There is a day coming when all of the suffering, all of the maladies of this life are destroyed, when we, in our glorified bodies, will live in heaven, on the new earth, eternally fulfilling God's ordained purpose for us.

Upon death the believer goes immediately into the presence of Christ in heaven, a realm far better than this earth. Heaven is our true home.

The church is the bride of Christ. The kingdom will be the eternal celebration of the wedding of Christ and the church. We will enjoy rapturous celebration as the bride of Christ in the eternal kingdom.

Believers have a genuine, unfailing hope of a future reunion with loved ones. We can find joy in anticipating our future reunion.

We are limited by our visual, physical senses; yet from the Scriptures we can readily conclude that heaven is indeed not distant at all. It is nearby.

Many of the passages that describe the millennial kingdom also, in continuity, describe the new heaven and the new earth the eternal state.

While we look forward to a new heaven, let's first consider the new earth, for the new earth will indeed be like heaven on earth. We will live on a restored earth.