After my article Heaven and Hell are Almost the Same came out, a lot of page views came in within a period of two days. I then felt the need to write about heaven all the more. Many people are asking if heaven is real while others are silently wondering and wishing that somehow it is true. There are those who deny it, doubt it and criticize it. They keep on attacking it, insisting that it doesn’t exist and that thoughts about it just came from the imagination of some naive so-called Bible believers.
Is heaven for real? Is there a place really called heaven? Some say heaven is here on earth if we can make this world a better place to live in. If we learn how to love each other, be considerate to one another, accept the uniqueness of each person, race and color of skin. If we do not hate and covet, if we strive to live in peace and extend helping hands to those who are in need, then we can experience real heaven on earth. Sounds familiar and too good to be true. How we wish that the world we have now is the one we have just described. But in reality, our world now is very far from it.
There are those who believe and say that a place called heaven is real but it is reserved only for a few. It’s not for everyone but for the elect who are chosen and qualified because they have fulfilled a particular requirement. If this would be the case, woe to the rest of humankind, to the majority who can’t make it there but are doomed to another place or destination called hell. We will talk about hell in my next article but let’s focus first on this intriguing place named heaven.
A lot of questions are often asked concerning the after life, the unseen world and the destination of man after death. In each heart of a person of any generation, is a deep-seated question about man’s eternal destination or existence after his physical death. Philosophers, psychologists, scientists, religious scholars tried to explain, debate, defend and denounce man’s eternal state and destination, including heaven.
Now, I want to share not just an opinion but a conviction. You are not obliged my dear reader to agree with me nor am I convincing you to believe on what I believe. If you want to remain a skeptic or a doubter after reading this blog article, it’s okay with me. I would still appreciate your effort and time for dropping by. I want to assume that there is that longing in your heart and mind to be convinced of the reality of this wonderful place. Personally, I had this curiosity before that stirred up the hunger for the truth. So I searched for the truth about heaven and after a lot of readings and meditations, I weighed things, which one to believe – is heaven a fact or just a fiction.
I’ve heard a story about two philosophers from ancient time having a conversation about the existence of God. One is a believer of God and the other is not. The believer said to his colleague, “If I believe in God and at the end of my life there is no God, what will I lose? But what about if God is indeed real, I will gain everything. On the other hand, if you don’t believe in God and at the end you are right, you gain nothing but if God is real and does exist, you lose everything.” In the same manner, talking about heaven, I would rather believe that it is real on the basis of God and His word, the Bible. In case we reach the end of our lives here on earth and there is indeed no heaven and no God at all, what shall I lose? But if there is, I shall gain everything and live truly happy ever after. Am I making sense?
The Scriptures have a lot of verses backing up the reality of heaven as a wonderful place prepared not for a selected few but for all who choose to believe on it and to the God who promised it. I don’t want to make this article long, (maybe for some this is long already, pardon me for I guess writing about heaven would probably require an eternity?) but let me site few verses about heaven and how a person can go there.
Revelation 21:1-5, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 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. He will wipe away 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.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”
John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”’
According to the Scriptures quoted above, heaven is real and God who promised it can be trusted. His words are true. Many times we doubted God’s words because we have our own bad experiences from our fellow man whose promises failed us. We are familiar with the saying that goes, “Promises are made to be broken.” But with God my friend all His promises are made to be fulfilled.
How can a person make it to heaven? Not through any religion or dogma nor by being and doing good. If these would be the case, how will you know that you’ve done enough good already? It’s not by following certain prerequisites nor abiding in some to-do lists.You and I can enter heaven and enjoy that place through Jesus alone, believe Him and His claim saying, He is the way, the truth and the life. He even added in that verse a profound truth often missed out by many, He further said that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Now last question, where is His Father? The answer is very familiar to most of us, we pray this, ”Our Father, who art in? HEAVEN. Hope to see you there.