Heaven seems almost inconceivable. As a young child I can remember attempting to comprehend time without end … infinity. What would Heaven be like?
One year ago our family took a trip to discover our roots and continue in the study of history we have so loved throughout our time home schooling. Switzerland, what seems to me like Heaven, beckoned to us. These are some of the photos we took while there. But this is not about us or our trip; this is all about what God has done when He said:
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” John 14: 1-4
**A kind reader from Switzerland has given us a translation (see comment line) :
“Okay! We got it! I’m so excited. I thought it might be a verse from the Bible. One of my Swiss friends figured it out. Here is the scoop. It says, in a Swiss dialect, “God will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” -Psalm 121:3
~~Blessings, Elisa!”
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Randy Alcorn’s masterful book Heaven invites us to picture Heaven the way Scripture (both Old and New Testaments) describes it ~ as a joyously alive physical New Earth, free from sin, suffering, and death, and filled with wondrous natural beauty, continual learning and discovery, the richness of human culture, and most importantly the personal presence of Christ.
Here are some of the things he shares on what Heaven will be like:
~ “Many think of eternity as a non-earthly spiritual state in which Earth is but a distant memory. This faulty theology accuses God of failure. Understanding and anticipating the physical nature of the New Earth corrects a multitude of errors. It frees us to love the world that God has made, while saying no to the world corrupted by our sin. It reminds us that God Himself gave us the earth, gave us a love for it, and will delight to give us a New Earth.
~ “Revelation 21: 1 ~ 22: 5 gives us an understanding of what Heaven will be like. When Revelation 21: 1 speaks of “a new heaven and a new earth”, it indicates a transformation of the entire universe. The Greek word kainos, translated, “new’, indicates that the earth God creates will be new in quality and superior in character.
~”Paul uses the same word, kainos, when he speaks of a believer becoming a new creation (2 Cor. 5: 17). The New Earth will be the same as the old Earth, just as a new Christian is the same person he was before. Different? Yes. But also the same.
~”A common misunderstanding about the eternal heaven is that it will be unfamiliar. But the Bible tells us that Heaven is our home. Everything here speaks of time with significant people: playing, talking, eating, reading, eating, and worshiping together. Heaven will be just like that. We’ll be with people we love, and we’ll love no one more than Jesus, who purchased with His own blood the real estate of the New Earth.
~”We’re told that the “first earth” will pass away (Revelation 21: 1). The word for “first” is prote, suggesting a vital connection between the two Earths. The first Earth serves as a prototype or pattern for the New Earth. There’s continuity between the old and new. We should expect new trees and flowers, new rocks and mountains, new rivers and animals. As our current bodies are the blueprints for our resurrection bodies, this present Earth is the blueprint for the New Earth.
~”On the New Earth we won’t have to leave the city to find natural beauty. It will be incorporated into the city, with the river of life as its source. (Revelation 22: 1-2)
~ “We are a displaced people (strangers, sojourners), longing for our home. C.S. Lewis said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
~ “God’s glory will be the air we breathe, and we’ll always breathe deeper to gain more of it. However great the wonders of Heaven, God Himself is Heaven’s greatest prize.
~ “If it was our idea that God would serve us, it would be blasphemy. But it’s His idea! As husbands serve their wives and parents serve their children, God desires to serve us. God will be the chef~ He’ll prepare us a meal. In Heaven, God will overwhelm us with his humility and grace.
“On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all the peoples.” Isaiah 25: 6
“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64: 4
~ “Will we always be on our faces at Christ’s feet, worshiping Him? No, because Scripture says we’ll be doing many other things ~ living in dwelling places, eating and drinking, reigning with Christ, and working for Him. Scripture speaks of people traveling in and out of the city and gathering at feasts. Nevertheless, all we do will be an act of worship. At times this will crescendo into greater heights of praise as we assemble with the multitudes who are also worshiping Him.”
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” ~ Ecclesiastes 3: 11
~ “God’s plan for the ages is “to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (Ephesians 1: 10). This verse corresponds precisely to the culmination of history that we see enacted in Revelation 21, the merging together of the once separate realms of Heaven and Earth, fully under Christ’s lordship.”
(taken fromRandy Alcorn’s book Heaven)
I am ready!! Are you?
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Welcome Back, Everyone!!
It’s ‘Encouraging One Another’ Wednesday 
Rules for this Link up:
- Please use the Linky Tools below to link up an encouraging post that will help our families grow stronger! This could include topics such as: character-building or homemaking skills, cleaning, cooking, gardening, an alternative medicine tip, devotions, a special photo, scripture, or any other topic that would be of encouragement to someone.
- Please grab the HTML code in the text box below the button on the sidebar, and paste it into your post to link back.
- If you are unable for some reason to put the button your post, please make sure you link back to this post!
Ideas for this link up:
- Visit a fellow blogger who linked-up and comment on their post.
- Spread the word so we can learn more ideas on keep our families growing! If you’re not participating today, I hope you’ll come back & join in next week!
~ Jacqueline
Words and photos go together so well this week. what a beautiful place to visit as well. the tops photo catches so much in one image. ~hugs~
Your post has brought me nearer to God this morning. Thank you. I have read Alcorn’s book before, yet these Switzerland images along with the quotes bring the “first world-new world” idea into ever clearer focus. Some books are worth reading again and again. Because of this post, I’m picking up my copy of Heaven again tonight. Thank you for the gift of something wonderful to think upon all day–Heaven!
Jacque! Your photos are absolutely breathtaking! What an awesome time you must have had. The beauty is what is striking me. I have often thought that the Lord could have made our world black and white but didn’t because everything we see is a shadow or reflection of who He is. Beauty is important. Thanks for sharing the beauty that you saw with me today! It stirs up the desire for beauty.
I really hope to join soon. Pray that I can organize myself a little more. Wednesday’s we are out with piano lessons and Tuesdays my older children are involved with puppets at church…a need for running them places right now.
Jacqueline,
A very relaxing post. And thanks for visiting me. The ” inspirational places to visit” was easy to install – even for me. I consider myself computer-illiterate. 
I just used the “configure blog list” gadget and put the title at the top.
Thanks for the beautiful words…and photos to match.
Have a blessed day,
Lisa
Lisa,
Thank you. It was a joy to write and the Lord helped it to flow! Also, I will try the configure blog list gadget! Actually, my daughter helps me with many of these ‘new to me’ things!
I enjoy seeing your photos from far-a-way lands ….and such beautiful thoughts on heaven! I love to ponder it. I also really enjoyed your photos last Wednesday. We are currently studying the Reformation (my favorite time period!). So much inspiration there. I hope to add a post later tonight or tomorrow, and check out some of the other posts. Wednesdays are busy here as well. Blessings!
Beautiful pictures! Why does the one cow have such a huge cow bell on? Hannah and I are curious.
Amanda
The bells now are given as prizes in the many dairy competitions there. it is a very prestigious thing , and the bigger the bell, the better the cow has done at the show!
We have one photo of a home with about 15 huge bells (too big for a big cow to wear) all lined up in display on the railing of their porch. It must be like the trophies sports figures get!!
Thanks for sharing this, Jacque. I remember having a conversation once with someone who felt that it was just going to be God and her in heaven…as if she would be oblivious to anyone but him. This just never set right with me. We are such relational being. God made us that way. Why would he remove all that? Beautiful pictures and wonderful thoughts. My kids get excited about the new earth, thinking perhaps God will remake dinosours again and they will get to ride or fly on them.
Who knows, right?
Beautiful images of Switzerland – my homeland – born and raised. I have my (Swiss) people working on the translation. I got half of it, but I want them to double check it..so I’ll let you know when we figure it out.
I am so excited! I thought it was something like, “God please keep my foot from slipping…”, but I can’t be sure! Since there are different influences of language in the whole of the country, it will be a pleasure to figure it out! Elisa
I loved being there with my family. We didn’t want to leave! Glad you came and maybe can help!!! Blessings!
Jacqueline, it’s wonderful to make your acquaintance, and I’m so grateful that you pointed out this post to me. It is beautiful, and like many things of beauty here, it gave me a longing for heaven. I like how CS Lewis put it: “our best havings are wantings”. I too, loved Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven, and loved reading again those passages you’d chosen. When I saw your photo of the river, it took my breath away. And someday, we’ll see the one we’ve been longing for.
Yes, Connie, the one running through the center of the city of the new Jerusalem!! With fruit trees bearing its fruit every month (ah! so there will be time!)
What joy there will be!! Thank you Connie!
Thank you for visiting my blog! It was such a surprise to find that the tilapia and the blueberries went together so well, but one I plan to repeat. In fact, I am putting together that same meal for a freezer meal for a family whose mother has cancer. It is good to have tasty meals to share with others.
I love your pictures of Switzerland. I really hope to take my kids to see more of the world as they get older – and once my husband is out of the military. What an adventure! Looking forward to more!
Okay! We got it! I’m so excited. I thought it might be a verse from the Bible. One of my Swiss friends figured it out. Here is the scoop. It says, in a Swiss dialect: “Gott wird dein Fuss nit gleiten lan, und der dich hat in Liebi, der schlaft nicht sonder wacht.”, translated to High-German: “Gott wird deinen Fuss nicht gleiten lassen, und der dich behütet, schläft nicht.” Translation: “God will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber.” or another version: “God will not allow your foot to slip; or your guardian to sleep.” -Psalm 121:3
~~Blessings, Elisa
Oi Jaqueline! Esta semana foi muito corrida para mim. Não tive tempo de fazer meu post para seu site. Mas Hoje me edifiquei lendo seu texto e ver suas lindas fotos! Que lugares lindos você visitou! Que flores, que céu, que casas! Que paisagens! Só de pensar que o céu é melhor que mais lindo, nos encoraja a caminhar para o alvo que é morar com Deus! Abraços com amor fraternal!
Hi Jacqueline! This week was very busy for me. I have not had time to do my post to your website. But now I have built reading your text and see your beautiful photos! What beautiful places you have visited! What flowers that heaven, which houses! What landscapes! To think that heaven is better than more beautiful, encourages us to move towards the target which is to live with God! Hugs with brotherly love!
I love this post! The photos are incredible, and make me yearn for the New Earth! Thanks for sharing!
I absolutely love this post. I delight in this post! This post has brought so much comfort and thought tonight. It makes me want to have a conversation about it! I am going to order Randy Alcorn’s book. How can I even fathom God? His love and grace is so overwhelming that it humbles me at the thought. My mind cannot even comprehend Him. Switzerland looks absolutely beautiful, and it really paints a picture for me. Thank you for such a beautiful post!
My ex-husband was bought up in Switzerland… he told me how pretty it is.. I would love to visit there one day. The photos certainly look heavenly… thanks for sharing them!