When we think of heaven we think of a pleasant and happy place. In the book of Revelation we have a partial description of what heaven may be like. But no matter how it can be described or imagined, our perception will not be complete because “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9 – NLT) .”

1. Read Revelation 21:1-6. What are the things in this passage which  help us to get a picture of what heaven will be like? What stands out the most for you?  Why?
2. Something attracts us to heaven and we experience  glimpses of heaven from time to time in our daily lives. Can you think of how you have experienced a foretaste of heaven at different times in your life?
3. In the context of this discussion, what do the verses in 2 Corinthians 1:21–22 and Ephesians 1:14 help us to understand?
4. If we are experiencing the kingdom of God in our lives and in the community life of the church can you suggest how that might be a foretaste of heaven?
5. How can we live our lives so that we will be a community which  experiences a foretaste of heaven? (See John 13:35; Colossians 3:12-17)
6. How can we invite others to experience a foretaste of heaven?

Isaiah 52:7 (NLT)

⁷ How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!

Optional scriptures on which to reflect:

Psalm 34:8 (NLT)–⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Matthew 5:13 (NLT)–¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

Hebrews 6:4–6 (NLT)–⁴ For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit,⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come—⁶ and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.