Nearing Home by Billy Graham (best book club books for discussion txt) 📗

about Hell should make us not want to go there.) What, then, is Heaven like? The Bible tells us at least five important truths about Heaven.

Heaven Is Glorious

We sometimes speak of a beautiful sunset or a warm spring day as “glorious,” but even earth’s most awe-inspiring nature is but a shadow of the glory of Heaven. When the apostle John was given a glimpse of Heaven’s grandeur, he barely could find words to describe it, comparing it to the most wondrous objects on earth—only far greater: “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. . . . The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. . . . The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb [Christ] is its lamp” (Revelation 21:11, 21, 23).

Why is Heaven glorious? It isn’t simply because of its incredible beauty, overwhelming as that will be. Heaven is glorious for one supreme reason: Heaven is the dwelling place of God. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’ . . . They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 21:3; 22:4). Think of it: if you know Jesus Christ, someday you will be safely in God’s presence forever! I can barely imagine what that will be like—but it will be glorious beyond description.

Heaven Is Perfect

Not only is Heaven glorious, but it is also perfect. This shouldn’t surprise us: since God is perfect, so, too, is Heaven, His dwelling place.

Why is this important? Because it reminds us that in Heaven everything imperfect will be banished. As the Bible says, “When perfection comes, the imperfect disappears” (1 Corinthians 13:10). Think of all the sins and evils that afflict us now: disease, death, loneliness, fear, sorrow, temptation, disappointment, disability, addiction, war, conflict, anger, jealousy, greed—the list is almost endless. But in Heaven all those will be banished! Every evil and sin will be destroyed; every doubt and fear will be removed; every disappointment and heartache will be healed. One of the Bible’s greatest promises about Heaven declares, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. . . . Nothing impure will ever enter it” (Revelation 21:4, 27).

The Bible tells us a final truth about Heaven’s perfection: in Heaven we will be perfect—and someday so will all creation. Sin will no longer have any power over anything—for sin and Satan will be bound forever, and we will become like Christ. More than that, in God’s time we will be given new bodies—perfect bodies like that of Jesus Christ after His resurrection, free from all the limitations and frailties of our present bodies. The Bible says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

This is true not only for us but also for all creation. Sin has affected everything—not just us but the whole created world. Don’t ever take sin lightly; its destructive power extends to every creature and every object in the universe. This is a staggering thought. But the story doesn’t end there, for the Bible promises that someday the whole creation will come to an end, and it “will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). I can’t help but wonder if one of the things God will have us do in Heaven is explore the limitless treasures that will be part of His new creation.

When will this happen? When will Christ appear again? Devout Bible scholars don’t always agree on the details, but one fact is clear: someday Christ will come again to defeat all the forces of sin and evil and establish His supreme authority over the entire creation. Jesus Himself warned us against trying to set an exact timetable for His return: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). In God’s time this present world order will come to an end, and Christ will return to rule in power and glory and justice: “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

The fact of Christ’s return should fill us with hope and joy and expectation. But Christ’s return also should remind us of another truth: when Christ comes again, He will judge the world with perfect justice. On that day, the Bible says, those who have rebelled against God and rejected His offer of salvation in Christ “will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). These are sobering words, and if you have never turned from your sins and opened your heart and life to Jesus Christ, I pray you will do so now, before it is too late. Don’t gamble with your eternal soul!

Heaven Is Joyous

Not only will Heaven be glorious and perfect, but it also will be joyous. How could it be anything less? Its glory, its perfection—these alone would be enough to bring us unimaginable joy. But Heaven will be joyous for other reasons also. King David declared, “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).

Heaven will be a place of joyous reunion with all those who have gone to Heaven