Revelation 21:4 provides great insight into this question. “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4.

You may be suffering physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, materially, relationally, or socially. God Himself will take your face in His hands and gently wipe away your tears as He reassures you there will be no more suffering in heaven.

Think about what that means. How much time do we spend thinking about things that are the result of sin? Sin causes suffering and pain in many ways. In heaven we will be freed from the negativity of sin.

In heaven there will be no more lies.

No more hospitals, death, or funerals.

No more walkers, canes, wheelchairs, ventilators, or any other devices to help our bodies.

No more broken homes, broken hearts, broken lives, or broken dreams.

No more physical handicaps.

No more heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, autoimmune disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, or any other type of disease or sickness.
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No more guns or violence or wars or fighting.

No more suffering at all! We can look forward with hope to heaven. One day we will live in the home of our dreams in the community of the great host of believers with our loving God. Our home in heaven is safe and secure.

When you feel unsettled about the direction of society, remember this is not our permanent home. In our time on earth God wants us to bring His Good News into a world that seems to be going bad. We can provide hope to many who have so little. We have the power of the almighty God within us. We have the promise of God before us. In heaven, we will have a new body, new heart, and a new mind! It will be perfect people living in perfect fellowship! It will be greater than we can imagine! When negative thoughts come your way, remember what awaits you in heaven. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Reference
Stohlmann, M.  (2020). The world's greatest future. Seattle, WA:KDP. 

There are many questions that people have about heaven. The following is a frequent question. We can approach each day with joy because God is with us and when our time on earth is complete we will be with Him forever in heaven. 

Will we go to heaven immediately after death or simply fall asleep until judgement day?

​When we die we will go to heaven immediately. Our spirit will leave our earthly body and go to heaven. Ecclesiastes 12:7 states this. And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7. When Lazarus the beggar died he went right to heaven (Luke 16:19-31). Also, Jesus told the repentant thief on the cross that today he would be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:43). 

The most recorded gospel song of all time provides a great description of this. Albert Edward Brumley wrote, “I’ll Fly Away,” in 1932. Brumley was born and raised in rural Spiro, Oklahoma. He attended the Hartford Musical Institute in Arkansas. He then returned to Oklahoma to help his family plant and pick cotton.
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Anyone who has performed any amount of farm work knows the intense physical and mental labor required. Brumley wrote the lyrics of I’ll Fly Away based on his Christian faith. He also notes, “I was dreaming of flying away from that cotton field when I wrote ‘I’ll Fly Away.’”

The lyrics of the song rely heavily on the image of departing life, which can be full of suffering and difficulty, and joining God in heaven. The words convey the opposite of a fear or sadness of death and instead brim with joy. Brumley wrote the song intending it be able to be sung by anyone. This is fitting as God desires that all people be saved and spend eternal life in heaven.
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When we are faced with difficult work or adversity we can experience mental, physical, or emotional exhaustion. We can remember that heaven is real and God will provide us strength for each day. We can approach each day with joy because God is with us and when our work on earth is complete we will be with Him forever in heaven. The words of Moses in Psalm 90:14 are a good prayer for each day. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

I’ll Fly Away

Some glad morning when this life is o’er,
I’ll fly away;
To a home on God’s celestial shore,
I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).
 
Chorus
I’ll fly away, Oh Glory
I’ll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).
 
When the shadows of this life have gone,
I’ll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
“I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).
 
Just a few more weary days and then,
I’ll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).

References:
Kerr, R. (2015). “’I’ll fly away’: A brief history of the quintessential gospel song (and ten great renditions).” Retrieved from http://www.trialanderrorcollective.com/collective-collab-blogs--playlists/ill-fly-away-a-brief-history-of-the-quintessential-gospel-song-and-ten-great-renditions

Brumley, A. (1932). “I’ll fly away.”
Stohlmann, M.  (2020). The world's greatest future. ​Seattle, WA: KDP. 

​Joni Eareckson Tada is a good example of someone who has worked to be a witness of God’s great love through dealing with adversity in her life. Tada had a diving accident at the age of 17 that resulted in her being a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. Since this time she has written books and spoken often about the importance of faith in God. Christian singer Nancy Honeytree wrote a poem called, “Joni’s Waltz,” that describes the mindset Joni has taken driven by her Christian faith. Like Joni Eareckson Tada, we know that in heaven our bodies will be perfect. We can draw on strength from God during our time on earth and trust that God can use any difficulty in our life for good.

​Joni’s Waltz
Though I spend my mortal lifetime in this chair,
I refuse to waste it living in despair.
And though others may receive
Gifts of healing, I believe
That He has given me a gift beyond compare…
 
For heaven is nearer to me,
And at times it is all I can see.
Sweet music I hear
Coming down to my ear;
And I know it’s playing for me.
 
For I am Christ the Savior’s own bride,
And redeemed I shall stand by His side.
He will say, “Shall we dance?”
And our endless romance
Will be worth all the tears I have cried.
  
I rejoice with him whose pain my Savior heals.
And I weep with him who still his anguish feels.
But earthly joys and earthly tears,
Are confined to earthly years,
And a greater good the Word of God reveals.
 
In this life we have a cross that we must bear;
A tiny part of Jesus’ death that we can share.
And one day we’ll lay it down,
For He has promised us a crown,
To which our suffering can never be compared.

References:
Tada, J.E. (2010). Heaven. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Stohlmann, M. (2020). The world's greatest future. Seattle, WA: KDP.  

Author Anne Graham Lotz’s mom told her a story when she was young to reinforce that we can have 100 percent certainty that heaven is our home. This story is a true story. A young boy who lived in London, England heard that the great American evangelist, Dr. D.L. Moody, was coming to London to preach. The boy walked all the way across the city in order to hear Dr. Moody’s message.

When he drew near to the church, he saw that it was situated on a hill. The sun was setting, and the colors of the sunset were reflected in the multifaceted stained glass windows, making them look as though they were glowing. The sound of hundreds of voices joined by a powerful pipe organ drifted toward him. The church looked and sounded like heaven to him. He forgot how tired he was, and he ran all the way up the long granite staircase that led to the front door.

 As he reached the main door, a big hand grasped him firmly by the shoulder and spun him around. “What do you think you’re doing, laddie?” demanded a tall, severe-looking deacon.

The little boy told him he had walked all the way across the city in order to hear Dr. Moody. The keeper of the door looked the little boy up and down from head to toe, taking in the uncombed hair, the unwashed face, the dirty feet, and the unclean clothes. He then retorted, “Not you, sonny. You’re too dirty to go inside. Be gone.”

The little boy threw his head back, squared his shoulders, and set off with a determined gait to find another way inside the church. But the other doors were locked and the windows were too high to climb through. Dejected, he went back to the front steps, sat down, and began to cry.

Just then he was distracted by a carriage that pulled up to the foot of the steps. Out bounded a distinguished-looking gentleman who marched quickly up the steps. He stopped when he came near to the little boy, noticing his tear-streaked face. “What’s the matter, son?” he inquired. The little boy explained that he had walked all the way across London to hear Dr. Moody, only to find out he was too dirty to go inside the church. The gentlemen looked at him kindly, then extended his hand. “Here. Put your hand in mine.” The boy thought about it for a moment, then he slipped his little hand into the big man’s grasp.

Hand in hand they walked up the steps of the church. When they came to the door that had previously been shut to the little boy, it was flung wide open. Hand in hand the big man and the little boy walked down the center aisle. When they came to the front row, the gentleman instructed the boy to have a seat in the pew. The man then walked up to the platform, into the pulpit and began to preach. The man was Dr. D. L. Moody!

The only way the boy got inside that church was because he was holding Dr. Moody’s hand. In the same way, the only reason anyone—whether it’s you or I or Billy Graham or Mother Teresa or a murderer on death row or an alcoholic in the gutter—the only reason anyone gets into heaven is because that person is holding the hand of Jesus. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

Jesus extends his hand to you and to me and to everyone at the cross. He invites us to come home with Him into His Father’s house. When the time comes for our life to end, the gates of heaven will be flung open. We will be welcomed into heaven because Jesus will carry us home and He has us in the strong grip of His grace.

What must we do to get to heaven? Just put our faith in God who saves us and freely gives us eternal life in heaven. Always remember the following. Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for you. You get to live there forever. It is going to be more wonderful than you can possibly imagine!  You can have full confidence in this! Heaven is your eternal home! Jesus has promised this and He always keeps His Word!
 
References:
 Lotz, A. (2014). Heaven: My Father’s house. Nashville, TN; Thomas Nelson.
Stohlmann, M. (2020). The world's greatest future. Seattle, WA: KDP. 

Christians are saved by grace. Grace is unmerited love and favor given to us by God. Max Lucado describes it this way, “Jesus: Five letters. Six hours. One cross. Three nails. We live because he does, hope because he works, and matter because he matters. To be saved by grace is to be saved by him.” God’s grace and forgiveness is a marvelous gift to us. The wonderful hymn, “Grace Greater than Our Sin,” summarizes it well.

​There is nothing we can do earn to heaven. We need to just believe in Jesus as our Savior. God freely gives us His grace. Poet Deborah Ann Belka has a poem that describes the view that Christians can take.

There’s Nothing I Can Do

There is nothing I can do,
no magic door to enter in
if I want to get to heaven
there’s no lottery, I can win.
 
There is nothing I can do,
I couldn’t purchase my way
Even if I had a trillion dollars
To compensate for my stay.
 
There is nothing I can do,
to reserve a room for me
none of my works on earth
comes with such a guarantee.
 
There is nothing I can do,
 to enter God’s kingdom
no way for me to earn
the access or the freedom.
 
There is nothing I can do,
for Jesus paid the full price.
I believe He died for my sins
that’s all I need to suffice!

References:
Lucado, M. (2020). Jesus. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Johnston, J. (1911). “Grace Greater Than Our Sin.”
Belka, A. (2014). “There’s nothing I can do.” Retrieved from https://www.christart.com/poetry/poem/1150
Stohlmann, M. (2020). The world's greatest future. ​Seattle, WA: KDP.