The older I get, the more I’ve been thinking about heaven. The Bible doesn’t give a lot of description about what heaven will be like, but I’m sure it will be much more than chubby cherubs sitting on clouds playing harps.

Jesus tells us in John 14:2 that there are many rooms in His Father’s house, and He is preparing a place for us there. I Corinthians 2:9 tells us that the things God has prepared for those who love Him are beyond anything we have ever seen, heard or our minds can conceive of.

The greatest descriptions of heaven are found in the book of Revelation in chapters 21 and 22. It tells of a new heaven and a new earth, and a new holy city of Jerusalem coming down from God, where He will dwell with His people.

This city and the gates will be made up of precious jewels with streets of gold. It will not need the sun or moon to shine, for the glory of God will be its light. From God’s throne will flow a river of life, with a tree of life on each side, bearing a crop of fruit each month whose leaves will heal the nations.

 What will we do in heaven? Revelation 22:3 tells us that we will be serving God. We find in Revelation 5:13-14 and other places throughout the Bible that there will be a great multitude from every nation, tribe and tongue who will be worshiping the Lord and giving Him glory and honor and praise.

As much as I am looking forward to seeing what will be in heaven, I am just as excited about what will not be in heaven. Everywhere we look there is so much pain and suffering, and all these things will be forbidden in heaven. There won’t be any more sickness or disease, sin, hatred, violence or strife, pain, sorrow, death or mourning. God will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 7:17 and 21:4).

I recently heard of one other thing that won’t be in heaven that I never thought about before. We won’t need hope any more. Romans 8:24 tells us that we no longer have to hope for what we already have. We only hope for what we do not yet have. Our hope of heaven will be fulfilled and no longer needed.

But we can go beyond hoping we make it to heaven to gaining the assurance that we WILL spend eternity with God in heaven. There is only one way to gain this assurance – through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Messiah.

Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Acts 16:31 says to believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

It is this salvation through faith in Jesus alone that opens the door for us to spend eternity in heaven with Him. Won’t you make this decision and gain this assurance today?

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 845-482-5300.