What is Heaven Like?

Marriage at the Resurrection

18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

What is heaven like?  The answer, we really don't know.  There are a few passages in scripture that allude to what it will be like and this is one of them.  The context is that as Jesus nears Jerusalem the Pharisees and Saduccees are looking for any way to trap him in an error so they can discredit him.  Equally important to the context is the role of the Sadducees.

David Guzik bible commentator has this to say about them, 

"The Sadducees were well educated, sophisticated, influential and wealthy. They did not believe in immortality, spirits, or angels. The purpose of their question was to make the idea of resurrection seem absurd."

Jesus fights fire with fire.  First, he takes on their belief that there is no resurrection.  Basically they are saying when a person dies that's it.  No afterlife. No eternal life.  Jesus points to the story in the Old Testament when God spoke to Moses from a burning bush.  In addressing Moses God refers to himself as "the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob".   If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not continue to live, why would God say He is their God, speaking in the present tense. He would have said that He was their God. Therefore, even the Old Testament teaches a resurrection. (Guzik)

So what does heaven look like?  Some religions describe it as a place where man's every desire is fuflilled.  Lavish gardens, luscious fruit trees that are always ripe, and streets paved with gold. Note most of the ways we try to desribe it has to do with what we will be getting in heaven.  What's in it for us? 

Specifically this passage says we will be like, "angels in heaven".  Strictly speaking angels were messengers of God in the bible.  We certainly know of the angel Gabriel from the gospel stories surrounding the virgin birth of Mary. Gabriel spoke to Zechariah, Elizabeth and dramatically to the Virgin Mary to announce she was with child. In Revelation, the archangel Michael leads God's armies against Satan's forces in the Book of Revelation, where during the war in heaven he defeats Satan.  Other passages describe angels as  those who worship God day and night in the temple.  They glorify God all day long.  These traits give us an idea of what heaven might be like, but even these descriptions seems to be found wanting.  

So here is my theory based on what I see in scripture.  I believe heaven will be so unlike anything on earth that there is no way to describe it that does it justice.  My take on heaven is two ideas the scriptures put forth.  One, what we have believed in by faith we will see face to face.  We will meet the Lord up close and personal when we enter his kingdom.  Secondly, I am comforted that in heaven there will be no more tears, sickness and mourning for the old has passed away and the new has come. (Revelation 3:20) That's enough for me.  Can't wait to get there, can you?