Heaven Made Clear

By Kurt Hagerman

If reading this book does anything for you, but establish a sense of urgency for being prepared for the return of Jesus and eternal life in Heaven, then I have done my job. Right now, Jesus probably cares more about your eternal life with Him than you do! If you are not ready and excited for Christ's return tomorrow, then you are playing Russian roulette with procrastination and fear. When Christ returns once again, it will either be the best or the worst day of your life! Make sure you are inside before the door is shut!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888517277

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Meet the Heavenly Team

Day 1: God the (Your) Father

Day 2: Jesus—Your Lord and Savior

Day 3: The Holy Spirit—God's Spirit Within You

Day 4: Heaven's Angels

Heavenly Start

Day 5: Heaven Personalized

Day 6: Renovation and Restitution

Day 7: Heavenly No Mores

Day 8: Heavenly Peace, Security, and Protection

Day 9: Heavenly Joy and Laughter: Day 10

Day 10: Heavenly Relationships

The Basics

Day 11: Heavenly Praise and Worship

Day 12: Heavenly Love

Day 13: Heavenly Variety

Day 14: The Mysterious Power of Faith

Day 15: Heavenly Rest/Sleep

Day 16: Heavenly Senses

Day 17: Heavenly Minds, Character, and Destiny

Day 18: Eternal Youth and Vitality

Day 19: Heavenly Forgiveness

Day 20: Heavenly You

Let the Adventure Begin

Day 21: Heavenly Comfort and Heavenly Contentment

Day 22: Heavenly Christmas

Day 23: Heavenly Rewards

Day 24: Heavenly Direction

Day 25: Heavenly Time—God's Time

Day 26: Developing a Heavenly Character

Day 27: Please and Thank You for Heaven's Sake

Day 28: Heavenly Misconceptions/Myths

Day 29: Heavenly Prayer

Day 30: Heavenly Will (God's Will)

Heavenly Development/Advancement

Day 31: Obedience, Obey, and Obedient

Day 32: Heavenly Activities

Day 33: Heavenly Memorial Day

Day 34: Heavenly Financial Planning vs. Earthly Financial Planning

Day 35: Heaven Ready

Day 36: Last Laps Before Heaven

Day 37: Heavenly Home at Last

Day 38: Heavenly Company

Day 39: Heavenly Transitions

Day 40: Heavenly Parting Words

About the Author

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Heaven Made Clear

Kurt Hagerman

ISBN 979-8-88851-726-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88851-727-7 (Digital)

Copyright © 2023 Kurt Hagerman

All rights reserved

First Edition

Library of Congress

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations

List of permissions is found on pages

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

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Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Dedication

To my dear mother who has since passed away,

you inspired me to pursue deeper knowledge of Heaven.

To my dear wife, Beckie,

who has loved and encouraged me every day!

You have both showered me with unconditional love

so that I might better understand the Lord's nature.

I could hardly bear to spend eternity in Heaven

without you and many others!

Preface

Dear Reader,

I do not know what brought you to my book, but I do know who! It seems to me more and more that the Lord puts believers together on purpose. I am convinced He has both earthly and heavenly purposes for us to work together and help each other out spiritually. As I pondered why the Lord chose me to write this book, He seemed to tell me that He specializes in using the least of these! He further seemed to say that if I would follow His will instead of my own, He would bless me with inspiration, revelation, and His wisdom and discernment. So I spent far more time reading His Word, praying to Him, and seeking His will than I did writing it!

Writing this book has helped me know the Lord better, love Him more, and know that He loves me more! The reason I am passing these contents on to you is that I wish the same results for your life. The Lord wants to spend eternity with you, so He inspired me with the contents of this book in order to encourage you. He wants you to have more faith in Christ and be excited to spend eternity in Heaven with Him!

When you read it,

remember, the Lord is speaking to you! Open your heart so He can open your eyes!

remember, it's not all about us. It's all about Jesus!

the chapters are short, but the next forty days will change your life!

consider reading it out loud to your spouse and/or family.

consider studying it with others in a small group.

Enjoy the read, be inspired to set your heart and mind on things above, and be blessed,

Kurt and Beckie Hagerman

Acknowledgment

I do not know how often the Lord is the formal acknowledgment at the beginning of a book, but with the subject being Heaven, there could hardly be another selection. The focus of my credit is to remind you He didn't have to!

The Lord didn't have to create the Earth, the moon, the sun and the stars.

The Lord didn't have to create the sky, the mountains, or the oceans.

The Lord didn't have to create the land, the rivers, or the lakes.

The Lord didn't have to create animals, fishes, and all other living things.

The Lord didn't have to create warm days, pleasant breezes, and cool nights.

The Lord didn't have to create people, mothers, fathers, and babies.

The Lord didn't have to create the sense of touch, the kiss, and the hug.

The Lord didn't have to create hearing, music, birds singing, and baby laughter.

The Lord didn't have to create thousands of delicious things for us to eat.

The Lord didn't have to create everything in color.

The Lord didn't have to create rainbows and sunsets.

The Lord didn't have to create flowers, bees, and butterflies.

The Lord didn't have to create spring, summer, fall, and winter.

The Lord's character did not have to be of love, grace, and forgiveness.

The Lord didn't have to inspire His Word to be written for our instruction.

The Lord didn't have to have a plan of salvation and eternal life.

The Lord didn't have to promise us Heaven and a New Earth to live with Him.

The Lord didn't have to give us prayer and 24-7, 365-days-a-year attention to it.

The Lord didn't have to send His only begotten Son who would teach us, show us the way to the Father, and sacrifice Himself to atone for our sins and give us eternal life.

The Lord didn't have to send His Holy Spirit to live within us.

The Lord doesn't have to tarry so that more people could be saved.

The Lord didn't have to be a God of second chances, but He is.

And most of all, God did not have to give His only begotten Son!

Why? Because He loves us far more than any of us know or even understand!

Introduction

Let's face it! You are here because you want to know more about your eternity! If you are like most people, you have been reluctant to ask or talk about it much. There are at least three major issues/questions that represent our stumbling blocks.

Fear of dying and fear of the unknown

Fear of where you are going to spend eternity

Even if you make it to Heaven, how happy will you be and what will you do for eternity?

Even though eternity is one of the most critical issues of your life, these fears are so strong that they even cause pastors to keep at a safe distance. Seldom are the subjects of Heaven and hell preached, and when they are, they are typically a watered-down version. Their goal is typically, get in and get out before someone gets hurt! The Good News is truly the good news. You can read this book and the Bible and know God's plan for your eternity firsthand! Knowledge is powerful!

Other than the Bible, this may be the most important book you will ever read in your entire life! Although many Christians treat the subject of Heaven lightly, it's study and focus is not supplemental but it is fundamental! Just behind salvation itself, what could be more important to know than where and how are you going to spend eternity (forever)? Be sure to remember that the Earth was created for your origination, but Heaven was created for your destination! Just like the Lord Himself, there are many facets of Heaven to consider, understand, and to embrace. I do not claim to have all the answers, but I have put in over twelve years of study, writing, and thousands of hours of prayer seeking to do the Lord's will! During that time, I do feel like I have gotten to know the character and will of the Lord much better. While there are other books on the market regarding Heaven, this book is different! It is not a Heaven encyclopedia, like other Heaven books. It is more of a road map, a repair manual, and a treasure map, and eternity with Jesus is the treasure!

Years ago, my wife and I used to watch a reality show about commercial dredging for gold in Alaska. A large earthmover would pile up dirt and rock near a large commercial dredging machine connected to a water source. The earthmover would load tons of material into the top of the dredge as the water and the screens began their job. After thousands of gallons of water and huge piles of tailings, the last fine screen would expose the gold nuggets they were looking for. The cost of conducting business up there was very high, so if they didn't get enough nuggets quickly enough, they had to pack up and go somewhere else.

Because of this analogy, I will focus on the current Earth and what I believe about life on the New Earth, which I will simply call Heaven. I will seldom discuss end-times, tribulation, rapture, middle heaven, spiritual bodies, judgments, or transitions. There are so many details and concepts to consider that believers can easily get bogged down and miss out on the joyous anticipation of Heaven itself. While there are other books on the market regarding Heaven, this book is different. It is not a heaven encyclopedia, like other heaven books. It is more of a road map, a repair manual, or a treasure map, and eternity with Jesus is the treasure!

I believe there will be many experiences which will be consistent with everyone in Heaven. However, to expect Heaven to be the same for each person is like trying to put God in a box. There are far too many examples in the Bible that tell of God's plans for restoring and rewarding. Each of them requires specific responses by the Lord for each person. Perhaps another reason that the Bible lacks a chapter clearly describing Heaven is that it will constantly change and renew for eternity!

This book was not written to be a study solely on Heaven itself. It is unashamedly a Christian manual and study guide. Other Heaven books may be interesting, but they will not help you much to get there. As I struggled writing the first few chapters relying on my knowledge, the Lord seemed to say, I want the book to be written from your heart, filled with the Holy Spirit and My will. I frequently referred to Bible verses so that you could see God's hand in each topic. You will often find yourself saying, I never thought of that, or I never thought of it that way! My goals are to encourage you to have a closer walk with the Lord, to paint you a new picture of what Heaven may be like, and to remind you the benefits of starting towards there now!

Where you are going to spend eternity should not be a guessing game, and hoping will not get you there either! Your standards of being good and doing good are not going to cut it, but you have heard all that before! God told us just enough about Heaven (our afterlife) to motivate us to think and act differently during our earthly life (before life). Because the Bible verses about Heaven are scattered throughout the various books and chapters, they can be easily glossed over. I believe that this book will unwrap those passages and expose the great gift of living with our Lord and His love in Heaven.

You probably have many questions about Heaven, but before I try to answer any of them, I want to simplify and focus on some basics first! You were created to reside in Heaven for eternity by a God who immeasurably loves you! Also, if you believe that the Lord will provide for every desire you have and you won't have to do a thing, Matthew 6:33 answers these fallacies quite well: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Once again, I call you to start seeking steps toward Heaven by seeking the Lord first!

Eternity is a very long time, and where/how you spend it really matters! As the Earth begins its final descent, the signs prophesied in the Bible are becoming more evident every day. Setting your heart and mind on things above is becoming harder yet more important than ever! COVID-19 (pestilence), having to have a vaccination certificate to work, attend, or buy or sell, major economic shutdowns, extreme political unrest, and more are actually great signs from Heaven! Evil is considered good, and good is considered evil. These signs should act as a wake-up call for everyone to return in faith to the Lord and prepare for His return.

I am convinced that there is no subject more important and less understood than that of Heaven and God's plan for your eternity! Before you begin, I have some preliminary questions and answers to start your quest for heavenly knowledge.

Does God want us to study the subject of Heaven? Yes!

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1–3)

Does Satan want to deceive us, confuse us, or cause us to avoid the subject of Heaven? Most definitely! The loss of many souls is at stake!

Eternal life in Heaven is potentially one of the most powerful motivators to people to understand God's love and plan for their lives. This book will teach you/remind you of many directions that the Lord wishes for you to follow now! Satan would love you to think belief in Jesus is all you need and obedience is unnecessary. Beware of other Heaven books that contain many seemingly accurate facts that are not biblical at all! I have attempted to start each chapter with earthly circumstances, ways to understand and follow God's will, and then compare them to God's Word and how to relate them to Heaven.

Does the Bible make the study of Heaven easy? No! Possible? Yes!

However, as it is written: "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." (1 Corinthians 2:9–10)

Where do you start when studying a subject as challenging as Heaven? Begin with praying daily and asking the Lord to open your eyes and reveal His truth.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7–8)

What should your motives include? Without a doubt, you should yearn to have a closer and more loving walk with the Lord! They should also include increasing your own knowledge of Heaven, being able to share it with friends and family, and having more information/passion to share the Good News!

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. (Acts 20:24)

As you finish each chapter, what do you do next? Spend at least twenty-thirty minutes on the study guide.

What else might you pray for while reading this book? Consider praying for God's will, wisdom and discernment, understanding, and truth to be revealed.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. (Philippians 1:9)

I sincerely pray that you will gain faith, knowledge, and additional love for the Lord by reading this book! I want you to see how valuable Heaven is and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's worth it! All efforts made toward having a closer relationship with Jesus Christ and your obedience to the Word will pay eternal dividends!

As you read and ponder this book, may you be further assured of the Lord's love for you, His plan for your salvation, His plan for you to live with Him for eternity, and some glimpses of the future Heaven. Contrary to many people's beliefs, the best is yet to come (Heaven). May you pray that your eyes be opened, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and be blessed with wisdom and discernment as you read and ponder this book!

Section 1

Meet the Heavenly Team

Day 1

God the (Your) Father

You cannot begin to understand much about Heaven until you get to know better its Creator, Author, and Designer. However, most of us are too busy looking for what Heaven is going to look like, be like, and what Earth-like blessings we are going to have. Matthew 6:32–33 says, For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So the real questions will be, how can we worship Him better? How can we serve Him better? How can we know Him better? How can we do His will better? And how can we love Him more? It took me a long time to realize that this passage applied to Heaven as well as Earth! The Bible says God is the Father of love, forgiveness, grace, second chances, provision, guidance, creation, healing, rescuing, and cleansing! I cannot tell you what God looks like, but you can feel His love, sense His love, and experience His love and grace!

Perhaps, the best way to understand God's love and care for us lies in the fact that we are His children. The Bible even tells us so. In 1 John 3:1, it says, The Father has loved us so much that we are called children of God, and Ephesians 1:5 says, God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great delight. The story of the Bible is the story of adoption. We are all adopted into God's spiritual family as a chosen child of God. Romans 8:14–16 says, For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Even Jesus started the Lord's Prayer with, "Our Father." We are not unwanted orphans brought into this world only to be lost in the shuffle and ultimately die alone.

Remember, this is the same God who created the Heavens and the Earth, the same God who loved you enough to give His only begotten Son, and the same God who desires for you to live with Him for eternity! On a personal level, I want you to know our God and love our God better! He is truly our Abba (Daddy) Father, and we should feel safe in His arms. We do not have to love Him and worship Him in order to be loved by Him because the Bible tells us that He loved us first. John 4:19 says, We love because he first loved us, and 1 John 4:8 says, But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love!

To begin with, you were never an accident, much less a burden, and, for Heaven's sake, unwanted by God! The Bible tells us that the Lord knew us before He formed us in our mother's womb and He set us apart. Can you imagine that the Creator of the universe took the time and effort to individually create you as well? Just remember God created us with individual fingerprints and DNA! Try telling me that evolution was in charge of those two aspects! In our vanity, the human side of us has perhaps wanted to be taller, thinner, blonder, shapelier, stronger, have different color of eyes and skin, or be smarter, but you are already perfect! You are already just what the Lord wanted, and your body is exactly what He planned for His will, plans, and purpose. It is our heart, mind, and soul that He wants to help us work on!

First Samuel 16:7 says, The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Here is a story that will help you understand better how God works with us:

God's Hand

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took the small boy to a Paderewski piano concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked No Admittance.

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted, and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway piano on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, Don't quit, keep on playing! Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running harmony. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was charmed and mesmerized by the duo and gave them both a standing ovation when the piece was completed.

That's the way it is with God. What we are able to accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful, flowing music. However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work truly can be beautiful! Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the whispering in your ear, Don't quit, keep on playing. Feel His loving arms around you. Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, but He equips the called. Perhaps you need to do something today that seems beyond your abilities. Team up with God, and many things in your life will go amazingly better. Philippians 4:13 says, For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This is the perfect point to remind you that God's gift of free will is so much more than a mere concept. It is a major reflection of not only His unconditional love for us but also His desire for our love to be returned freely without force or undue influence. Just like taking a chance on love, giving free will is a risky proposition as well. God gave the angels free will, and the result was that Satan took one-third of all of them away with Him. God gave Adam and Eve free will, and in return, they rebelled and disobeyed Him. God gave the people of Israel free will, and they turned away from Him and worshipped idols. And through it all, God still gives us free will, even today, because He is still searching for our true love. God is not a robot, a machine, or a computer. He has strong feelings, emotions, and love, and He has them all for you!

Try to imagine that you are a fourteen-year-old orphan and you have just been told by your counselor that you have a great Father that is interested in adopting you, but He wants it to be your choice. You have been placed in various homes over the years, but you have never had any family love you enough to adopt you permanently. Because none of the placements worked out well, your self-worth, self-confidence, and belief that anyone could truly love you are nearly unthinkable. Your counselor tries to tell you that this Father is different. He loves you already and He will never leave or forsake you. That is exactly what you have dreamed of, but can you actually believe it? Isn't it too good to be true, and haven't you been disappointed by others many times before? The orphanage counselor responds by telling you that this Father keeps His promises and that you can trust Him.

So now it is time to wait for the final paperwork to be completed and for you to make your adoption decision. In the meantime, you are told that your prospective Father is busy building a special place in His Home just for you and that He has sent you a very special biography. He hopes that you will read it, get to know Him better, and choose to love Him forever. To know Him is not enough to qualify to live with Him for eternity; you must choose to love him and be adopted to be part of the eternal family. Here is another point of view that might help you understand our Lord better. Consider one of the reasons why God might want you to share eternity in Heaven with Him. Ask yourself why the average parent wants to take their children to Disneyland. Most parents probably don't go there to see Mickey Mouse themselves. It is the joy the parents get from exposing their children to something new, amazing, thrilling, and fun. God, too, wants us to join Him in Heaven and the New Earth to share what He has created and done. He wants to see our eyes grow wide, He wants to hear the squeals of joy from our lips, and He wants to sense the joy in our hearts and experience the love and fellowship from our souls. Read this story and understand that eternal life in Heaven is what God desires for you.

The Best for You

Beckie, a cheerful girl, was almost five. Waiting with her mother at a department store, she saw a circle of dime-store white pearls in a small gift box.

Oh, please, Mommy! Can I have them? They are so beautiful! Please, Mommy, please!

The mother checked the back of the little gift box and then said, Fourteen dollars and ninety-five cents. If you really want them, you will have to save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only three weeks away, and you might get some birthday money, and you can do some chores around the house to earn some money.

As soon as Beckie got home, she emptied her piggy bank and counted out $2.57. For three weeks at dinnertime, she helped set the table and clear the dishes after dinner. On her birthday, Grandma Edna sent her a card with $5 in it. Now she had enough money to buy her beloved imitation pearl necklace. Beckie loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown-up. Beckie had a very loving daddy, and every night, he tucked her in and read her a story.

One night, when he finished the story, he asked Beckie, Do you love me?

Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.

Then give me your pearls.

Oh, Daddy, not my pearls!

He would reply, That's okay, honey. Daddy loves you. Good night.

A few nights later, when her daddy came in, Beckie was trembling, and a tear rolled down her cheek. What is it, Beckie? What's the matter? She lifted her little hand up to her daddy and handed him her little imitation pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she said, Here, Daddy. They are for you.

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Beckie's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand, he reached into his pocket. He then pulled out a black velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Beckie. He had had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.

Our heavenly Father is just waiting for you to let go of your earthly things in exchange for eternal life in Heaven complete with rich blessings, peace, and contentment.

When you get to know the real God, you realize that He is not pointing a giant finger out of the sky at you, but He is on your side and cheering you on. He is not waiting to catch you making a mistake, but He was waiting anxiously to forgive you. You no longer have to struggle trying to make Him proud of you because He already is! Not only does He ask you to believe in Him but He also believes in you! Previously, I thought love was conditional until God showed me that His love was unconditional. I was running out of hope until God gave me new