D. L. Moody once shared the story of a little girl who leaned close to her dying father and asked, “Papa, do you have a home in the place where you’re going?” Her question pierced through all illusions of earthly security. Houses, accomplishments, and wealth cannot travel with us into eternity. Scripture presses the same question upon every heart: Do you have a home in heaven?
This past Sunday, we looked more closely at what the Bible teaches about the Present Heaven, the place where Christ now reigns and where believers immediately enter His presence after death. God gives us these truths not to satisfy mere curiosity but to anchor our hope, comfort our griefs, and strengthen our resolve to live for Christ.
Scripture speaks of heaven with remarkable clarity. It is not an abstraction or a poetic idea; it is a real, created realm where God manifests His glory. The Bible describes thrones, worship, robes, voices, and celebrations. The risen Christ is there bodily, reigning at the Father’s right hand. Heaven is not less real than earth; it is more real, unmarred by sin and decay.
Understanding this helps correct the vague cultural images many of us carry. Heaven is not a cloud-like dreamscape. It is a physical, vibrant, joy-filled place, our true home.
While Scripture does not give coordinates, it consistently points us upward. Jesus ascended up; Stephen saw Christ by looking up; angels tell us that Christ will return from above. This is not accidental language; it reflects a true but presently unseen reality. Heaven exists within God’s creation, yet in a dimension veiled from our earthly eyes.
Yet “hiddenness” doesn’t mean distance. As Stephen’s vision shows, the Present Heaven is nearer than we imagine; close, active, and utterly real.
The Bible gives us rich glimpses of life immediately after death for believers. In passages like Luke 16 and Revelation 6, we see that God’s people remain fully themselves, conscious, remembering, speaking, asking questions, longing for justice, and worshipping with joy. Identity is not erased; it is perfected.
There is no soul-sleep, no loss of personhood, no drifting in the void. Believers are alive in the presence of their Redeemer, enjoying fellowship with the saints, awaiting the day of resurrection with hope.
This truth pushes back against every distorted view of the afterlife. In heaven, God’s people are not diminished. They are fully awake to glory.
One of the most comforting themes explored on Sunday was the biblical evidence that believers in heaven are aware, at least to some meaningful degree, of what takes place on earth. The martyrs in Revelation 6 know that justice is unfinished. The saints in Revelation 19 rejoice over God’s works on earth. Hebrews 12 portrays a “great cloud of witnesses” surrounding and encouraging us.
This does not mean we pray to the saints; Scripture forbids that. But it does mean we are not running our race alone. The people of God who have finished their race testify by their own lives: “Christ is worth it. Keep going.”
The saints in heaven are not indifferent spectators. They know what it is to fight sin, endure trials, and trust Christ through suffering. Their witness calls us to persevere. When feeling exhausted in this race, remember their lives and know that they are cheering you on to the finish line.
The Present Heaven is not far-off or theoretical. It is the real home of Christ and His people, a place of joy, justice, worship, and waiting. And one day, the Lord Himself will bring us there.
Until then, may this heavenly hope shape how we live, how we suffer, how we pray, and how we run the race set before us.
“Set your minds on things above, where Christ is.”
Heaven Is a Real Place Where God Dwells
Heaven Is “Up” - A Real but Hidden Location
What Believers Are Like in the Present Heaven
A Cloud of Witnesses: Are the Saints Aware of Us?
Running With Hope