What will it be like in heaven? I haven't read the book Ninety Minutes in Heaven, but I tend to be skeptical about anyone's personal experiences. Was it real or imagined? Was it a vision or a dream? I only know one person who visited there and came back—and he was not permitted to tell about it. That was the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:3,4).

But we don't have to rely on someone's personal experiences in order to have the comfort of knowing that Jesus has prepared a wonderful place for us. Paul wrote: " 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:9,10). Scripture contains everything we need to know about heaven. Here is a sampling of passages that contain simple and comforting truths about heaven.

Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). We will be in heaven with Jesus the moment that we die. We don't have to wait for heaven or go through something like purgatory.

Paul wrote: "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Philippians 1:23). Our life in heaven will be more wonderful than we can imagine. We can even anticipate it with a sincere desire for what is better. Paul said that "our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).

David expressed the simple truth that our life in heaven will never end. "I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6). How long is forever? "When we've been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we'd first begun" (Christian Worship 379:4). As we get older, we become increasingly aware of the fact that we are running out of time to do what we want to do. In heaven, we will never run out of time!

David wrote, "You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16:11). Most people live much of their lives being "unfulfilled." They are disappointed in their work. They are disappointed in their relationships. They are disappointed in themselves. There will never be a moment in heaven when we will feel the letdown of disappointment!

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17; 21:4). Many fathers are good at wiping away tears. A child breaks a toy or skins a knee and cries. The child's father holds him or her in his lap and uses his shirtsleeve to wipe away the tears. He smiles, and in a moment the child is laughing and giggling. On the Last Day, when we stand before his throne in heaven, our heavenly Father will wipe away every tear from our eyes and fill us with joy forevermore.