Part 1 Life in Heaven -- By: N. A. Woychuk

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 107:426 (Apr 1950)
Article: Part 1 Life in Heaven
Author: N. A. Woychuk


Part 1
Life in Heaven

N. A. Woychuk

With the majority of people today the thought of heaven is vague and oftentimes insignificant. They do not disbelieve in it, but it does not lay hold of them. As compared with this solid world on which our homes are built and in which our possessions lie, heaven is only a land of shadows. And although they know that they ought to desire to go there, in reality they would prefer—if it were possible—to stay here below.

It is quite easy to understand why the person who does not expect to go to heaven must regard our reflection upon this theme the “vain imagination of a dreamer.” Consistently with his position, such a person claims that all thought and meditation expanded upon the ‘life in heaven’ is incompatible with the planning of our life on the earth. He urges very enthusiastically that we refrain from thinking about the future estate, and live rejoicing in the present. Well might such a one cry aloud with the old Epicurean philosophers, “Let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”

But well may the Christian believe, and this with assurance, that after the life upon earth he shall continue to live forever in heaven. The believer realizes that the life below is at its best very short. With much joy and satisfaction he may live here, yet with even more joy he anticipates the continuation of his life forever in glory. This sort of person is not making heaven attractive by deposing the earth from all consideration, Nay, it is absolutely a mistake to regard the individual who may be interested in the life beyond as, on that account, dissatisfied with his life on earth and sour on the world. Rather it must be that the soul anticipating a life above is the one who experiences right now an “abundant life” in all of its richness and felicity, because unafraid of the future.

A man who began studying his Bible with care was asked one day by his friend how it happened that he became interested so suddenly in a book which he had seldom—if ever—

looked into before. His reply was that a son had departed recently to go to heaven, and that he was anxious to find out as much as he could concerning this place. Likewise the word heaven in the Bible is very precious to us, because most believers already have loved ones and friends who, “having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” have entered the bliss of the home eternal. It is only right that we try to find out as much as possible about the place where our loved ones are now living and where we too expect to go in the near future. Indeed, it is very probable that, if we contemplate our eternal home and look forward to livi...

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