If you could talk to somebody who had been to heaven and come back what would you ask them? Books have been written and movies made about people who went to heaven and came back. They tell remarkable stories about what they saw and heard in heaven. Like you, I am interested in their findings. I only offer one cautionary note for us: we should not equate their experience with scripture. And if there is disagreement, I side with the Bible every time.
John claimed to go to heaven and he also came back. After Jesus gave him messages for seven churches in the first century, John noticed that the door to heaven was standing wide open. What was the first thing John saw in heaven? A throne with Someone sitting on it. The One on the throne was not alone. Twenty four elders and four living creatures were around the throne. These six-winged, many-eyed creatures were busy saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty who was and is and is to come.” Aha! Finally we have clear evidence that they sing the old hymns in heaven! Actually, the old hymn writers chose these texts to write their words.
What do they do in heaven? Well the angels worship God in his holiness and the elders worship God for all his worth as the Creator of all things by casting their crowns before his feet. John went to heaven and they were having church! As a child, texts like this gave me pause. “Church . . . forever . . . is there another option?” As an adult, this passage may still give you pause. Remember this is one snapshot of heaven. The rest of the book of the Revelation (not Revelations) shows us even more about heaven. Like a diamond, heaven is multi-faceted. The good news is someday we who believe in Christ will not have to ask someone else who claims to have gone to heaven what it is like. We will know, the same way we are known by Christ. We already know enough, however, to worship the Lord in his holiness and worthiness. We don’t have to wait. We can start now!
