What Will The Experience Of Heaven Be Like?
Humble thoughts about the Celestial City
What will the experience of Heaven be like?
And when I say “like” I don’t mean identical but analogical. In other words, something that might share some similarities but at the end of the day is qualitatively different and infinitely greater than.
So, what is the experience of Heaven like? We can only guess with a holy humility and curiosity. But, we do know that the way God created this Earth is meant to be an appetizer for the New Heaven and New Earth to come.
Heaven will be like the warmth of a fire on a cold evening as you sit in the silence of night while enjoying the presence of your spouse. It is like the sweet sugar glaze of a hot donut that melts in your mouth. It is like the comfort of a cup of coffee as the Sun rises. It will be the endless beauty of the moment your bride walked down the aisle on your wedding day. It is more comforting than the moment when you first experienced real, deep, and true friendship. It will be the peace whenever you first caught an actual glimpse of the meaning of all your sins be totally forgiven by God. It is more delightful than when you walk into a New Orleans home to smell onions, peppers, and garlic sizzling in the buttered pot. It will be more comforting than the greatest homeliness you’ve ever made your home to be. It will be more restful than the time you went to bed early and didn’t set an alarm for the next morning (and had no one to disturb you!). It will be more secure than the greatest fortress or bunker ever imagined. It will be more loving than the greatest marriage ever seen on this earth. It will be more gripping than the greatest novel ever read. It will be more stunning than the first time you ever laid eyes on a Colorado or Alaskan mountain range. It is more delectable than when you first tasted the unforgettable combination of butter on a warm homemade biscuit.
Heaven will be overflowing with peace. So much peace will you experience that you will have no tension in body or mind because you will be utterly sure that Christ has forgiven you, cleansed you, and clothes you. Heaven will be full of assurance. So much assurance of God’s endless love will you have that you will that you won’t even think about the possibility of losing an ounce of it from God. Heaven will be intensified with glory. So much glory will you experience that you will have to be purified and perfected in order to receive more ability in order to be able to handle seeing the glory of Christ. Heaven will be pulsating with beauty. So much beauty will be in heaven that you will never desire to look anywhere else to find it.
And why will heaven be like this? Is it like this because of what it is in itself? No! It is because you will enter into the fullest expression of experiencing the infinite and eternal love of Christ for you. It is because you will finally reach the end (the telos) for which you were made. It is because you will have Him for whom you were made.
Were we to realize what we have in Christ, we would be captivated with enjoying creation in such a way to give us greater tastes of the fullness of Heaven. We would truly feel the tension of Paul where he said that he longed to be in heaven but he knew it was advantageous for others for him to remain on earth (Phil. 1). We would no blink an eye at the greatest loss on this Earth because we already have Heaven itself in possessing Christ. We would yearn for people to be saved so that they could experience the joys of Christ Himself.
Do we realize what all we have in Him? Do we realize that Heaven exists with all its beauty because He exists? He is beauty. He is love. He is security. He is wisdom. He is power. He is holiness. He is all in all.
How could someone not believe in such a glorious Jesus? How could someone deny so free a salvation?