There are common misconceptions of heaven. Along with them are other questions, deeper questions that arise during challenging seasons in the roller coaster of life. In the past few years, my family and I have experienced several “untimely” deaths of those we knew and loved.
Our season started when my wife’s father passed away. On the morning after his funeral, my dad had a massive heart attack and died. We lost our dads and our kids lost both grandfathers one week apart, with the funerals only four days apart. Since then, two co-workers lost their wives to the dreaded enemies of diabetes and cancer. Church friends died too, leaving single parents to raise children alone. We also lost our first family dog. It just felt like our hearts were breaking over and over again.
Perhaps you have had similar hard times. As a result, it can be tempting to lose hope. At times, we can’t bear the thought of living without those we have loved, and we hope—often blindly—that they have gone on to a better place. We have doubts. Did they really go to heaven? Are we right about what we believe about heaven?
An anchor for our family through this season has been God and His Word, the Bible. No matter what our emotions and feelings have been, we have turned to the steadfast words of God to guide us. This includes what He says about what happens after we die, and about where we go.
The purpose of this study is to explore as many answers as possible to our questions and help clear up our preconceived notions about heaven. I will quote or reference Bible verses frequently. This is done to clearly identify and differentiate God’s words from my own. Don’t let seeing these verses intimidate you; you can look them up later if you so choose.
Maybe you don’t believe in what the Bible says, but you are still desperate for clarity. May you find it through this study on heaven.
Joseph