Why I Want To Go To Heaven
Why do you want to go to Heaven? Have you given it much thought?
When I was younger, before I became a Christian, I can recall
hearing several sermons about how terrible it was going to be in
hell. I can still recall some twenty years later one particular
sermon in which the preacher gave a very detailed picture of
hell and the torment of those who will be there. I can still
recall the way I felt as I heard that sermon - the fear that it
brought to my mind. Another sermon that I can still recall was
preached on the text that today is the day of salvation, that we
should make a decision to follow Christ today - for some day it
will be too late and we will be doomed to hell.
I am sure that these sermons, as well as others, had a lot to do
with me wanting to become a Christian twenty some years ago.
Part of my motivation was definitely to avoid that awful place
called hell.
But now, as a more mature Christian, having spent many hours
studying God's Word, having attended many wonderful worship
services, and being able to dwell on the beauty of my future
home rather than thinking about how awful hell would be, I see
things more clearly now. I no longer see Heaven as an
alternative to hell, and I no longer see being a Christian as
the means of avoiding hell. I want to go to Heaven, and in this
article I will share with you why.
One cannot study the Bible without coming to realize that God
loves His creation, man, very very much. It is because of this
love that He sent His son to die on the cross and suffer for our
sins. It is because of this love that He has preserved His word
for us throughout the ages. And it is because of this love that
He has prepared a place for us called Heaven.
The Bible is replete with accounts of God's love for us. One of
the most beautiful is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life."
However, being a Christian is not just about us being loved, but
also about us loving others. One of the many joys of being a
part of a local congregation is the love we can share with our
fellow Christians. It is really refreshing to visit a
congregation for the first time and witness the love that people
have for each other. You see warm handshakes, beautiful smiles,
hugs, words of kindness and encouragement, and many other
expressions of Christian love.
As I visit the sick, shut-ins, and those in nursing homes again
I see love all around. These fine people are so grateful for the
visit and knowing that you care. Have you ever noticed how
someone's face lights up when you have sent them a flower when
they are sick or even for a special occasion? This too is
evidence of Christian love.
Even though the love that I have spoken of here warms our hearts
and provides us with many blessings, it is pale compared to the
love that we will experience when we get to Heaven. I'm sure
that I cannot even begin to imagine the love that will be there.
I know that I do not have the words to describe how wonderful it
will be to experience that great and magnificent love of God,
His Son, the Holy Spirit, the saints of old, the loved ones from
our families, and the brothers and sisters in Christ we have
known here on earth. It will truly be a wonderful experience.
There is a song that I dearly love, "What A Day That Will Be."
It says, "What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see.
When I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace. He
will take me by the hand, and lead me through the promised land.
What a day, glorious day that will be." It is hard to describe
how I feel about that day. Unless you are a Christian and have
the same longing to see our Lord and Savior, be able to feel His
loving arms around you, and see His smiling face and know that
you have pleased Him with your life, then any attempts to
describe this would be in vain. But nonetheless, of the things I
hope for in relation to Heaven and what it will be like, this is
the one thing I hope for most. When I enter those gates of
Heaven, that Jesus will be there waiting for me and He will
throw His arms around me and say "Welcome home, My good and
faithful servant."
What will it be like to be in the presence of the Almighty God?
To see Him and to bask in His glory will, for sure, be joy
unspeakable. I long to be able to bow before my Heavenly Father
and worship Him with the angels and saints of old. I will be
able to sing praises to Him with a perfect voice. I so much look
forward to being able to say to Him, "I love you Lord, and I
lift my voice to worship you." I know that the glory of God will
permeate all of Heaven. No matter where we will be in that
Heavenly City, the glory of God will be shinning all around. I
want to be there and bask in that glory.
I have several loved ones who have gone on to be with God. My
grandmother and grandfather were both true saints here on earth.
It gives me joy to know that they are with God today, for the
Scriptures say, "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to
be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." (2
Corinthians 5:8) I look forward to being able to be with them
once again. I also have aunts and uncles who have gone on, as
well as friends and loved ones in the church. It will be a great
reunion day indeed when we all get to Heaven.
Have you ever thought about how wonderful it would be to be able
to set down and talk with the saints of old? To be able to talk
with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul,
Timothy, Stephen, Silas, and all the others will truly be a
great and marvelous experience. I sometimes wonder if, when we
get to Heaven, we will suddenly have complete knowledge of all
the history of God's people. I really don't know if we will. But
I like to contemplate what it would be like to meet the saints
of old and ask them questions about their lives. I can just
imagine sitting at the feet of the saints listening for days on
end of the stories they have to tell.
The Bible does not tell us a great deal about Heaven and what it
will be like. It just gives us a glimpse of Heaven. Many of the
things we must contend with in this life, will be absent in
Heaven. The Bible tells us, "They shall neither hunger anymore
nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd
them and lead them to living fountains of water. And God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:16,17) We
know that there will be no sorrow there, no pain, no bad
memories, no evil, no emotional problems, no financial problems,
no ill feelings between us, no strife, no jealously, no hurt
feelings, and the list could go on for ever. All the things that
trouble us here and sometimes make life difficult will be absent
in Heaven.
There are those who dwell on the reward we will have in Heaven.
They like to talk about all the magnificent "things" we will
have in Heaven. What will the reward or treasures be like? Will
they be material (houses, gold, silver, etc.), or will they
spiritual (love, joy, peace, etc.)? The Bible does speak of us
having a reward or treasure in Heaven. Jesus said, "Rejoice and
be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. . ."
(Matthew 5:12); and also "but lay up for yourselves treasures in
Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves
do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:20) To me, the reward and
the treasures I am looking forward to are not material. They are
those things we have talked about in this article. I look
forward to seeing Jesus and our Heavenly Father. I want to see
the loved ones who have gone on before. I want to visit the
saints of old and share with them the victories of their lives
here on earth. I want to experience the love, peace, and joy
that Heaven will offer by removing all the bad things we have to
contend with in this life. And I want to bask in the glory of
God forever!
What will Heaven be like? We can't say for sure with great
detail. But we can say for sure that it will be wonderful
because our Heavenly Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit will be
there.
All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version unless
otherwise noted.