After publishing the devotional “Who Did God Make Hell For?” a reader asked me to write a devotional about what heaven will be like. Ah, what a joy it is to study God’s Word and uncover the remarkable future we have to look forward to! I admit, I’ve allowed my imagination to take some liberties with this devotion—but I pray it blesses you and stimulates your imagination. I know heaven will definitely be greater than anything I can describe. But would we expect anything less from our magnificent God? ~Kimberly Faith
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In a world of mere fleeting moments of beauty, joy, peace, and love, the Bible reminds us of a coming reality that is both certain and breathtaking. Heaven is not a vague, cloud-filled cartoon; it is a tangible and glorious place where God Himself dwells with His people in perfection. It is every manifestation of goodness we can imagine! The Bible gives us some glimpses of what Heaven will look like, how it will feel, and the incredible experience of life with God—free from every scourge of sin. I’d like to begin this inquiry about Heaven with James 1:17, which reminds us:
“EVERY good gift and every perfect gift is from ABOVE, and comes DOWN from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
Every glimpse of goodness we have tasted on this earth—sunlight on a quiet morning, genuine, enduring love, peace that allows us to rest well at night, the unbridled joy of laughter with those we cherish—is all a reflection of God’s goodness. In Heaven, we will experience every manifestation of His goodness in the purest form, multiplied beyond measure and without the curse of sin to distort or end it.
Jesus made a promise and gave us a very relatable example:
“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2-3
We know what the splendor of a mansion looks like, right? Heaven contains homes, custom-built by our Savior. It is a place of intimate belonging where we are welcomed into the very presence of God. We will live in a home more beautiful than we can imagine and never need to worry about a mortgage, bills, or anything we worry about now. I imagine that, since the Savior knows me well, my home will have a gourmet kitchen, a yard, a large flower garden, and probably a pickleball court.
We will have transformed bodies, and thus will have boundless energy, no disease, and no aging joints. We will be able to run miles through the pine forests and flowering fields—without ever needing rest. I’m looking forward to being able to create beautiful landscaping without incurring back pain. I’ll get lots of friends together and cook gourmet meals that are literally out of this world. We will tell stories about all the great works of God and give thanks without reservation—for all the abundance He supplies. I also imagine we’ll all be great athletes, so we should have some red hot pickleball!
My friend,God knows what we love. Ah, and that brings up another aspect of Heaven:
We will be in the presence of God, who IS love, and thus we will be free to creatively and endlessly love Him and love each other without ever feeling like we’re going to run out of love.
Endlessly loving each other with the love of God will be an experience like no other!
Then there is also the vision God gave the apostle John of what Heaven actually looks like!
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband… And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4
Imagine a world reborn—fresh, radiant, and untouched by decay!
The New Jerusalem will gleam with unimaginable beauty. Revelation 21:18-21 describes: walls of jasper, a city of pure gold like clear glass, foundations adorned with every precious stone, and twelve gates each carved from a single massive pearl. The streets will shine like transparent gold—whatever that is! This is a city of indescribable splendor, more majestic than any earthly palace or natural wonder, yet warm and welcoming. Flowing through this eternal city is the pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. (Revelation 22:1-5) On either side stands the tree of life, bearing a different fruit every month. There is no night and thus, no need for sun or lamp because “the Lord God gives them light.”
God’s presence will be our endless delight.
As mentioned before, the Bible also confirms we will have transformed bodies:
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21
Our resurrected bodies will be free from weakness, pain, creaky joints, or limitation—perfectly suited for unending worship and bigger adventures than we can conceive. Every longing for beauty, every ache for justice, every hunger for perfect love will be satisfied. Every pain will be forgotten.
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come to mind.” Isaiah 65:17
The Bible says Heaven surpasses our wildest imagination!
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
We are reminded in 2 Peter 3:13 that in this new creation “righteousness dwells.” In other words, sin, which is the source of every heartache, conflict, and disappointment—will be gone forever. Here on earth, we catch glimpses of God’s goodness through our experiences in His creation; but in Heaven, those same gifts will be experienced flawlessly. We will experience love without selfishness; joy without sorrow, peace without fear, strength without weakness, and beauty without decay.
I believe this perfect environment will also include satisfying, purposeful work. Why? Well, because God works. Work is service. God is love. Love is selfless service. Jesus taught in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) that the faithful servant who invested what the master entrusted to him received greater responsibility:
“Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
In Heaven, based on how we have stewarded our time, talents, resources, and opportunities here on earth, it sounds like we will be given even greater roles as stewards over God’s resources and kingdom affairs. A steward stewards—which is work. This work will be deeply fulfilling—creative, meaningful, and joyful—without the strain of sin, failure, fatigue, or frustration that currently marks labor in this fallen world. Every effort will prosper and bring pure delight.
Ah, brothers and sisters in Christ, our future is to live in God’s divine purpose for all creation. We are His workmanship, and He deserves the glory for all we are. Before Jesus left this world, He gave us great investment advice for our future:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
When we understand that our purpose is to glorify God, then we want to invest as much as we can now so we take as much as possible with us to glorify Him with forever. But—there is only one thing that will leave this earth with us, and that is—the souls of people. We only get one shot. We get one life to make an eternal difference! What a great opportunity God is giving every born again believer right now to plant the seeds of the Gospel.
Only those who are born again and receive the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ will enter this glorious place called “Heaven.” Jesus made it clear: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Salvation is not earned by good works or religious effort; it is God’s free gift, received by trusting in Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. For those who are born again believers, a big part of our endless rewards will be the joy of seeing the souls of people we helped lead to Christ—or in whom we planted seeds of the Gospel and who were born again and now share eternity with us. Besides seeing Jesus face to face, this will be one of our greatest rewards: the “crown of rejoicing” as we rejoice together with those whose lives were saved through our faithfulness. (1 Thessalonians 2:19)
What a glorious day it will be to stand in heaven and witness the fruit of Gospel seeds we sowed on earth!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the glorious hope of heaven You have revealed in Your Word. I stand in awe of the beauty You have prepared—the golden streets, the river of life, the absence of every tear and pain—and for the satisfying work and great stewardship You entrust to Your faithful servants. Thank You that every good and perfect gift comes from You, and that in heaven we will enjoy Your goodness without the curse of sin. Help me to set my mind on things above, to live as citizens of Your kingdom even now, to invest my talents faithfully, and to share the Gospel boldly so that many more may join me in eternal joy. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and bring me home. In Your precious name we pray, Amen.
