what do you think heaven is like?

[Ithilien]

I certainly loved C. S. Lewis' depiction of heaven: a happy, perfect image of the world we love. What do you think heaven is like?

[inked]

That was only the outskirts of heaven! :D

[Wallis]

Since the Bible does not describe Heaven, any answer would be quite speculative--and fun!

I can tell you what I hope it is not: sitting in a choir loft for eternity singing out praises to God. I mean, talk about boring! No free will, no learning anything new, et al.

Personally, I would like heaven to be like where I can visit other stars and solar systems and learn everything there is to know. Then, after learning all about a galaxy, move on to the next, "picking it apart." Then when I have learned the whole universe, I expect that God would invent a whole new universe to begin all over again.

[Hope96]

I have to say, I disagree with Wallis. While it would be interesting to see those things. I whole heartedly believe that once I get to heaven I'll be so overwhelmed by being in God's presence that I will WANT to sing praises to Him. Why shouldn't we? After what He did for us! I doubt I'll have any interest in seeing solar systems. Because those stars and suns won't even compare to the light of Jesus we'll have around us all the time. :)

[Lunis]

Hmm.. maybe it will be like Lorien, where seemedly you do nothing much but are never bored and always fascinated, yet maybe not. I believe we will be learning new things though, like how to see out of time and space, 'cause there won't be either, I think. We'll discover what exactly our soul and spirit can do... what they were created for. I love theories... speculations... and sometimes I'm not so keen on facts. ;) (*Luni

[Ithilien]

I wonder what free will will be like in heaven. After all, doesn't our free will lead us to the potential of committing sin?

[waterhogboy]

Well the actual option to sin will be removed, so our free will, will alomst become redundant - thats an interesting point!!

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

I have different ideas about what I want heaven to look like and what I think heaven looks like.

I want to know if heaven will be on a cloud or somthing, or in a meadow filled with a million wildflowers! I just am ready to ask God a zillion questions and I'm only 12! Also, I want my dream house, but will we live in stuco houses or biblical houses? I don't know and I should probobly not guess. I suppose we'll all see when the time comes, eh?

[pacifiquesea]

Well, heaven seems to be God's presence, right? I don't think there's much that is physical about heaven. The new Earth though, now that'll be something.

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

That is true about it being God's Precence.

[Kobila]

I don’t actually believe in heaven, so it’s hard for me to picture it any certain way. Personally I find the idea of an infinite amount of time a bit daunting and unbelievably frightening, I welcome a true death. (Id go in to it but that’s a bit off topic) But just for fun Ill play along and say that if I were to have Heaven anyway I wanted it I believe it would look like an endless garden. There would be no need for development, everything would be at its most natural. The question is do we want to retain our human form or would we be more comfortable in some sort of a spiritual quintessence. I believe that if we are to retain some sort of consciousness than we would naturally take on some form or another. So perhaps we would like how we truly see ourselves or how we wished we looked.

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

Intersting thought. Why don't you beleive in heaven though? Aren't you Christian? :(

[waterhogboy]

I don’t actually believe in heaven, so it’s hard for me to picture it any certain way. Personally I find the idea of an infinite amount of time a bit daunting and unbelievably frightening, I welcome a true death. (Id go in to it but that’s a bit off topic) But just for fun Ill play along and say that if I were to have Heaven anyway I wanted it I believe it would look like an endless garden. There would be no need for development, everything would be at its most natural. The question is do we want to retain our human form or would we be more comfortable in some sort of a spiritual quintessence. I believe that if we are to retain some sort of consciousness than we would naturally take on some form or another. So perhaps we would like how we truly see ourselves or how we wished we looked.

Thats an interesting point of view. I understand your thoughts of an eternity being daunting etc...., I'm a Christian and sometimes I think, 'wont it get a bit boring???'

Christianity, however, teaches that heaven is perfect. It will NEVER get boring. We cant even imagine what its going to be like, though its nice to try!!!

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

Yeah, I remeber somthing like that from a sermon at out church. We will never be sad or bored, besides! Think of all the people you'll meet! George Washington, J.R.R. tolkien, CS Lewis, a zillion people from history! HOW could you get bored!? and above all, You'll meet JESUS! I don't think even if heaven was a place where you could be bored, I wouldn't be. I'd be hobnobbing with George Washington for gosh sakes! :D

[Lunis]

Lol, that's exactly the way I think, Tarkheena. I can't wait for all the conversations that won't be time-limited at all. ;) (*Thia

[Mudpuddle]

free will lead us to the potential of committing sin?

Our very nature will be changed so that even with free will, sinning would not even be thinkable.

[Kobila]

Intersting thought. Why don't you beleive in heaven though? Aren't you Christian? :(

No I am not a Christian:)

I believe Heaven is already a made up place, it was something our minds created to ease the confusion and fear that death brings. I believe that a lot of religions use Heaven as an escape goat for their actions during this life. For example many Middle Eastern and Asian religions allow for some kamikaze type behavior in this life because the after life is so rewarding. Humans are a very creative bunch and in my opinion the created heaven and Christianity to soften the blow of eventual death and to explain all the horrible things that have happened in the world.

[Ithilien]

I must agree that I also find eternity a little frightening. Everything would be fine though, more than fine actually!, in heaven. But still, imagine for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever!

[borntofly]

In my mind heaven will be like something out of Perelandra, we take joy in everything at every moment. The fruit we taste is not ruined by the thought of another fruit. We will walk and talk and take joy in walking side by side with God! Or in the last Battle where we can run and not lose our breath and everything is better than the next. No fear, or anxiety, just eternity to explore and adventure! I can hardly wait!!! :D

[Wallis]

And that's the beauty of speculation. Everyone has an opinion and an idea. No one will be right and no one will be wrong, and once we're all there we won't have remembered what we thought Heaven was in the first place! :D

Maybe heaven will be different for everyone. Won't that be a trip!

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

Where in the world do you think God lives if there isn't a heaven??? Where from did God send angels???The Bible talkes about heaven all the time! People had visions and saw it! It has to be there.

Heaven is a place where God won't let you be scared. It'd be fun I think.

[waterhogboy]

No I am not a Christian:)

I believe Heaven is already a made up place, it was something our minds created to ease the confusion and fear that death brings. I believe that a lot of religions use Heaven as an escape goat for their actions during this life. For example many Middle Eastern and Asian religions allow for some kamikaze type behavior in this life because the after life is so rewarding. Humans are a very creative bunch and in my opinion the created heaven and Christianity to soften the blow of eventual death and to explain all the horrible things that have happened in the world.

Aye - thats a common view Ive heard alot...

IMO, I cant understand why just about every single culture on Earth would be ble to 'make up' an idea of a heaven unless it was true. Even if, as you say, its just because humans are desiring something after this life to ease suffering and create explanations, there must be a reason behind this desire, musnt there???

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

True True WHB. I totaly agree :rolleyes:

[Ithilien]

Me too. You have just expressed all my thoughts!

[Kobila]

Where in the world do you think God lives if there isn't a heaven??? Where from did God send angels???The Bible talkes about heaven all the time! People had visions and saw it! It has to be there.

Heaven is a place where God won't let you be scared. It'd be fun I think.

Well if I don’t believe in heaven it’s natural to assume I don’t believe in God :) At least not in the sense you do. I suppose if it makes you more comfortable I can say my heaven is earth. I believe this is the only existence we have on this planet that my life is my heaven and by default my hell also :p

Aye - thats a common view Ive heard alot...

IMO, I cant understand why just about every single culture on Earth would be ble to 'make up' an idea of a heaven unless it was true. Even if, as you say, its just because humans are desiring something after this life to ease suffering and create explanations, there must be a reason behind this desire, musnt there???


You have an excellent point. I do not pretend to understand what made us and where we go when we die. I just don’t believe if there was a God he would have some fantastically cool place waiting for us when we die. It just sounds so surreal and made up.

[waterhogboy]

Well if I don’t believe in heaven it’s natural to assume I don’t believe in God :) At You have an excellent point. I do not pretend to understand what made us and where we go when we die. I just don’t believe if there was a God he would have some fantastically cool place waiting for us when we die. It just sounds so surreal and made up.

You too have an excellent point. Thats one of the many doubts I often have - it all seems so fake and surreal. I spose thats just where the whole faith without evidence thing comes in....

[Gryphon]

well God is the king of bling so heaven is BEAUTIFUL.God is in our hearts and God is in heaven so heaven is in our hearts. so if heaven is in our hearts are our hearts beautiful? weird to think about huh? and if heaven is a made up place by humans, then i'd like to see you prove it. we may not be able to prove that heaven exsits but you cant prove that it dosn't.

[inkspot]

I just don’t believe if there was a God he would have some fantastically cool place waiting for us when we die. It just sounds so surreal and made up.
If you believe in God, it seems to me to be the most natural thing in the world to believe that He has made a great place for Himself to live, and that one day you will live there with Him -- if you did believe in God, what do you think He would have waiting for you beyond this life, just out of curiosity?
(Sorry I took so long to respond and hope you are still with us, Kobila ... I missed this discussion somehow.)

[legolas]

Kobila, go look at the thread 'sweet story' and go to the second story in there and read it. (please :))

[waterhogboy]

well God is the king of bling so heaven is BEAUTIFUL.

HAHAHAHAHAH!!! I've never thought of God as the king of bling before! Thanks for the insight :D

[legolas]

CAPATILIZE THE G!! sorry, i always correct me friends on that.

[Johan 72109]

One thing I'm looking forward to is the first instant of waking up after I die... and realising where I am.

:)

[Specter]

I have formed a view of Heaven that is like a park, with grassy fields, lightly forested, where there are benches and people running around playing frisbee and other sports, sitting around signing with guitars, and just talking.

[borntofly]

We'll know everyone in heaven, and even our best friends on earth that we know so well , we'll know EVEN better! We'll be able to truely love like Christ loves! Specter, have you heard the song "Big House" by Audio Adrenaline?

[Bitter Milton]

I have formed a view of Heaven that is like a park, with grassy fields, lightly forested, where there are benches and people running around playing frisbee and other sports, sitting around signing with guitars, and just talking.

Sounds like fun!! =D

[Jene Sai]

I don't visualize heaven as a particular landscape, but rather how I will feel when I am there...Finally being able to be obedient, pure, beautiful and good...That is heaven.

-JS

[Ithilien]

I feel that heaven is more of a state of being rather than a tangible place.

[waterhogboy]

I feel that heaven is more of a state of being rather than a tangible place.

Oh I dont!! I'd be incredibly dissapointed if it were like that!

We see Christ in a resurrected body - so surely we too will have resurrected bodies. How can we live in an untangible state if we have real physical bodies with which (as JEsus demonstrated) we can feel and eat and all that!

[holyboy]

I just hope we can meet the people that touched our lives, but lost contact with. Or the people that we could never meet in person, like online or by phone.

[unleavened]

I don't visualize heaven as a particular landscape, but rather how I will feel when I am there...Finally being able to be obedient, pure, beautiful and good...That is heaven.

-JS

Amen! Sometimes you just get tired of battling sin and get homesick for heaven where we can finally be completely obedient to God.

[Vanceone]

I think Heaven wouldn't be heaven unless there existed the same commonality and communication we have here. Thus, we will be able to see our families, and recognize them, and be with them. I also think God isn't going to have us singing praises all day long; what's the point in that? Surely God doesn't need it--singing praises to Him here is for our benefit. No, God has a plan for us, and work for us to do. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we are pretty busy, actually.

[glamel]

Heaven.
I or mostly we think of this as a place of the soul, a good soul.
everything's white and pure.
Everyone's gay and happy and kind.
No sorrows. No pains.
To sum it all, it is a happy place.
But we can be in heaven here in the real worl,
by just looking in other's eyes,it can be your parents, brothers or sisters, friends, relatives, anyone.
Heaven lies within us, I think. :)
coz what matters is how we feel towards the place, the person or the event that is happening.

[PrinceOfTheWest]

I feel that heaven is more of a state of being rather than a tangible place.
Don't set things in opposition that don't need to be! There's no reason it can't be both.

[Gibby]

Being with Jesus. Who cares about anything else? Although it would be nice to sit down and have a cup of coffee (I wonder if it's decaf there? J.K.!) with say...

- Moses
- Abe Lincoln and Marting Luther King Jr. (and Martin Luther)
- C.S. Lewis (duh!)
- My grandparents (miss them dearly!)
- The rowdy 11 and Paul
- Billy Graham (yeah, he's still alive, but I believe he might beat me to heaven. Even if he didn't, he would soon follow).
- Reggie White

I think we also will be seeing some people and saying, "You? what a surprise!" and alot of "where's so and so; I thought I would certainly see that person!" God looks at the heart, not the outward appearance!

Who would you like to see?

[Eccentric Bibliophile]

Well, the thing with trying to describe what heaven will be like is that it's so far beyond our fallen mind it's impossible to percieve the tiniest amount of the celestial city. But I like the way Lewis describes it in The Great Divorce is the closest I can imagine...and the feeling, just that other-worldliness that you experience when reading Tolkien or Lewis....that sense of longing (maybe it's just me) is in essence the longing of heaven, the world we belong to, our home. And maybe we will just be standing around singing praises, I don't know. But if that's heaven then that's the best feeling you could possibly get, simply rejoicing in God. Haven't you ever just sung out to God and never wanted to stop? To be one with him, to be one in his love and joy, and yet remain an individual...

[ByAslansMane]

WHo says there is a hevan.Since no one can tell us why should there be. I think heavan is getting a littel crowded if everyone goes there.

[waterhogboy]

WHo says there is a hevan.Since no one can tell us why should there be. I think heavan is getting a littel crowded if everyone goes there.

LOL. Very true. I'm thinking of getting a motorbike cos I reckon the car parking spaces will have all gone by now!? :D

[Gibby]

WHo says there is a hevan.Since no one can tell us why should there be. I think heavan is getting a littel crowded if everyone goes there.

Don't fret, Jesus has got it covered:

John 14:1-3

1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[a (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=50&chapter=14&verse=1&end_verse=3&version=31&context=context#fen-NIV-26659a)]; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

[raven]

If you were on an island, couldn't speak a lick of english, had nothing to do except how to eat, drink, procreate, and sleep... but you were a good person, a good partner in a marriage, a great father/mother, and you lived a wonderful life, but never heard of the bible, do you believe this good soul would be sent to "hell" just because he never read a book that people claim is divine?


Everything written has error, and I personally can't believe anything that was written by man is expected to be completely swallowed whole.

I'm sorry if this is construde as mean, or distasteful, I'm honestly not trying to be, I just wanted to bring up the question.

[onlymystory]

I always liked the idea that earth is a dim reflection of heaven. for me that says that the things you find the greatest joy in doing on earth will be that much greater in heaven. like in LB when the children are told that the true Narnia and the good creatures are in the new Narnia. the good parts about earth will remain. For example, I figure that since my brother absolutely loves snowboarding more than anything, heaven for him would be one of the most amazing terrain parks ever on a gorgeous mountain with permanently fresh powder and Jesus is tearing up the slope next to you. Where as for me, my perfect idea of heaven is more like Narnia. I also think its going to be just right for each of us. After all, I think CS Lewis would have a hard time enjoying a heaven that is similar to our world today. Just as I wouldn't care too much for a heaven in Christopher Columbus's time. But no matter what it will be perfect.

[onlymystory]

to reply to raven, I think that God is well aware of a person's situation and if you have been seeking you will find Him. I think that's what CS Lewis was getting at when Emeth told Aslan he didn't belong there because he had always served Tash. Aslan told him that the manner in which he was serving and seeking after Tash really meant that he was seeking after Aslan. I think God will be just and merciful, he's not going to let someone perish who never had the chance to know.
one hymm i love about heaven goes like this;
In the land of fadeless day,
Lies a city foursquare
It shall never pass away
And there is no night there.
God shall wipe away all tears
There is no death, no pain, nor fears;
And they count not time by years,
For there is no night there.
All the gates of pearl are made,
In the city foursquare
All the streets with gold are laid,
And there is no night there.
All the gates shall never close,
To the city foursquare,
There life's crystal river flows,
and there is no night there.
There they need no sunshine bright,
In that city foursquare
For the Lamb is all the light,
And there is no night there.

[peterismyking]

I don't know what Heaven will be like, just the opposite of Hell I suppose... Peace and love and trust, all the things the world is missing. Do you wonder if we'll see God in Heaven? I don't have a clear image in my mind of Heaven, will there be a sun and a moon? A day and a night? Its said that everything will be perfect, but does that mean that we won't change? Maybe God thinks that we're perfect already, just a little stupid with our choices and stuff? How can we know without dying first? No one can go there and come back and tell us what God is like and if everything is sunny and bright, like a fairy tale... and what if Heaven turns out to be our own idea of what it should be, like if somebody wanted to eat Oreos all day and never get fat, what if Heavens turns out to be that way? I guess we'll all find out when we get there....

[Edmund Pevensie]

For me heaven must be like Narnia, really. I think that CS Lewis built Narnia on what he thought is really heaven he created Aslan like Jesus and Jesus is the King of all Kings and the King of heaven like Aslan is in Narnia the King of all Kings and the real king of Narnia. So in conclusion I think that heaven is like Narnia or heaven can be anything that we imagine that it is except evil things or lands.

[Christine~Pevensie]

i think that heaven would be this place where no one can describe what its like. all you know is that it makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. there's no fear...no evil in it whatsoever. its a place where everything co-exists together in harmony. perfect balance in everything. everyones happy. no worries. all because you know that you're in the kingdom of God.

[Nema]

I'm probably going to be shot for his ;) (But everyone needs a dissenter, right?)

Did anybody else at all find the New Narnia a lot less fun than the original in the books? I always read the description of running without ever getting tired, and swimming effortlessly up a waterfall and think "What's the point? Wouldn't existence be terribly boring if nothing were a challenge? Or have they simply had their capacity for boredom and striving 'switched off'?"

I'm madly in love with the Narnia of the first 6 books, for all its failings, but New Narnia leaves me cold. Sometimes I think (though mostly in jest) that Susan had a lucky escape.

[Jay7]

If heaven was made up i think the people who wrote the bible would of described it, but because they havent then it probably would be something better then we can imagine. :D

I think there'd be jobs to do and places to look around and enjoy your hobbies. Why would God make an earth like this and have his world with nothing and just us praising him? He wouldnt, so it would be a place. ;)

Just thought id point out that if God wasnt real then there would be no good or evil on the earth, but there is, goods everywhere, the earth and the universe, but evils just in earth, which is what the bible means when they say satan and the other bad angels that were descended to the earth or something to ruin stuff..

[Aslan the Wise one]

I think when we get there it will be like Lucy frist time in Narnia. I think it will look like Narnia.

[EveningStar]

Heaven is a place where you reach your potential. A state of bliss in which all of your talents are put to use and all of your needs fulfilled.

That is neither a resting state nor a reward. It's an eternal blessed lifestyle in which we discover the person we are, not the person we think we are or others think we are, or that circumstances force us to be.

I like to think of God as Mr. Fezziwig, an employer and father figure who could spend a few pounds of my mortal money yet give such joy that you'd think it cost a fortune.

Nobody needs streets paved with gold. They need people that they would work hard to please, the energy and enthusiasm to do it, and someone that loves them to make them feel important and appreciated. Everyone talks of spending eternity loving God. Well yes. But God is also willing to spend eternity loving us. People forget what a wonderful thing that is.

It is a theory of mine that the classes of angels were people like us at one time or another in a long vanished world. The greatest ones were from the earliest worlds. With each cycle of creation and completion a new generation is added on. Perhaps you or someone you know, a former tax accountant or webmaster, will appear someday to shepherds abiding over their flocks by night. "Fear not for I bring you great tidings of joy which shall be to all people...." How do you know that the very archangels themselves were not once gardeners, taxi drivers or astronauts?

[Jay7]

Thats a good point, angels were probably from an earlier earth and are now angels, and one day we will move up, and there may be new souls which will go on "the new heavens and earth"

[WillsGirl]

two friends asked me this one day and I wrote a poem. It isn't really very good but if you want to hear it I will find it.

[unleavened]

Interesting theory...but I believe angels were created along w/ the rest of us. I don't think they ever where humans nor will we ever be angels. In heaven we'll just have new eternal bodies, but we don't get 'promoted' to angel. That's my understanding anyway.

Chakal, I really like your first couple paragraphs. They really put into perspective what heaven is really for.

[Jay7]

cool post the poem if u can

[Commander3]

the two lines that got me at the end of the book were the"one couldn't even be afraid even if they wanted too" and the "each chapter more beautiful than the next"...i guess heaven would be alot like that, where there's no more pain, no more sadness, nothing bad and keeps on improving forever..something unimaginable delightful and good that you couldn't possibly feel it unless you were actually there

[Puzzle dear]

I think Heaven will be everything we've heard and dreamed of...and more.

[SilverSea]

I was going to exsactily what Puzzle Dear said! Everything woderful that we have ever dreamed!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LALALALALALALALALALALLALALALLA

[thelawtman]

it can be whatever u want becuase it doenst exist.

[Puzzle dear]

Ah! Already our minds are becoming one...LOL

[Puzzle dear]

I meant with SilverSea of course!

[onlymystory]

it can be whatever u want becuase it doenst exist.

any chance you want to refrain from being a wet blanket and allow those of us who do believe in heaven to state our ideas? this thread wasn't started to debate whether heaven exists. start your own thread if you want to do that.

[onlymystory]

oh, and chakal, those first paragraphs are truly beautiful.

[WillsGirl]

okay I'm going to find that old poem as soon as I can. Maybe I'll get to post it tonight!

[Jay7]

it can be whatever u want becuase it doenst exist.

Hahaha :D you'll be proved wrong some day ;)

[unleavened]

ANYWAY, I'm excited for when I can live w/o failing. Sometimes on this earth I feel like my fight is in vain (I know it's not, but we all must admit that the constant failures are discouraging). When I reach heaven, I can truely glorify Him w/ every move I make!

[WillsGirl]

oh man do I know what you mean. I always feel like people are looking at me under a microscope but no matter what I do I can't win. I can't please them! I think that part of this comes from being a Pastor's Kid and another part comes from being a part of a big family with MANY succesful siblings especially my perfect older sis!
Man I ALWAYS feel like a rotten failure!
ok sorry.. that was free and had nothing to do with heaven. LOL uh let me redeem myself.
I think heaven will be like Narnia in a way. A completely different world, where you forget your troubles. Nothing else matters. There is no pain, no Death no sadness. Just God, just Love Just GLORY!!!
how's that until I can find that stupid poem? LOL

[Puzzle dear]

Wait, I just had a horrible thought. Nothing bad will be in heaven right? Some of my favorite movies have scary moments and some crude humor. What if I can't watch them in heaven?!

[NarniaLuver111]

ANYWAY, I'm excited for when I can live w/o failing. Sometimes on this earth I feel like my fight is in vain (I know it's not, but we all must admit that the constant failures are discouraging). When I reach heaven, I can truely glorify Him w/ every move I make!

Yes, yes, yes!!! That is the way I fell all the time...

I don't know but I always imagined heaven to be a green meadow filled with flowers sitting on top of the clouds. With pathways of gold. I also imagined/hoped that my dead animals would go there...

Wait, I just had a horrible thought. Nothing bad will be in heaven right? Some of my favorite movies have scary moments and some crude humor. What if I can't watch them in heaven?!

You won't want to watch those movies anymore. You'll just being soaking in all of the light and splendor of Jesus and God and the wonderful place. You won't want to sit in front of a movie screne and watch movies. (At least that's what I think.)

This is all just my opinoin. Oh my gosh if I could only ask God all the questions I have in life... that would be awesome...

[unleavened]

You've got it NL! We won't want alot of that stuff in heaven. Much better awaits us. I imagine that if we stood before the Lord now, we would be ashamed of alot of things we laughed at. Just a thought.

[Puzzle dear]

Wait a minute! Jesus said that there are homes being prepared for us even as we speak, those homes have to have tvs right? I hope...

[Jay7]

LOL, probably better things then tv, better then a theme park. :D

[EveningStar]

If there were TV in Heaven, they would never refer to rain, snow or sleet in percent chances. "Partly Sunny today with occasional showers beginning at exactly 7:15 PM and ending at 1:31 AM tomorrow morning..."

Before you say it never rains in Heaven, listen to the Hallalujah Chorus again. "And He shall reign forever and ever." Bring your overshoes.... :D

[Green Knight]

1) Providence will be unto a sun, and we will be like planets. The closer you where to the Annointed One you, and closer you will be to Providence. The less you where, the farther out you will be, thus in hell.

2) Its a waiting room, until you go for another spin on the Wheel of Death & Rebirth.

3) You make your own Paradise and your own Perdition.

[unleavened]

Can't say that I agree w/ all that, but those are some interesting thoughts.

[girher]

this is in my prayer book : We will see streets of gold and a magnificent mansionsin Heaven! But there are also trees and flowers and grassy meadows to play in. There is a river of crystal clear water! It's called the River of Life! There is a Tree of Life, too, with 12 kinds of fruit on it! We'll be able to eat from the Tree of Life and go swimming in the River of Life! Yippee! :D :p :D :)

[Jay7]

Just bumping this topic up for more replys. :)

[Aslan's Beloved Daughter]

I like girher's sight on heaven, ;)

[Emperor beyond the Sea]

I think heaven is a lot like what is described in the Last battle and i bet Lewis is experianceing it.

[TheReaper12131993]

im just hoping to get into heaven:)

[Special_K]

As am I....but i bet it is going to be everything and more that we think!!

[TheReaper12131993]

lets hope so////
if heaven is the best thing in the world then nobody knows what it looks like or how it is because everybody has different opinions about what is perfect maybe that why they didnt tell about it in the bible...or did they -i havent read it

[unleavened]

God definately told us about it. I can't wait! (Well, I can but...never mind) I trust that God's idea of perfect is the right one. I, as a Christian, can't even fathom what awaits me.

[WiseEdmund]

i imagine Heaven to be like being wrapped in a really comfortable blanket which God gave you and you just can't stop thanking and praising Him for that blanket :D

As for the tree of life thing... does that mean that people who don't like fruit will be sentenced to purgatory?????? :o

[Midnight Rider]

Well if I don’t believe in heaven it’s natural to assume I don’t believe in God :) At least not in the sense you do. I suppose if it makes you more comfortable I can say my heaven is earth. I believe this is the only existence we have on this planet that my life is my heaven and by default my hell also :p




You have an excellent point. I do not pretend to understand what made us and where we go when we die. I just don’t believe if there was a God he would have some fantastically cool place waiting for us when we die. It just sounds so surreal and made up.
I clain you an atheist and you're goin' to Hell![no, i'm NOT cussing it's a real place]

[unleavened]

i imagine Heaven to be like being wrapped in a really comfortable blanket which God gave you and you just can't stop thanking and praising Him for that blanket :D

As for the tree of life thing... does that mean that people who don't like fruit will be sentenced to purgatory?????? :o
Yes. We don't accept fruit haters.

Very nice description. I like it!

[Driad54]

Hmm I would imagine Heaven as a Star Wars place........that would be my version

[WiseEdmund]

Yes. We don't accept fruit haters.

aw man! guess it's time for a strict change of diet... :o

[Amber nicole]

I certainly loved C. S. Lewis' depiction of heaven: a happy, perfect image of the world we love. What do you think heaven is like?
i cannot begin to decribe to you how beautiful heaven is. but we must be prepared for it. you should read 90 minutes in heave. its a great book! ;)

[raheel]

i think heaven is to do with achieving perfection; i just really have this sense that there our destiny is to achieve perfection in every way.

[♣Teh Deviant♣]

Hmm I would imagine Heaven as a Star Wars place........that would be my version

The only heaven I can imagine for me would be Neverland.......
I understand what CS Lewis meant in The Last Battle, how heavven would be a better and moree peaceful version of our beloved world...in the Pevensies case; Narnia.
But, if you remember well, the Pevensies' parents Heaven was the better version of England....which would mean that MY Heaven would be the better version of Florida......I really like the Pevesie children's Heaven more.
Also, I believe we are united with are family in Heaven, not separated from our parents. Though, I bet that the Pevensie children probably had thier parents in Narnia every once in a while. :)

Sofia

PS Please do ignore my post if you disagree with it...I had an earlier bashing....just making sure. :D

[EveningStar]

WHAT HEAVEN IS NOT:

A place of retirement where you go to rest for an infinitely long time for working 80 years.

A mentally stultifying place where there is nothing to learn, observe, or act upon.

WHAT HEAVEN IS:

A unique combination suited to each person that exploits their strengths, fulfills their needs and achieves their goals.

A place where we are not as we think we are or our family, friends and co-workers think we are, but what we really ARE. ("I will write a name for you on a white stone known only to me.")

WHY I SAY THIS:

Retirement, as we understand it, is a place you go to enjoy some good times when you're too old to be productive on the job anymore. In other words, waiting to die.

One would not learn compassion, leadership and character in this life unless those skills had enduring value.

Any idiot could sing Amazing Grace in a pew for all eternity.

We do not spend eternity in Heaven waiting to die. We are not too old to be productive.

Church is a substitute for a one on one relationship with God. There will be no churches in Heaven. There will be no religion in Heaven. Your relationship with God will be that of father and child. There will be no formal rules of engagement. He will love you and you will love him back.

To exist merely to praise God is to portray God as terribly vain. If I could create people, I would want them to do something more than suck up to me. Once in a while I want my dog to play with her ball or chase the squirrels. If she spent eternity sitting in my lap it would drive me crazy.

Clearly the misgivings and dissatisfaction with the idea of Eternity as a God Fan Session prove that it can't be entirely what Heaven is about. Even down here in our imperfection we can see it would drive us crazy after about 3 hours. Heaven is meant to be a happy place. God will take into account our full spectrum of needs and see to them as a good father would.

[inkspot]

PS Please do ignore my post if you disagree with it...I had an earlier bashing....just making sure.
No one is allowed to bash Sofia ever, in any Forum, anymore!

In heaven, I think we will be what we are supposed to be -- who we really are -- and that means we'll be doing what we were meant to do, what we do best and love to do ... and no one will bash Sofia, either.

[xovermyheadx]

I say heaven is like well paradise....you can eat all the chocolate and ice cream in the world...never get fat or sick...skandar and will would b there of course....and very warm and nice...well thats wat i think heaven is like....

[Señor Puntos]

My granny's a christian but my mum (her daughter) and the rest of my family (including me) are not. Could my granny really be happy in Heaven if she knows her daughter(s) and her family would be suffering eternal pain in Hell? A true mother would do anything for their daughter, they may even jump down to Hell to suffer eternally with them. And just a question, where do you think that christian babys go if they die, because obviously their mind hasn't grown enought to go into heaven.

[Malacandra]

My granny's a christian but my mum (her daughter) and the rest of my family (including me) are not. Could my granny really be happy in Heaven if she knows her daughter(s) and her family would be suffering eternal pain in Hell? A true mother would do anything for their daughter, they may even jump down to Hell to suffer eternally with them. And just a question, where do you think that christian babys go if they die, because obviously their mind hasn't grown enought to go into heaven.

Turn it round though, Jimmy. Is it fair that your mum and you should compromise your granny's happiness for ever, or until you get your own way? There's a powerful passage in The Great Divorce about this very subject. It would be unimaginably cruel and unfair on your granny if she was required to consign herself to Hell just because her family chose, of their own free will, not to go to Heaven - even if she could: Christ's story of Dives and Lazarus suggests that those who are in Heaven cannot go to Hell even if they wanted.

Christian babies? I do not know; but I trust that God is infinitely more merciful than I am. I believe that old people who die senile, dribbling and witless come back to their full senses in Heaven; why should not babies come to full consciousness and reason? In other words, there's no obviously about it.

[Señor Puntos]

Yes but you seem to have avoided the question. And I never said any person should confign themselves to Hell, I am merely saying that someone MIGHT want to suffer along side their child, and that might make them happier than having the time of their life. They are quite in their rights not to.And any way, I would quite like to believe, but I don't, and I cannot force myself to believe in something that I can't know for certain exists. God must have made me needy of knowledge, so he should be totally understand of why I don't believe in him. I shall repeat my actual question:
How can someone be truly happy in heaven knowing that their daughter/son is in Hell?

[Giselle the Ethereal]

We have our own concepts of heaven. Most of us think that heaven has an entrance, a big gate with St. Peter standing in front of it with a list of all the good and bad things that we have done during our time on Earth. We think that there are choirs of angels singing in the clouds and everything is white and pure. But that's what we think.

But my concept of heaven changed when I read "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom (and I recommend you guys to read the book). Like what it said in the book:

THERE ARE FIVE people you meet in heaven," the Blue Man suddenly said. "Each of us was in your life for a reason. You may not have known the reason at the time, and that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on earth."

Eddie looked confused.

"People think of heaven as a paradise garden, a place where they can float on clouds and laze in rivers and mountains. But scenery without solace is meaningless.

"This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for."

That's exactly how I think of it now. A place where we can experience eternal happiness.

[sk8ergirl]

I think Heaven would be a good place because I ll be with William there and nice and white It will be the most beautiful place ever

[Malacandra]

Yes but you seem to have avoided the question. And I never said any person should confign themselves to Hell, I am merely saying that someone MIGHT want to suffer along side their child, and that might make them happier than having the time of their life. They are quite in their rights not to.And any way, I would quite like to believe, but I don't, and I cannot force myself to believe in something that I can't know for certain exists. God must have made me needy of knowledge, so he should be totally understand of why I don't believe in him. I shall repeat my actual question:
How can someone be truly happy in heaven knowing that their daughter/son is in Hell?

Avoided the question? I'll try answering again. Someone can be truly happy in Heaven knowing their daughter/son made their own choice. The alternative is unbearable: that those who choose Hell should have the power to mar the happiness of those in Heaven for ever.

I can well believe, though, that someone in Hell would insist that those who loved them ought not to be happy in Heaven. That's the mindset that put them there in the first place. Going to Hell to be with my son would not mean that I could ease his sufferings in the slightest; it would only mean that I was suffering alongside him. And while we say "Misery loves company", it's a poor sort of love.

Again, I thoroughly recommend The Great Divorce to you. It's not always comforting but it is a great read.

[Señor Puntos]

Yeah I'll keep a look out for it. I still don't think they could be 100% happy but that's just a difference of opinions, and we'll never work it out so we might aswell drop it.

[i(l)william]

Lets see..... I think heaven is like well......perfect. I can't really explain what i think it is. just really really perfect.

[lavagirl28227]

i think heaven is like narnia but no war a quiet ,peacful place
and god protecting all of us

[King-Aslan]

I pretty much imagine it like Narnia now or at least the REAL Narnia

[Motleyaholic]

It could be like Narnia.

I believe when I get up there I'm not gonna remember anything from my human life. And no one thinks of the sinful past they would just think of the furture. And of coarse football season will last forever.

[Malacandra]

Yeah I'll keep a look out for it. I still don't think they could be 100% happy but that's just a difference of opinions, and we'll never work it out so we might aswell drop it.

Also check out the Screwtape Letters. An early Letter has Screwtape advising Wormwood not to try to defeat the Enemy by argument, but by persuading his "patient" not to think about the subject at all, and find ways to get him to put off thinking about it indefinitely. ;)

I try not to perpetrate ad hominem arguments, but it seems to me that I'd find your PoV easier to take seriously if you yourself were a believer confident of your own place but concerned for someone else... rather than thinking that someone else's happiness should be compromised because you weren't there to share it.

Urendi Maleldil

[GeNtLe SuSaN]

Heaven is the best place in the world. To bad you can only go there once.

[Bramblefox]

Yeah, but the thing is, you're there to stay!!

[Danny Darnia]

Heaven is a place which full of things that really joy me (in a good way).Beautiful scene, lots of people that I loved......and the palce which full of happiness, laughs and smiles :p Ha...ha...what I;m talking about?
It could be like Narnia which combine with Middle Earth (for the building, especially in Elves land).Could ie be like that? :D

[-Daughter of Eve-]

I certainly loved C. S. Lewis' depiction of heaven: a happy, perfect image of the world we love. What do you think heaven is like?

I think the place everyone call Heaven is...Narnia.

[Josh the Jester]

No one on this earth can come close describing what Heaven is like. I can't wait to see our heavenly Father when I get there, and not to mention see all of you guys there too. :D

[the freak sisters]

The bible describes it as full of rubies and dimonds and Gold. It says the streets will be paved with gold. I think it sounds really wonderful!!!!!!!!

[werewolf]

I think there are lots of honey rivers,nice scenery,beautiful girls and handsome boys there.Those are great things but I most would like to make real magic in the Heaven :cool:

[inked]

On the more quantitative side, there's this:

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1524584

:eek:

[Tsukiko]

Paradise...

[EveningStar]

I don't think Heaven is a place of rest, but rather of relief. Relief from one's inclinations and talents being mismatched to the world about. A place where one is productive but never overtaxed, challenged but not stressed.

Art Linkletter once succinctly put it that a Heaven of sitting for eternity under an apple tree with a harp would be Hell.

It makes no sense for eternal beings..which is what our souls are..would live for 80 years and then "retire" for eternity. No, rather, I believe that we will enter a fulfilling relationship with God that brings beauty and goodness into being.

John

[NarnianofGryffindor]

Since the Bible does not describe Heaven, any answer would be quite speculative--and fun!

I can tell you what I hope it is not: sitting in a choir loft for eternity singing out praises to God. I mean, talk about boring! No free will, no learning anything new, et al.

Personally, I would like heaven to be like where I can visit other stars and solar systems and learn everything there is to know. Then, after learning all about a galaxy, move on to the next, "picking it apart." Then when I have learned the whole universe, I expect that God would invent a whole new universe to begin all over again.

The Bible does describe Heaven. In Revelation chapter 21. Heaven is described as a great city on a mountain. There are twelve gates of pearl, at the gates are twelve angels (symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel). It also says that the walls are made of jasper and the city was gold. Also there were twelve foundations, symbolizing the twelve apostles, the twelve foundations are made of jasper (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Jasper.pebble.600pix.bkg.jpg/388px-Jasper.pebble.600pix.bkg.jpg), sapphire (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Star-Saphire.jpg), chalcedony (http://www.all-that-gifts.com/stones/chalcedony.jpg), emerald (http://www.all-that-gifts.com/stones/emerald.jpg), sardonyx (onyx) (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Agate_banded_750pix.jpg/718px-Agate_banded_750pix.jpg), sardius (similar to carnelian) (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Karneol.jpg), chrysolyte (olivine) (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Peridot2.jpg/544px-Peridot2.jpg), beryl (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Beryl09.jpg/756px-Beryl09.jpg), topaz (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Topaz-2.jpg/550px-Topaz-2.jpg), chrysoprasus, jacinth, and amethyst (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Amethystvb.jpg)
As for what we do in Heaven, I believe that we will worship God all the time and enjoy it. When you talk about the singing all day and being bored, you're looking at it through the point of view of ignorance. I'm not trying to be mean, I've thought the same thing you have, but think about it. We have never experienced the glory and majesty of a God who spoke the world into existence. A God so perfect that sin cannot enter into His presence. We've never experienced facing someone like that, when we enter into God's presence we will have new, perfect bodies, and we'll be so awed that we will want to sing praises. And remember there is no time in heaven, it's hard to understand but there will no feeling of time passing. Revelation is a marvelous book to study, every time I read it I can't wait to go to Heaven and see God.

[NarnianofGryffindor]

Yes but you seem to have avoided the question. And I never said any person should confign themselves to Hell, I am merely saying that someone MIGHT want to suffer along side their child, and that might make them happier than having the time of their life. They are quite in their rights not to.And any way, I would quite like to believe, but I don't, and I cannot force myself to believe in something that I can't know for certain exists. God must have made me needy of knowledge, so he should be totally understand of why I don't believe in him. I shall repeat my actual question:
How can someone be truly happy in heaven knowing that their daughter/son is in Hell?

I have heard this question many times, and I've wondered about the same thing myself. How could someone be truly happy in Heaven, when they know that someone they know and love will die and burn in Hell for all eternity? Answer: Sorrow is something associated with sin and sin has no place in Heaven. Therefore, I'm sorry to say this but your grandmother can be very happy in Heaven. Regret, sorrow, pain, sadness, sin, those are all tossed out when someone enters Heaven. So now the question isn't of her happiness, it's of yours. Will you be happy when you're not with your grandmother? I'm sorry to be blunt but if you haven't accepted Christ, you will be the one regretting the choice you could've made. If you are saved now, than praise the Lord and be assured that you will be with your Grandmother. As for the other question, the age of accountability is a big debate among Christians. My opinion is that until the child reaches the age where he can understand the Salvation message, and understand what it takes to be a Christian, he will go to Heaven. What is the age? It depends on the child. For example, I was saved at the age of 4, I knew a kid who was saved at the age of 3 (and fully understood what he did), but I also knew a kid who didn't really understand the Salvation message until he was 7. So it depends on the child.

[EveningStar]

God is the very ruler and master of Heaven, and if he can feel sadness, sympathy and wrath, why not us? We are made in his image, and I treasure my ability to be like him in feeling sorrow at loss, anger against injustice. If I could not, part of the image of God would have been stolen from me, a part I treasure, a part that teaches me the value of relationships and justice. I would feel mind-controlled, enslaved to a happiness I could not control, which would make the happiness meaningless. Unless you could feel sad if you wanted to, endless happiness is a mild form of insanity.

When Jesus saw Lazarus body in the tomb, he wept. When he saw the moneychangers in the temple, he angrily whipped them, telling them they had made their father's house into a den of thieves. I pray...I beg...Jesus that I might never become blind to the need for sympathy or righteous indignation. I want to stand next to Jesus and weep for Lazarus. I want to drive the moneychangers from the temple. I love the justice of God, and the mercy of God. I love the compassion of God, the tenderness of him. To experience those fully, I must be intact.

In my viewpoint a person who couldn't regret their own grandchild's loss to death and hell would have been too shallow, too callous to belong in the Kingdom of God. I'm not accusing you or anyone else of this, especially not your Grandmother who I'm sure is in bliss with God. I'm only saying that the understanding you expressed is incompatible with people having learned anything from their experiences on earth...lessons about compassion, sympathy, comfort, caring, and sacrifice. And I feel those lessons are essential to being a full man or woman. One way or another you'll find out when you're there. Personally I hope to be intact, not some Stepford Husband on Prozac. I want the right to feel sad when someone is hurt or loses their way. I want the right to be angry at sin and injustice.

Heaven is where you could feel sad or angry if you had a good reason, but good reasons are hard to come by.

[NarnianofGryffindor]

God is the very ruler and master of Heaven, and if he can feel sadness, sympathy and wrath, why not us? We are made in his image, and I treasure my ability to be like him in feeling sorrow at loss, anger against injustice. If I could not, part of the image of God would have been stolen from me, a part I treasure, a part that teaches me the value of relationships and justice. I would feel mind-controlled, enslaved to a happiness I could not control, which would make the happiness meaningless. Unless you could feel sad if you wanted to, endless happiness is a mild form of insanity.

When Jesus saw Lazarus body in the tomb, he wept. When he saw the moneychangers in the temple, he angrily whipped them, telling them they had made their father's house into a den of thieves. I pray...I beg...Jesus that I might never become blind to the need for sympathy or righteous indignation. I want to stand next to Jesus and weep for Lazarus. I want to drive the moneychangers from the temple. I love the justice of God, and the mercy of God. I love the compassion of God, the tenderness of him. To experience those fully, I must be intact.

In my viewpoint a person who couldn't regret their own grandchild's loss to death and hell would have been too shallow, too callous to belong in the Kingdom of God. I'm not accusing you or anyone else of this, especially not your Grandmother who I'm sure is in bliss with God. I'm only saying that the understanding you expressed is incompatible with people having learned anything from their experiences on earth...lessons about compassion, sympathy, comfort, caring, and sacrifice. And I feel those lessons are essential to being a full man or woman. One way or another you'll find out when you're there. Personally I hope to be intact, not some Stepford Husband on Prozac. I want the right to feel sad when someone is hurt or loses their way. I want the right to be angry at sin and injustice.

Heaven is where you could feel sad or angry if you had a good reason, but good reasons are hard to come by.

What you said is right. On earth we feel sad, angry, hurt. All those things, but in heaven there is no room for that. In Revelation 21, it said that God will wipe away the tears from our eyes. In Heaven we will be with God and we won't need to feel sad or regret the things we could've done. That's why now we need to witness to our loved ones who aren't saved. Because once they're in Hell, that's it they're there. Why do we have to feel regret when they have already "passed the point of no return". My grandmother died a year before I was born. She wasn't saved, in fact my Dad had just left her house after talking to her, she was sitting in her favorite chair. She was sat there for a while after my Dad left, then she stood up and she died. As far as we know she didn't accept Christ as her Savior. When I go to Heaven and she's not there, I will feel nothing for her. It doesn't sound right but it's true, I will basically forget her. And why should I? I will be in the presence of the Almighty God. God gave my Grandmother many chances to accept Him. It sounds cold, but it's true. In Heaven I, my Dad, and my Mom will have eternal happiness. But on Earth, we still feel sad for the fact that she is not with God. So it makes us want to witness even more. It makes us witness more to our other relatives, so that they don't have the same fate as my Grandmother. Heaven is the place where we can be with God and have eternal happiness, Earth is the place where we have the chance to witness to those who aren't saved.

[anna.the.gentle]

For me, Heaven is the end of our journey on Earth. It's what you'd call "paradise".

C.S. Lewis based Aslan's Country on Heaven becuase:
1.) In The Silver Chair, when Caspian asked Aslan for five minutes on Earth, Aslan said "You cannot do anything wrong anymore now that you have died, my son." This means that obviously, if you are in Heaven, you cannot want to do anything wrong anymore, because you're in Heaven. Would you do go to Heaven if you loved to do wrong things?
2.) In The Last Battle, Lucy (I think it was Lucy, or Digory.. I'm not sure. It's one of them, for sure.) described the land they entered was "majestic; the mountains were higher, the grass was greener, the skies were bluer.." And for me, maybe that's what Heaven is. It's like our world, but more different and better.

[EveningStar]

Paradise. Certainly. Of course.

Loved, seated at a table with all one's favorite foods, perfect weather, absolute joy, and a big red button that says "End it all forever!" on it. Nobody would be so stupid as to want to hit the button, but it would not be impossible to do so. Satan did. We must never forget that. Adam and Eve had the bliss of the garden...they muffed it too.

You're right...we won't WANT to. But we are also faced with the thought that someone did want to...for his own reasons.

Obedience and faithfulness will always be virtues. If we were suddenly deprived of free will, they wouldn't be virtues any more than gravity and Newton's three laws of motions are virtues. We don't praise a dropped hammer for faithfully falling to the Earth. It had no choice in the matter. There can be no righteousness where there is no free will. Is a racketball righteous because it faithfully bounces off the wall as it ought? When our acts become as automatic and determined as this, they are no longer righteousness. My two cents.

[Lioness_Aslan]

At school they always tell us that Heaven isn't a place were we find many food and lots of nice things,it's more a 'state' of being. Don't know how to actually explain it...but I've always imagined heaven as full of light and people smiling...Happiness... :)

[EveningStar]

I don't think of Heaven as Disneyland either...or as Church. I think of it as a state of being. My literalisms in my previous post were exaggerated for effect.

[NarnianofGryffindor]

How can Heaven be a state of being when the Bible describes it as a literall place?

[EveningStar]

It is both a place and a state just as Christ became all God and all Man.

As a place, Christ has gone to prepare a place for you.

As a state, the full experience is not something you could inadvertantly stumble upon like explorers finding ancient ruins.

If marriage was merely a place, then you, some woman, a house, a picket fence and maybe a friendly collie could all be put in one place and that would be your married life. All the spatial elements would be there. But would you kiss this person? Would you let her see you without your shirt on?

Heaven is like that. It is both a relational state and a place where things can occur.

[Gwendolyn]

I have heard this question many times, and I've wondered about the same thing myself. How could someone be truly happy in Heaven, when they know that someone they know and love will die and burn in Hell for all eternity? Answer: Sorrow is something associated with sin and sin has no place in Heaven. Therefore, I'm sorry to say this but your grandmother can be very happy in Heaven. Regret, sorrow, pain, sadness, sin, those are all tossed out when someone enters Heaven. So now the question isn't of her happiness, it's of yours. Will you be happy when you're not with your grandmother? I'm sorry to be blunt but if you haven't accepted Christ, you will be the one regretting the choice you could've made. If you are saved now, than praise the Lord and be assured that you will be with your Grandmother. As for the other question, the age of accountability is a big debate among Christians. My opinion is that until the child reaches the age where he can understand the Salvation message, and understand what it takes to be a Christian, he will go to Heaven. What is the age? It depends on the child. For example, I was saved at the age of 4, I knew a kid who was saved at the age of 3 (and fully understood what he did), but I also knew a kid who didn't really understand the Salvation message until he was 7. So it depends on the child.
How can we say who will go to heaven or who will go to hell? It is not my place to judge. I don't think we are in the right to point the finger and say "You will go to hell." God is so much greater and wiser and He is the only one who can take life away, give life back and deterimine what will happen. His plan is so much greater than ours and I am learning that slowly. There are people who say there are Christian, who get baptized, who go to church, read the bible and follow all the "rules". But their heart is hollow. They have lost the joy and the vivid life that God brings. Like Shift and Ginger the Cat. But then there are those who have not be baptized, who know "nothing" of God, but who have already settled a place in Heaven. Like Emeth, who was a child of Aslan but didn't know it. I am in no place to say who will go to heaven and who will go to hell, for I know not what lies in their hearts truly. Only God knows, and I will let him do what he does best. Be God.

[PrinceOfTheWest]

I agree with the Magister, that to juxtapose heaven being a "state" against heaven being a "place" is to misunderstand the language the Scripture uses. Heaven is a "place" in the sense that it is an objective place external to all of us (as opposed to an "internal" place, like the scene of a dream), but that does not mean that it is a "place" in this space-time matrix, as Times Square is.

What kind of room does an angel hang out in? Answer that, and you'll probably be moving toward an understanding of what kind of "place" heaven might be. Our minds, which are bound to three-dimensional space and linear time, cannot imagine anything outside that framework - yet heaven will be outside both, as we understand them. That's why it can only be spoken of in metaphorical and symbolic language.

But neither is it inappropriate to speak of heaven as a state, for that is part of it, too. Let me try by using an analogy: I have lived in my present house for 22 years. I have been married for 26 years. I can speak of living in this "home" for 22 years, but there would be more to it than just this wooden frame. A home is a mix of place and relationships. Were we to move to a different house, there's be a sense of continuity because my family would still be intact but the place would differ. One of us might speak of missing our old home, and nobody would think it strange, because there would be an aspect of newness to our new abode even if the people were the same.

I think heaven can be thought of something like that. It's an objective place, beyond question, but it's also a state - a state of unity with the Blessed Trinity, being adopted into the Divine Life (while still remaining, by nature, human.)

With respect to the question of whether someone can be truly happy in heaven if even one of their loved ones wasn't there: first off, Gwendolyn, I think you're misunderstanding narniafan2007's point. He wasn't saying anyone in particular was guaranteed not to be in heaven, he was simply saying that the possibility of someone not being there is a real.

As to the question itself: Lewis addressed this quite well in The Great Divorce, particularly the example of Sarah Smith of Golder's Green. She tried to persuade her emotionally abusive husband to give up his self-absorption and join her in bliss, but he chose to cling to his posturing. In the end she rejected his emotional blackmail by saying, "I am in love; I will not go out of it." She (and all heaven) grieved that he would not accept her invitation to eternal happiness, but she was so totally enraptured by love that grief could cast no shadow on her joy.

That's a state we can't understand in this life because for we can still lack things - in fact, lacking something is usually the cause of our suffering. In heaven we will have God, the source of all good, so we will truly have all good things. We will lack nothing - all other goods will simply be "icing on the cake", so to speak. If you were the only person in heaven, you would be content and in bliss, because you would have God Himself. Of course, having your family and loved ones there would only add to your joy, but their absence would not detract from your contentment.

[Gwendolyn]

With respect to the question of whether someone can be truly happy in heaven if even one of their loved ones wasn't there: first off, Gwendolyn, I think you're misunderstanding narniafan2007's point. He wasn't saying anyone in particular was guaranteed not to be in heaven, he was simply saying that the possibility of someone not being there is a real.
True...I guess I was commenting more on this statement.
So now the question isn't of her happiness, it's of yours. Will you be happy when you're not with your grandmother?

[NarnianofGryffindor]

True...I guess I was commenting more on this statement.

What I meant by that statement is that while the person's grandmother is truly happy in Heaven, it is now a question of this person's happiness. I am assuming that he is not saved because he said My granny's a Christian but my mum (her daughter) and the rest of my family (including me) are not. So if he is not saved the question is not of his Grandmother's happiness but of his happiness. Will he be truly happy knowing that he will not spend eternity with her. Knowing that the question was posted a few months ago I thought of the possibility that he may have gotten saved so I said If you are saved now, than praise the Lord and be assured that you will be with your Grandmother.

[EveningStar]

I believe people in Heaven are capable of feeling grief that their loved ones did not make it. However I also believe that God will help them put it into perspective and get past it, the same way people in this world grieve over the loss of a loved one, but then put things together and go on.

What I see happening is as simple as it is effective. The grandmother that loses a beloved granddaughter basically adopts a girl that lost a beloved grandmother. God finds someone appropriate to fill that hole in your life.

[NarnianofGryffindor]

I believe people in Heaven are capable of feeling grief that their loved ones did not make it. However I also believe that God will help them put it into perspective and get past it, the same way people in this world grieve over the loss of a loved one, but then put things together and go on.

What I see happening is as simple as it is effective. The grandmother that loses a beloved granddaughter basically adopts a girl that lost a beloved grandmother. God finds someone appropriate to fill that hole in your life.

How can that be? Grief is a result of sin and sin has no place in the presence of God. In Revelation 21:4 it says: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.(KJV) This clearly says that once in Heaven all sadness, sorrow, and grief will be gone. We'll be in God's presence, and be truly happy.

[~Lava~]

Being in the presence of God is enough for me.

[EveningStar]

I'm a bit mystified. Is it a sin to feel grief?

Sadness is wiped away by eliminating its root cause. You would be telling the God's truth to say you "eliminated hunger" by furnishing everyone with three square meals a day, but is that the same as disabling the human capacity to notice an empty stomach? And be honest, isn't part of the joy of eating a gourmet meal bringing a strong appetite to the table?

Perhaps this is merely a battle of semantics. But if God can grieve and feel righteous indignation, I want to be able to. Mind you I DON'T WANT REASON TO, but still I would like to share that portion of the image of God. I would hate to think that happiness was blindness to pain. In fact spending eternity with any sort of blindness whatsoever is offputting to me.

[inkspot]

Well said, John.
Grief is not sin.
And as we are made in the image of God, one supposes that as He can grieve over loss, so can we ...

[pjthejust]

A place that everybody loves,and is just pretty much peace on earth. Plus other stuff you would love to do! It will be awesome to see heaven some day!

[MrBob]

To me, I think of a soul as a part of G*d, so I find it interesting that people would think that G*d would just allow some of them to eternally be without Him. That would be a punishment for Him as well. Forever is a long time to pay for any crime.

I see a heaven as a place of eternal warmth and light. Kind of like being a part of G*d while also being an individual soul.

Bob

[NarnianofGryffindor]

I'm a bit mystified. Is it a sin to feel grief?

Sadness is wiped away by eliminating its root cause. You would be telling the God's truth to say you "eliminated hunger" by furnishing everyone with three square meals a day, but is that the same as disabling the human capacity to notice an empty stomach? And be honest, isn't part of the joy of eating a gourmet meal bringing a strong appetite to the table?

Perhaps this is merely a battle of semantics. But if God can grieve and feel righteous indignation, I want to be able to. Mind you I DON'T WANT REASON TO, but still I would like to share that portion of the image of God. I would hate to think that happiness was blindness to pain. In fact spending eternity with any sort of blindness whatsoever is offputting to me.

It's not a sin to grieve, but grieving is a result of sin. If Adam and Eve didn't eat the forbidden fruit there would be no sin and as a result there would have been no grief. But Adam and Eve did eat of the forbidden fruit which brought sin into the world. That's when grief came into the world. It's on Earth where we grieve for our loved ones who didn't know the Lord. Heaven is like our reward after God has called us home. Let me try to illustrate my point. It's like a doctor who's been a doctor for many years, as a doctor he worries whether he's doing his job right and has a lot of stress about his job. But when he reaches a certain age, let's say he's 70 yrs. old, he retires. When he's retired he doesn't need to worry about his job anymore. Like us Christians on Earth we witness to people, and when a friend or family member had died without knowing the Lord, we grieve for them. But in Heaven we're done we're finished, we're with God and all we want is to sing praises to God and to worship Him.

[inkspot]

The Book says God will wipe the tears from our eyes. If there is no grief, why are we crying in the first place? What you are saying sounds comforting to you, I know, but for those of us who understand the way even life's painful times can shape you, the idea that we would lose the authentic emotions which have defined us is very distressing.

If God wanted a heaven populated with people who could not feel grief, why didn't He make an earth populated with such people and spare us all a lot of heartache? I think in heaven, our griefs will be comforted, this is what the Bible implies by saying God will wipe away our tears.

[NarnianofGryffindor]

The Book says God will wipe the tears from our eyes. If there is no grief, why are we crying in the first place? What you are saying sounds comforting to you, I know, but for those of us who understand the way even life's painful times can shape you, the idea that we would lose the authentic emotions which have defined us is very distressing.

If God wanted a heaven populated with people who could not feel grief, why didn't He make an earth populated with such people and spare us all a lot of heartache? I think in heaven, our griefs will be comforted, this is what the Bible implies by saying God will wipe away our tears.

Our griefs will be comforted in Heaven. That's what I'm saying. When we die and enter Heaven God will comfort us and wipe away our tears taking away our griefs. Therefore, grief will not be in Heaven.

[inkspot]

Do you think God does not grieve right now? And He is in heaven. I don't know that we can assume there are no griefs once we cross over Jordan. Only that in God's presence, grief is comforted.

[EveningStar]

I think what distresses me is the idea of being unable to sympathize. And unless you understand pain, you cannot sympathize.

I also understand fire safety and know how to evacuate a burning building. I'm hoping I never need to use that knowledge, but I would resent having it taken away from me by force.

Same principle.

[inkspot]

Good analogy, John. But I think maybe now we are getting close to agreement...
Our griefs will be comforted in Heaven. That's what I'm saying. When we die and enter Heaven God will comfort us and wipe away our tears taking away our griefs.
I'm with you.
Therefore, grief will not be in Heaven.
I think this is the wrong conclusion to draw from your previous. There is or may be grief in heaven, but God is the solace for it. That's a better conclusion to draw from the idea that God wipes the tears from our eyes ... Heaven will be a joyful place, perhaps the moreso because of the griefs we remember here?