Heaven Blog Podcast - by Julie Bonn Blank

Perhaps Heaven is not unfamiliar to us after all.

Perhaps it has always been hiding inside small rehearsals. In the way golden light spills across a kitchen floor at five in the evening. In the way a child runs toward someone they love without slowing down before impact. In the way a wayward adult-ish child finally wanders home. In the eyes of an adoring pet. In campfire smoke caught in sweaters and hair. In blackberries staining fingertips purple at the edge of August. In the hush that falls over a lake before dawn fully wakes.

Maybe earth has always been scattering clues. Maybe that is why beauty aches.

Because somewhere inside, our souls recognize a place untouched by ending.

Heaven feels like recognition.

Like every lovely thing we have ever known finally freed from gravity and decay, multiplied. Mountains without erosion. Gardens without winter. Oceans without storms. Ground without shakes and ensuing danger-cracks.

Bodies without exhaustion. People without pain. Love without interruption and broken heart-pieces.

No doors closing. No clocks dimming then stopping. No final phone calls. No hollow chairs left at tables nor unread books on the recliners. No working without the joy of producing and serving.

And yet Heaven will not erase the earth—not yet.

It will gather much of it.

Laughter around crowded tables. The smell of something like flowery rain in reach of noses. Dogs collapsing beside their people, panting in contented joy. Bears and lions wandering through the forest. Visuals too magnificent to describe. A joyful peace while connecting with neighbors, friends and family. Sparkling fireflies. Ocean salt. Sandy feet. Someone reaching for your hand just to show their love. And Him.

Not lost.

Completed.

As though every earthly wonder was only a lantern lit along the road toward something vast enough to hold all of it at once.

love exists in both places. But only Love exists there.

Here, it arrives and leaves in fragments. In gestures. In temporary things. In gardens that bloom and fade and bloom again.

But there, Love remains fully awake forever.

No fear touching it.No grief thinning it.No asking it to loosen its grip.

Just the steady astonishment of being known completely and still welcomed nearer.

And maybe that is why certain moments on earth stop us cold.

The blue hour over mountains.Choirs echoing through old churches.The first glimpse of the sea.A father carrying a sleeping child.Candles glowing in quiet houses while snow gathers outside.

For one impossible second, the veil thins.

And the soul remembers home.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

Sally and I discuss the ramp-up in spiritual warfare, how the enemy can use our dreams, and we experience quite a bit of warfare before and during the recording, as well. We discuss freedom, how we give permission without realizing it, chinks in our armor/walls/alters, and what to do about it all. A wonderful prayer time at the end!

Thank you, TheJoyWeaverCommunity, GeorgeAnn Dingus, Jen Niemann, Emi Parker, Carol Urry, and many others for tuning into my live video with Echoes of Memory by Sally Cave!

Don't miss an episode - additional blog posts with insights are on https://heavenblog.org and https://sallylouisecave.substack.com/

Join me for my next live video in the Substack app.

I did not have a life review when I went to Heaven.

But I know trusted friends who did.

How scary, we think. Is this when I will be judged? When all the things I’ve ever done wrong in my entire life flash before my eyes? Will everyone in Heaven also see it? Will my embarrassing sins be flashed in the skies above everyone’s head? How about that sin I repented for and tried so hard to avoid but then did that one last time?

While I stood in Heaven, my Lord made me aware of His second personality trait—second only to His incredible love. And it was practically indescribable (a bit like Heaven!) because in His presence, soaking in all He gave me, I became aware of His deep and lasting compassion for all of us.

Those life reviews? Many say they saw their bad choices, and they also saw the impact of those choices on other people—the view there is more than 360 degrees, you see.

However, I see another commonality—so many of my friends relate that He was with them in every scene. Saving them from worse. Stepping in wherever He could and still allowing humans their free choice.

Yes, love means allowing us our choices.

I told this to a group of abuse survivors last week and saw tears well in their eyes. I shared with someone at church who then had to clear his manly throat three times. I wanted to tell my pastor, and I haven’t had a chance. But now I’m telling this to you.

I can no longer view things on earth the same way that I did.

What do I see now?

I see a victim, shot down on 82nd street, lying in the street, gasping for air. And I see my Jesus, kneeling next to him, tears running down His cheeks. Reaching out to cradle his head, to lift him a bit so he can breathe better, until help arrives.

I see a mother as her husband pulls in the driveway, mad at yet another unproductive day when he couldn’t earn much (he has bombarded her with texts all day), even though he tried. I see her tense as the car door slams, the furtive look at the front window, the sudden move to hustle the kids into the playroom—as she closes the door behind them and waits with held breath. I see my Lord stand near. In fact, by placing His hand strategically on the front door, He prevents it from slamming when the guy enters. And then He hurries to her side. He will be there to shield her as much as possible, and to guard the kids behind her from their daddy’s words. And to ensure it doesn’t get physical, today.

I see a church gathering and a pastor who feels he is the only one who can be in charge—because no one else will do it right. I hear him misconstrue scripture to keep women in their place and give men permission to do whatever it takes to keep ‘order’ in their home. And next to him in the choir section, Jesus shakes his head sadly before He walks down the stage stairs, finds the woman in the most pain, and whispers reassurance in her ear. He later directs her to receive a hug in the foyer, and make a new understanding friend.

I see Him sitting next to a little girl hiding in a closet, His knees drawn to His chest, shoulder to shoulder as she trembles. “Why don’t we color?” He whispers. And her face briefly lights up the semi-dark as He hands her a crayon and a notepad. “I will help. Hey, can you draw a sheep? Oh, wait, I gave you a blue crayon. Let me scrounge up a different one…”

“I love blue sheep!” She uncurls her arms and legs because there is something that feels more like the beginnings of an adventure fluttering in her stomach now. “How about stars?” She whispers loudly a few moments later. “Shouldn’t sheep have stars above their heads to guide them when it’s dark?”

His turn to smile. “Indeed, they do.”

Oh, the pain of sin! And oh, the pain of suffering from other people’s sins!

Yet, in the depths of our deepest trials, we are never alone. His compassion is so vast that He does not merely watch our suffering—He carries it, feeling our grief even more deeply than we do.

I see Him in the ambulance next to me, as He firmly squeezed my hand. And then surrounding me as my physical body continued to pass out, deteriorating from something my body deemed poison. I feel Him throw Himself on me, pushing on my chest even as we enjoyed time in Heaven, then later helping to pull my gurney into the hospital hallway, calming the tremors as my body shook the surface. I hear Him whispering words from Psalm 23 and “I will never leave you” over and over in my ear. And then, cracking a grin at me when I can finally smile back, “didn’t we have such an adventure?”

Wink!

Surely we did. Much better than coloring in the closet.

I got better then. And hubby finally came. But Jesus declined to leave, and for the next week, I remained so hemmed in by His presence that I felt like a child bundled up against a winter storm—completely covered, physically warm and utterly safe.

Heaven changes your perspective. Choosing to focus on Heaven will change your perspective.

My view changes when I choose to trust Him, knowing that He is always my greatest cheerleader, and that just as He promised, He never left. He’s never left you either.

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 (and multiple additional verses)

Don’t miss a post!

Thank you The Redemption Road Chronicles, Cally Logan, Robert sytsma, and many others for tuning into the Live video today with Chris Morris and me!

I met Chris recently at a writer’s conference and am enjoying his book: By Faith: Strength and Hope for Life’s Challenges. We do have a lot in common in the trauma and mental health space—as well as, of course, our closeness to Jesus.

Chris and I chatted about how faith impacts mental health, what to look for in a Christian or biblical counselor, the effectiveness of various healing modalities, EMDR therapy, the role of Satan/spiritual warfare in our calamities, and much more. I enjoyed our time and I hope that you also find the video helpful. Please do share if you feel that it might help others.

My advanced abuse recovery program, Broken Souls Restored, has passed all the checks and balances now as an official 501©3 ABN under Julie Bonn Blank Ministries and is in the beginning process of fundraising and seeking grants. First goal - staffing dollars, but God also recently asked me to sketch out the beach healing retreat center He showed me in a dream many months ago.

Image by Sunrise from Pixabay

Funny story - I’ve been using a tiny sketch book during my Quiet/Journaling times, and I then attempted to send pics to my dad of the “plan” (he has quite the experience in construction), and knew it was way too small. Well, just then, Amazon made a delivery: the full-size sketchbook I had ordered several weeks ago and had forgotten about.

But God didn’t forget. :-) He is a timely God.

Enjoy the video and please do not hesitate to reach out to me or Chris Morris if you have questions.

Thank you Thomas M. Hamilton for doing a Substack Live with me.

(please ignore the internet freezing in the beginning. We had some warfare going on!)

Thomas and I had a great chat about the stories in ‘Routed to Heaven’ that touched Thomas deeply, including one on suicide victims, Jesus’ deep love for us, and also one about a three-year-old taken by angels after a car accident and healed on Jesus’ lap.

We chatted about our Lord’s requests of us in these Last Days, why I was told that my life has had multiple trials, Fears, Sticky Sin and confession and the importance of a Call of Prayer. Thomas shared a tender story of his brother’s death and about his own car accident that showed him God’s deep, deep love and twisted his life in a completely new direction.

God willing, my next post will be about the vision God gave me a couple of days ago regarding the Lion of Judah.

Thank you to everyone who tuned into our live video! Hope to see you at the next one too!

We enjoyed talking about Heaven this morning! If you couldn’t join us, I hope you can watch it here and find it helpful. <3

We spoke about Sally’s view of ‘Routed to Heaven,’ from what she says is her first reading (LOL), some of her story (what she got to see in Heaven and what Jesus did), what’s next, the presence of the Holy Spirit “woo-woo,” the main message Julie brought back, your true value in Him and much more.

Thank you Samran Masih, Lynn Shortman, Emi Parker, and many others for tuning into my live video with Echoes of Memory by Sally Cave!

FYI the ‘Routed’ ebook will be free on Amazon all day tomorrow. Please let your friends and family know.

The second time I visited Heaven, I did not flatline. But again I stood there, and the experience resonated just as strongly as the first time. Whether He gave me a vision or actually took my soul back there (as He can do anything), I do not know.

Recording from our May 2025 Ministry Panel Chat.

Want to grow your Substack to boost your ministry or book sales? Join Jonathan Seidl, Tanner Olson, Caroline Beidler, Kate Orson, Julie Bonn Blank, and Ashley Dudek for a powerful, practical conversation on how to grow your Substack with purpose and impact.

We dive into:

✅ How Tanner Olson’s children’s book became a #1 New Release on Amazon

✅ Jon Seidl’s strategies as a Substack bestseller

✅ What not to do when building your audience

✅ Why Substack Notes might be your secret weapon

✅ The hidden downsides no one talks about

✅ And so much more...

Whether you're just starting out or ready to take your presence to the next level, this chat is packed with insider tips, real talk, and encouragement from people who’ve been there.

Download the PDF with additional social tips and more here:

What about sadness in heaven? If you are anything like me, you feel like “there is no sadness in heaven” was pretty much drilled into your head throughout the years. Of course, we want to encourage ourselves and others, so we grab onto one verse in particular that promises this:

“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death; there will no longer be sorrow and anguish, or crying, or pain; for the former order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4 NIV)

So I was a bit confused as to why God seemed sad when He sent me back here to do more work. I concluded that He wants all of His children with Him (as a Mama and Nana, I get this). BUT…what about that verse?! LOL.

We know that despite what the Scriptures say, God can do whatever He wants. (which is why we sometimes read accounts of pets in Heaven and things that supposedly do not have souls - more on that later). So that was the second conclusion I came to - there is no sadness in heaven, but God chooses to feel and express what He wants to.

But I think I was wrong about the sadness part.

The fact is, Revelation 21 occurs after the 1000 years. “No sadness” appears to be reserved for the final Heaven-on-earth that we will experience later on. (Read Revelation chapters 20 and 21) The verse also speaks of “former order."

Will we sometimes be sad in the first heaven? Let’s look at a few times when God expresses His emotions from Heaven.

In Acts 9, God calls out to Saul on the road to Damascus. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Does this not sound a bit like a grieving God? It does to me. I can completely see Him shaking His head sadly, much like a hurting parent would.

What about in the Garden of Eden? “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” (Genesis 2:18 NIV) God felt compassion for Adam.

And a few chapters later. “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” (Genesis 6:5-6 NIV)

One would wonder what He feels these days.

God obviously feels sadness, even from heaven. “Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” (Ezekial 18:31-32 NIV)

God is an emotional God. He feels passion, sadness, anger, joy, and all the emotions that He also gave to us. (Genesis 1:26-27) There is also much indication in the scriptures that those in heaven pray and intercede for us.

On the flip side, the Word is also very clear that there is rejoicing in heaven. For instance, when a sinner repents (Luke 15:7; Luke 15:10). And did you know that Jesus delights over you? “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV) And “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.” (Psalm 149:4-5 NIV)

Of course, knowing we can feel sadness in Heaven is also a downer. It was much easier to think that I wouldn’t be sad, in particular, if some of my loved ones didn’t end up living in Heaven with me. Randy Alcorn, in his big book on Heaven, says that happiness in heaven is not based on ignorance but perspective. Although we certainly don’t have all the answers (even those of us who have been there), we know and choose to trust the One who does.