Heaven!
I remember my father in law telling us once how he decided to go to a church service after been told that the minister was going to preach on “What happens when you die”. He went on to say that he was bitterly disappointed because the minister did not end up telling him what actually happened when you die and what happens next! So I thought I would explore this a bit more, because to be honest with you I am a bit curious even though it has not bothered me much because I take the view, “well, God has a plan, and I’m sure it’s a good one, so I don’t need to worry about it!”
I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad attitude to take but decided to delve a bit deeper! After all if we are going to live heaven forever, it’s probably a good idea to know a bit more about the place!
There’s an old hymn that explains to me what heaven is:
'Our pain shall then be over,
We'll sin and sigh no more;
Behind us all of sorrow
And naught but joy before'.
So no pain, no sin no sorrow, but I wanted to know more…
I wanted to answer some questions for myself
Where or what is heaven?
Will I recognise anyone there?
Do I immediately go to heaven or do I lie in a state of sleep till Jesus comes again?
What will we do in heaven?
What about judgement? How can I be sure I’m going to heaven
Where is heaven?
We should firstly note that it is a real place, like Bridgetown, like Australia…. look at John 14:1 and note that Jesus says….. He is going to prepare “a place”…
John 14:1-3 (NIV) 14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
So it’s a real place.
We also know that God dwells in heaven. Now there is a very interesting set of verses in Hebrews..
Hebrews 12:18-24 (NIV) The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[a] 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[b]
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
So not only do we see that God dwells there, but also thousands and thousands of Angels, and its compared with the Mountain of Fear (Mt Sinai), it’s a Mountain of Joy (Mt Zion)!
What I find very interesting is that Heb 12:22 says to those that have accepted the Gospel that “you have come to Mt Zion” implying that heaven is in fact not some distant place! If you read it carefully it says
You have come to Mt Zion….
You have come to thousands and thousands of angels
You have come to God…, to Jesus
This is not light year’s journey away…. You have come… you are close to God, you are close to Jesus, you are close to angels, you are close to heaven!
So what is this place heaven like?
We know God designed heaven
Hebrews 11:10 (NIV)10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
And we know it’s a paradise
Luke 23:43 (NIV)43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Revelation 21:15-27 (NIV)15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 2200km in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 65m ]thick.[c] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. ……. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 ….. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Do I immediately go to heaven or do I lie in a state of sleep till Jesus comes again?
We know that Christians go to heaven once they die
Philippians 1:21-23 (NIV)21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
I.e. depart and be with Christ …i.e. this happens immediately
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NIV)6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
(you are not ”at home with the Lord” if you are in some kind of soul sleep in a grave for thousands of years-)
Mark 12:26-27 (NIV)26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[a]? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
Luke 23:39-43 (NIV)39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]”43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
So clearly we are not in some kind of soul sleep. We go to heaven immediately, but resurrection of new body takes place at a later stage Ps 23:
Thy rod, Thy staff, they comfort me, Thou doest prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies, Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows, surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life.” And then……. “Then, I will dwell in …….The house of the Lord.” … in heaven
So, they are there now in spirit…that is the real person is there, but not yet the glorified body which awaits the time of the Second Coming of Christ. The Old Testament saints, the New Testament saints, that is, on either side of the cross, those who in faith accepted the will and the way of God to salvation are there in the presence of God right now.
And will we know each other ?
Matthew 17:1-9 (NIV)The Transfiguration
17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
So clearly they knew who Moses and Elijah were, people are recognisable!
In terms of ageing, some say you will be seen as 33yrs old the same age of Jesus when He died. There is no scriptural basis for this as far as I can see. In heaven there is no time dimension or it’s very different so age becomes a non-entity, but you will still be recognisable. As Jesus said “I am the God of Abraham, I am the God of Isaac..” God of the living, God of the specific person. And so you too will be a specific and unique and Spirit filled washed with the blood of Jesus person!
Also.. Jesus, when He came out of the grave, could eat, and walk, and talk, and He could drink as He did at the table with His disciples. And He could be touched and felt, and recognized when He gave people the revelation that made Him recognizable in His glorified form. So, heaven is a place for glorified people who are real; not ethereal, but real..
But what am I going to do in heaven?
I don’t think you are going to be sitting on a cloud playing the harp! Certainly I won’t my musical skills are next to zero, I would end up chasing the angels out of heaven! There are many references in the bible that say we will worship, we will serve, we will learn, we will rest
David Burns, Minister of the Church of Christ, puts it this way
Worship without distraction.
Serve without exhaustion.
Fellowship without fear.
Learn without fatigue. 1 Corinthians 13:9-10
Rest without boredom
I don’t know about golf or fishing or football in heaven but I do know..
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
In other words, the joy you get out of sports or anything else is insignificant compared with the joy God has in store for you in heaven.
Myths
The Bright light—no biblical justification
Purgatory: The idea behind Purgatory is that many people are not good enough to go straight to heaven. They are placed in a “holding tank” until enough people pray for them so that they can get out of purgatory and on to Heaven. Purgatory is never mentioned in the Bible. It is mentioned in one of the apocryphal books that were written by the Jews for the first century. The Jews do not accept this book as divinely inspired. Unfortunately, it is seen as Scripture by the Roman Catholic Church. It did not make it into the actual Canon of the 27 books of the New Testament. The idea of Purgatory comes from 2 Maccabees 12:39-46.
St peter: St. Peter at the gate There seems to be an idea commonly accepted by many that when they die they will meet St. Peter at the gate. On the basis of their behaviours on earth, Peter will determine whether they can go to heaven or go to hell. Unfortunately, too many people feel that the Bible teaches that going to heaven or hell is based on how many “good” or “bad” deeds they’ve done. That is never true. Going to heaven or hell is based on our response to the gospel. Jesus died on the cross to forgive the sins of the world and whoever believes in Him might have sins forgiven and live eternally.
Angels take you to heaven: ….John 14:1-9 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am
How can I be sure I’m going to heaven,
I was always a bit fearful of Romans 14:10 For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10). How embarrassing that could be I thought, that could ruin my first day in paradise! But you know what Romans 10:11 says…
Romans 10:11 (NIV)11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[a]
And you cannot go past John 3:16
John 3:16-18 (NIV)16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
So no condemnation, no shame!
Though we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an accounting for the things done in the body, there will be no shame; just glory, love, and celebration. When we stand before Jesus we will discover that we have nothing to hide, we are washed in the blood of the lamb
Isaiah 44:22 (NIV)22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1)
Isaiah 25:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
John Dunne, that Christian poet said: 'No man ever saw God and lived, and yet I shall not live till I see God - and when I have seen Him, I shall never die'.
Why, then, must we still stand before God someday, even as believers? The reason is so God can reward us for what we have done for Him. The Bible doesn’t explain in detail what those rewards may be — but it reminds us that we are still accountable to Him for how we live. Our greatest reward, however, will be to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant…. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:23).
A new heaven and a new earth- at the end of time!
Revelation 21 vs 1 And what did John see? A new heaven and a new earth. The idea of preserving this world runs contrary to the plan of God. It is declining, it is winding down. The law of entropy which says that matter is always breaking down and tending toward disorder is indeed occurring. God does not intend for it to remain. The goals of all those who want to save the earth, to save-the-planet people are really wasting their time because this one will be replaced by an eternal new heaven and new earth. In fact, "the earth is not headed for an ecological crisis. it is headed for an "eschatological holocaust".
Psalm 102:25-26 (NIV)25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.
Hebrews 1:10-12 (NIV)10 He also says,“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”[a]
." Jesus said in Luke 21, "Heaven and earth will pass away."
You say, "What's the new heaven and earth going to be like?" He only gives us one clue, end of verse 1, just...this is the only clue, "There's no longer any sea."
At the end of time Paul says in Corr 15 that we will be literally raised, we will be literally given resurrection bodies but they will be different and , we will dwell in an eternally new heaven and earth that will be based on a completely different life principle than what we know now.
1 Corinthians 15:40- (NIV)
40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendour of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendour of the earthly bodies is another. 41 ...42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
Now I would like to put something to you for your consideration
We have come to something very interesting, intriguing and it addresses many common questions, including what will we be doing in heaven and will there be animals in heaven and what will it be like.
So we know there will be a new heaven and a new earth: 2 Peter 3:12-13 (NIV)12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[a] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
We know that the new heaven will come down:
Revelation 21:1-3 (NIV) A New Heaven and a New Earth
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
So we have the new Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place here on the new earth.Then it goes on and says in Chapter 22:1-3
Eden Restored : 22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse
Note the heading in some bibles “Eden Restored”
So here is the thing.... Is it possible that at the end we revert back to the state of the earth identical to when the Garden of Eden existed ….Because note we are talking about rivers, we are talking about trees, we are talking about fruit, we are talking about no curse!
in which case Genesis 2:15 becomes very applicable again;
Genesis 2:15 (NIV)15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And that will be our work and what we are going to be doing!
And the prophecy of Isaiah 11:6-7 comes true ...?
Isaiah 11:6-7 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together; and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
In which case there may well be animals! It’s an interesting thgought...?
So In Conclusion : Thinking about heaven
(1 Corinthians 2:9 ) :” no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived”
the things God has prepared for those who love him and Corinthians 15:54-57 (NIV)
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[
55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
SEE YOU IN HEAVEN!