Resources by Topic: Heaven

It’s no exaggeration to say that other than her Creator and Redeemer, and her immediate family and closest friends, no person spoke to my wife Nanci more powerfully than Charles Spurgeon!

Our ministry received this letter from a reader of the Heaven book. In her own way, she captures the essence of what has happened in the lives of countless people who for many years were held in bondage by a false view of Heaven. 

I’m so grateful that once we’re done with this cursed earth and have our resurrected, fully redeemed bodies and minds on the New Earth there will no longer be anything negative to think about.

Though our believing loved ones have truly gained an eternal perspective being with Jesus, there’s no reason to believe they’ve forgotten their loved ones on Earth or no longer care about them. 

This wonderful message our ministry received from an 83-year-old reader made my day. I listened to it twice. What a sweet and vibrant voice, and I love her transparency. She may not remember book titles well, but she remembers the books and the message of the books!

Nanci and I always got up early to watch Wimbledon together, as it’s a 6 a.m. start here on the Pacific coast. It was her second favorite sporting event after the Super Bowl. I cannot hear the word Wimbledon without immediately thinking of Nanci.

In this second conversation with Steve Silver of Men’s Golf Fellowship, Randy shares about the differences between the present Heaven and the future Heaven, which will be on the New Earth. Because Steve’s wife Sandy and Randy’s wife Nanci are now with Jesus, they share what the hope of Heaven means to them personally.

Resurrection—Christ’s and ours—is a cornerstone of the Christian faith. Yet how many of us ponder what our resurrected selves will be like? You might think Scripture doesn’t say much. In fact, it tells us a lot, and gives us solid reasons to deduce much more.

I believe that nothing is more often misdiagnosed than our homesickness for Heaven. We think that what we want is sex, drugs, alcohol, a new job, a raise, a doctorate, a spouse, a large-screen television, a new car, a cabin in the woods, a condo in Hawaii. What we really want is the person we were made for, Jesus, and the place we were made for, Heaven.

To many of us, “hope” sounds wishful and tentative, but biblical hope means to anticipate with trust. We expect a sure thing, purchased on the cross, accomplished and promised by an all-knowing God. Scripture offers solid ground for our hope in Christ. 

Randy Alcorn gave a message at Rise City Church in Gresham, Oregon about the theology of Heaven and the New Earth. He shared the good news that hope is found in an eternal life of “God with us.” The painful life under the curse on this present Earth is contrasted with the redeemed life we were intended for on the New Earth. Earth’s greatest days, as well as our own, are yet to come.  

In this clip from a Q&A at an illumiNations gathering, Randy talks about how since our best experiences will be on the New Earth, Christians don't need a bucket list mentality. None of us will ever pass our “peaks” on this side of Heaven.  

Tragically, many people do not find their joy in Christ and Heaven. In fact, many people find no joy at all when they think about Heaven. A pastor once confessed to me, “Whenever I think about Heaven, it makes me depressed. I’d rather just cease to exist when I die.”

When we’re in Heaven, without sin, it won’t be hard to remember that Jesus is the source of every good thing, including reunion with loved ones. And here and now, we can pray, telling Jesus how much we long for that reunion, and sharing our deepest longings, hopes, and hurts with Him.