What does it mean to be ‘in Heaven’?

Our Easter service a few weeks ago included the song Death Was Arrested; the song’s bridge reads:

Oh we’re free free forever we’re free
Come join the song of all the redeemed
Yes we’re free free forever amen
When death was arrested and my life began

As the song played, I immediately thought of my Hope Baby, William–he could have sung these words with me that very moment and meant every one of them! He is free, redeemed, and his life began the moment he woke up in Heaven. 

Did you know the same is true for you and your Hope Babies? They are worshipping constantly; this means that whenever you worship, you and your babies are doing the exact same thing together.
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I have spent a lot of time thinking about where my baby is and what he is doing while I continue life on Earth. I have heard and am confident he is in Heaven. But, when I let my thoughts wander, I wonder What does it mean to be ‘in Heaven’?  Do you wonder the same thing? 

In this article, I want to briefly unpack the truth of Christian life after death. I’ll discuss where our babies are now (Present/Immediate Heaven) and then share about our future eternal home (the New Heavens and New Earth). I hope this summary whets your appetite to know more – I encourage you to further research what the Bible has to say about the afterlife. I’ve included some recommended resources below. 

Present Heaven
Where God Is
When our babies died, their bodies returned to the earth and their spirits immediately entered Present, or Immediate, Heaven; from now on I will refer to this realm as simply “Heaven”. While the Bible speaks some about life in Heaven, the most repeated–and therefore, the most important–detail is that God is there. 

Colossians 3:3: “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Philippians 1:23: “My desire is to depart and be with Christ.”
2 Corinthians 5:8: “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
John 17:24: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory.”

Psalm 16 vividly describes the deep security, joy, and satisfaction that Jesus’ presence eternally provides them:

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Ps 16:9-11)

Our babies are not alone, afraid, abandoned or in any way endangered. They are safe with Christ. 

Misconceptions about Heaven
One common misbelief is that after death (and before our bodies are resurrected) we enter “soul sleep” – a long period of unconsciousness before resurrection. However, the Bible makes numerous mentions that those in Heaven are conscious, and even talking and worshipping (Luke 16:22-31, 2 Cor 5:8, Rev 6:9-11). 

And, as cute as it may be to imagine, our babies are not doing this worshipping as winged cherubs on clouds with harps. They are still their beautiful human selves, made in the image of God. As Randy Alcorn remarks: “Death is a relocation of the same person from one place to another. The same person who becomes absent from his or her body becomes present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8).” While the actual state of their form in Heaven is not clearly revealed in Scripture, we do know God loves them as they are because He created them that way. 

Paradise
At the very end of his earthly life, Christ gives us an interesting hint about the nature of Heaven. While speaking to a repentant criminal who is crucified next to him, Jesus expends precious breath and energy to declare:

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Paradise.

What images or feelings does the word ‘paradise’ evoke for you? Odds are you are close to what the original hearers would have imagined, too. The word Jesus intentionally chose in this moment comes from a Persian word meaning “an enclosed well-watered garden, a pleasure-park, a place of blessedness.” Eden? If not Eden-restored, then certainly Eden-like.  

Mamas, right now, our babies are talking and worshiping, with Jesus, in a well-watered blessed paradise. And that’s not even as good as it’s going to get for them. 

The New Heavens and The New Earth
Our Final Home
If Heaven is where we go to meet with God, then the New Heavens and New Earth are when God will come down to live with us. This future home, referred to as the New Earth, will come after Jesus’ Second Coming and the resurrection of our physical bodies. The New Earth will be God’s final renewal of creation and is what we and all of creation are waiting for (Ro 8:18-23). 

Familiar Place
Does a future, permanent, eternal home feel unnerving to you? I get nervous just going on a trip across the state:  What will the weather be like? Where will I sleep? Are snacks available? I’m not a coffee-drinker but I hear my java-drinking friends ask about the “coffee situation” every time they travel. 

Friends, I have some good news for you. The New Earth will be familiar. 

First, it will be familiar because our Jesus is there. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb 13:8). The same Jesus who has won our futures for us, who has walked with us through every trial, who has protected us from dangers unknown, who sends us mercy upon mercy every day, will be there with us. 

Second, our future home will be a familiar, physical place. Looking at the term “New Earth” (Isa 65:17; Rev 21:1) gives us clear indication of just how familiar it will be. The word “earth” used by both Isaiah and John  literally means land, ground, soil, the surface of our planet where flora, fauna and humanity reside. “New” indicates “new in quality and superior in character” or “fresh”.  So, we will live on an Earth that has been refreshed. 

As an illustration, imagine your house burned down.  You rebuild it with new materials using the exact same blueprint, on the exact same ground, but include a few quality adjustments – more durable siding, energy-efficient windows, pex-piping instead of galvanized (can you tell my husband is passionate about home projects?). Would your house be familiar to you? Yes. It would be different in some beneficial ways, but still very recognizable. 

Our Earth—the place we explore, celebrate, respect, and care for—will be renewed in a profound way. It will remain the Earth we know and love, the same Earth God loves, but it will be made new. If the Present Heaven is not “Eden-restored,” the New Earth certainly will be. What do you imagine the New Earth will be like? 

Familiar Life
Our future physical home will be recognizably restored, and so will our bodies, our lives and our relationships.

Jesus’ resurrection means so much for our lives, including the future of our own physical bodies. When He comes back to claim us, we get resurrected bodies, too. All that is broken in our “fearfully and wonderfully made” selves will be renewed–including our physical bodies and our internal selves. No more broken bones, insulin shots, paralyzed limbs, fading vision, or suspicious lumps. No anxiety, anger, depression, pretending, masking, or medicating our broken hearts. We will be whole. What comes up for you when you think about your restored self interacting with your restored babies?

As for our daily lives in the New Creation, we will have “a God to worship and serve, a universe to rule, purposeful work to accomplish, friends to enjoy” (Randy Alcorn, Heaven). We will not only retain all of the good from our first earthly life, but will eternally discover new things, create and innovate, play and celebrate. Is there something you’ve always wanted to do in life but have been limited or not given the opportunity? What would you want to pursue in our new home? 

All the people we knew who have entered into God’s family will be there and we will know them, including our precious babies (read Jennie’s article from last week about that here). While Jesus is showing us around our new home, our babies will be right beside us. It will be new and exciting and satisfying to all of us, together. Imagine you and your baby calling out to each other: “Look over here! This waterfall is so big and the water is so clear!” “Let’s go watch some stars be born while we eat our dinner.” “Jesus and I are going to go feed the seagulls, wanna come?” What do you look forward to doing with your baby in our beautiful future home? 

Our future home is going to be everything we love about life now, nothing we don’t, and more than we can dream of. Thank you, Jesus.
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While we wait for this future home to become a reality, I encourage you to discover all the Bible has to say about it. When you know where you and your babies are headed, you might be surprised at the strength you gain while navigating the sorrow of loss. I wonder how anticipation of your future will bring fresh meaning to your life, influence your daily interactions, deepen your prayers, and inspire awe at the God who is preparing all of this for you and your babies. 

Come Lord Jesus Come,
Kelly 

I have barely scratched the surface of the wonders the Bible shares about Heaven and The New Heaven and The New Earth. For further reading:

Isa 11:6-9
Isa 60:5, 17-20
Isa 65:17-19
Mat 19:28-29
Acts 3:19-21
Rev 19:11-14
Rev 21

Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy
C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia
John Eldredge, All Things New
Joni Eareckson Tada, The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party
Randy Alcorn, Heaven.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/our-most-destructive-assumption-about-heaven https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/will-the-new-creation-look-like-this-one

Kelly is the Ministry Support Lead for Hope Mommies. She and her husband Dan live in Brenham, TX with their two earthside children, Annabelle and Eli (and lots of pets). Their firstborn, William, went to Heaven in July 2017. To balance out the fullness of life, Kelly enjoys gardening, yoga, and sipping on some matcha while reading historical fiction. She considers herself beyond privileged to share the amazing news of Jesus’ Hope to all who need it, and loves that William gets to be a part of that message.