What Is Heaven Like? – October 16, 2023

Read: Isaiah 25:6-9

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 25:6-8

What Is Heaven Like?

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Everybody wants to know what heaven is like, but no part of the Bible describes what exactly happens in heaven. Maybe heaven is too good for humans to understand. Maybe there aren’t happy enough words to describe heaven. Maybe God just wants to keep it a surprise. When God teaches about heaven, he describes incredible things on earth and tells us it’s even better than that.

One thing is for sure, heaven will not be boring. Some people worry that we will sit on clouds for a never-ending concert of lame music and sleepy speeches. Sometimes cartoons show heaven like that, but the Bible says something quite different.

In Isaiah, chapter 25, God describes heaven. It will be like a great earthly party. The food is awesome. A feast of the richest foods. Back in Isaiah’s day, most people ate bland stuff like oatmeal and unbuttered bread. Rich food would be steak, honey, or sugar—even spicy chips or peppers if you like that kind of food. When you smell your favorite food, the smile on your face and the happiness in your tummy, that’s what heaven is like, only better.

Then there are the drinks. Isaiah drank mostly water, but at the party he describes wine. Nowadays kids drink juice. The sweet flavor of tasty drinks, that’s what heaven is like, only better.

No death will be there. Parties on earth are fun, but eventually they end. We have other stuff to do, and some of it is not fun. In heaven, we’ll never need to stop having fun because nothing ever ends. There is no death.

That means there are no tears. Maybe tears from laughing too hard, but no sadness or crying. God wipes all that away.

God also removes our disgrace. Nobody is ever embarrassed because Jesus has taken away all our mistakes.

Best of all: God is there. God, who invented food and drinks, laughter and singing, the creator of all happiness, is in heaven, and he wants to spend time with you.

How do you get to this heavenly party? Not by obeying rules or working hard. You get there by trusting God. Everyone who trusts God goes to heaven. Who wouldn’t want that? You’d be crazy to say no to God’s epic heavenly party. So rejoice. You and I are headed to heaven. Isaiah was right, “Let us be glad in his salvation.”

Closing Prayer:

Jesus, calm our hearts in this crazy world and help us focus on the wonderful eternity waiting for us. Keep us excited about our heavenly home so that we constantly stay close to you. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Can you list three things Isaiah tells us about heaven?
• What are some differences between heaven and earth?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What questions would you ask if you were interviewing Jesus about heaven?
• How could you convince someone that heaven is not boring?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Can you elaborate on the reason why God doesn’t tell us details about heaven?
• Create a list of things that don’t get a person into heaven and another list of things that do get a person into heaven.