Comfort and Refuge

At death the soul, freed from the pains, weariness, ills and limitations of the body, begins its highest life. Death is the beginning of the higher life.

CLA

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  Death is the funeral of all our sorrows.

DBB

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Death is the best healing of all, so try not to worry about it. When we die, that’s the final, permanent healing. Our old body finally dies and we are rid of it and free. Then we don’t have any more diseases or troubles. We won’t hurt anymore because we will be in our spiritual body, our new model!

DBB

The twenty-third Psalm is always a great comfort in time of need. It reassures us that the Lord will never depart from us nor leave us comfortless. Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord says that He will be with us. He’ll be with us then to comfort and lead us into a new life forever.

DBB

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PSALM 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want [lack].

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:

For Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

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O death, where is thy sting, O grave, where is thy victory?

1 Corinthians 15:55

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God conceals from men the happiness of death that they may endure life.

Acknowledgments

Quotations credited to CLA are taken from The Good News About Heaven by Charles L. Allen, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations credited to DBB are taken from the writings of David Brandt Berg. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations from Herbert Lockyer are from his book The Life Beyond, published by Fleming H. Revell.

Quotations that are not attributed are from unknown authors.

All Scripture is from the King James (Authorized) ­Version of the Bible, unless otherwise indicated.

Compiled and edited by Phillip Sherwood

No More Tears

Can you visualize a world with no more death, no more pain, no more hunger, no more fear, no more sorrow, no more crying nor sickness, a world where everything is a joy and a pleasure? - A society where everybody works together in harmony, cooperation and love? That’s Heaven!

DBB

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Thank God for Heaven! - That’s where everything will get straightened out and made right!

DBB

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In Heaven we’ll understand why we’ve suffered on Earth. The Apostle Paul explained, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then, face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known [of God]”  (1 Corinthians 13:12).

DBB

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One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible about Heaven is in the 21st chapter of Revelation, the fourth verse. John says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

DBB

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The whole point of Heaven is to relieve us of the suffering, pain, death and tears brought into the world by the evil of humanity. That is why God says that in Heaven there will be no more sorrow, pain, death or crying.

DBB

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He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces.

Isaiah 25:8

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat … and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Revelation 7:16,17

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There are going to be tears in Heaven, because God is going to have to wipe them away. No doubt many of us will cry when we first arrive there and realize just how much our many mistakes have cost and lost. But God will wipe away all these tears, and comfort and encourage us and inspire us for the future, so we can forget the past. There will be tears, but thank God He will wipe them away with His joy. Then there will be no more tears and no more years, only a happy eternity!

DBB

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All the disappointments, broken dreams and deep dark experiences will soon be forgotten and blotted out like a bad dream, when that glorious dawn of Heaven arrives!

DBB

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There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.

Job 3:17

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The only place where we’re going to be completely relieved of pain is in Heaven.

DBB

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There will be no more danger, pollution or destruction, none of these things that we suffer from so much today. Everything will be heavenly, beautiful and natural, the way it was when God first created the earth.

DBB

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The heavenly society will be ruled fairly and well with true freedom, peace, plenty and happiness for all. Isaiah prophesied that in that day, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4).

DBB

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There will be no more weapons or horrible fighting and killing as there are in the world today.  We are going to see a righteous ruler at last, with a righteous government. There will be no more corruption, vice, crime, bribery or crooked politicians, but a righteous government and true justice for all!

DBB

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[God] shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. …

For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

Psalm 72:4,12

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There’ll be no more big powers and oppressed poor - only fairness and justice for all, and eternal happiness. So if you’re looking for the perfect city and the perfect government in the perfect country with perfect people, just wait a little while longer - it’s coming!

DBB

Acknowledgments

Quotations credited to CLA are taken from The Good News About Heaven by Charles L. Allen, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations credited to DBB are taken from the writings of David Brandt Berg. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations from Herbert Lockyer are from his book The Life Beyond, published by Fleming H. Revell.

Quotations that are not attributed are from unknown authors.

All Scripture is from the King James (Authorized) ­Version of the Bible, unless otherwise indicated.

Compiled and edited by Phillip Sherwood

Reunion with Loved Ones

One of the best things about Heaven is that we will be able to reunite with loved ones who have already passed on. It will be the greatest family reunion we’ve ever known, with our loved ones, relatives and ancestors all together in one place at the same time, rejoicing. All together at last!

DBB

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Very often people come to me and say: “Mr. Moody, do you think we shall know each other in Heaven?” Very often it is a mother who has lost a dear child, and who wishes to see it again. Sometimes it is a child who has lost a mother, a father; and who wants to recognize them in Heaven. There is a verse in Scripture in answer to this, and that is: “We shall be satisfied” (Psalm 17:15).  It is all I want to know. My brother who went up there the other day I shall see, because I shall be satisfied. We will see all those we loved on Earth up there, and if we loved them here, we will love them ten thousand times more when we meet them there.

Dwight L. Moody

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After death we are not disembodied spirits. Somewhere in God’s wonderful creation there is a place where we can again be with those we have loved and lost for a while.

CLA

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“All love is of God,” the Apostle John reminds us, and because love cannot be buried in a coffin, the beautiful but broken relationships of Earth are resumed in the Father’s home above where, as members of the same family, we dwell together in perfect harmony.

H. Lockyer

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Excerpt of a letter from Ben Franklin to the widow of his brother John, Feb. 22, 1756

Dear Child,

I condole with you. We have lost a most dear and valuable relation, but it is the will of God and Nature that these mortal bodies be laid aside, when the soul is to enter into real life: ’tis rather an embryo state, a preparation for living.

A man is not completely born until he is dead. Why then should we grieve that a new child is born among the immortals? A new member added to their happy society?

That bodies should be lent to us is a kind and benevolent act of God. When they become unfit for these purposes and afford us pain instead of pleasure - instead of an aid, become an encumbrance and answer none of the intentions for which they were given - it is equally kind and benevolent that a way is provided by which we may get rid of them.

 Death is that way. … Why should you and I be grieved at this, since we are soon to follow, and know where to find him.

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THE BEYOND

It seemeth such a little way to me,

Across to that strange country, the Beyond;

And yet, not strange, for it has grown to be

The home of those of whom I am so fond;

They make it seem familiar and most dear,

As journeying friends bring distant countries near.

And so for me there is no sting to death,

And so the grave has lost its victory;

It is but crossing with abated breath

And white, set face, a little strip of sea,

To find the loved ones waiting on the shore,

More beautiful, more precious than before.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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If you have a dear one in Heaven your heart yearns to see, do not despair, for you will meet again. The voice you loved to hear, you will hear again. The identity of the one you were near to on Earth remains the same, and instant recognition will be yours as you meet, never to part again. Your beloved one is only “lost awhile.”

H. Lockyer

There are no “good-byes” in Heaven.

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I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.

Edna St. Vincent Millay

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MY DREAM OF HEAVEN

What Heaven is, I know not; but I long have dreamed of its purple hills and its fields of light, blossoming with immortal beauty; of its brooks of laughter and its rivers of song and its palace of eternal love. … I long have dreamed of opal towers and burnished domes; but what care I for gate of pearl or street of gold, if I can meet the loved ones who have blessed me here, and see the glorified faces of father and mother and the boy brother who died. … What care I for crown of stars and harp of gold if I can love and laugh and sing with them forever in the smile of my Savior and my God.

Bob Taylor

Acknowledgments

Quotations credited to CLA are taken from The Good News About Heaven by Charles L. Allen, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations credited to DBB are taken from the writings of David Brandt Berg. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations from Herbert Lockyer are from his book The Life Beyond, published by Fleming H. Revell.

Quotations that are not attributed are from unknown authors.

All Scripture is from the King James (Authorized) ­Version of the Bible, unless otherwise indicated.

Compiled and edited by Phillip Sherwood

Our Heavenly Bodies

We can’t really understand just how wonderful Heaven will be unless we first know how wonderful each of us will be when we get there.

DBB

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This earthly body is slow and heavy in all its motions, listless and soon tired with action. But our heavenly bodies shall be as fire; as active and as nimble as our thoughts are.

John Wesley

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You are still going to be you. You’ll look a lot the same, only better - much better!

DBB

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Our heavenly bodies are going to be similar to our present ones, only better. We’ll look enough like we do now to recognize and identify each other. We’re going to have a lot of the same characteristics that we have now.

DBB

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 In Heaven, our bodies are going to be the same make, but a new model. Our old, decaying, worn-out natural, physical body will go back to the dust. We will trade it in for an entirely new heavenly model!

DBB

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When Jesus came back from the dead, He still looked like Himself, still felt like Himself, and could still eat, drink, and even cook, just like when He was on Earth. He said to His disciples, “Behold My [nail-pierced] hands and My feet, that it is Myself. Handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have” (Luke 24:39). His followers could actually touch and feel Him, as well as see Him, and yet He was in a miraculous supernatural resurrected body!

 His new body could also materialize or dematerialize, appear or disappear. It could pass from one dimension to the other, and through locked doors and solid walls. (See John 20:19, 26.)

DBB

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We are going to have bodies like Jesus did after He was resurrected. Each of us is going to have a new eternal, glorified body. It will actually be constructed as we are now, of flesh and bones - but eternal flesh and bones, incorruptible, immortal flesh and bones. It’s going to be material, natural, recognizable, seeable and feelable. (See 1 John 3:2.)

DBB

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All of the pleasures of this present physical life can be continued into the next life as well, since we will have a body which is similar to our present physical body, but so much more glorious and wonderful and supernatural. We will be able to eat, drink, be merry and have fun without ever suffering pain or sickness or weariness or death.

DBB

From the accounts of those who have had glimpses of Heaven in visions and revelations, it seems that we do mature somewhat in Heaven. Those who arrive in their youth grow to maturity, while older people appear more middle-aged, in the prime of life.

DBB

Acknowledgments

Quotations credited to CLA are taken from The Good News About Heaven by Charles L. Allen, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations credited to DBB are taken from the writings of David Brandt Berg. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations from Herbert Lockyer are from his book The Life Beyond, published by Fleming H. Revell.

Quotations that are not attributed are from unknown authors.

All Scripture is from the King James (Authorized) ­Version of the Bible, unless otherwise indicated.

Compiled and edited by Phillip Sherwood

Learning, Learning, Learning!

We’re still going to be learning in Heaven. We will still be developing and are not yet absolutely perfect. That’s what the future is all about - to continue the learning process that we have begun here. We’ve all still got a lot to learn!

DBB

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God has a lot of things to teach us in Heaven, things we didn’t learn in this life.

DBB

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Contrary to popular belief, the moment we land in Heaven we don’t immediately know everything! If we did, we’d be God Himself - all-knowing.

God has left that for the rest of time and eternity in order to give us something to do in the hereafter. We’ll be able to learn more about the past and why things happened, as well as God’s logic and purposes and the meaning of it all.

DBB

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Eternity is a constant learning process. It will be another grade, another step, a chance to do what we failed to do before and to learn what we failed to learn before. Thank God for eternity! We’ve all probably got a lot of bad habits to change and failures to make up for. Maybe God will give each of us a chance to meet people who we’ve wronged and straighten things out and tell them we’re sorry.

DBB

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Paul observed, “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7).  He was referring to material things, wealth. However, we will take our knowledge and experience and training from this life with us into the next life.

DBB

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In Heaven, God will reveal what on Earth He chose to conceal.

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In Heaven, a lot of things will be different, but many things are going to be the same, enough so that we’ll still be able to use much of the knowledge, skills, talents and experience that we have gained in this life. God will not allow all the training we have received to be wasted.

DBB

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This life is just your schooling for what you have to do when you graduate.

DBB

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We will be able to travel backward or forward in time and see what has been and what is going to be, as well as experience the glorious wonderful present! We will see, hear, feel and experience the very events of the past, just as they happened.

DBB

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God will probably allow us to ask questions about and discover some of the things we’ve always been curious about. Isn’t it marvelous to think about how we will be able to actually meet and talk to people who lived throughout history?

DBB

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Heaven is not the end: It’s only the beginning!

DBB

Acknowledgments

Quotations credited to CLA are taken from The Good News About Heaven by Charles L. Allen, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations credited to DBB are taken from the writings of David Brandt Berg. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations from Herbert Lockyer are from his book The Life Beyond, published by Fleming H. Revell.

Quotations that are not attributed are from unknown authors.

All Scripture is from the King James (Authorized) ­Version of the Bible, unless otherwise indicated.

Compiled and edited by Phillip Sherwood

A Down-to-Earth Heaven

A lot of people think Heaven is sitting around on a cloud playing a harp all day, doing nothing except being “holy” - and they don’t find it very appealing! Thank God that is not what Heaven is like!

DBB

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Heaven is not a state or condition. Heaven is a place. “I go to prepare a place for you,” promised Jesus. “In My Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2).

CLA

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Heaven is a pretty practical, common sense, down-to-earth place!

DBB

Heaven is not so terribly different from this present existence to where we can’t even comprehend or understand it. Otherwise, when we arrived there, we would be completely lost and we wouldn’t be able to relate to it. 

DBB

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We’re going to be surprised when we discover that things in Heaven are normal and natural, much like this life. Of course, it will be better, much more beautiful and supernatural, without all the troubles, trials, tribulations, suffering, tears and pain we have here. However, it will still be enough like this life that we will survive the change and not suffer some sort of traumatic “culture shock.” It’ll be life very much like we’re living now, only without the bad and evil.

DBB

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Heaven is not a place of eternal rest, but a place of eternal life.

CLA

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Concerning the loved ones who have passed on … do not try to make me believe that they are doing nothing, merely resting, careless ever. That would imply the condition of Hell, not of Heaven.

Campbell Morgan

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We must get away from the traditional idea that the saints in Heaven have one eternal holiday; that they have nothing to occupy them save playing a harp and incessantly singing.

H. Lockyer

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The material universe … even down to the smallest electron, is in motion. Heaven undoubtedly is a very active place. Suns and planets are speeding through the universe at terrific speeds. Nothing could be further from the truth than the old idea that in Heaven the people are just sitting around, or lolling about, with nothing to do - an idle, stagnant life. It is inconsistent to imagine a Heaven in which people would sit under the shade of the trees, or on the bank of the River of Life, twanging a harp - “perhaps a thousand strings” - and spend an eternity in a do-nothing world! … We cannot conceive that God would put us in another world with renewed and enlarged powers of body and mind, and leave us with nothing to do.

Leewin B. Williams

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In Heaven we shall not rest from our work, but from our labors. There will be no toil, no pain in the work.

DBB

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We’re going to have plenty of work to do, but it’s going to be a lot easier than here. There’ll be no sorrow, no sickness, no pain, no weariness, no death, no more tears, no more crying. That’s certainly going to make things easier. We’re going to have rest in Heaven compared to what we’ve had in this life, but we’re also going to have something to do. We’d eventually be unhappy if we didn’t!

DBB

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The thought of eternal rest is boring. If we had nothing to do and no responsibilities, living would become a bore and a burden. Paradise … is a place of beauty because it is a place of growth.

CLA

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After death we are given another chance for the fulfillment of the best in the individual life. Eternal life overcomes all human limitations.

CLA

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I feel within me that future life. I am like a forest that has been razed; the new shoots are stronger and brighter. I shall most certainly rise toward the heavens. … The nearer my approach to the end, the plainer is the sound of immortal symphonies of worlds which invite me. For half a century I have been translating my thoughts into prose and verse: history, philosophy, drama, romance, tradition, satire, ode, and song; all of these I have tried. But I feel I haven’t given utterance to the thousandth part of what lies within me. When I go to the grave I can say, as others have said, “My day’s work is done.” But I cannot say, “My life is done.” My work will recommence the next morning. The tomb is not a blind alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes upon the twilight, but opens upon the dawn.

Victor Hugo

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Death is the opposite of retiring. Jesus made a promise to those who are faithful in this life: “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:23). Death is the emancipation of the soul into greater activity.

CLA

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The future life is where we will go on helping to bring the universe to perfection, which is God’s grand ultimate aim. [The purpose of life] is to help God run the universe. Everyone in that better land will be busy all the time, and the environment will be perfect all the time for doing the work which God assigns to all.

Edwin Markham

Acknowledgments

Quotations credited to CLA are taken from The Good News About Heaven by Charles L. Allen, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations credited to DBB are taken from the writings of David Brandt Berg. Reprinted by permission.

Quotations from Herbert Lockyer are from his book The Life Beyond, published by Fleming H. Revell.

Quotations that are not attributed are from unknown authors.

All Scripture is from the King James (Authorized) ­Version of the Bible, unless otherwise indicated.

Compiled and edited by Phillip Sherwood