Bible Daily

Heavenly Insights: What the Scriptures Reveal About Our Eternal Home

Heaven, as described in the Bible, is not just a distant hope but a vivid promise for believers. Here are some key insights from Scripture:

What Heaven Will Look Like

The Book of Revelation offers a detailed vision of heaven:

"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, 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." (Revelation 21:10-11, NIV)

The city is described with immense beauty, with walls of jasper, gates of pearl, and streets of gold, transparent like glass. There's no need for a temple because God Himself and the Lamb are its temple, and the city requires no sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates it.

What We Will Do in Heaven

  • Worship around the Throne: "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'" (Revelation 5:13, NIV)

  • Fellowship with Jesus and Believers: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven... And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, NIV)

  • Partake in the Feast of the Lamb: "For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." (Revelation 19:7, NIV)

  • Serve God: "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him." (Revelation 22:3, NIV)

Who Goes to Heaven?

The Bible is clear that not everyone will enter heaven:

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21, NIV)

Believers must be born again, live in righteousness, and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior to inherit eternal life.

Preparing for Heaven While on Earth

  • Set Your Heart on Heavenly Things: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:2, NIV)

  • Live Purely: "All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." (1 John 3:3, NIV)

  • Persevere in Faith: "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus." (Hebrews 12:1-2, NIV)

  • Focus on Eternal Rewards: Jesus encourages us to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth (Matthew 6:19-21).

An Eternal Mindset

Living with an eternal perspective helps us navigate life's challenges with hope:

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NIV)

This mindset reminds us that our true citizenship is in heaven, and our lives here are but a preparation for the eternal glory that awaits us.