The concept of heaven seems to be an idea that most people believe in; however, they often do not believe in God. As Christians, we know that heaven is God’s dwelling place. “Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?” (Psalm 113:5-6).
How can a person separate God from heaven since He lives there and created the very existence of heaven? As believers, this can be confusing. How can people believe in heaven, but not believe in the Creator of heaven?
What Is the Modern View of Heaven?
Most people believe that if you are “good enough” you will go to Heaven. We know this is not true as the only way to go to heaven is placing faith in Jesus Christ.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Similarly, most people believe that heaven is a spiritual place where it is always joyful, sunny, and you get whatever you want.
The modern-day person’s idea of heaven is not the biblical truth of heaven. Heaven is the place where God resides and where all believers will go when they pass away. Unbelievers will go to hell as this is the punishment for denying Jesus as Lord and Savior.
As of 2021, the Pew Research Lab records a shocking 72% of the world believes in heaven. The vast majority of people believe in Heaven, but they are not believing in the biblical heaven. In this postmodern view of heaven, there is no God.
A good way to understand the postmodern view of Heaven is given in Taylor Swift’s song, False God, “I know heaven’s a thing; I go there when you touch me. Honey hell is when I fight with you.” As any believer can tell, this is not an accurate representation of the true heaven.
The 72% of people who believe in Heaven come from a wide variety of religious backgrounds including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism, Judaism, and Islam. Each of these religious beliefs has a different view of heaven, which could help us understand why the number is so high. It is important to note that each of these false belief systems has an incorrect understanding of not only heaven, but also Christ, salvation, and hell.
What Does Belief in God Look Like?
According to the Pew Research Lab, 90% of Americans believe in God. The difficulty with this finding is that the 90% of Americans who believe in God vary greatly on who or what God is to them. For them, God could be Buddha, Allah, or some other higher spiritual force.
This 90% does not reflect 90% of the population believing in the God of the Bible. As of 2021, findings show staggering percentages of the world being atheists. The country that has the most atheists in the world is China, with a mind-blowing number of 90% of the population being atheists.
America comes in with a staggering number of atheism as “40% of American atheists are ages 18-29, and 37% of atheists are ages 30-49.” Even though these individuals are labeling themselves as atheists or “nones,” 37% of nones report they believe in heaven.
It is without a doubt to assume that as the years go by more people will deny the existence of God as the number of “nones” are rising in the present generation. Despite this denial of God’s existence, people still choose to believe in Heaven--the very place the true God created for us.
What Does the Bible Say about God and Heaven?
The most likely reason people can believe in Heaven, but not God is because they want to be assured of eternal bliss when they die, but they do not want to submit to God. Heaven is a comforting topic to discuss after a person dies as non-religious people still tend to rest in the comfort knowing that their loved one is in heaven.
People choose to believe in Heaven because it gives them a sense of peace, serenity, and happiness. They choose to reject belief in God because that would mean submitting to God, obeying Him, and recognizing that He is God overall and that mankind is not.
It’s easy for people to believe in the reward of heaven, but they do not want the journey of following God. Believing in God can be seen as a weakness, not intellectually inclined, or not politically correct depending on the individual.
Some atheists, though not all, believe a person has to be “stupid” in order to believe in God. As Christians, we know a person is not “stupid” or intellectually inferior if we believe in God. Believing in God is extremely smart, wise, and carefully thought out.
Believers do not mindlessly step out in “blind faith.” The Bible tells us about God, and it is 100% correct, authoritative, and true (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible is the literal Word of God. A person is not “stupid” for believing in God.
Knowing, following, and obeying God is actually wisdom. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).
What Is the Truth about Heaven?
The truth of the matter is that God is real, and heaven is real. Whether a person wants to believe in God or not is up to them. Each person has free will and has to freely believe in God. Heaven is a real place where God resides and where believers go when they die.
As Paul says, a believer’s citizenship is in heaven, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:20-21.
The only way to go to heaven after you die is by placing faith in Jesus while you are still alive. Once you believe in Jesus, you are given forgiveness of sins, redemption, and eternal life (John 3:16-17).
If you place faith in Jesus today, you can rest in the sure knowledge that you will go to be with Him in heaven when you die. In heaven, all believers will worship God and praise Him for all He has done. Heaven is a wonderful place; however, in order to get there, you must believe in Jesus Christ, who is God.
For further reading:
Can Someone Believe in God but Not Be Saved?
What Does it Mean the Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand? (Matthew 3:2)
Why Is it Important to Have an Eternal Mindset?
What Does it Mean That Our Citizenship is in Heaven?
What Hope Do Other Religions Have in the Afterlife?
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