The Everlasting Joys of Heaven: heaven won’t be a place where believers only stand around Christ to worship and sing for eternity. People (especially unbelievers) sometimes think that heaven will be a boring place.
Some joke that hell will be more interesting. The Bible tells us that it will be a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mat 13:50). See also 2 Thess 1:9. Interesting isn’t a word I’d use.
But, although being in the presence of Christ and enjoying a relationship with the Triune God will be joy inexpressible, there will be more activities than singing and worshiping. In his book, The Fathers on the Future, Michael Svigel cites an encouraging sermon by Charles Spurgeon (page 286).
Charles Spurgeon
Now, even in heaven the holy ones need guiding, and Jesus leads the way. While he is guiding, he points out to his people the secret founts and fresh springs which as yet they have not tasted. As eternity goes on, I have no doubt that the Saviour will be indicating fresh delights to his redeemed. “Come hither,” saith he to his flock, “here are yet more flowing streams.” He will lead them on and on, by the century, aye, by the chiliad, from glory unto glory, onward and upward in growing knowledge and enjoyment.
Continually will he conduct his flock to deeper mysteries and higher glories. Never will the inexhaustible God who has given himself to be the portion of his people ever be fully known, so that there will eternally be sources of freshness and new delight, and the Shepherd will continue to lead his flock to these living fountains of water. He will guide them,
“‘From glory unto glory’ that ever lies before,
Still widening, adoring, rejoicing more and more,
Still following where he leadeth, from shining field to field,
Himself our goal of glory, Revealer and Revealed!”
The Last Battle
On the same page, Svigel cites a passage from C. S. Lewis’ The Last Battle in The Chronicles of Narnia,
And for us this is the end of the story of all stories, and we can most truly say 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.
Archibald Alexander
In Thoughts on Religious Experience, Archibald Alexander writes,
It need not be supposed that saints in heaven will be continually employed in nothing but praise. This, indeed, will be their noblest employment; and the anthems of praise to God and the Lamb will never cease; but may we not reasonably suppose that the exercises and pursuits of the saints will be various? The wonderful works of God will be open to contemplation….
We are slow to learn earthly things; how then can we comprehend those which are heavenly? But if we are the children of God, we shall experience of these celestial employments and never-ending joys. (Pages 286, 287)
Scripture
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. Rom 8:18-19
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”– these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 1Cor 2:9-10
Maranatha!
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