In John 14:2 Jesus gives wonderful picture of the place He was heading to after His work on the cross and resurrection. He calls that place “My Father’s house” This is another name for Heaven, which is variously described in the Bible as:

1. A country (Hebrews 11:16) due to its vastness

2. A City (Hebrews 12:22) emphasizing its larg number of inhabitants

3. a Kingdom (2 Timothy 4:18 because God is its King.

4. Paradise (Luke 23:43) because of its indescribable beauty

5. A place of rest (Hebrews 4:1-11) where the redeemed are free from the wearying conflict of sin, Satan, and the evil world system that hates those who love Christ.

For those who are following Jesus Christ, He has promised that there is plenty of room for all who will come to Him. In John 6:37, Jesus reminds us, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” This is the privilege of faith! Therefore, my friends set your affections on the thing of heaven not on earth. Heaven is where our hope is found, not the earth. … READ MORE

As Jesus prepared the Disciples for His death on the evening before His death in John 14, He started by saying, “Stop allowing your heart to be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me!” He goes on to share with them the truths of John 14:2-3. Here we are reminded that our comfort comes from trusting Christ’s preparation. Our separation from Christ is not permanent. His words, “If it were not so, I would have told you” assures the disciples that He was telling them the truth. He was going away in part to “prepare a place” for them, and in this promise we are reminded that His leaving was also to make sure that all who were His would have a special place. My friends, we have an expectation based on the promise of God to a better hope, and a better world. What we see around us is temporary at best, and the nature of our experiences is that they only last for a specific amount of time. As a follower of Jesus Christ, where He plans on taking us will be permanent, and secure. As we have just finished celebrating the reality of His resurrection, … READ MORE

What happens when you die as a follower of Jesus Christ? 2 Corinthians 5:1 reminds us that “if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 tells us that, “absent from the body [is to] be present with the Lord.” Scripture refers to heaven more than five hundred times, the Book of revelation alone mentions heaven about fifty times. The Bible is very clear that heaven is an actual place, not a state of spiritual consciousness. We are reminded that it is a place, because some have gone there in glorified bodies, such as Enon in Genesis 5:24, Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11, and the Lord Jesus Christ in Acts 1:9. As we have already been reminded 2 Corinthians 5:8 That while heaven is far beyond the created world in another dimension, when believers die, they will be there immediately (cf. also Luke 23:43). We also are reminded in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 that a day will come when the Savior, Jesus Christ, will come back for His Bride, and all those who are a part of that Bride … READ MORE