In Heaven…

On earth we experience beauty and joy in many ways:  fellowship with beloved friends, the fragrance and flavor of a favorite meal, the spontaneous smile of recognition from a 9-month-old baby, the glory of a view from a mountain peak, the simplicity of a newly opened flower bloom, and so much more.

God has been gracious to give us many delights on this earth from His common grace (delights that all terminate on Him and express His greater glory, Ps. 148).

But whatever and however many joys we have on earth, they will all be superseded in Heaven. 

In Heaven —

• We will see the greatest beauty (Rev. 21:18ff)
• We will experience perfect relationships (unimpeded by sin) with believers both known and unknown to us now (Mt. 17:3-4)
• We will be sinless and free from every temptation of the flesh and every sinful inclination (Rom. 8:30; Rev. 22:1ff)
• We will never again experience any human frailty or illness (Rev. 21:4)
• We will experience a full renovation of our bodies…
  • Our faces and bodies will be recognizable for what they are today; and they may even still possess some scars from this life (Jn. 20:20)
  • We will have an ability to eat (Lk. 24:30; Jn. 21:12-13)
  • We will have an ability to touch and feel (Jn. 20:17, 27)
  • We will not have the same limitations of this earthly body — pass through doors/walls and be able to appear/leave instantaneously (Jn. 20:19, 26)
  • Because we will live eternally, our bodies will be ageless (some have suggested all women will be 23 and all men 29!). There will be no decaying of the body in any way.
• We will see Christ in His glory (1 Jn. 3:2) and will not be fearful of that revelation (Rev. 1:17)
• We will have eternal life (Mk. 10:30; Jn. 3:36; Rom. 5:21; Gal. 6:8).  We who were born under the curse (and thus under the law of sin and death), will be liberated from that curse by walking through the valley of death and then receiving the grace gift of unending life. 

These are just some of the incomparable blessings of Heaven.  It is incomparable because it is infinite in all its blessings and in time.  They joy we have there is infinite (full and complete) and unending. 

On earth we have blessings and joys, but they are always mixed with trials, troubles, suffering, and sadness.  Even the best things are always tainted in some way:  the best husbands and wives still sin against each other, the beautiful mountain view is marred by scattered litter and trees damaged by forest fires, babies cry as often as (at times more than) they smile, every blooming flower decays, and every fragrance of a meal diminishes and the leftovers are piled into a trash can.  It all fades away.

But in Heaven?  It is always good best and nothing fades or changes from its supreme goodness:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Pet. 1:3–5 NASB)