Austin's Blog

What is Heaven? Heaven is God’s space, wherever He is. It is God’s center of operations, where He rules and reigns over all from. When people die, their bodies go into the ground awaiting the resurrection and their soul/spirit goes into the presence of God within Heaven or out of it within Hell. Properly speaking, Heaven is the “intermediate state” where the righteous are located with God and angels before Heaven and earth are wedded together in the New Heavens and New Earth. I wanted to take some time to discuss myths about Heaven. There’s a lot of misunderstandings about what the Bible says about the topic and we ought to examine everything in light of what God tells us in His Word.

1. Heaven Will Be Boring

Myth: Heaven is a dull, eternal church service with nothing fun or engaging.

Truth: Heaven is described as a place of joy, adventure, and fulfillment. Psalm 16:11 says, “In Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Eternal, boundless joy awaits those who are invited into Heaven. Revelation 21:4 depicts a place of beauty and renewal, free from pain and suffering. Though singing is obviously a part of Heaven (Rev. 5:9-10, 15:3), there’s no indication that’s all people do there.

The only way Heaven could possibly be boring is if God was absent. Sam Storms notes, “Heaven is not one grand, momentary flash of excitement followed by an eternity of boredom. Heaven is not going to be an endless series of earthly re-runs! There will be a new episode of divine grace every day! A new revelation every moment of some heretofore unseen aspect of the unfathomable complexity of divine compassion. A new and fresh disclosure of an implication or consequence of God’s mercy, every day. A novel and stunning explanation of the meaning of what God has done for us, without end.”

2. We’ll Become Angels

Myth: When we die, we transform into angels.

Truth: Angels and humans are distinct creations of God. Hebrews 1:14 says angels are “ministering spirits,” while humans retain their unique identity in Heaven (Rev. 7:9-12). We don’t become less human in Heaven; we become more fully and truly ourselves. Angels are amazing but we are made in the image and likeness of God Almighty. Such dignity will not be removed in Heaven but will be even more fully perfected and enhanced.

3. We Won’t Know Our Loved Ones

Myth: Relationships won’t matter in Heaven, and we won’t recognize anyone.

Truth: There’s absolutely no reason to think we become more ignorant in Heaven than we are on earth. The Bible offers several passages that imply or teach we will recognize each other in Heaven. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, we are told we will have a perfect, fuller understanding of reality, not less of one. Peter recognized Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:3-4. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, the rich man and Lazarus both retain their identities after death, and they recognize each other. Philippians 3:20-21 suggests that our transformed bodies in Heaven will still be recognizable, as we are conformed to the likeness of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 speaks of a reunion with Christ and those who come with Him, implying recognition. In Revelation 6:9-11, the martyrs are aware of their identity and can call out to God, showing they retain personal recognition after death. Relationships will be the most important realities in Heaven.

4. There’s no time in Heaven

Myth: Heaven will be timeless, with no sequence of events.

Truth: This myth is likely owing to the well-known hymn When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, which says, “When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more.” While Heaven will be eternal, there are indications of sequences, such as worship, meals, and events (Rev. 19:9, 22:2). Eternity likely involves meaningful progression, not an absence of time. Revelation 8:1 explicitly says there’s time in Heaven: “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” Furthermore, the martyrs cry of “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” in Revelation 6:10 certainly indicates time exists in some sense in Heaven.