Stairway to Heaven?

It will happen to all of us.  You know what they say, “life is 100 percent fatal”, and “it’s a hard and cold fact that one out of every one person dies”, and “nobody gets out of here alive”.  Yes, death is definite….certain….inevitable.

Some think that death is the end.  Others think that what happens after death is up for debate.  I am certain that there is life after this life here and that there are two directions to go.  I have put my faith in Jesus Christ, humbly accepted His gift of salvation (forgiveness for and removal from payment/punishment for all the wrong I’ve done) and am assured of spending eternity with Him in Heaven.

I am confident about where I am going, but questions remain as to when and how my present body will die.  The biggest question I have is how my soul will transfer from this life to the next.  There are references to heaven being “above” (ironically, see below for references), and many have imagined traveling from one world to the next.  Some put those mind pictures on canvas.  Out of curiosity, I searched on the internet for images of heaven and discovered many.  I found three main categories:  the entrance gate/door, the path to that gate, and heaven itself.  Here are some pictures I found of the gate or door.

 

 

And here are some images of the path to that gate.

   

    

What do they all have in common?   STAIRS!

   

A lot of  STAIRS!

 

Lots and lots of stairs!

   

The amount of stairs and just the fact that they are stairs is a bit concerning for me since I cannot walk.  I’ve grown accustomed to accessibility obstacles and frustrations, but really?…STAIRS to heaven?  I wonder how on earth I will get there!?

It is believed that an angel escorts us into the next world.  I hope there’s a strong one to carry me.

I liked this picture that shows an escalator……

…..but it doesn’t appear to accommodate wheelchairs.

This is my favorite picture of being guided into my soul’s new home.

How I will get there, I don’t know; but I do know that God keeps His promises, so somehow I’m gettin’ up through the clouds and will finally be face to face with my Savior.  I like thinking what it will be like to arrive and behold Him, as this picture portrays.

I have always loved this picture of the warm meeting of the Creator and created.

Once I’m there, I sure hope it looks like these imagined pictures.

 

There is certainly uncertainty about the circumstances of the end here and the beginning there, and exactly what the journey will look and feel like; but I believe there will be more anticipation than anxiety, more joy than sadness, more relief than pain.

It’s all interesting to ponder what it will be like up yonder.  As with any trip and new experience, I have spent time being curious about it.  I like to think I’m prepared, but I’m sure there will be pleasant surprises.  I eagerly anticipate the journey.  For now I’m here and I will concentrate on living the life I’ve been given until it’s time to  move on.

Click here to see what’s missing in these pictures.

 

Genesis 28:12  He (Jacob) had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

2 Corinthians 5:1  For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

References to Heaven being above:

• Isaiah 40:22   He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in..
• Job 35:5  Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you.
• Psalm 78:23   Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;