Every now and then we find some excitable hubbub about heaven or the afterlife when someone comes along with a near-death experience about time in heaven.  Most recently this came from the book and film Heaven Is for Real, recounting the experience of young Colton Burpo, whose dangerous medical appendicitis issues left him very close to death.  Upon his recovery, Colton claimed to have met Christ in person, met the young version of his grandfather, and his own sister who was miscarried and whose existence had never been revealed to Colton.

You might be wondering why I bring this up now.  The book was published in 2010, and the movie has been out since mid-April.  Actually, this is on my mind because recently the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution about personal accounts of heaven in general and the sufficiency of Scripture regarding them.  You can view the resolution here, but the purpose here is to discuss the substance of it.  Understanding this topic also contributes to a larger, general principle regarding Scripture:  The Bible is our primary source for understanding reality.  All other sources are at best secondary and may only be considered when in agreement with the Bible.

The Bible is our guide for the afterlife

We can trust what the Bible tells us about life after death.  We can also wish it said a whole lot more on the subject!  Even so, we must admit that God has told us enough and be content with that.  So what exactly does the Bible say about heaven?  It is important to also say that while the Bible is our source, we have the responsibility to develop a correct understanding of it.  I owe a debt of gratitude to Randy Alcorn, director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries, and his book Touchpoints: Heaven for much of my understanding of heaven.  What follows will (hopefully) serve to whet your appetite.

What will we do?

Many Christians get the impression that they will be bored in heaven (usually sitting on a cloud and playing a harp).  This could not be further from the truth!  The lie that we have believed is that sin is fulfilling, but God is not.  The opposite is true.  Sin leaves us empty, craving more.  When we have been given incorruptible bodies, free from sin’s influence, we will be able to experience God on a whole new level.  Psalm 16:11 reveals this truth.  So, what will we do?  Here is a small list of what we will do:

• We will learn – it will always be exciting, and it will deepen our understanding of who God is (Eph. 2:6-7 – progressive learning; 2 Cor. 3:18)
• We will worship (Rev. 5:13-14; 7:9-12) – It is worth pausing here to help understand that worship will not be boring.  It will be exhilarating, spontaneous, creative, endless.  Imagine worshiping God in a large group for days on end and being so caught up in the excitement that it feels like only a few minutes have passed.  Imagine working, playing, eating, or talking – all while noticing God’s goodness in each of these things; imagine doing these things as an exciting act of worship.  It will never get old.
• We will rule (1 Cor. 6:2-3; Matt. 25:23; Rev. 22:5) – God allows us to represent His authority through ruling, and the more faithful we are to Him on this earth, the more authority He will entrust to us in heaven.

What will we look like?

Below are some verse references about our bodies, along with some notes.

• Our bodies will have unique characteristics, including various ethnic markers (Matt. 8:11; Rev. 7:9)
• Our bodies will be physical, meaning we will not simply be spirits (2 Cor. 5:3)
• Our bodies in heaven will be much better than our bodies on earth (Phil. 3:20-21)
• They will never wear out; they will be eternal (1 Cor. 15:53)

We will have extra abilities (Luke 24:31; John 20:19; Acts 1:9) – Our bodies will be like Jesus’ body (Phil. 3:20-21).  The verses give a sampling of His abilities (and yes, He has unlimited power, which we will not have).  It is also safe to suggest that we will have a greater capacity for all kinds of activities:  physical activity, love, learning, etc.

Will we keep our friendships?

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. (Acts 17:26)

This verse reveals that we were placed by God in a specific time, specific place, around specific people.  When we understand that our lives on earth prepare us for heaven, then it is not too much of a stretch to think we will get to fellowship with many of the same people in heaven that we knew on earth (if they went to heaven).  There is nowhere in the Bible that states we will not retain our friends in heaven.

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 8:11)

This verse shows that we will even make new friends, including heroes of the faith.  There will be no pain in relationships – all relationships will be the best they can possibly be!

Will your friends be in heaven?  In one sense only you can answer the question.  Have you told them about heaven and invited them there?  Do they know about Jesus and the message of the Gospel?  Only those who belong to Jesus will be in heaven (Revelation 20:15).

What else will be in heaven?

Here are some other exciting possible aspects of heaven that we might not normally realize.  Some are slightly speculative, but they mentioned to help us realize that the Bible allows for these things:

• Rewards (Luke 14:14; Matt. 6:19-20)
• Animals (Isa. 11:6-8; 65:17, 25… talking ones (Rev. 8:13)…who will praise God (Ps. 148:9-13; Rev. 5:13); Rev. 21:5 may even allow for re-creation of extinct animals or even pets!
• Clothing (Rev. 6:11; 7:9; 15:6) – white robes represent our purity as ones without sin, while gold sashes are evidence of splendor.  It is quite possible that we will have creative types of clothing, but these clothes will be designed to display God’s creative nature and not to hide shame.
• Culture (Rev. 21:26) – As Alcorn puts it, “This reference gives us the biblical basis to suppose that the best of each culture – the history, art, music, and languages of the old Earth – will be redeemed, purified, and carried over to the New Earth.”
• Fun, play, dancing (Mark 10:14-15; Luke 6:21,23) – Fun and play and dancing are a part of who we are, and we perhaps will use these as expressions to glorify God.  Parents love to watch their children play; the same is true of God.
• Exploration (2 Pet. 3:13) – This suggests that this world will be filled with wonder and discovery – all pointing us back to God.  There is no reason not to believe that we will be able to explore this universe in its entirety, witnessing all of God’s creative glory!
• Nature (Isa. 35:1; 51:3)

 What are the implications of all this?

The study of heaven yields some solid general principles for us:

• We Christians have something to look forward to – eternity with God!
• We can endure trials on earth because of our future hope of life and reward in heaven.
• We should eagerly tell others about the Gospel to invite them to heaven.
• We do not have to wonder if we will enjoy heaven – even what we understand now is a shadow of how glorious it will be.
• Our efforts now should be with heaven in mind – we should live with an eternal perspective in mind.

What about books/movies like Heaven is for Real?

I have read Heaven is for Real, and it was enjoyable to read.  I found myself comparing what I read with what I have learned about heaven.  I have to say that I found no apparent contradictions with the biblical account of heaven.  Others may have spotted things that I missed.  There is, however, a general uneasiness that I have developed with the account.  While it is presented as one person’s experience, the thrust of the book is to move skeptical parents to believe all of it completely.  Todd Burpo, a pastor, spent little attention on the biblical account.  The reader is left to take the account from the book completely without considering what the primary source – the Bible – says about it. I really like the life-changing wonder in Colton’s description of heaven. That alone should help many believers to begin reviewing heaven as an exciting place.

My family held devotional times when I was a child. One of our traditions was to sing “When We All Get to Heaven,” which has the following chorus:

When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We’ll sing and shout the victory

As a toddler, my part in that song was to show my own excitement about heaven by jumping up and down on our sofa. I can agree with Colton that heaven is an exciting place, and i think he can agree with me that even if his account of heaven is accurate, it doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the wonder of life with our Savior. The Bible tells us that, and it tells us a good deal more about heaven, if we’re willing to look for it.