Preparing to Go to Heaven
My Dear Friend,
Do you want to go to heaven? What do you think heaven will be like? Do you believe that when you die you will go to heaven?
Recently Dave Schilling did an opinion piece in the Guardian entitled, “Trump Fears He Won’t Get into Heaven.” The piece goes on to say, “Trump fears he won’t get into heaven. His concerns are (he is 79) understandable after decades of acting in his own best interest… Having spoken on at least two occasions about what happens when we die. He called into a radio program called the Todd Staines show, Trump is quoted as saying, ‘There has to be some kind of report card up there someplace, you know, like ‘Let’s go to heaven, let’s get into heaven’. It's sort of a beautiful thing,’ he said to Staines.
“On Fox News, Trump expressed serious doubt he is going to get called up to the big leagues of life after death, He said, ‘I want to try and get to heaven if possible. I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole.’”
Everyone wants to go to heaven, but like the rich man Jesus spoke of in Luke 16:19-30, they want to prescribe the terms of getting there. Such selfrighteous individuals ignore Lazarus as he tries to survive on the crumbs that they dropped from their tables. They consider Lazarus and his other homeless friends a nuisance they want to drive out of their neighborhoods in the name of economic development. The rich man had convinced himself he was going to heaven only to find himself in hell where Abraham told him, “Remember in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and you are tormented.”
In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
Jesus tells us what the will of the Father is in Matthew 25:31-46. There we see Jesus separating the saved from the unsaved and declaring, “Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world: for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger (homeless), and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:34-36). “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren (and sisters), you did it to me” (verse 40).
Those who think they are going home to heaven because of all the good things they have done for the less fortunate better realize that for their salvation’s sake, there is much more involved. Jesus made this clear to the rich young man who asked Him, “What must I do to be saved?” Jesus in response tells this man it is going to cost him everything when Jesus tells him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor (Matthew 19:21). Jesus said this because Jesus knew what it would cost Him personally to provide the means of grace which paved the way for salvation for all of us. Jesus was going to have to shed His blood by dying on a Roman cross, and then conquer that death through a resurrection that would split hell wide open. As a result of this price, that defies all logic, redemption was bought and paid for all of us. It was because of such redemption we can go home to heaven. That is why Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Recipients of cheap grace are convinced of their salvation to the extent they feel perfectly at ease when it comes to their indifference of whether or not the homeless are sheltered, the hungry fed, the naked clothed, or the sick or imprisoned visited. They refer to all the acts of mercy as good works which they preach that they don’t need, because they declare they are saved by their cheap grace. Yet James 3:17 says, “Faith without works is dead.”
It is in the word of God, the Bible, that we find out what heaven is like and how to get there. Jesus tells us in the Bible in John 14:1-6 (NIV), “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
I have known for some time that, because Jesus died for my sins, and rose from the dead, that He is the way to heaven. As I get older I have been asking myself more and more what is it like being in heaven? These questions became more frequent after my sister, my father and then my first wife Penny died. When
someone you love dearly goes on a trip, you want to know what they are doing, what they are seeing, and exactly what they are experiencing. Your interest in this destination is further intensified when you know you are going to meet them there in the not-so-distant future.
Our primary source of insight into what heaven is like is the Bible. In Revelation 5, we have John taking us on a visit to heaven. There, we see Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, surrounded by the four living creatures, the elders, and tens of thousands of angels singing, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12 NIV).
This heavenly visit shows us that worship is the central focus of heaven. As we continue to study the scriptures, we see that in heaven we will be doing many different things like eating, drinking, and living in various dwelling places. We will be reigning with Christ and working for Him. We will be standing, walking, gathering for feasts and much more. All of this will be in the conscious presence of God and will be an act of worship.
There have been many times I have gotten a personal foretaste of heaven. It happens when I am awakened to the presence of God. This is a result of a prayer walk in the wonders of creation or reflecting on God’s goodness and glory as I read the scriptures. Even as I am engaging in what some would refer to as work, I see this activity transformed into worship as I become aware of the revelation of God. It is this presence of God which gives me insight into heaven. In fact, it is this uninterrupted presence of God that I am looking forward to the most when I get to heaven.
For many, being in the presence of God or engaging in glorifying God in all things, along with enjoying His presence for all eternity isn’t something they are really looking forward to. This is clear by the fact that those who aren’t seeking God never have time to pray, read the Bible, or care about helping someone in need. This attitude is prevalent in spite of the fact that in Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus speaks of separating the sheep and the goats (those who are going to heaven and those who aren’t) by determining whether or not their faith has propelled them into the action of feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and visiting the sick and imprisoned.
Our Heavenly Father graciously gives us opportunities to serve Him every day by helping those in need. He desires everyone to let His love flow through them and someday be with Him in Heaven.
The Bible says that “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (I Tim. 2:3-,4 NIV). Even though God wants everyone to be saved, He doesn’t force anyone to go to heaven. If someone has indicated through their life on earth that they would be miserable in heaven, having no desire to be in God’s presence and worship Him even for a few minutes, much less for all eternity, then He doesn’t force them to go to heaven.
People go to hell because they have shown throughout their lives that they do not really believe God loves them and sent His son Jesus Christ to pay the price for their sins. As a result, these individuals have very little desire to pray, or praise God in word and deed. Since they would be miserable in heaven and have resisted every attempt God has made to draw them to Himself, hell is their final destination after death.
Jesus pleaded with people to avoid hell and experience the Kingdom of God and avoid hell. He referred to hell as a real place in Matthew 10:28; 13:40-42; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31, and other places in the scriptures.
God the Father wanted humanity in heaven so badly that “He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). In Revelations 22:3-5, we read about this heavenly city that God has prepared for those who believe in Jesus and have accepted the forgiveness of sins He provides. “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more light. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever.”
We must remember the place Jesus said in John 14:2, that He was going to prepare for us. When the time comes for us to go to that place we will have to go through the door of death. Since no one ever takes their stuff through that door, why is it that so many who claim they are going to heaven spend so much time and money on gathering stuff here on earth? They could be spending that time as Jesus told them to do in Matthew 6:19-21, where he says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
We must daily work to store up treasures in Heaven because we never know when we will die. Facing this reality, our prayers should be, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). This heart of wisdom involves receiving the free life insurance policy Jesus gives and learning how to let go of this world. This letting go or disengaging can seem painful, but in reality, it provides the freedom necessary to really live. It involves seeing death, not as the end, but as the doorway to a new life which is now possible because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 2:14-15 we read, “So that by His death He (Jesus) might destroy him who holds the power of death that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
It is the fear of death which prevents us from really living. Once we face the reality of our pending death with the realization, it is not the end, but only a new beginning, we are free to take the necessary risks that come with living courageous lives. We discover as we live such lives freed from the slavery of the fear of death that God meant what He said in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This hope and a future exist not only now, but also even beyond death itself. When Paul received the eternal life insurance policy Jesus gives, he declared, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
Those who refuse to accept Jesus’ life insurance policy provided through His death and resurrection have every reason to fear death. Instead of an eternity in the presence of the Living God, what awaits the unbeliever is condemnation and an eternal separation from God. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18 NIV).
Are you going to heaven? If not, why not? If you are, how are you living your life in preparation for it? Remember this life will soon be past and it is only what is done for Christ that will last. Jesus, at this moment, is saying, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24 NIV).
We live in the age of revenge, where greed and gluttony have become a way of life. The rich man and his money are glorified, while the homeless Lazarus is considered a nuisance. Yet it is those like Lazarus, who are in desperate need of a home, that appreciate Christ’s promise the most when He said in John 14:2, “I am going to prepare a home for you.”
When Jesus speaks of heaven as a home, He is not just using the word home as a metaphor. He is describing an actual physical place where we will be in the presence of God forever. It is a place built by our Savior, Jesus, who gave His life in payment for our sins so we can go to this eternal home. At our home in heaven, we will be sharing a place of security with our loved ones. It will be a home where there will be comfort and refuge. Finally the homeless will have a place where the police won’t be waking them up and saying you can’t sleep here. Our home in heaven will be a place of unprecedented freedom, joy and peace. It will be a place of love and relationship with God, His angels and His redeemed humanity.
Jesus holds the title deed to our new home in heaven. He declares, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2, 3). Jesus became the Homeless One, leaving His home in heaven in order that He might come to earth to gather you and I, as His homeless children, and take us to be with Him forever in heaven.
What a glorious day that will be when we get to our home in heaven. But for now we must get ready for the trip there. With each passing day, we get closer and closer to our home in heaven. Now we need to learn everything we can about making the trip to the home Jesus has created for us.
Yours in Christ,
Larry Rice