The Bible does not give us details about the heavenly realms where God dwells. Why? There are several possible answers.
One is that knowing too much about heaven could be a distraction to our commitment to God during this life. Heaven is part of a reward for Christians who are faithful unto death (Luke 6:23). God can read the heart and if we are serving Him in order to earn a reward, then our hearts are already on the wrong track. Perhaps too much information about heaven could spark greed and could easily confuse our motives. The Lord’s footstep followers need to cultivate a Christ-like character fueled only by an obedient and sacrificial love for the Lord.
Another possible reason is that the human mind is in a different dimension from the spiritual. We are therefore incapable of actually understanding what heaven would be like. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” John 3:12. The Apostle Paul said, “…No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. We cannot even imagine what heaven is like.
Heaven will not be a place of pure leisure and entertainment as some suppose. Many scriptures indicate that there will be work in heaven. God is an efficient and purposeful creator. Jesus said, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” (John 5:17). Jesus also said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” (John 4:34). Jesus delights to to the work of the Lord, and as we grow in Christlikeness, we too will take great pleasure in the service of the Lord. The mature Christian’s desires focus on serving and honoring God. When we are fully developed and enter heaven, we will have the opportunity and ability to do so without ceasing.
What we do know about heaven is that God is the supreme ruler. He eternally rules in harmony with His character. Since God is always all-loving, ever just, omniscient, and omnipotent, heaven is a place where perfect love and exact justice are expressed with perfect wisdom and maintained through God’s supreme power. All who will dwell in heaven will be glad and rejoice!
Note: many parables begin with the phase “The kingdom of heaven is like…” However, upon closer examination of the parables themselves, we see that they are in fact referring to things we should be doing now in order to get to the kingdom of heaven, rather than a description of heaven itself.
Additional Resource: Christian Questions Podcast “What Will We Be Doing When We Get to Heaven?” 3-part series
