The Bible doesn’t elaborate on what or where Heaven is, but here are a few things it does say about it for Christians:
- It’s Paradise (Luke 23.43)
- It’s a place Jesus prepares for us
- It’s in the presence of God (Luke 23.43)
- We’ll understand fully, rather than in part (1 Corinthians 13.12)
- We’ll have incorruptible, immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15.53)
- We’ll be over the angels (1 Corinthians 6.3)
- We’ll have some administrative roles
- Those faithful in a few things in this life will be responsible for many things
Alright, we know that the picture is of a galaxy and not of heaven. Specifically, it’s what scientists refer to as M-31, or the Andromeda Galaxy, which is the galaxy that’s closest to us. Still, when Jesus said that he was going to prepare a place for us in the Gospel of John, it’s fun to remember that the Bible also says that “without a parable spake he not unto them”.
It’s easy to imagine that the place or places he’s preparing for us will somehow involve the cosmos with its estimated 2 trillion galaxies. What if life’s test of faithfulness will prove to be God’s equivalent of the testing done when entering the military? We’re saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, but works matter too. Like the military, perhaps they play a role in determining our usefulness in eternity.