While there undoubtedly will be familiar things for believers to enjoy in the afterlife, I don’t think our experiences in heaven* will simply be amplifications of the best of our earthly life. Heaven is ultimately not about spectacular mountain vistas or quiet walks on the beach or pursuing our interests without interruption. It is about being with God, who is the ultimate source of whatever is True and Beautiful and Good.
So while I cannot say whether there will be dogs or golf or fast cars or other good earthly things waiting for us when believers make the journey from life to Life, I can say that we will not miss whatever is not there. All our fondest expectations and deepest longings will be superabundantly satisfied as we gaze into the face of Christ and experience the joy of entering His kingdom.
*”Heaven” including the promised new heaven and new earth at the end of time.
About Stan Guthrie
Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers.
Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's Tell Me More, WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio's New Day Florida. A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
While there undoubtedly will be familiar things for believers to enjoy in the afterlife, I don’t think our experiences in heaven* will simply be amplifications of the best of our earthly life. Heaven is ultimately not about spectacular mountain vistas or quiet walks on the beach or pursuing our interests without interruption. It is about being with God, who is the ultimate source of whatever is True and Beautiful and Good.
