Back in January, I watched one of my favorite movies, The Hiding Place. I’ve probably seen it 50 times. Near the end of the film, Corrie ten Boom goes to the crude hospital in the Ravensbrück camp to see her sister, Betsie, through the ice-covered windowpane. Betsie can barely lift her head, but she waves and tries to smile. Corrie knows it might be the last time she would see her.
I choked up at that point in the film because the scene reminded me of the last time I saw my 92-year-old mother through the glass door at her nursing home. Even though her facility is 10 minutes from my house, I’m not allowed to visit her because of a COVID-19 outbreak there.
When we know a loved one is close to death, we naturally feel sad. But I was reminded that even though Corrie experienced unspeakable loss when Betsie died in that awful Nazi camp, the two sisters are now reunited. They both loved the Lord. They are together now—and there are no lice, filthy barracks or sadistic guards with whips.
The sad goodbye in that horrific hellhole in Germany was followed by a joyful reunion in the presence of Jesus in heaven, where all tears are wiped away.
Have you ever wondered if you will see your loved ones in heaven? Of course you will, if they are followers of Jesus. When we are raised to life in Christ, we will still have our identities. I will still be me. You will still be you. And if we have a friendship now, we will have a friendship in heaven. And we will make many new friends from all over the world—including the Christians who died long before us.
Whenever life gets tough, I remind myself that something so much better awaits me. I know I have more work to do on this side of heaven, and I am praying for fresh strength to fulfill my assignment. Jesus gives me supernatural joy to face any trial here on earth. But I am also filled with hope that a glorious future awaits all who love Jesus.
I read the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn at the beginning of 2021. It’s my favorite book on the topic because it clearly shows how much the Bible says about our eternal life with God after this world has passed away.
Alcorn writes: “If you’re a child of God, you do not just ‘go around once’ on Earth. You don’t get just one earthly life. You get another—one far better and without end. You’ll inhabit the New Earth! You’ll live with the God you cherish and the people you love as an undying person on an undying Earth.”
Most Christians are focused on the here and now—until we attend a funeral and get a quick reminder of how short life really is. We lack an eternal perspective.
In previous generations, Christians sang often about heaven. Today, our music avoids the topic. That’s why I’ve added a classic gospel song to my playlist. Vestal Goodman’s version of “The Holy Hills of Heaven” is old-fashioned, but it makes me cry every time I hear it. One compelling part of the song says: “I see loved ones over yonder/Tears are gone and hearts are free/And from the throne King Jesus beckons/ Oh the hills of home are calling me.”
Colossians 3:1b (GNT) says, “set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne.” We should sing about heaven more and preach about it constantly. It is the greatest hope we have.
Thinking about heaven is not escapism; it is the best kind of therapy. When I grow weary of this world—the corruption, racism, political divisions, viruses, cancer, tyranny, hatefulness and injustice—I remind myself that Jesus will one day re-create this world to be the sinless paradise He always intended for us.
In heaven there will be no hospitals, nursing homes, masks, ventilators or social distancing. There will be no pandemics, murders, riots or funerals. I have read the last chapters of the Bible. Revelation 21:4b (NASB) says: “There will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.”
If you are a believer in Jesus, you have the sure promise of a home on the other side. Think about that often, sing about it and tell everybody else about the source of your joy. {eoa}
J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years and now serves as contributing editor. He directs The Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org), an international ministry that protects women and girls from gender-based violence. His latest book is Set My Heart on Fire (Charisma House).
This article was excerpted from the May issue of Charisma magazine. If you don’t subscribe to Charisma, click here to get every issue delivered to your mailbox. During this time of change, your subscription is a vote of confidence for the kind of Spirit-filled content we offer. In the same way you would support a ministry with a donation, subscribing is your way to support Charisma. Also, we encourage you to give gift subscriptions at shop.charismamag.com, and share our articles on social media.
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