Aren't excited to go to heaven? Maybe I can entice you

One of the first misconceptions I want to clear up before I get started is the belief that we will spend eternity in heaven.  It may surprise you to know that heaven is only a temporary stopping place. When we die or get raptured, we go there to wait for the end of the age on earth when God brings everything to a close and Jesus returns to earth to reign for a thousand years. Yes, that's right. We will be right back here on earth where we started! In fact, we will live here for a thousand years. So, if you're worried you might miss earth when you're gone, don't be.

If you've read Randy Alcorn's book Heaven, (which I highly recommend) then you have an idea of what life will be like on earth during those thousand years. Randy took his information straight from the Scripture which explains in wonderful detail what it will be like here when Jesus is ruling the entire planet from Jerusalem.  Read the book, it will excite you, I guarantee it.

But what about the actual place called heaven where God sits on the throne? We get glimpses of the throne room throughout Scripture. Isaiah (Chapter 6) and Ezekiel (Chapters 1 and 10) and Daniel (Chapter 7) and Stephen (Acts 7) and the Apostle John in Revelation 4. I encourage you to go read those Scriptures. The throne room sounds AMAZING!

But what about the rest of heaven?  I follow a pastor named John Fenn. He runs an organization called Supernatural House Church which organizes home churches across the world. He's a very humble man who doesn't flaunt himself and beg for money. I have listened to his sermons for years and have not found anything that goes against Scriputre. He has seen visions of Jesus and angels since he was a teenager, and has been taken to heaven in the Spirit more than once. Yes, this is Biblical. The Apostle Paul had a similar experience.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 2 Corinthians 12:2

The third heaven is where God lives. The first heaven is earth's atmosphere. The second heaven is above that where Satan and his minions roam about, and the third is where God lives.

Anyway, Pastor John has recently released a set of CDs describing his heavenly visit and I had the privilege of listening to them. Nothing he says is against Scripture. However, much of what he says cannot be verified by Scripture because the Bible simply doesn't describe heaven for us. Do I believe that John Fenn actually went to heaven (in the Spirit) and that what he says is true? I do. Mainly because I trust him. He bears the fruit of a true prophet.  Of course you can decide for yourself. I encourage you to pick up his CDs. You'll be so blessed and comforted!  So, rather than repeat everything he said, I'd like to list below a couple of highlights that really blessed me.

If we go to heaven before the rapture, we won't have our glorified bodies yet. However we will have spirit bodies which resemble very much our earthly bodies except without all the wrinkles, sags, blemishes, and deformities. We will recognize each other and be reunited with friends and family. You'll be able to talk with relatives from ages past!  Then once we get our glorified bodies, they'll be even better! We'll be flesh and bone, able to walk through walls, and instantly move ourselves from one place to another far away. In other words, we'll be super heroes! LOL  Where do I get this from? From Jesus's example after He was resurrected. He's the firstfruit from the dead.

Our pets are there! John said that his dog who got hit by a car years before came running up to him, along with other pets he'd had as a child.

Heaven is one giant city filled with millions of homes and parks. The architecture varied depending on the time period when the person died. There were structures from village huts to medieval castles to ranches to modern day homes. Everyone gets their own home just like here on earth. (And what goes into that home and how beautiful it ends up being depends on what we do for the Lord here on earth)

The sky was a beautiful mixture of pastels and the lakes, creeks, and rivers were sparkling. There were wide grassy areas filled with flowers.

This part really touched me:  Babies who die and babies who are aborted are all in heaven being taken care of by either relatives who've gone before them or if there are no relatives, by angels.

There are places like schools where children are taught just like here. In other words, if a child dies, he or she doesn't instantly become an adult in heaven, but remains a child and grows normally. John saw kids who had been killed in a car accident but their parents were still on earth. They were being taken care of by grandparents and other relatives.

And the best part?  Jesus and the Father are there!

I'll leave it there and let you get the CD's if you're interested. (I am in no way affiliated with John Fenn and am not advertising for him. I don't even know him)

I guess the main point I want to get across is that heaven is much like earth, EXCEPT a THOUSAND TIMES BETTER!  We will have everything good we have here but so much more! We will still have our spouses and families, homes, and tasks to do for the Lord. We will eat and laugh and love and be filled with incredible joy. And that's only the beginning. It gets much better when we come back to earth for the millennial reign of Jesus!

My hope is that this post has made you VERY excited about Jesus's soon return and very excited to leave this fallen world behind and venture into an eternity that is so wonderful, words cannot describe.

You might be interested in seeing my Pinterest board What Heaven is Like