Heaven
Today we end our three-week series on Life After Death – what happens after we die.
A recap of what we’ve considered so far:
- Bodies die, but souls continue conscious existence.
- Our souls will face judgment and will receive rewards.
- Unbelievers immediately go to Hades, a place of conscious suffering. There they wait for the final judgment. After the judgment everyone in Hades will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, which is what we usually think of when we think of Hell.
Last week’s message was heavy. I could see that in your faces. Today’s message, however, is more uplifting. We will look at what is in store for those who put their faith in Jesus: an eternity in Heaven.
When I say “Heaven,” what comes to your mind? Clouds? Worship? Presence of God? Joy? Freedom from pain? I can tell you have a better understanding of Heaven than most people, Christians included. Heaven has been depicted in all sorts of unbiblical ways in our culture, and this has created a lot of confusion.
Unfortunately, this lack of understanding of both Heaven and Hell has left many people not really caring about their eternity. When you don’t know the truth, Hell doesn’t sound too bad, and Heaven can sound flat-out boring! So today we will address some of the wrong thinking about Heaven and see how we arrived at those beliefs.
Misconceptions about Heaven
It’s only a state of mind.
The “state of mind” beliefs are more in line with Hindu beliefs than with Christianity. While Heaven will put us in a better state of mind, Heaven will be a place. Jesus went there to prepare a place for us, and what He prepared sounds much more like a place than a state of mind to me!
John 14:2-3 – 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? 3And 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.
It will be an eternal worship service.
Revelation 4:6 – Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.
Yes, worship is a key component of Heaven, but this belief shows our tiny, compartmentalized view of what worship is. It is more than singing. Even for people who love a longer time of singing in church, an eternity of the same three lines sounds almost torturous! (By the way, in this verse, “they” are the four living creatures who exist for a different purpose than all the saints who are coming to Heaven.)
It will involve a monotonous cloudscape.
Yes, Heaven is consistently referred to in the Bible as “Above.”
Acts 1:9 – After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (NOTE: Jesus went UP, which is the opposite of Hades, which is below.)
In Heaven we will not trade in beautiful landscapes for boring cloudscapes. It won’t be like living at 30,000 feet in a white vastness of clouds, and it won’t be like soaring through those clouds in an airplane. How limiting to think that would be God’s best for Himself or us. Think about it. God created all the variety of colors and sounds and the animals and plants of every shape and size. Why would He then make His home all one color? We do things like that, but not God!
What is Heaven?
We all want to know exactly what Heaven is like, but scripture takes us only so far. See what the Bible says about Heaven when it isn’t just talking about the sky above.
- Heaven is the present home of God and His angels and the ultimate destination of His saints on earth.
Even that definition is awkward because we know God is omnipresent; He is everywhere at once. Yet we are told His presence is primarily on the throne in Heaven where His servants (angels) and His saints who have died are all assembled with Him.
When Do We Get to Heaven?
We’ve seen that unbelievers immediately go to Hades, which is a temporary place of suffering before entering Hell for eternity.
Believers immediately go to the presence of Jesus, which is – by definition – Heaven. This is what Jesus, while hanging on the cross next to the thief, called “Paradise.” Here’s something, though, that a lot of people never think about. Even the Heaven where God and Jesus reside right now will be transformed on the Day of the Lord – the end of time as we know it.
2 Peter 3:10, 13 – 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare…. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
Remember this: we know that Paradise in the presence of God will be amazing at the moment we pass from this life to the next. However, it will not be complete until the Day of the Lord, when a New Heaven and a New Earth are created and we experience the fullness of what God has in store for us.
What Is Heaven Like?
Most of what we learn about Heaven is really about this New Heaven and New Earth from the vision God gave to John and John recorded in the book of Revelation. As we now talk about what Heaven is like, we are talking about this future New Heaven.
Absolute Beauty
1 Corinthians 2:9 – “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived.”
I love watching National Geographic specials. The ability of the cameramen to capture every animal, great and small, in such detail is astounding. Even more impressive are the movements of the animals and how they change colors and sing. The landscapes where these animals live – some of the most remote areas in the world – are breathtaking! And the God who created this remarkable universe is the One who also created Heaven.
Revelation 21 gives us a lengthy description of the Heavenly City at the center of everything.
Revelation 21:2, 18-19– 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband… 18The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel.
Relationally Whole
Revelation 22:2-3a – 2On 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. 3No longer will there be any curse.
The curse brought separation between God and man and also separation among humans. Cain killed Abel. Humanity fought. Nations rose against nations as they still do today. However, the leaves of the Tree of Life bring healing. Racism will be eliminated. Fighting among people because of selfishness will be a thing of the past.
Original Purpose – to rule and reign and to serve God in all we do.
Do you remember the original mandate given to Adam in the Garden of Eden? He was to rule over the creatures of the earth and work the garden. He was to be obedient to God and walk in relationship with God. That’s not how everything turned out, though, and we’ve been trying ever since to get back to that original purpose for our lives. In Heaven, that’s what we’ll do.
Revelation 22:3b, 5 – 3The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him….5And they will reign for ever and ever.
Fully in the Presence of God
More important than all the physical beauty of the heavenly city, more important than the fellowship we will enjoy eternally with all God’s people from all nations and all periods in history, more important than our freedom from pain and sorrow and physical suffering, and more important than reigning over God’s kingdom – more important by far than any of these is the fact that we will be in the presence of God, enjoying unhindered fellowship with Him.
Revelation 21:3 – 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.
If you are like me, you have had moments in your life when you felt the presence of God in a special way. Those memories are amazing; those moments felt transcendent and life-changing. That will be our new reality – except even moreso!
When you think about what life will be like after you die, focus on the beauty of Heaven and the fact that sin and evil will be removed and everything will be perfect. You can even wonder about what you will do there. What will ruling look like for you? Most importantly, focus on who you will be there with – the God who created you, who drew you to Himself, who saved you, and who made an eternal home for you. That’s the best part of a life spent in Heaven.
Conclusion
This series on Life After Death has included many terms you may not have recognized, like Great White Throne Judgment, Bema Seat, Sheol, Hades and Abraham’s Bosom. This series is about much more, though, than technical terms and exactly who goes where and when. This is about your eternity! Your belief regarding what the Bible says about these topics will determine how you live your life and what will happen after your earthly life is over.
Each of us has two big decisions to make.
- Do you believe what the Bible says about judgment, heaven and hell? Do you believe God offers a free gift of salvation from the judgment we deserve and rewards us instead with righteousness we could never earn? Good people don’t go to Heaven. Forgiven people do.
- How are you going to live in light of your answer to the first question? Will what you believe about eternity actually change how you live in this life?
Some people are terrified of what will happen when they die. I want you to walk out of here without any worry or doubt. Scripture is clear about what will happen for those of us who put our trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. Listen to this verse that is commonly read at funerals:
1 Corinthians 15:52-55 – 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 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. 55Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
Death need not be a scary idea for us, the saints.
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