What is Heaven like?

Here we go with another religious subject, but this one fascinates me.

When you think of Heaven, do you imagine wearing a white robe, floating among the clouds and playing a harp? This is a popular image of Heaven. I for one think it's boring. I would rather be drinking an Irish beer and dancing.

The fact is that the Bible has clues about what Heaven is like, but it's hidden in metaphorical language. One of the main clues is in John 2 when Jesus is called upon to change water into wine. This was a wedding feast at Cana to which Jesus, Mary His mother, and His disciples were invited. The wedding party ran out wine. Believe me this was a huge problem and embarrassment back then. Wedding feasts are a time of joy, eating and drinking, and wine is the drink of choice. Mary asks Jesus to help out and He changes water into wine, at least 120 gallons of it, and as one would expect, it's really good wine. I don't care how many people were invited, but I can guarantee you that they were going to have a good time with 120 gallons of good wine.

What does this have to with Heaven? This metaphor of a wedding feast being the relationship between God and His People is mentioned in the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. John the Baptist also uses this reference in John 3:28 in which he terms Jesus as the bridegroom and we, as the collective bride, standing and hearing him, rejoicing greatly at the bridegroom's voice.

The most emphatic reference to a wedding feast is in Mathew 22:2-14. This is where Jesus tells the parable of the king's wedding feast. He sends his son out to solicit people to attend and his son is killed. He ends up sending his army out to kill those people. Then, he relates how the king sends out more invitations and everyone makes excuses so he sends his servants out to bring in people no matter what they are. But, in one case a person shows up without a wedding garment and is thrown out. Again, this is a powerful metaphor for Heaven, a feast where we will make merry but we need to be pure to attend. Remember that the Kingdom of God is in fact Heaven.

There are three notable references to a wedding feast in the Old Testament:

Genesis 29:22 where Leban gathered all men to the place and made a feast. In this case it was the marriage of Jacob.

Judges 14:2. This is where Samson told his parents that he saw a woman named Timnah and he wanted her as his wife and that meant a wedding feast.

Esther 2:18. The king throws a big banquet for Esther.

The Old Testament speaks of the Lord being the bridegroom and the people of Israel being the bride, and that God expected fidelity, which the people failed at and caught hell for it, as in Isaiah 54:4. Here Isaiah tells the people that the Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit, a wife who married young, only to be rejected.

The New Testament speaks of Jesus being the bridegroom and the people being the bride, establishing a relationship that resembles a marriage, and a marriage requires a feast.

I think from all of this that God wants us to think of Heaven as being a joyous place, a place of enjoyment. It's an analogy that makes sense. This message appears all through the Bible and it's the way that God is trying to tell us that we should look forward to being with Him forever in bliss that is unimaginable. Heaven is definitely a joyful place and a place of rejoicing, and it will definitely have good wine.

Thanks for reading.