“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” —John 14:1-4

Doubt is normal.

We want certainty, but God gives us mystery.

Doubt is not an enemy, but a

to a deeper and more authentic faith.

Imperfect faith is faith

.

God’s will is that

is with him in heaven.

All are

at Jesus’ table where love, forgiveness, humility, and peace reign.

Is Heaven Real?

Many of our ideas of heaven are more influenced by

than the Bible.

In the New Testament, the word “heaven” most often refers to God’s

, or “where what God wants done is done.”

“Heaven, in the Bible, is not a future destiny but the other, hidden, dimension of our ordinary life—God’s dimension, if you like.” —Bishop N. T. Wright

In the Old Testament, the dead go to

, the realm of the dead and the destination of all good and bad.

In the New Testament, there widespread belief that the dead would

at the end of history. (John 11:21-26)

Jesus often speaks of

life.

Before his arrest, Jesus promises to prepare a

for his disciples. (John 14:2-3)

On the cross, Jesus promises the thief, “

you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)

Heaven is a state of joyful, conscious rest in God’s presence, but God has even

in store for us.

The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting

When creating humanity, God gave us both

and spirits. (Genesis 2:7)

“…while the Bible and the tradition talk about ‘immortal’ life, they don’t assume that this deathless existence is something reserved for part of us only, as if there were a bit of us that didn’t have a future and a bit that did, the solid lumpy bit and the hazy spiritual bit.” —Archbishop Rowan Williams

Christians look forward to a

resurrection.

Eternal life is a change brought about by the

of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:17, 20)

The resurrection of Jesus

changed the apostles’ lives. (Luke 22:55-57, Acts 2:14, 32)

The resurrection of the body means that God’s good creation is not destined for destruction, but

. (Revelation 21:1-5)

“The Bible speaks rather seldom of life with God in heaven; it is much more inclined to talk about a renewal of creation, ‘a new heaven and a new earth’, as in the last book of the Bible. Life with God, it seems, is life in a world that has something in common with the world we now inhabit.” —Archbishop Rowan Williams

Jesus promises not just a heaven for our souls, but a

for everything and everyone God has made.

In the new creation, there will be no more tears, no more death, and we will see God

.

We don’t have to wait until we

to experience heaven.

“The point of the resurrection…is that the present bodily life is not valueless just because it will die. God will raise it to new life…What you do in the present—by painting preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God’s future.” —Bishop N. T. Wright

If we believe in resurrection, then no situation is

.

We can’t prove the existence or non-existence of heaven, but we can trust the one who says “I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:1-4)

Action Step

Spend time simply

with God this daily. Start with 30 seconds and double it each day for seven days.

Practice

by meeting a neighbor or reaching out to someone with whom you are estranged.