Resources by Topic: Heaven

We’ve probably all heard it said, “This world is not our home.” I used to say it, too. It’s true, but it’s a half truth. 

It’s certainly possible that there will be farms and farmers to care for crops. In Genesis 1:28 God tells His people to fill and govern the earth. Good farming practices certainly fall within the scope of careful stewardship and will very likely be welcome on the New Earth.

I’ve read many accounts of experiences in which people who do not know Christ claim to have gone to Heaven, or its outskirts, and were reassured by a “being of light” that all is well with them. I’m convinced that though some have had real supernatural experiences, the one who reassured them was not Jesus.

The bottom line is we don’t know how that will all work out, but we do know that God is good, and that we can trust Him.

I relate to your concerns because I too, want to watch my children grow up. I believe that ultimately, it is a matter of trust. Do we trust Jesus to return at exactly the right time?

One of our staff sent me this article written by a pastor, and I thought it was very good. (Yes, he does mention my Heaven book—but that’s not why we asked his permission to share what he wrote!) Over the years I’ve often used the term “over-realized eschatology,” but I don’t usually take the time to explain it, and this article does that well.

When Jesus annihilates death, it shall be no more. We will not fear it, and it will have no hold on us. Don’t you long for that day? 

When we receive our glorified bodies and relocate to the New Earth, it will culminate history, not erase it. And nothing will negate or minimize the fact that we were members of families here on Earth. 

A reader, Tammy, sent me this touching message about her dad, and the pictures. 

Death is like a great ocean, and we are on this shore seeing people depart. But every ocean has two shores, and every person we see depart is seen as arriving on that other shore. Death is not the end. Just as birth was our ticket to this world, so death is our ticket to the next. It is less of an end than a beginning.

Contemplating Heaven is where my heart is at right now. In this excerpt from my novel Deception, I picture one of the characters entering Heaven.

Today’s blog is excerpted from my book We Shall See God. It’s the first of 50 entries drawn from Charles Spurgeon’s sermons on Heaven, and it’s entitled “Dying Is But Going Home.” It seems fitting to share right now.

Sean McDowell, who teaches at Biola/Talbot, has a self-described passion for equipping the church, particularly young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. Last year I was on his podcast to talk about Heaven, Hell, and the afterlife.

Though it’s been several years, I still think about what a blast I had writing my book Heaven for Kids and recording the audio book. I loved including more material from The Chronicles of Narnia than I used in the big Heaven book.