Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the human heart, All that God has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Corinthians 2: 9, NASB)
John Hopper delivered this message celebrating the life of his brother, Jeff Hopper, on November 5, 2021. Jeff, our beloved Links Players COO, was an organized and meticulous planner. He even planned his funeral celebration. John asked Jeff, “What do you want me to say at your funeral?” Jeff knew the answer before John finished the question, “Give’ em heaven!”
So here it is. All the verses and explanations have come directly from John Hopper’s notes that day. In them, we see a glimpse of heaven, even if through a glass, darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12).
In Luke 22:43, Jesus called heaven paradise. He also said it was a place with many rooms (John 14:2), and a place set for a banquet (Matthew 2:2-4). He said those who had trusted Christ would recline at His table and even be served by Him (Luke 12:37).
Heaven is a place where peace will be your governor and well-being your ruler (Isaiah 60:17). There will be no more violence and no more destruction (Isaiah 60:18). It is a place where the least of you will become like a thousand (Isaiah 60:22), and where you will be the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:12).
Heaven is where you will receive a double portion of grace and an inheritance of joy that never ends (Isaiah 61:7). So, what will heaven look like? Isaiah 11: 6-9 tells us:
And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion and the fattened steer will be together;
And a little boy will lead them.
Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.
In heaven, our bodies will be imperishable and renewed in glory and power and bear the image of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:42-48). Christ will wipe away every tear. There will be no more death or mourning or pain (Revelation 21:4). Never again will there be an infant who lives but a few days (Isaiah 65:20). And rather than your name being forgotten in the annals of history, it will be remembered forever (Luke 10:20).
So, we all have a choice today to live like heaven is real because we are assured it is. Maybe, that is exactly why Jeff wanted John to give us heaven. Jeff wanted to comfort us during our time of mourning and have us look forward to that day when we will all be reunited. It would be just like Jeff to do this.
Remember, Jeff said right before his death, “It is all true.” What he knew then, he is experiencing now. Praise God. And the Great News is that Scripture emphatically states that we will join him in a place too wonderful for words.