Heaven is the mysterious yet well-known name of God’s city. It is known as the good place to go when you die, the place you want to reach. Paradise. It’s all very well knowing this, but it doesn’t say what Heaven is like, what we will do there or how to get there because, despite what some people say, not everyone will reach the kingdom of Heaven. The only way to do so is through Jesus.

Join me as we go through the Bible and explore what it says about Heaven.

What will Heaven be like?

In Hebrews 12, we read that Heaven will be a city.

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirit of just men made perfect.”

Hebrews 12:22-23

A city with twelve gates made of pearl with the names of the tribes of Israel inscribed on them, and the city walls have twelve foundations with the names of the twelve apostles inscribed on them (Revelation 21:12-14, 21). The city is made of gold, and the foundations are covered with jewels.

“The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.”

Revelation 21:18-20.

The radiance of God’s glory will light heaven.

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”

Revelation 21:23

There is no temple in Heaven because God’s presence is everywhere.

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.”

Revelation 21:22

We also know there are mansions in Heaven, for Jesus told us in John 14.

“In my father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.”

John 14:2

In Genesis, we were introduced to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. In Heaven, we will see the tree of life with our own eyes.

“In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

Revelation 22:2

Now we have an image of what Heaven will be like, although we won’t be able to comprehend just how beautiful it is until we are there.

What will we be like?

So what about us? Will we change or stay the same? Well, according to scripture, both. First Corinthians has a trove of information regarding what we will be like in Heaven.

“So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit… The first man was from the earth,  a man of dust; the second man is from heaven…And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.“

1 Corinthians 15:45,47,49.

As we read in the verses above, we will become spirits; we will have spiritual bodies like Jesus did when he rose again. We will not be transparent like ghosts; we will have physical bodies that can touch and feel.

“Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself! Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have…so they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.”

Luke 24:39, 42-43.

We will still be able to eat and drink, but hunger and thirst will be no more (Revelation 7:16). But because they will be spiritual bodies, we will not be limited by them as we are by our earthly bodies. For example, Jesus wasn’t hindered by locked doors and could enter locked rooms.

“The disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood amongst them.”

John 20:19

Just as we are made in the image of God now, so we will also be in Heaven (1 John 3:2), clothed in white robes (Revelation 7:9).

“So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in dishonour, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power… For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality.”

1 Corinthians 15:42-43, 53.

We will be immortal; time doesn’t exist in Heaven. We will be cleansed from the stains sin has left on us and be made pure and incorruptible; sin will never touch us again. And because we have been raised in Glory, we will experience the absolute joy and pleasures that only God can provide even more fully because we will be pure and unblemished as we are on this Earth.

“You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.”

Psalm 16:11

What will we do in Heaven?

Heaven will be a wondrous place beyond all our imaginings despite what we already know, and we don’t know everything. There is plenty that we will find out for ourselves once we get there, but if you’re like me, you may wonder what we’ll do in Heaven.

In Revelation 5 and 7, it says we will worship around the throne, people of every language and nation and race, more than you could dream of. All of us worshipping the Almighty together, how awesome does that sound!

“I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say, Blessing and honour and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

Revelation 5:13

We will continue to serve God in Heaven through worship, and other means that we do not know of yet (Revelation 7:15). We will celebrate with God at the marriage feast of the Lamb (Revelation 7-9) and share fellowship with Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).  

We will also be reunited with those we love, our family and our friends, and know them fully as we do not on Earth, according to Jesus’ words in 1 Corinthians.

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.”

1 Corinthians 13:12

How can we prepare for Heaven?

Knowing what we do about Heaven doesn’t make it any easier to get there, although it is a great motivator. We need to have a relationship with Jesus and believe in him with our whole being. We can’t be lukewarm, for it only leads to destruction. It may be hard to hear, but it is the truth. You’d rather hear it now when you have time to make things right with God than when it is too late.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

John 11:25-26

Our mindset needs to be God first; everything and everyone on this Earth is only temporary. We must invite God into every moment, even if we’re doing something as mundane as the laundry.

“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.”

Colossians 3:1-2

“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”

Romans 14:8

We should aim for purity and holiness in every area of our lives. We may not reach it, but to strive for it brings us closer to where we need to be.

“And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.”

1 John 3:3

To get closer to the goal of holiness and closer to reaching Heaven, we should be dedicating time to God daily, in prayer, in worship, and the reading and studying of His Word.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12

To know God’s Word is to know God and to study and apply it to our lives is to become more like Jesus. We need to be disciplined in spending time with God because the closer we get, the harder it becomes as the enemy tries to divert our attention and bring us further away from God.

“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12:11

Discipline is hard, but it needs to be for us to learn and grow in the way of righteousness. Even the suffering we face, we are taught to endure as discipline.

“And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.”

Hebrews 12:5-6

These verses in Hebrews are a reminder that just as our earthly parents discipline us, so does our Heavenly Father. God wants us to endure, grow and become closer to Him. He is with us through every trial and is there to comfort and reassure us when things get hard, but He doesn’t want us to give up. If we give up, we lose everything we are fighting for, and if we lose our relationship with God, then ultimately, we lose our lives. I don’t think there is anything that we need to fight for more than our relationship with God.

When things get hard, and inevitably they will, we can find comfort in the fact that whatever we face on this Earth is only temporary.

“For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die.”

Ecclesiastes 3:12

We also need to be cautious of the words we speak and of our actions. Our lives are a walking testament to the work that God is doing in us, and if we do or say certain things, it can make or break someone’s belief in God. We need to be able to practice what we preach. If we go around talking about God and how good He is in public but don’t honour Him in private, then what are we doing? We can’t be both things; it’s God or the world, and only you can decide.

In Matthew, Jesus advises us to build up heavenly treasures and not earthly treasures. There is wisdom in this because we cannot take anything with us when we go to Heaven. We can have everything, but at the end of the day, it won’t satisfy us. Only Jesus can.  

“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:19-21

The last thing I will say is that if you do put God first and give Him the praise and glory He deserves, even if it’s at the expense of your pride, reputation, or even your life. Know that God loves you for it. He rejoices that you have sacrificed your sinful desires and resisted the world’s temptations. And for your sacrifice and service, you will be rewarded.

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”

Matthew 5:12

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References

Haynes, Jr., C. (2023) 21 Bible Verses about What Heaven Will Be Like. Available at: 21 Bible Verses about What Heaven Will Be Like (biblestudytools.com) [Accessed 1/11/2023]

Got Questions. (2023) What will we look like in heaven? Available at: What will we look like in heaven? | GotQuestions.org [Accessed 1/11/2023]

Waddle, J. (2023) 10 Beautiful Biblical Descriptions of What Heaven Will Look Like and Be Like. Available at: 10 Biblical Descriptions of What Heaven Looks Like (crosswalk.com) [Accessed 1/11/2023]