Are the streets of Heaven paved with gold? Are we just going to be prostrate at the throne of God for all eternity? What about those famous pearly gates? And the mansions built for us? Will I instantly know who other people are just through my spirit? Will my pets be in heaven? Will there be any animals in heaven?

So many questions are in my head about Heaven. I know in my heart that it will be a place of unimaginable glory. I have no idea what it will look like, so I won't even attempt to describe it, but there are some things that we can be assured of.

1. Incorruptable Bodies
When we are taken up to Heaven, we will be given new, uncorruptable bodies. In other words, we won't get sick, we won't be subject to death. My feet, which have ached most of my life, will be able to walk every inch of Heaven and not feel a single ache.

Now, I suppose I could get into a great theological discussion on what happens to children when the go to heaven. Do they grow to be adults or do they remain children forever? I honestly can't answer that, but since we don't procreate in heaven, I wonder if God will keep the children as children so that there will forever be the joy of children in our midst. But again, I don't know. There are countless millions of souls of aborted babies in Heaven. What of them? Do they remain babies all their eternities? Again, I don't know.

In heaven, we will not ever hunger or thirst. Now this could mean two separate things. First, that food is plentiful, or second, that our new bodies will have no need of food or water. However, we do know that Christ, in his incorruptable body after the resurrection, had breakfast with the disciples in John 21:10-13. So it is possible that the incorruptable body can take on food. It also may very well pleasure the Lord to give us a feast all the time. Not just of the spirit but of the body. We are the guests at His banquet table, and that table is set for all eternity.

2. Heaven like Eden
Just as Christ was a 2nd Adam but incorruptable in spirit, so too Heaven may be like Eden, but incorruptable because there will be no sin. Eden was a place where Adam walked openly with God, where the animals came to Adam simply because he called them. If we look at the nature of Eden before sin was introduced, then we can get a glimpse of perfect harmony between man and God and man and nature.

3. Diversity remains
Just as we are all individuals here on earth, I don't think that will change just because we are made incorruptable. God loves diversity and creativity. We're not going to become worshipping drones. That's why He created man. God wanted more of an intimate relationship.

Each one of us will bring something unique to Heaven. Perhaps it is initially our incomplete earthly talents. Some are brilliant thinkers, others may sing, others may make pottery, while others have the ability the gift of nurturing. I don't believe that just because we are in transformed bodies that we are suddenly knowledgable and talented in everything. I believe that all of eternity is for continued personal growth in both our talents and interests as well as our relationship with Christ.

How many of us have wished we had enough time to try new things but haven't known where to find the time? Our lives are so brief, and most of us most concentrate our energies into one main career goal, and though we may have a few hobbies, there may be many more that we'd love to be involved in but just will never be able to make room for because our lives are too short. But Heaven will be a place where all those things you've always wanted to try will be yours for the trying. I don't think we get to Heaven with all knowlegde of everything and are instantly experts at everything. But there will be others who do know what we want to know, and we will have all eternity to learn from them, and to praise the Lord for His goodness. And of course, if you can't find anyone who knows how to do what you want to do, you will always have the option of going to the source, Jesus Christ.

I believe that in heaven we will enjoy many of the things we enjoy here on earth. This includes, for example, water. We enjoy swimming in it, floating on it, fishing from it and even bathing in it. It's one of those all purpose things. We may not be limited to being land dwellers only and may be able to interact with the creatures of the sea better. Yes, I do believe animals will be in heaven. I don't believe that every animal ever created will be in heaven, but I do believe that a sampling of all will be there for us to experience and have joy with. Not to mention our beloved pets.

We know that there is music in heaven because the angels sing. I believe that angels are all male (God made the angels in His own image whereas the female image is made from man), so they're only a chorus of male voices (beautiful as that may be). It will be fun to add womens' voices to their chorus--and the voices of children.

Heaven will be a place full of the resurrected but will probably never feel crowded. It isn't just the Christians of today that will be there but the Christians from the past 2,000 years, the believing Jews from before the time of Christ, and the innocent, including the countless scores of children and aborted babies (30 million aborted in the U.S. alone since 1973). And I do think there are other innocents besides children. After all, you can't be held accountable to Christ's salvation if you've never heard it at all, and people die every day without ever having known Christ. Will God give them a chance to know Him after their death? I believe we will be very surprised about who is in Heaven. Some we will already assume to be there, but there are others that we will be stunned by.

God is a loving God, and I trust Him to be fair in His dealings with those who've gone to the grave without the benefit of ever knowing about Him.