“After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:24–26 nlt)
When we lose a loved one, there’s a time and place for mourning. The depth of our sorrow is an indication of the depth of our love for that person. But there’s also a place for rejoicing if that loved one is a believer because we know we will see them again.
Even Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus when He saw the devastating power of death. Death is an enemy, although one whose fate is already determined. The apostle Paul wrote, “After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:24–26 nlt).
No one wants to die. After all, this life is all we know. No one looks forward to the end of it. But the reality is that we all will die. That’s why it’s important to put our faith in Christ before we enter eternity. It’s also important that we not lose sight of what awaits believers when we die.
The Bible doesn’t offer pictorials of Heaven, but it does provide some tantalizing descriptions. Paul was given a glimpse of Heaven and tried to put his experience into words. “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). (We’ll explore this passage further next week in our study of 2 Corinthians.)
You’ll notice that he used the word paradise to describe what he saw. Paradise is a Greek word that refers to the royal garden of a king. Think about the most beautiful garden you’ve ever seen. If you’re not into gardens, think about the most amazing sight you’ve ever laid eyes on. That’s the depiction of Heaven Paul gave. He was saying, “I don’t really have the words for it, but it was like a paradise.”
As Pastor Adrian Rogers put it, “The God who sculpted the wings of the butterfly, blended the hues of the rainbow, and painted the meadows with daffodils is the same who made Heaven.”
In Heaven all questions are answered, all tears are dried, and all pain is gone. Heaven is pure bliss. That’s why Paul said that he longed to be there. He saw for himself that Heaven is far, far better than earth.
And that’s what all believers can look forward to.
Reflection question: What are your feelings about Heaven?
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Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author, and movie producer. His latest film ‘Jesus Revolution,’ from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, is now available on-demand worldwide.
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