Will Heaven Be Boring?

Author and theologian, John Piper, has a podcast called, “Ask Pastor John.” In a recent episode Piper addressed an issue raised by a listener named Mason, who wrote, “I have been struggling with the concept of eternity lately.”

After explaining his recent study from various sources about eternity and heaven, Mason then shared this perplexing concern. “I struggle to process something with no end. How will we not get bored?”

I admit that the problem of heaven becoming boring has never been a thought I’ve entertained. However, a quick google search revealed this is apparently a concern that many people express. So, what insights can we glean from Scripture?

First of all, the concept of eternity is difficult to grasp. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes 3:1 wrote. “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” We are limited in our thinking by the constraints of time and space. However, in the next life there will be no such restrictions in a timeless existence.

Secondly, everything we know for sure about the after life, heaven, and eternity is revealed in the Bible. But how does God explain such deep concepts? They can only be enunciated in terms that the human mind can comprehend. The book of Revelation employs figurative language to describe the grandeur of heaven with expressions like “streets of gold.” “Pearly gates.” And a “river clear as crystal” running through the city” with the”tree of life” in the state of perpetually bearing fruit.

Thirdly, 1 Corinthians 15 explains that when we are resurrected from the grave at Christ’s coming, our fleshly body will be changed into a spiritual body that is incorruptible, raised in power and glory. If we have a new and better body, then we will possess a fresh perspective, illuminated insight, and a deeper and more profound awareness.

I can’t imagine heaven being boring because…

#1 It will be a place of unadulterated righteousness.

In heaven there will be no sin. Nothing that defiles. Nothing vulgar. Nothing immoral. Nothing contemptible. (Rev. 21:8, 27). Imagine living in an environment with nothing profane or putrid to vex our souls. Heaven is a place of goodness, godliness, and graciousness.

#2 It will be a place of celestial beauty.

The world in which we live with its magnificent mountains, lush valleys, tropical landscapes, and gorgeous sunsets, is but a foretaste of the glory and grandeur of heaven. That land of unclouded day will be illuminated by the light of God’s glory. Its elegance and charm is compared to a bride on her wedding day adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:2). The flowers never fade. The light never dissipates. And its beauty is never tarnished.

#3 It will be a place of absolute happiness.

No tears in heaven, no sorrows given
All will be glory in that land
There’ll be no sadness all will be gladness
When we shall join that happy band.

These words by the hymnist Robert S. Arnold remind us of the promise in Revelation 21:4. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Imagine a life with no pain. No sickness. No disease. No hospitals. No nursing homes. And no funeral homes.

In heaven there will be no children suffering from MS. No aged saints whose bodies are twisted with arthritis. No war veterans missing arms or legs.

Heaven is a place where my friends Matthew Eager and Pat Hillard will get out of their wheel chairs and walk again.

#4 It will be a place of Divine and Unequaled Association.

We will know Jesus and see Him as He is (1 Jn. 3:2). We will dwell in the awesome presence of our Heavenly Father. We will meet the cloud of witnesses and heroes of faith from Hebrews 11. Think of visiting with and talking to Noah. Abraham. Joseph. Moses. Joshua. Daniel. The three Hebrew boys. Don’t you want to meet Paul? Peter? James? And John? And hear what it was like to walk with Jesus and plant the first seeds of the gospel message?

In heaven we’ll be reunited with our loved ones. Mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters will enjoy a perfect, loving relationship with no conflict, jealousy, or bitter rivalry.

No, heaven won’t be boring. It’s going to be a 1,000 times better, greater and more glorious than anything our moral minds can imagine.

C. S. Lewis was right when he wrote, “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.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman