Elder’s Corner: I Can Only Imagine

No, I’m not talking about the song by Mercy Me or the great movie it inspired, but it is a phrase I sometimes use when I try to describe what Heaven will be like. At the funeral of a dear friend recently, I shared some scriptures which give us a glimpse of what the future holds. 1 Corinthians 2:9 shares an Old Testament passage from Isaiah 64 when it states “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Jesus gives us some words of assurance about our future residence recorded in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you; I go to prepare a place for you. If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

John (the writer of the book of Revelation) tries to describe what Heaven will be like. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Rev. 21:3-4 NASB). 

John then tries to capture the magnitude and magnificence of the place God has for believers. It is a difficult task to do: trying to describe a heavenly realm in human terms. The great width, height, and length of the city all being equal. Large pearls form each of the 12 gates (3 on each side). The foundations are adorned with 12 kinds of precious stones. The streets are pure gold, like transparent glass. Verses 22-23, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

The bottom line is this: I want to be there—not because it is so beautiful, or even pain and sorrow free, but because the One who loves me most is there. He made you and me in His image and wants to have a friendship with us now (while we are still in this imperfect world), and He wants us to be forever together with Him.

—Alan