In the mid 1980s an Australian Band from Perth wrote a hit song with a chorus that said “heaven, must be there, it’s just got to be there, heaven, I’ve never seen Eden, but I don’t want to live in this place” It went on to make No. 2 in Australia, made the top 40 in the USA, and won several awards including in Europe.

The songs success however came not simply because of a catchy little tune, but because it hit a chord in the hearts of every human being. Instinctively people know there is more to life that what they see or experience for the 70-80 years they may spend on this planet. We were made for eternity, there is a life after our mortal bodies give out. The age old question, “what happens after I die ?” is perhaps the question that haunts people the most. God however doesn’t want us to be ignorant on this subject, nor does He want us to be in fear of the future.

The Bible shows us that for all who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, they are guaranteed of eternal life in the presence of God, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” Just as we live this life in a physical place, so too will we live for eternity in a physical place. That place is real, it’s definite, it’s called heaven. It is the hope that the Bible speaks of, in fact it is so real and so definite that God took an oath, a promise guaranteeing that we will be residents of heaven, He did so because He wants us to be at peace and have security as to our future. 

Heb 6:17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Jesus declared it so in John 14:2 and Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 15: that if heaven is not real, if there is no afterlife, if there is no resurrection, then our faith is futile and we indeed have no hope. Thank God heaven is real, we will rise to eternal life.

Heaven is where God lives, it’s where He has his throne, it’s where Jesus ascended to after his time on earth and where he is now seated in power and authority, it’s where angels surround the throne in continuous praise, it’s been seen with human eyes, it’s a place where there is no more sorrow or sickness or pain or death. It’s a place of absolute delight and joy, of beauty, colours and sounds beyond anything we could imagine on earth. It’s a guarantee. Let’s live with eternity in mind, and with the realization that only those who receive Jesus will be there, we therefore make it our aim to proclaim the gospel to all in order to take as many with us as we can.