Are you Thankful for Heaven?

With Heaven and Thanksgiving at the forefront of my mind right now, I thought it would be nice to post an article I wrote several years ago. It was the very first thing I ever sold and published. But that isn't why it's special to me. It's special because it gets me truly excited for Heaven.

Are you Thankful for Heaven?

Thanksgiving is the time to give thanks. What are you the most thankful for? Salvation, family, America and our freedom? Perhaps your job or health? These are blessings we should be thankful for, but what about your future home, a city you’ve never seen? We’ve heard of the lovely streets of gold and the great feast in Heaven. It’s beauty and luxury will be awesome. Yet Heaven is much more than that.

At your Thanksgiving dinner table chances are:

• No one would include Heaven on their most thankful list.
• Not every family member present is saved. Most Christians have an unsaved sibling or cousin. Perhaps you're the only Christian in your family.

So this year at Thanksgiving, take the opportunity to share some of the wonders of Heaven. Go around the table and ask, “What are you thankful for?” When it’s your turn, share heavenly details. It could be an excellent witnessing tool.

Ten reasons why Heaven should be on every Christian’s MOST thankful list:

1) Being with God—worship Him in person. See a cool rainbow above His throne. See Christ and the Holy Ghost in the Trinity. The President will not come to your house for dinner; or invite you to his. But God will. The numero uno guy of all creation from the beginning of time has invited us to be His guest. (Rev. 4:3, Rev. 21:3—6)

2) People. More important than seeing angels or living in mansions, are the people we are united with in Heaven. That’s truly why Heaven will be so great. If you haven’t seen your own child, parents, or grandparents in ten, twenty, or thirty years, the reunion that waits is sweeter than anything tangible. (Luke 16:9, I Thes. 4:13—18)

3) There will be amazing sights. Living creatures that have eyes all over their bodies, creatures that talk and fly, horses with heads like lions, innumerable angels, cherubim, an inheritance, and treasure for each person according to their earthly deeds. Water like glass and a living fountain. A new earth. How great it will be to see these strange sights. (I King 19:15, Matt 6:19—21, Matt 13:44, Heb. 9:5, I Peter 1:4, Rev. 4 & 5, Rev. 7:17, Rev. 9:17, Matt 19:21, Rev. 21:1—6.)

4) God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is the great creator. Combine those two facts and ponder them. Will He continue to create in Heaven or just abruptly stop? Eternity is a very long time. Creating new mountains to explore, new tropical paradises to enjoy, new animal species, or recreational events to entertain, are all part of God’s nature. Everything will always be new. What a blast Heaven will be! (Gen. 14:22, Heb. 13:8, Rom 1:25, Rev. 21:5)

5) Party. Every time a new loved one enters Heaven, a grand celebration occurs. Ever hear the saying, “I’d rather party with the sinners in hell, than sing with the saints in Heaven”? Don’t believe this evil lie birthed in the depths of hell. The real jubilation is in Heaven where “eternal joy and pleasure” reside. (Psalm 16:11, Psalm 96:11, Isaiah 66:14, Psalm 68:4, John 14:1-3, John 16:22, Luke 14:15, Luke 15:10, Rev. 19:9)

6) Heaven is “better by far” than anything we could imagine. Think of the most fantastic thing you can and know this; Heaven is “better by far!” (Phil 1:23b, Heb 11:16)

7) Meeting historical figures. Even if someone wanted to, they couldn't sit and visit anyone in hell. Loneliness and darkness fills hell. However, it will be possible to visit with historical Christians in Heaven. Do you want to ask Enoch to explain how he came to be “no more?” Thank Honest Abe or listen to Mother Teresa’s stories? Won’t it be fun to walk on the water with Peter and Jesus?

8) If you’ve suffered poor health, you may look forward to what we become in Heaven the most, over what we'll see. Our new heavenly bodies will never feel pain, never slowly deteriorate and die. No more mourning, no funerals, no saying goodbye. No sickness, no fear, no weight gain, no more emotional hurts. No back pain, no diabetes, no blindness, no wheel chairs. God Himself will personally wipe away our tears and we’ll never feel sorrow again. We’ll always feel phenomenal. (I Cor. 15:50—58, Rev. 7:17, Rev. 21:4—5)

9) No more sin. No more guilt, no more confession, no embarrassing secrets to conceal, or temptations to battle with. Gone is the sinful nature. How truly marvelous it will be to shed that ugly creature! (Col.1: 5 & Rev. 20:15—20)

10) It’s not hell. There are only two choices of where to move when we leave this earth.

• Hell that is filled with pain, torture, fire, loneliness, blackness, and sulfur—all of which are never-ending. The loneliness, blackness, and pain are so horrible, it’s difficult to fully comprehend. The hopelessness of no relief in store must be unbearable. (Luke 16:19—31)
• Or Heaven, which is better by far than a golden cruise ship filled with all our loved ones and famous people that we desire to meet. Euphoric ports of call to explore each day and grand gala’s at night with amazing buffets, where we’ve been invited to sit at the head table with the Captain, all while mysterious creatures fly about serenading. Every day is new and pain free. Heaven is better by far than any Xanadu we can conjure.

Is Heaven real to you or like a fairy tale? Consider the following:

• Meditate on Heaven with Lord, so that it becomes alive in your mind and helps shift your focus from earth to eternal paradise.
• Study the above scriptures and pray.
• Read Randy Alcorn’s books "Heaven" or the shorter version, “50 Days in Heaven". Also his book, "The Treasure Principle" is truly life changing!

It may be frightening to move to a new state or country where everyone is a stranger. Praise the Lord our move to Heaven is not scary. It is to be greatly anticipated.

Consider adding your future home—Heaven—to your MOST thankful list this Thanksgiving. It’s going to be a blast!