Have you heard it said that someone is “too heavenly-minded to be of any earthly good”? Perhaps that’s true of someone, but I’ve never encountered that person. I think that the opposite is often the case for most of us. We don’t think enough about heavenly realities but instead focus too much on what we can see in the here and now.

However, the Bible actually commands us to think about heaven. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.” Our ability to be maximally helpful here on earth now is connected to our efforts to think often and think rightly about heavenly realities.

To help you “set your mind on things above,” here are seven words that you can remember. Each word answers a different question we often have about heaven.

1. God: What is Heaven?

Heaven is where God dwells. Ecclesiastes 5:2 states the simple fact that “God is in heaven and you are on earth.” But at the same time, we believe that God is omnipresent, which means that God is everywhere present at all times. However, heaven is where God directly manifests his presence and where his presence is directly experienced by those who are there. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Heaven is where God’s will is perfectly done. There will be no sin clouding our view of God.

2. Grace: Who Goes to Heaven?

The only people in heaven are people who were brought there by grace. This means that heaven is not earned through our merit, but only through the merit of Christ (John 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). Explicit faith in Christ is necessary for anyone who hopes to be with God in heaven (Acts 4:12), which is why we must bring the gospel to those who have never heard it (Romans 10:13-17).

3. Holy: Will it Be Possible to Sin in Heaven?

Some are concerned that if Adam and Eve sinned in the perfect Garden of Eden, what will keep us from blowing it again like they did? Jesus says that we will not be able to die anymore in the resurrection “because [we will be] equal to the angels” who are in heaven (Luke 20:34-36). This means we will have a nature like the good angels in heaven, who can’t fall into sin. Our new nature will be solidified in goodness. We will have a holy nature and be in a holy place, so it will not be possible to sin in heaven.

4. Sight: What Will We Know in Heaven?

While our knowledge of God will not be exhaustive, it will be perfect. Paul writes, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We will forever grow in our knowledge of the infinite perfections of God. In addition to our knowledge of God, it seems as though we will also have knowledge of each other. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus there is an assumption of recognition of past relationships (Luke 16:19-31). But even in our remembrance of past memories, we will remember the redemption of past sins and see those “former things” from God’s perfected vantage point (cf. Isaiah 65:17).

5. Joy: What Will We Do in Heaven?

The caricature of people being bored in heaven with nothing to do could not be further from the truth. What makes heaven an absolute joy is what it is…the dwelling place of God. The love we have for God for what he has done for us in Jesus Christ will make us overflow in joy. We will be consumed with the worship of God (cf. Revelation 19:1), and not just singing. Worship will infuse every action and conversation and activity in heaven. We will also rest in heaven, specifically resting from the temptations and trials of life in this fallen world (cf. Revelation 14:13). So, we will not be bored, nor will we be lonely, because we will do these activities together.

6. Eternity: How Long Will Heaven Last?

Heaven will last for eternity because God is eternal (Psalm 90:1-2). There will be no end to the joy and pleasure and delight we have in God. In fact, we will forever be growing in our love for God as we continually learn of his inexhaustible glory and splendor. We will join the chorus in the throne room of heaven, forever proclaiming the holiness of our great God (cf. Isaiah 6:3).

7. Soon: Are You Ready for Heaven?

We don’t know when Jesus will return and bring this world to its consummated end (Matthew 24:36), but we know that our life will end soon. James writes, “For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). We must be ready for heaven because we don’t know when this life will end. But in light of eternity, even 80 or 90 years of life is but a mist. The only way to be ready is to turn from your sin and trust in Jesus Christ.

Some questions about heaven will have to wait until we get there. But you can meditate on heaven using these seven words to help your mind focus on the Bible’s wonderous teaching. Heaven will be an amazing reality that we will have to experience to fully appreciate. We will never grow bored or tired of heaven because we will be with our Savior!

At the end of the Narnia series, C.S. Lewis shares what is one of the loveliest descriptions of heaven outside of scripture. May these words bolster your longing for heaven:

“And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us, this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them, it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now, at last, they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Pastor Spencer Harmon also contributed to this blog. Check out the midweek classes taught by Pastor Richard and Pastor Spencer on Heaven, Hell, and Eternity.