Most of us have seen a movie or two that tried to describe what heaven is going to be like. A lot of songs have been written about heaven. Thousands of books have been written about heaven.

There’s an abundance of commentary about heaven, but I would still contend that the best place to learn about heaven is the Bible.

The Word of God contains some amazing descriptions of what heaven is like. As you read these passages, it is like God is giving us just enough information to really whet our appetites, but He hasn’t completely given away the surprise.

That is due in part, I think, to our limited capacity to understand something that is so amazing and so far beyond us.

The overarching theme of the Bible is that God has bridged the gap between heaven and earth. God has drawn near to us and He has made a way for us to spend eternity with Him. Aren’t you glad?

1 Peter 3:18 is often referred to as the bridge to life verse: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Our Heavenly Father has taken the initiative to restore what was lost when man sinned. Sin is what had separated us from God in the first place. God’s goal is for that relationship to be restored.

You’ll recall that when Jesus came to the earth, He was given the name Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” The central theme of the Bible is that God came near to us. He desires to have a relationship with us. That’s because He loves us.

God could not be content to sit on the sidelines in heaven and wait for us to get there. He wants to be a part of your life in the here and now.

Think of it like this: How many couples get engaged, then never see each other again until the wedding? How would you respond if your future spouse decided not to spend any time together from the time you were engaged until the wedding?

Nobody would do that. That is not the way you live when you are in love.

Sadly, that is exactly how so many people seem to approach their relationship with God. It is like they say, “God, thank you for salvation. We’re done for now. I will see you when I get to heaven.” It doesn’t work like that.

You may read Steve Greene’s blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or you can email him at [email protected].