What is the true meaning of heaven?

Julia, After Death—Or Letters from Julia, describes her experience after death to her friend, Ellen—

On crossing the bar, I found myself free from my body. It was such a strange new feeling. 

I was standing close to the bedside on which my body was lying—I saw everything in the room, just as before I closed my eyes. 

I did not feel any pain in dying—I felt only a great calm and peace.

Then I awoke and I was standing outside my old body in the room. There was no one there at first, just myself and my old body.

At first I wondered I was so strangely well. Then I saw that I had passed over.

Then I felt as though a great warm flood of light had come into the room, and I saw an angel. She, for at first she seemed to be a female, came to me, and said—"I am sent to teach you the laws of the new life." And as I looked, she gently touched me, and said—"We must go."

 

Then I left the room and my poor old body, and passed out. It was so strange—the streets were full of spirits. I could see them as we passed—they seemed to be just like ourselves. 

 

My angel had wings—they were very beautiful. She was all robed in white.

We went at first through the streets, then we went through the air until we came to the place where we met friends who had passed on before. There were Mr M—, and Mr M—, and Ethel A—, and many others. They told me much about the spirit world. They said I must learn its laws and endeavour to be as useful as I could. 

 

The angel who remained with me all the time helped me to explain. The spirit friends had their life much as it was here—they lived and loved, and if they had not to work for their daily bread, they had still plenty to do.

I found myself in a great expanse of landscape where I had never been before. I was alone, that is, I saw no one. But you are never really alone. We are always living in the presence of God. But I saw no one.

Then I heard a voice. I did not see whence it came—or who spoke. I only heard the words, "Julia, He who saved thee would fain speak with thee." I listened, but no words other than these were spoken. Then I said—"Who is it that speaks?" And behold, a flaming fire, really like fire, though in human shape. I was afraid. Then he spoke, and said—"Do not be afraid. It is I who am appointed to teach thee the secret things of God."

Then I saw that the brightness as of fire was only the brightness that comes from the radiant love of the Immortals.

Then the flame-bright One said to me—"Julia, behold your Saviour!" and when I looked, I saw Him. He was sitting on a seat close to me, and He said—"Beloved, in my Father's House are many mansions—I am here whom you have loved so long. I have prepared a place for you." And I said—"Where, O My Lord?" He smiled, and in the brightness of that smile I saw the whole landscape change, as the Alps change in the sunset, which I saw so often from the windows of my hotel at Lucerne.

Then I saw that I was not alone, but all around and above were fair and loving forms, some of those whom I had known, others of whom I had heard, while some were strange. But all were friends, and the air was full of love. And in the midst of all was He, my Lord and Saviour. He was as a Man among men. He was full of the wonderful sweet mildness, which you are acquainted with in some of the pictures that have been painted by the Italian Fra Angelico. He had an admirable look of warm affection, which was as the very breath of life to my soul. He is with us always. This is Heaven—to be with Him. You cannot understand how the consciousness of His presence makes the atmosphere of this world so different from that with you. He is more than we have ever imagined. He is the Source and Giver of all good gifts. All that we know of what is good and sweet and noble and lovable are but faint reflections of the immensity of the glory that is His. And He loves us with such tender love, which is marvellously and wonderfully great beyond all power of mind to describe. His name is Love—it is what He is—Love, Love, Love!

I am in a state of bliss such as we never imagined when on earth. I am with my friends who went before.

No one seems to be old. We are young with what seems to be immortal youth. We can when we please assume the old bodies—or their spiritual counterparts, as we can assume our old clothes for purposes of identification, but our spiritual bodies here are young and beautiful.

There is a semblance between what we are and what we were. We might recognise the new by its likeness to the old, but it is very different. The disembodied soul soon assumes the new raiment of youth, from which all decay has been removed.

We never weary and do not need to sleep as we did on earth—neither do we need to eat or drink—these things were necessary for the material body—here we do not need them.

You ask me what we feel about the sin and sorrow of the world. We reply that we see it and seek to remove it. But it does not oppress us as it used to do, for we see the other side. We cannot doubt the love of God. We live in it. It is the greatest—the only real thing. The sins and sorrows of the earth life are but as shadows that will flee away. But they are not merely on the earth plane—there is sin and there is sorrow on this side. Hell is on this side, as well as Heaven. But it is the joy of Heaven to be always emptying Hell. We are learning always to save by love—how to redeem by sacrifice. We must make sacrifices, otherwise there is no salvation. What else is the secret of Christ?