“On earth the nature of Adam had distorted my true self, because I was and had always been created in the image of God,” the heavenly man told me. “With Adam’s curse broken (Psalm 51:5), I bore the image of Christ in truth and all the grubby fingerprints of sinful desire were removed (1 Corinthians 15:47).

“In my life I had to ‘put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him’ (Colossians 3:10); now the new man was put on me! Christ changed me on the inside, as the nature He planted within me fully expressed itself!

“As all this change overcame me in paradise, my friends and family were weeping by my empty body (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). If I could have, I would have shouted to them, ‘Don’t weep for me; weep for the loss you feel. I am more alive now than ever. I am healed, whole and young! I am free, totally delivered and transformed in Christ!’

“In my lifetime, I did not allow myself to fully explore the truth that our souls and spirits are eternal. You must remember when people die it is only their bodies that are buried – their true self goes on to heaven or hell. It’s a change of address, not a final end of existence.

“People’s experiences in heaven are different, so I can only tell you my own. After I had celebrated my youthfulness, I then met the members of my family and friends who trusted in Christ and the ones who helped me find Him. How can I describe those meetings! I talked to my father again. Oh, the joy. I told him many things which I always wanted to say to him. We laughed together and I got to know him in a way which was not possible before.”

This is an extract from the book ‘Heaven - A Journey to Paradise and the Heavenly City’ by Paul Backholer.