Life after death

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known (1 John 3:2).

We all wonder about life after death. Where will you be? What will life after death be like? Will you be reunited with departed loved ones?

God doesn’t tell us a great deal about heaven. We know that it is filled with love and peace. We know that it is a place of rest for the weary and healing for those scarred by life. We know that nothing evil is permitted near its gates.

Heaven is where God lives, along with all who serve Him. There are angels beyond counting, singing praises to God and carrying out His will. And God has opened His beautiful home to those who died trusting in His love. Jesus said, There are many rooms in my Father's house. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am (John 14:2-3).

God does not tell us much about heaven for two reasons. First of all, how do you describe a perfect spiritual realm to people who have lived their entire lives on a sin-filled earth? It’s like trying to describe color to a blind man. We can’t imagine living as a soul without a body, and we can’t picture what life would be like free from all effects of sin.

The other reason God doesn’t say much about heaven is because we won’t be staying there permanently. When Jesus returns on the Last Day, He will purify this sinful world with heavenly fire and then seed it with new life; earth will become the paradise that was lost so long ago. When this happens, Christ will raise our bodies from the dead and return our souls to the land of the living. God never intended us to die; sin made death necessary. When all is restored to perfection, death will be a thing of the past and we will live on the new earth forever.

What will our risen bodies be like? The details are unknown, for now. But we do have these words from Paul: the Lord Jesus Christ…will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:21). We will be freed from all the effects of sin—genetic disorder, chronic pain, disease, crippling injuries, and the weakness of old age. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21:4).