It wouldn’t take long for me to dissect the popular song Heaven is a Place on Earth in such a way as to show Christians that there isn’t much truth to that concept. We don’t get to create our own heaven in this life. Piles of money, exhilarating life experiences, endless fame, or even true love, good friends, and a healthy family will not do the trick. Since Genesis 3, this earth has been saturated with sin and death. Heaven, for the Christian, is indeed a true hope. But it is a hope that will only be fully fulfilled in one of two ways: our death or Christ’s return. There is no “best life now”. The best life is yet to come.

There is a ditch that comes with this understanding of our future restoration and hope, however. This is the ditch of believing that this life is utterly hopeless, joyless, and ultimately meaningless. It is simply a waiting room for the next life.

I would like to propose that, despite my introduction paragraph, there actually is a sense in which heaven can be had on earth. At least, a piece of it certainly can. It is a veiled and shadowy experience of the heavenly realities that are yet to come, but a true experience nonetheless.

I’m not referring to physical prosperity. I’m not referring to the Church ushering in some kind of Shalom (though I do believe churches should be having a positive impact on their communities). The heaven that we experience on earth is completely void of any physical reality. In fact, some of the sweetest experiences of heaven on earth have come for those who are in the midst of some of the harshest physical realities: imprisonment, torture, financial ruin, homelessness, public hatred, and relational strain. The culture may read that statement and balk. That sounds like the complete opposite of what we think of as “heaven”! Indeed it is, but that is simply because our understanding of heaven is so skewed from the biblical understanding.

Certainly, at the end times when God restores all things, pain and sadness will cease. God will indeed wipe every tear from our eyes and usher us into a land flowing with milk and honey. The new heavens and the new earth will be in some sort of pre-Edenic state once again. Each of these things is merely secondary, however. These are merely consequential to the true joy and peace of what we speak of as “heaven”.

Yes, you read that right. Freedom from physical pain and death are secondary blessings of heaven. The true essence of heavenly bliss is simply being with God. It is His presence, His glory, and His love. It is a perfected relationship with Him. It is experiencing our God in a way that we never have before. It is being at peace with Him. It is finding our joy in Him. It is, for the first time in our existence, loving Him with our entire heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is falling on our knees in praise. It is lifting up our voices with every saint and the whole host of angels, crying out “Holy! Holy! Holy!”

How then can we say that heaven can be had, at least in part, on this earth? Not because of emotional, physical, financial, or relational prosperity. Rather, it comes from an ever-deepening relationship with our God. He is heaven on earth, as He takes up residence within all those who trust in Christ for their redemption. Heaven can be had on earth because God can be had on earth, and the presence of God is the essence of heaven.

When we listen to God speak in Scripture, when we talk to God through prayer, when we partake in the Lord’s Supper, when we worship with singing, when we gather together with the Lord’s people on Sundays, and when we meditate on God’s character, we are drawing in more closely to God and thus enjoying a foretaste of heaven.

You may be poor, but you can experiences the riches of heaven as you drink from the depths of God’s glory.

You may feel alone, but you can enjoy the company of heaven as you commune with the Father in prayer.

You may be suffering from a physical ailment, but you can receive a yet greater spiritual health when you bask in the redeeming blood of the cross.

You may be hungry or thirsty, but you can feast at the table of heaven when you feed on the Words of Scripture and sip from the living water of Christ.

You may suffer in the eyes of the world, but you will cherish the very peace and joy of heaven as you enter more deeply into your relationship with the Father.

Let me take this one step further. Not only are we able to experience some sense of heaven on earth, we are actually commanded to do it! Here is just a small sampling of Scripture’s commands for us to follow in this life. You can judge for yourself, but these all sound like a rather heavenly experience to me.

• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
  – Phil. 4:6-7
• “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” – Ps. 47:1
• “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13
• “Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:8-9
• “Abide in Me, and I in you.” – John 15:4

Peace that surpasses understanding. Clapping and singing to the Lord. Inexpressible joy. Abiding in Christ. These are heavenly realities, and we are commanded by God to pursue them in this life through an ever-growing relationship with Him.

Heaven is a place on earth. It is available to all of God’s people when they simply “let the peace of Christ rule” in their hearts (Col. 3:15).

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“He that enjoys much of God in this life carries heaven about him.”
– Thomas Watson

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Davide Cantelli