The Tug of Heaven

I read an interesting book a while ago about people who are in the dying process and the questions they ask. The three most common questions they ask clergy and hospice workers are these: 1) What’s going to happen to me after I die?; 2) Is there really a God?; and 2) Will I be going to Heaven?

I think we already know, deep down inside, that Heaven is real. It’s almost as though we have a built-in homing instinct leading us to Heaven. The Bible even says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV).

It was Augustine who said, “Thou has made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”

That’s why there’s a restlessness in our lives. That’s why those things we get don’t satisfy us the way we hoped they would, and it’s the reason we’re always in a search mode of sorts.

It’s like the little boy who was flying a kite that got so high, he couldn’t see it anymore. The clouds were obscuring it, but he still was holding on to the string. Someone asked, “Is your kite still on that string?”

“Oh yeah,” he said. “It’s there.”

“But you can’t see it.”

“No,” he replied, “but I can feel its tug.”

I think we feel the tug of Heaven. We know there’s more to life than what we’re experiencing right now.

I remember going to Disneyland as a kid. To me it seemed like a little bit of Heaven. I had an alcoholic mother who was married and divorced seven times. I came out of a crazy home of fighting and arguing, so for me, Disneyland really was the happiest place on earth. It was a little glimpse of something greater to come.

Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:1–3 NLT).

Heaven is real, and I know that I will go to Heaven when I die.

Maybe you’re thinking, “That’s kind of arrogant, isn’t it?”

No, not at all, because the Bible says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16 NKJV). This is called hope, and we need hope today.

I think our culture has a weird concept of Heaven that movies and songs reinforce. The assumption is that we’ll simply sit around in Heaven on big, fluffy clouds and take long naps. Meanwhile, fat little angels will be floating around us. (I don’t know what they’re all about, but I see them depicted in religious paintings.)

That isn’t the biblical Heaven. That isn’t the real Heaven. The real Heaven is a place.

As Jesus hung on the cross, there were two criminals also being crucified on each side of him. One said to him, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us” (Luke 23:39 NKJV).

But the other criminal, realizing he was facing eternity, said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (verse 42 NKJV). That’s how long it takes to believe. It can happen in a nanosecond.

So Jesus told him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (verse 43 NKJV).

Not only is Heaven a place, but it’s also a paradise. On one occasion, enemies of the apostle Paul stoned him and left him for dead. Most Bible scholars believe it’s at that moment that Paul died and went to Heaven.

He later described his experience this way: “I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know – only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell” (2 Corinthians 12:2–4 NLT).

Think of the most beautiful place you’ve ever been. Think of the most beautiful film or photograph you’ve ever seen. Heaven is far greater than that. It’s paradise.

But the Bible also says that Heaven is a city. I like to go to places with a lot of natural beauty, but I enjoy cities, too. I like to walk around, go to museums, eat good food and drink coffee. The Bible tells us that Heaven is a city whose builder and maker is God.

So think about cities you’ve read about or have been to. Heaven is a city as well. And guess what? There are things to do in Heaven. You can get together with loved ones who have died in faith, and you can have meals together. You can reminisce together. You can do things together. Maybe you’ll even go to concerts. (There are some pretty amazing musicians in Heaven.)

Heaven is a happy place. It’s a joyful place.

If you’re a Christian, death is not the end. The Bible says, “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever” (1 John 2:17 NLT).

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (John 11:25 NLT).

Are you hopeless today? If you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you can have hope. You can know that you will go to Heaven when you die.

So don’t put your hope in technology. Don’t put your hope in material things. Don’t put your hope in politicians or even in religion. Hope has a name, and it’s Jesus Christ. And he’s ready to change the course of your life.

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Learn more about Pastor Greg Laurie.

This article was originally published at WND.com.