Billy Graham's Daughter: 8 Secrets About Heaven

Let's talk about paradise!

“Home! What does this word mean to you?” writes Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the Rev. Billy Graham. “For me, ‘home’ is synonymous with love, acceptance, comfort, and security. It is a place where my needs are met. It is a place where I can take my burdens and lay them down. When I feel discouraged under the pressure of responsibilities, or overwhelmed by the problems of daily life, or disappointed by shattered dreams, my heart inevitably turns towards home. To go home is to be refreshed in my spirit and refocused in my thoughts and renewed in my strength and restored in my heart, because I know, even when I fail and make mistakes, that I am loved unconditionally by my heavenly Father.

“Jesus described heaven as ‘My Father’s house.’ it’s His home. It’s also a place that He is preparing for those who love Him and put their faith in Him. It is a place not only where I can find answers but where my questions no longer seem to matter. It’s a place where my Father loves me unconditionally, and I will live with Him forever.”

“ There are eight exciting secrets of Heaven to discover!”

Heaven is being prepared for you

“I am going there to prepare a place for you,” Jesus promised. When I know that my children are coming home, I prepare their favorite foods and plan activities, visits with friends, and anything else I can think of so that when they walk through the door, they will feel welcome, and they will know they were expected.
If I prepare for my children when I know they are coming home, think of the preparations Jesus is making for God’s children, who will one day come Home! He knows the colors you love, the scenery you enjoy, the things that make you happy, all the personal details that will let you know when you walk through the door, you’ve been expected, you’re welcome, because heaven is your Home!

Heaven is a place of no suffering

One day, God Himself will gently wipe away the tears from the faces of His children as He reassures each of us that there will be no more suffering. “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away.” There will be no more hospitals or funerals or wheelchairs or physical handicaps or blindness or deafness or heart disease or cancer or diabetes or Parkinson’s or AIDS or racial prejudice or sex trafficking or gender inequality or… Make your own list.

Heaven is a safe place

While we cannot guarantee the safety of our children, or of ourselves, or of anyone else in this life, Jesus Christ does guarantee our safety in eternity! When you and I place our faith in Him, He promises that we will not perish, but have everlasting life. And the “everlasting life” will be lived with God and His family in His heavenly Home!
In Revelation 21, Heaven is described as being surrounded by a wall that is 200 feet thick! The strong implication is that those inside will be safe…forever! No more missiles or guns in schools or terrorists or suicide bombers or drive-by shootings or ethnic cleansings or tornadoes or tsunamis or earthquakes tremors or rapes or robberies or home invasions or… Make your own list.

Heaven is an investment that lasts!

Gold is one of our most precious commodities. We invest in gold, horde gold, wear gold, work hard for more gold. We love gold and all that it represents! Yet none of it can we take with us when we die. Interestingly, the Bible states that the streets of Heaven are paved with pure gold. Think of it! Layers and layers of it, tons and tons of it, miles and miles of it stretching out in all directions beneath our feet! Gold in Heaven is really just asphalt! In other words, many things that are highly valued down here on earth will be temporary, inconsequential and insignificant in heaven. The promise of streets of gold in heaven reminds us to reexamine our priorities on earth and make sure that we are investing in things that will last…like our families, children, friends, neighbors…people.

Heaven is paid for!

Most of us have struggled at one time or another with the monthly rent on an apartment or the monthly payment on a house. Our dream is that one day we can live in a home that’s completely paid for—and we will! The fact that our heavenly home has been paid for is implied by the single most spectacular physical characteristic: Each gate is made of a single pearl. Pearls are formed when a small grain of sand becomes embedded in an oyster, irritating it. To soften the irritation, the oyster coats the grain of sand with a smooth layer of mother of pearl. As long as the oyster can feel the irritation, it continues to coat the sand with layers of pearl.
What kind of irritation would have been necessary to form the pearls that make up the gates to our heavenly home when they are so large they can fit into a wall that is two hundred feet thick?! Could it be that the pearls were not formed as a result of irritation, but as a result of the horrendous, severe suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross? The pearly gates will remind us, every time we enter our Home, that it has been paid for by the death of God’s own Son!

Heaven is where God is!

Recently I toured Windsor Castle, the Queen of England’s favorite residence. As spectacular as it was, I knew I was viewing an elegant museum. There were no family photographs, children’s toys, or even a coffee cup sitting on a table. It was hard to imagine it as her home.
Heaven is not a show place or a museum or an official residence that can be toured. Heaven is where God lives. Jesus described it as His Father’s House. In Heaven, we will not just have occasional access to the presence of God; we will live in His presence! Every moment! Every day! Every week and every month! Forever! We will never be lonely or sad again as we experience permanent peace and joy and love.

Heaven is available to everyone

One day I received a very elegant invitation to have breakfast with the President of the United States in his home! But there was a catch. The invitation alone wasn’t enough to get me into the President’s home. I had to RSVP to be able to walk through the door. I called the White House and gave them the information they required, so that when I arrived the day of the breakfast, my name was on the list, and I was welcomed.
God has generously and graciously invited everyone to live with Him forever in heaven! But there is a catch. You must RSVP to His invitation. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will enter heaven. Your name will be on His list when you personally confess and turn away from your sin, place your faith in the death of Jesus Christ for your forgiveness, and ask Him to come live in your heart as you then live your life for Him. Jesus made the way to heaven clear when He said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Heaven is wonderful

I recently went to my father’s house in Western North Carolina. Night fell as I entered the Blue Ridge Mountains and drove up the steep mountain road that leads home. As I rounded the last bend in the road, my eyes began to strain as I peered through the darkness. I was looking for one thing—the lantern that dangles from an old birdhouse by the driveway. Would the light be on to welcome me home? It was! The Bible assures us that our Father’s House in heaven does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The Father has left the light on to welcome you Home!

These “secrets” have been shared by Anne Graham Lotz, author of Heaven: God’s Promise for Me, published by Zonderkidz. The italicized quotes are taken directly from the New International Version of the Bible. The artwork is by Laura Bryant, the illustrator of the book.