As Don felt himself being carried closer and closer to the Golden City, he was greeted by more people he had known on earth. “They looked exactly as I once knew them–although they were more radiant and joyful than they’d ever been on earth.”
His great grandmother had developed osteoporosis during her old age, but in Heaven she stood straight and tall. She was no longer humped over. She had also earned many wrinkles while she was alive and had worn dentures. Seeing her in Heaven, there were no wrinkles and “when she smiled at me, her teeth sparkled. I knew they were her own, and when she smiled, it was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.”
In Heaven there is no time. Mr. Piper wrote that he had no idea what age the people were and he did not even think about it then. “Age has no meaning in Heaven. Age expresses time passing, and there is no time there.” Everyone he saw there was the same age as when he last saw them on earth, “except that all the ravages of living on earth had vanished. Even though some of their features may not have been considered attractive on earth, in Heaven every feature was perfect, beautiful, and wonderful to gaze at.”
It truly must have been overwhelming to experience the feelings of love from these people who welcomed him. “I felt loved–more loved than ever before in my life. They didn’t say they loved me. I don’t remember what words they spoke. When they gazed at me, I KNEW what the Bible means by perfect love. It emanated from every person who surrounded me.”
I would have had a very difficult time coming back to this world after that (not that it would be my decision). The closest I can come to trying to understand what Don might have felt is the closeness I feel when our large family reunites for the holidays or family reunions. It is a precious heavenly reunion that I am looking forward to with immense hope.
