I was honored to write this article for a book launching Spring 2014, called Heaven and Hell: Are They Real? The book includes scripture quotes that capture the current interest in the reality of heaven and hell, while offering 30 days of readings on heaven plus 30 days of readings on hell. I was tasked to answer the question, “What will spending eternity in Heaven be like?”

There’s an old hymn that says, “When we all get to Heaven, What a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, We’ll sing and shout the victory!”

This is great news, isn’t it? One day we’ll finally dwell with God, be with Jesus, shout for joy, and sing of our victory—for all eternity. But what will that experience be like? Have you ever wondered this before?

Many in our culture have tried to answer this question. Pick a scene from a movie or TV show that references the afterlife and you’ll likely find white fluffy clouds, beautiful harp music, lots of singing, streets of gold, shimmering white light, and a Santa-like God seated on a throne with flowing beard.

Is this what it will be like to spend eternity in Heaven? As appealing as this sounds, the Bible has something surprising to say about what our eternal home will be like.

Surprisingly our hope isn’t in heaven per se, although after we die we do go to be with Christ in heaven where He dwells. Instead, the Bible makes it clear our hope is in the resurrection on earth.

In eternity we won’t be floating on clouds, playing harps, singing old hymns, and drinking really bad church coffee—can I get an Amen! to that last one? No our hope is in the resurrection from the dead on a brand new, re-created earth. Perhaps our question should be, What will spending eternity in Heaven-on-Earth be like?

I know this might sound strange, because if you’re like me you grew up hearing that this world is not our home, we’re just a passing through. But the end of God’s Story says that one day Jesus will return to put our broken, busted world back together again, us included.

What will spending eternity in Heaven-on-Earth be like, you ask?

First of all it will be earthly, but in a way that’s unimaginably different from now. In Revelation 21 we see God’s dwelling place descending to earth, where the first earth will pass away and Christ will “make all things new.” Because God will transform this world, “their will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”

We will also have real bodies again. No, not like zombies, but like Christ! Jesus will transform our bodies so that they will be like His glorious one. And we know from His own resurrection that our bodies will be like before, but again unimaginably different.

It will also mean we will spend our time in eternity doing much of the same things we do now. Isaiah 65 gives us a glimpse into this future, saying in Heaven-on-Earth we will “build houses and dwell in them; [we] will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.” Which means we’ll create things, enjoy our labor, and have really big feasts!

Ultimately, though—and this where the best part comes in—we will spend eternity doing what the heavenly creatures around God’s throne are doing right now, serving Him and shouting “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory!” till our lungs give out.

An ancient Church creed say “We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come.” Amen? Amen!