renaissance era showing radiant figures above the clouds. Oddly enough, the Bible never mentions angels having halos or residing among the clouds specifically.
Endless Harp Concerto
Another prevalent pop culture scene of heaven is one with angels passively strumming harps while sitting on clouds. This pristine yet perhaps boring idea of an eternal orchestral harp performance likely originated from small details about heavenly worship in Revelation 14, which mentions those holding “harps given them by God.” Scripture indicates vibrant, dynamic worship before God’s throne, not lifeless endless harpistry.
Caught Up in Harp Fantasies
A silly belief is that accomplished harp players get to perform magnificent solos for all of heaven upon arrival. Variations include other instrumentalists or lead singers thinking they’ll be heaven’s next big soloist or concert attraction. However, the Bible makes clear that heavenly worship will be directed fully to God alone – no “stars” or stage performances.
Relatives Watching Over Us
Many believe that deceased loved ones become guardian angels who can see everything we do on earth and somehow intervene from heaven. This mixing of belief systems doesn’t align with the Bible’s teaching that only God is all-knowing, all-present and all-powerful. While departed saints await reunion with us, Scripture doesn’t indicate they have transcendent abilities to continually monitor or impact our lives.
Halfway Holding Place
Another common thought is that heaven is a temporary holding place of disembodied souls awaiting the final resurrection at the end of the world. However, the Bible describes heaven as an eternal physical reality, not just a transitional soul repository. Our resurrected selves will dwell in imperishable heavenly bodies.
From fanciful to funny, our limited perspectives shape various ideas about heaven’s form and function. While not always biblically accurate, these notions reveal our deep longing for hope of an existence beyond this broken world. Thankfully, God’s Word gives glimpses of the truth. What we do know for sure about heaven is that it is a real promise from God mentioned throughout the Bible and that our human brains can not understand its greatness. I like to daydream about heaven knowing that it will surpass even my mightiest fantasies!
