What Will Heaven Be Like? A place for new perspective

[asdftheking 1]

So this morning I've been pondering this question, "What will heaven be like?" And it's not the first time I've thought about it.

I makes me sad sometimes when people say they don't want to go to heaven or are afraid to die young and "miss out" on so much.

 

I wonder how many of us are thinking that heaven is boring.

 

Well I don't claim to be able to give any details as I've never been there and have only had hints of it in this life. But I definitely can give some ideas.

 

Do you have things that you long for? All of us do, even if we try to kill our desires. Maybe you wish you had a nice new computer so you didn't have to put up with using an unreliable machine like so many of us do. Or do you wish you had financial freedom after years of worry and struggling to keep your head above water. Perhaps your greatest desire is for that perfect guy or girl or just peace in your family or marriage. There are many such things that we all yearn for.

 

Why do we have these yearnings and desires? Because deep down we are aware that there is a potential for perfection but it seems so very far away. We are left with emptiness and disappointment in its place (Romans 8:18-21). God has put in us the knowledge that perfection does exist and is supremely desirable (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

 

But where is perfection? Well, we had it, then we wrecked it (Genesis 1-3). Now it can not be found in us (Romans 3:23), only in a Holy God who sometimes seems far off. Let me give you hope:

 

It will be restored (Revelations 21:5).

 

All those longings and desires that each of us have is nothing more than a desire for what heaven is. The best experiences we have in this life are nothing more than a faint aroma of fresh chocolate chip cookies when we are famished. But heaven is the feast. We can't imagine how perfect and pleasant and fulfilling it will be because we are still only longing for the perfection which we have failed to attain. It is beyond your wildest imagination

 

So forget whether or not there will be computer games, golf, or fishing in heaven. It is a place that is supremely good. Nothing you have ever desired can compare with it.

 

Having said that, let's take as many people there as we can! The alternative is not so bright.

[kobra500 1]

See, this is a prime example of why the bible is bull, its just an instrument to give hope. How can you believe in something because of faith? Faith isn't a reason, it's an excuse because you have no reason. I don't want to go to heaven even if it does exist, i dont mind dieing either because I know with death comes nothing, no worries, no problems, no pain. Why do people ffeel sorry for the dead, its the living who suffer.

[curtis07 0]

See, this is a prime example of why the bible is bull, its just an instrument to give hope. How can you believe in something because of faith? Faith isn't a reason, it's an excuse because you have no reason. I don't want to go to heaven even if it does exist, i dont mind dieing either because I know with death comes nothing, no worries, no problems, no pain. Why do people ffeel sorry for the dead, its the living who suffer.

Wow. You have no faith? The Bible says (in Hebrews 11:1), "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen." Webster says

1 a: allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1): fidelity to one's promises (2): sincerity of intentions2 a (1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction ; especially : a system of religious beliefs <the Protestant faith>

So you do not trust anything or anyone ever? I've never actually seen the structure of an atom, but I'm pretty sure it has electrons, protons, and neutrons. I've never seen air, but I'd be left wondering what lungs are for if I didn't believe in it.
On your idea of death, though, I somewhat agree. Death should not bring us fear (maybe the fear of what will lead to death should, though). I think that Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy said it well:

Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far, which given your current circumstances seems more likely, consider how lucky you are that it won't be troubling you much longer.

On yet another note, why is this topic in "health"? Perhaps it should be moved to "religion" or something. This topic is not about death, rather about the "after-death".

[asdftheking 1]

On yet another note, why is this topic in "health"? Perhaps it should be moved to "religion" or something. This topic is not about death, rather about the "after-death".

I was going to put this post in counseling and advice but that didn't seem right. And I didn't find anything on religion or beliefs, if there is such a category maybe the post can be moved. Thanks.

[joeblogg 0]

See, this is a prime example of why the bible is bull, its just an instrument to give hope. How can you believe in something because of faith? Faith isn't a reason, it's an excuse because you have no reason. I don't want to go to heaven even if it does exist, i dont mind dieing either because I know with death comes nothing, no worries, no problems, no pain. Why do people ffeel sorry for the dead, its the living who suffer.

the bible is not bull. the bible is what makes our lives good. without christianity where would we be? it is the one way where everyone can be united. regardless of age, wealth or happiness. the bible is there for everyone to use as an example to live there lives in a good christian way. the bible says so and that is that i'm afraid.

[truefusion 3]

See, this is a prime example of why the bible is bull, its just an instrument to give hope. How can you believe in something because of faith? Faith isn't a reason, it's an excuse because you have no reason. I don't want to go to heaven even if it does exist, i dont mind dieing either because I know with death comes nothing, no worries, no problems, no pain. Why do people ffeel sorry for the dead, its the living who suffer.

Allow me to show you the faith, given the description of faith you give, within your own post:

[...]the bible is bull, its just an instrument to give hope. [...] I know with death comes nothing, no worries, no problems, no pain.

Now why is this faith by your own description? Because you did not provide any proof; that is, an excuse without reason—an excuse for not believing. For the former, the logic doesn't follow. For the latter, you've never been dead, so how can you know it doesn't bring that kind of stuff? Hell for one is known as the second death. Therefore, to ask you the same thing, how can you believe in something dependent on faith alone? Since faith is to believe, though you attempt to make it look like two different things, that implies that even the very things you see require faith. So then how can you believe in the very things you see? You can't do away with faith no matter how hard you try, so it is futile to argue against faith.

[Echo_of_thunder 1]

See, this is a prime example of why the bible is bull, its just an instrument to give hope. How can you believe in something because of faith? Faith isn't a reason, it's an excuse because you have no reason. I don't want to go to heaven even if it does exist, i dont mind dieing either because I know with death comes nothing, no worries, no problems, no pain. Why do people ffeel sorry for the dead, its the living who suffer.

Kobra I agree with you to a point and a strong point I feel. What you said of the bible being bull. Your so wrong there. 1st off before I go into all this with you or anyone here at trap I want to say this, I am NOT a bible pusher by any means. But I do believe in a higher power, that one day all of us will have to deal with in one way or another. be it heaven or in hell.

As for hell, Maybe we are all in it and it's called earth. who knows. thats not the name of this thread.

as for heaven? I just hope it is nice with great sunny days

[Lyon2 0]

I can not know how heaven must be like, that is obviously impossible, but i can imagine and even beleave/hope how heaven is like.Heaven, if it actually exists, and by the way i am a christian/catholic, i beleave it must be a place where souls, deserving souls of course, will rest for all eternity, which where they will feel good at least, without pain nor hunger, without mind nor body suffering, well... heaven if i beleave, must be a quite good place to be for eternety, if that is the case of course.Despite the fact that i am a christin/catholic, i have 6 years of catholic school, or sunday school as you in America call it if i remember quite well, so i did study a lot of this subject, the subject of spirituality, and subjects related to christianity and religious beleaves.I beleave in God, and if there exists a God, a superior beeing which i beleave, He must have created a place where the good guys will be after they die, otherwise, it makes no sense, to me at least.I hope there is a God, i hope there is a heaven, i hope there is at least a good place where the good guys like me will go when we die, but first of all, i want to live for a long time, forever if one day that is possible, i hope, because this is all talk, i can not know if i will suffer after i die, so think about this last paragraph of mine.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Lyon2 (see edit history)

[Bluebear 0]

Am I the only one who do not like the thought of "eternity"? Because that is a very long time! I do not know if I believe in heaven, my views about things like this somehow change all the time and most often there are others who are contributing to the change.

[ihost 0]

So this morning I've been pondering this question, "What will heaven be like?" And it's not the first time I've thought about it.

I makes me sad sometimes when people say they don't want to go to heaven or are afraid to die young and "miss out" on so much.

 

I wonder how many of us are thinking that heaven is boring.

 

Well I don't claim to be able to give any details as I've never been there and have only had hints of it in this life. But I definitely can give some ideas.

 

Do you have things that you long for? All of us do, even if we try to kill our desires. Maybe you wish you had a nice new computer so you didn't have to put up with using an unreliable machine like so many of us do. Or do you wish you had financial freedom after years of worry and struggling to keep your head above water. Perhaps your greatest desire is for that perfect guy or girl or just peace in your family or marriage. There are many such things that we all yearn for.

 

Why do we have these yearnings and desires? Because deep down we are aware that there is a potential for perfection but it seems so very far away. We are left with emptiness and disappointment in its place (Romans 8:18-21). God has put in us the knowledge that perfection does exist and is supremely desirable (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

 

But where is perfection? Well, we had it, then we wrecked it (Genesis 1-3). Now it can not be found in us (Romans 3:23), only in a Holy God who sometimes seems far off. Let me give you hope:

 

It will be restored (Revelations 21:5).

 

All those longings and desires that each of us have is nothing more than a desire for what heaven is. The best experiences we have in this life are nothing more than a faint aroma of fresh chocolate chip cookies when we are famished. But heaven is the feast. We can't imagine how perfect and pleasant and fulfilling it will be because we are still only longing for the perfection which we have failed to attain. It is beyond your wildest imagination

 

So forget whether or not there will be computer games, golf, or fishing in heaven. It is a place that is supremely good. Nothing you have ever desired can compare with it.

 

Having said that, let's take as many people there as we can! The alternative is not so bright.

Hey there,

 

Personally I have something to suggest those who are now trying t imagine what will Heaven be like... it's the following:

 

Why do you think already how after death will be? Don't spend time on thinking how it will be, but spend time on the present moment, you might regret later. Enjoy your lives NOW and not think about death already it just doesn't makes really much sense...

 

Yes It is good to think about it once or twice, thats human's nature, it's normal, but is it really worth it spending time on that?

 

I am not saying that you all guys are spending your lives on thinking about this, but I am just saying that some are so scared of death and they already think how Heaven will be like and if it exists and so on. If you don't know now and nobody does, it's not like you will anytime before your death. You will know, if you believe in Heaven, in the right time. It is how it has to be otherwise everyone would know no?

 

Tim.

See, this is a prime example of why the bible is bull, its just an instrument to give hope. How can you believe in something because of faith? Faith isn't a reason, it's an excuse because you have no reason. I don't want to go to heaven even if it does exist, i dont mind dieing either because I know with death comes nothing, no worries, no problems, no pain. Why do people ffeel sorry for the dead, its the living who suffer.

Even though you don't believe in bible stuffs, it doesn't means that others do not also. You gotta give them respect if it is important for them. They got raised that way. And well it is not for the bad...

Personally, I am not really religious, but I believe in God. Thats enough for me to keep track on the right way.

 

If one would say ''Heaven exists'', and you say ''Prove it'', I would say ''Prove that it don't exist''... You see, there are nobody really can say anything. Just be a bit more respectful. It would be like insulting your mother that you respect and love a lot publicly. It is not too nice.

 

NB: It is good having your opinion, but do not start insulting it [bible] being ''bull'' and again here, I never said that I believe in those stuffs and neither I say I don't

 

I can not know how heaven must be like, that is obviously impossible, but i can imagine and even beleave/hope how heaven is like.

That's how it's supposed to be! You gotta hope for something and believe in your hopes even if others deny it! Thats the spirit

 

Am I the only one who do not like the thought of "eternity"? Because that is a very long time! I do not know if I believe in heaven, my views about things like this somehow change all the time and most often there are others who are contributing to the change.

It's a hard question... how are we supposed to know how we would feel if we experience eternity lol... It surely looks painful LOL

 

But well, some peoples believe that we have life after death and so we forget our past lives... Means it doesn't seems eternity for us anymore... It is all ethical stuffs, hard to say. But it would be hard if you are the ONLY one to have eternal life, you would see your wife children grand and grand grand children die and it would be painful yes... But I don't know, eternal life seems like you can do many stuffs and accomplish more than you can in our short laps of time..

 

Time passes so fast =( and it's our worst enemy :D

 

Tim.

[anwiii 17]

bah! i don't believe in heave and i don't believe in hell. two words to scare or give hope to people.what i do believe is that there is an afterlife and it will be similiar to what you created in life here on earth. it could either be bad or good. depends on how you lived here and the choices you made for yourself. there is no real specifics to what i believe in the afterlife though since although i do have my own beliefs that can't be proven or seen with eyes, i am also a person who sometimes has to see to believe.but i definately don't believe in heaven or hell. some people believe that if you commit suicide(a wrong choice in this lifetime) you relive that suicide over and over in the afterlife until you learn from your mistakes in the afterlife that you should have learned while living. so take this concept and compare it to other bad choices and the so called hell you can live in the afterlife until you're ready to be reborn and have learned from your mistakes. the look at the opposite because the opposite should also be true. i am somewhat a believer in this concept. life is what you make it. the afterlife is what you made your own life previously.i believe highly in christianity. they have a lot to offer in religious beliefs. but with everything christianity offers that is good, same is true in reverse. there is a lot of b.s. to it. although i believe in god, i don't just believe in any ONE god and higher powers. there are many.it's really funny how most religions are based on faith and how so many people can believe so strongly in everything 1 religion holds based on faith. if any one religion was true, there would only be 1 religion. if people were meant to believe in god or be damned, there would be something more than faith to support your beliefs.there's a saying. "hell is a term to scare small children". this i believe is more true than an actual hell. oppsite is true about heaven. although i never heard a saying about it, i believe it's just a way to give hope to those that are lost and the alternative after being scared by the stories of hell. a way for a religious group to make more believers out of the non believers so the religious groups continues to grow stronger. although i respect christianity highly with what it has to offer, i don't respect the control they use to motivate people to do things or think things they wouldn't normally believe or think and the terms "heaven" and "Hell" are some of the control techniques i don't respect of the christian religionsi just posted in another thread how wiccan could be considered cult like. but see, i believe some of the more organized religions can be considered cult like as well due to the control issuesis there a heaven or hell? i think not. but if you believe otherwise, i suggest you take everything in the bible literally and follow it to a T in your own life so you are gauranteed your place in heaven. when you get there, say hi to peter for me

[armondtimesbelize 0]

From what the Bible tells us Heaven will be the Mountain of God resting on a new planet. The mountain of God is approx. 1500 miles wide at it's base, and 1500 miles high. The saints of God will live in this mountain, and the new planet has not actually been made yet.There will be no sin or sorrow there, and nothing impure. We will each have our own mansion there, and the streets are pure gold. There will be no night, though it doesn't say whether we shall sleep or not. We will apparently eat there, as there is the fruit of the tree of life.There will be work to do, but our work will be joyful there, not hard labor.Heaven will not be some silly place where we float around on clouds, playing harps, and all drugged up on happy drugs so that we are just artificially happy.Heaven will not be a place where we are forced to worship God, the worship will pour from us as we truly see and experience His awesomeness. The Bible also tells us that heaven is where we will learn the purpose for which God created us in the first place, which is for Him to continually and forever show His love to us. We will forever be the object of infinite love.

[Unknown_99 0]

For the longest time, this has always been my answer to that kind of question.......You won't know until you get there......Nobody exactly went to heaven, and then came back to tell us all about it with the little souvenirs for every little youngings, right?

[mahesh2k 0]

Heaven, Hell, Supreme Being (Creator) all things are Delusional. - Illusion of ?Creator/Heaven, Hell,? means lack of knowledge & hardwork to unravel natures mystery- Illusion of ?Creator/Heaven, Hell,? means easy way out or blame it on creator or destiny- Illusion of ?Creator/Heaven, Hell,? means bowing down to challenge and accepting intellectual defeat- Illusion of ?Creator/Heaven, Hell,? means being slave to religion & violenceSome day we'll unravel mysteries of the universe and we'll come to know that such delusional concepts drained lot of our mental energies.

[wingman23 0]

Heaven, Hell, Supreme Being (Creator) all things are Delusional.
- Illusion of "Creator/Heaven, Hell," means lack of knowledge & hardwork to unravel natures mystery
- Illusion of "Creator/Heaven, Hell," means easy way out or blame it on creator or destiny
- Illusion of "Creator/Heaven, Hell," means bowing down to challenge and accepting intellectual defeat
- Illusion of "Creator/Heaven, Hell," means being slave to religion & violence

Some day we'll unravel mysteries of the universe and we'll come to know that such delusional concepts drained lot of our mental energies.

i can see why they always say "if you want to keep your friends never talk about religion" and thats so true, you are either for it or against it, there never seems to be any middle ground. Mind you that depends who you speak to, hear in the Uk we tend to be more live and let live but in places like the usa, you say anything anti religion then be prepared for a riot. In the end we should all be able to believe what we want to believe,respect each other views, and not have those (what we call bible bashers) tell us we are going to burn in hell for not believing in god. God means different things to different people, some see a vengful almighty, while others like myself see an all forgiving light waiting for us to come home. In the end we are all flowers from heavens garden, borrowed but not given