As a Christian, it can be really hard to separate our culture’s idea of heaven from what the Bible actually teaches about it.
When most people in our society picture heaven, they imagine halos, harps, and angels with feathery, bird-like wings. Whether or not these things will be part of the heavenly scene, Jesus focused much more on the spiritual aspects of heaven in His teachings.
Of course, as humans, we want to try to visualize things we’ve never seen to understand them better. However, as Christians look forward to heaven, it’s helpful to think about the things we know about it for sure. What did Jesus really say about heaven while He was on earth?
Jesus didn’t really say as much as you might expect about heaven. However, He did give us some insights. Let’s take a look at a few of His key teachings on this exciting topic.
Heaven Is Prepared For Believers
In John 14, Jesus tells his disciples that He will be leaving earth for heaven soon. Jesus’ followers had a hard time understanding and accepting this concept. Jesus was still a relatively young man, and His followers weren’t eager to face the prospect of losing their teacher and friend. However, Jesus reassures them by telling them a little about the place He’ll be going. Jesus says that He’s headed for His Father’s house, which contains many dwelling places. Jesus promises to go and prepare a place for us, as His followers, to live. He also promises to return again and bring all of us there with him.
This passage doesn’t give us a lot of concrete details, but it offers real hope. Heaven isn’t just a place where God lives–it’s a place designed by God for us, too. Much of that design remains up to our imagination, but the fact that God is expecting us there and preparing for our arrival is a wonderful truth to meditate on.
We Can Look Forward to Heavenly Rewards
In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches believers to pursue heavenly rewards, not earthly rewards. On earth, you can work hard for a bigger paycheck, a nicer home, a fancy car, and designer clothes. However, Jesus points out that all of these material possessions have an expiration date. For one thing, they can be eaten by moths or rust over time. Even if they stay in mint condition, your earthly belongings will be useless to you once you are dead.
Instead, Jesus tells us to collect treasures in heaven, which will be waiting for us when we arrive. This specific command is given in Matthew 6:20, but the surrounding verses name just a few of the ways you can start laying up treasures in heaven. Fasting and praying, forgiving others, and giving to those in need are a few of these. However, Jesus points out that these “good deeds” should never be performed so that others will see us and be impressed. If you get lots of attention and praise from those around you, Jesus says that you’ve already gotten your reward, right here on earth.
Laying up treasures in heaven means doing the right thing when most other people don’t know you’re doing it. There are many practical ways to apply this difficult truth. Consider your prayer life, for instance. Do you mostly pray when others are listening and watching? Do you spice up your prayers with fancy phrases to impress others with your godliness? Or does much of your praying take place in private? Jesus recommends praying in a closet in your own home, where you definitely won’t have an audience.
We Can Be The Cause of Joy In Heaven
In Luke 15, Jesus teaches the famous parable about the lost sheep. Jesus asks the crowd, which contains many wealthy, and influential people, to imagine being shepherds. What they would do if they had a hundred sheep and one went missing? Of course, it would be worthwhile to leave the flock and go find the missing sheep. Sheep were valuable possessions in Jesus’ day, and most people wouldn’t simply absorb the loss. Once the sheep was found, there would be a celebration of the story’s happy ending.
If you’ve ever lost something valuable, you’ve probably held a small celebration with people close to you after you found it. If it was a wedding ring, for instance, you may have had an emotional moment with your spouse when it turned up. If you’ve ever lost a child in a supermarket, you probably gave them a giant hug when you finally found them wandering down the candy aisle. Jesus says that this is what the atmosphere is like in heaven when someone becomes a believer. Heaven is not a quiet, emotionless place; Jesus says it can be vibrant and full of joy!
Not Everyone You Expect To See In Heaven Will Be There
In Matthew 7:21, Jesus warns not to assume that every so-called “Christian” will end up in heaven. He says that plenty of people call Him “Lord” and
look like Christians to everyone on the outside. However, simply identifying yourself as a Christian won’t get you into heaven. Instead, heaven is full of people who actually made the choice to follow Jesus.
This is a sobering truth because it means we can’t take anything for granted. People you know and love might sit on a pew every Sunday, sing hymns, go to Sunday School and even put Christian bumper stickers on their cars. However, being a Christian isn’t all about words, but also actions. When you know someone who claims to be Christian, but there’s no evidence of God’s work in their life, the loving thing to do is to say something. Voice your concern and share the gospel with them again, even if they’ve heard it many times before.
Come Learn With Us!
At Harmony Baptist Church in Galesburg, IL, we look forward to worshipping together with other believers in heaven someday. Until then, we gather to worship and study the Bible together here on earth. Come join us this Sunday–our ‘Contact‘ page has all the details!
