Questions to God: What is heaven like? February 8, 2026

What is heaven like? Will we know our loved ones when we get to heaven? Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven using parables. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. The kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who planted a field. The kingdom of heaven is like a pearl. Despite these teachings, we don’t have a concrete understanding of what the kingdom of heaven is like.

So, what does the Bible tell us about heaven? Scripture says, the kingdom of heaven is where God is the ruler, where God’s will is done, that exists now and not yet. However, when we think of heaven, we generally mean something specific in the afterlife. For example, a place of paradise, reward, happiness, or freedom from pain.

Many of us have likely formed beliefs about heaven, but we really can’t know if we’re right or wrong until we die. Jesus was the only one who died and came back to tell us about it, and he didn’t say much. Instead, Jesus focused on inviting us to follow him. Jesus repeatedly told us about God’s love, and we are like God when we are at our best—loving, peace-filled, courageous, and giving.

Ultimately, we can believe in the next life because Jesus said it was so. We can only trust that we will have closeness with God and that we will recognize our loved one who are already there. Guessing about what heaven is like from this side of the gave changes nothing, except everything that we believe about heaven in the next life affects our lives today. Like Jesus said, when we believe that heaven is where God’s will is done, then we start living today by doing God’s will today