Heaven

Bible Book: Selected Passages

Subject: Heaven; Eternity

Introduction

A man had been in a coma. He was taken for dead. But just as he was about to be buried, he came to. A friend asked, "What did it feel like to be dead?" "I wasn't dead," he answered, "and I knew it." "How did you know it?" he was asked. "My feet were cold, and I was hungry," he replied. "But," protested his friend, "what did that prove?" "Well," he explained, "I knew if I were in heaven I wouldn't be hungry. And I knew if I were in hell my feet wouldn't be cold." How true.

Let us think about heaven. It is mentioned more than five hundred and fifty times in the Bible. The Lord spoke much about heaven. He used it as an antidote for anxiety, a balm for bereavement, a provocation for prayer, a rendezvous for rewards, and a stimulus for service.

There are three heavens mentioned in the Bible. First, the atmospheric heavens which are immediately above us, the region of the clouds in which we live and move. Second, the stellar heavens, the place of the sun, moon and stars. Third, the heaven of heavens, the abode of our Lord.

I. Look at the Position

"Where is heaven?" you ask. It is up. It is written in Acts 1:9-11, when the Lord Jesus had spoken, "He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Who also said, 'Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.'"

"But," you may ask, "where is up?" In the north. North is in the same direction from every point in the world. It is the same from Asia as from America, the same from the Arctic as from the Antarctic. North is up from anywhere.

It is written in Isaiah 14:12-14, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."

Psalm 75:6 and 7 states, "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another." If promotion does not originate from the east, west, or south, then it can only come from the north. Since God is the one who promotes or deposes, His throne must be in the north.

When "the glory of the Lord" visited Ezekiel it came with a whirlwind "out of the north," according to Ezekiel 1:4-28.

And there is one more point of interest. Astronomers tell us there is a place in the sky that is not studded with stars. They call it "The Swan," and it is in the north. Job 26:7 informs us, "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place."

It seems then the heaven is "up" in the "north." But with the poet I confess: "My knowledge of that life small, the eye of faith is dim;

It is enough that Christ knows all, and I shall dwell with Him."

II. Look at the Place

What is heaven? Is it an artificial state or an actual site, a legendary fable or a literal fact, a ghostly condition or genuine city?

The Lord Jesus called it a "place" in John 14:2. He said, "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." Heaven is a physical place. It is just as actual, just as genuine, just as literal as the city in which you now live.

Just as your city had a builder, so has heaven. According to Hebrews 11:10 the "Builder and Maker is God." Can you think of a better Builder or a more masterful Maker? He will bring in everything that is good and leave out everything that is bad. It will be healthfully, sinlessly, perfectly beautiful.

Just as your city has streets, so has heaven. But the street of heaven is spotless, not soiled. It has no holes or hindrances. Here is how John described it in Revelation 21:18 and 21, "The city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." The glorious light of heaven will shine through it and will be reflected by it. Beauty and purity will pervade the eternal city.

Just as your city has a river, so has heaven. But the river of heaven is pure, not polluted; it is clear, not cloudy. St. John wrote in Revelation 22:1, "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." Heaven is not a place of dust and drought. There is this river of joy flowing through the city of God. This crystal clear river will never be dried up or defiled.

Just as your city has trees, so has heaven. Revelation 22:2 says, "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

The expression "tree of life" does not refer to one single tree, but to a species.

There is no hunger in heaven, nor are there any hurts. And the word "healing" is better translated "health-giving." Here is the significance; the very presence of the tree of life, which the heavenly citizens will enjoy, is God's guarantee of eternal health and happiness.

Just as your city has limits, so has heaven. Revelation 21:16 states, "And the city lieth foursquare." Heaven is a city that is fifteen hundred miles high, wide and long. Some say it is a perfect cube.

Others say it will be the shape of a pyramid, sloping upward fifteen hundred miles, with the throne of God at the tope, and the river of life winding its way to the bottom. In either case, the size is astounding.

Just as your city has a wall, so has heaven. According to Revelation 21:11, 12, 17 and 21 the walls glow like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper. They are built on twelve layers of foundation stones inlaid with gems, and the twelve gates are made of pearls - each gate a single pearl!

Just as your city has lights, so has heaven. But no night will fall in heaven. Revelation 21:23-25 says, "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there." Just as your city has mansions, so has heaven. The Lord Jesus said in John 14:2, "In My Father's house are many mansions." No bombs can burst them, no storms can smash them, no taxes can take them and no thief can terrorize them. None of these pestilences or people will be in heaven. We will not have to lay a foundation, saw a board, drive a nail, lay a brick, decorate the interior or paint the exterior, for our Lord said, "I go to prepare a place for you."

Just as your city has a government, so has heaven. But in heaven there will be no bribery or brutality, no corrupt politicians or crooked politics, no disloyalty or dishonesty, no graft or greed, no lawlessness or lewdness, no poverty or partiality, no strife or strikes, no Satan or sin. Heaven will have the Lord Jesus for her King, angels for guards and Christians for citizens.

Just as your city has a directory, so has heaven. It is the Book of Life. Doctors will be listed, but they will have no patients to cure. Nurses will be listed but they will have no persons under medical care. Landlords will be listed, but they will have no rent to collect. Policemen will be listed, but they will have no lawbreakers to arrest. Surgeons will be listed, but they will have no operations to perform. Morticians will be listed, but they will have no funerals to conduct. Internal revenue agent swill be listed, but they will have no taxes to collect. Preachers will be listed, but they will have no sinners to convert. Revelations 21:4 states, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Just as your city affords a place of service, so does heaven. It is written in Revelation 22:3, "His servants shall serve Him." On this earth service brings sweat and sorrow, tasks bring trouble and tears, duties bring disappointment and distress, work brings weariness and worry. Not so, in heaven. The service of heaven will satisfy, the tasks will thrill, and the duties will delight.

Just as your city offers a place of rest, so does heaven. But oftentimes rest gives way to restlessness, and a vacation turns to vexation. There are so few times when one can really rest. There is so much to do, so very much to do. But Revelation 14:13 says, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them." Well did the poet say,

"When I take my vacation in heaven,

What a wonderful time that will be!

Heaving concerts by the heavenly chorus,

And the face of my Savior I'll see.

Sitting down on the banks of the river,

'Neath the shade of the heavenly tree

I shall rest from my burdens forever.

Won't you take your vacation with me?"

Just as you waited for and welcomed your children when they came into your home, so you will be welcomed when you come into your heavenly Father's home. Our Lord promised, "I will receive you unto Myself." Then He will wipe away all tears from your eyes and you will enjoy happiness with no heartaches, soundness with no sickness, pleasure with no pain, wealth with no want, music with no misery, delight with no devil, satisfaction with no sin."

There's no disappointment in heaven,

No weariness, sorrow, or pain,

No hearts that are bleeding and broken,

No songs with a minor refrain;

The clouds of our earthly horizon

Will never appear in the sky,

For all will be sunshine and gladness,

With never a sob nor a sigh."

"We'll never pay rent for our mansion,

The taxes will never come due;

Our garments will never grow threadbare,

But always be fadeless and new.

We'll never be hungry or thirsty,

Nor languish in poverty there,

For all the rich bounties of heaven

His sanctified children will share."

"There'll never be crepe on the doorknob,

No funeral trains in the sky,

No graves on the hillside of glory

For there we shall nevermore die.

The old will be young there forever,

Transformed in a moment of time;

Immortal we'll stand in His likeness,

The stars and the sun to outshine."

"I'm bound for that beautiful city

My Lord has prepared for His own,

Where all the redeemed of all ages

Sing glory around the white throne;

Sometimes I get homesick for heaven

And the glories I there shall behold;

What a joy it will be when my Savior

In that beautiful city of gold."

III. Look at the People

Are you wondering, "Who will be in heaven?" Our Lord will be there. Someone has said, "The light of heaven is the face of Jesus, the joy of heaven is the presence of Jesus, the harmony of heaven is the praise of Jesus, and the fullness of heaven is Jesus!"

Angels, according to Matthew 22:30, will be in heaven. They possess superhuman wisdom and power. They are innumerable, and they care for the Christians, guiding and guarding them. Won't it be exciting to meet them!

Believers of all ages will be in heaven. Our Lord said in John 14:1-3: "Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

"But," you ask, "what about babies and children who die before reaching an age of accountability?" While the Bible does not answer directly, there are Bible verses which furnish a satisfying answer. Our Lord said in Matthew 19:14, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." And in Matthew 18:11, where the subject is little children, our Lord said, "The Son of man is come to save that which was lost." In the light of these verses, I believe that those who die before reaching the mental and spiritual capability of understanding are saved by the atonement of Christ.

David's child died. He said in 2 Samuel 12:23, "Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." Where was David going? Heaven. Was he not led of the Holy Spirit to write in Psalm 23:6, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!"

"Shall we know each other in heaven?" you ask. Yes, we shall know each other in heaven. "Now I know in part," declares 1 Corinthians 13:12, "but then shall I know even as also I am know." If we did not know each other in heaven, we would know less than we know now. But we shall know more then, for we shall know everything clearly and fully.

Mary, according to Matthew 28, knew the Lord Jesus after His resurrection. And Stephen knew Jesus, according to Acts 7, as the murderous stones killed him. One day the Lord Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of a hill. As they watched, according the Matthew 17, Moses and Elijah appeared and were talked with Him. Immediately they recognized them even though they had never met them. They knew them by their personality.

In the 16th chapter of Luke, the Lord Jesus told the story of a rich man called Dives and of a beggar named Lazarus. The rich man died and went to hell. He recognized the place where he went, and he was conscious. Lazarus died and went to Abraham's bosom, or what we would call heaven. The rich man was able to recognize those in afar off heaven. He spoke of seeing Abraham and Lazarus in heaven, or paradise. And he remembered his brothers who were living on earth.

In old pagan Rome a guard felt sorry for a Christian who was about to be killed because of his love for the Lord. After the Christian's daughter left his cell, the guard gazed intently upon him and said, "You don't seem worried and fearful. You are to die tomorrow. Tonight you saw your daughter for the last time." "No," said the Christian, "you are wrong. I shall see her again. My daughter is a Christian, too. Christians never see one another for the last time. They meet in heaven, there to live forever."

"When," do you ask, "does a Christian go to heaven?" Immediately at death. The penitent thief, who was dying, according to Luke 23:42 and 43, said, "Lord remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom." Jesus answered, "Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with Me in paradise."

One day Lazarus, a diseased beggar, died. Our Lord said in Luke 16:22 he "was carried by the angels" to the place of the righteous dead.

St. Paul said in Philippians 1:21-23, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. . . having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better." He said in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

Conclusion

Angels guard Christians, and the last thing an angel does for a Christian is to take him home to heaven immediately at death. That is why the apostle Paul spoke about being absent from the body and at home with the Lord. For heaven is the Christian's home, sweet home.

A Christian couple was united in the holy bonds of matrimony and they started their family altar on their honeymoon. Every morning and every night they read the Bible together and prayed. When the Lord blessed their home with children, they dedicated them to the Lord. Early in life they led their children to the Lord, and they joined them in their family altar. But as they grew older they married and left home. Once more the husband and wife were alone in their big house.

But that Christian mother did something my mother always did. Every morning she went to the rooms of her children, knelt by their beds, and prayed faithfully for them.

One day the elder brother suggested to his brother and sister that they slip quietly into their mother's home on Thanksgiving Eve and surprise her in the morning. They were thrilled with the suggestion. They met at a neighbor's home and they slipped silently into their old home and went to bed without awakening their parents.

On Thanksgiving Day, before sunrise, the mother went to Bill's room, knelt beside the bed and said, "Heavenly Father, Bill used to sleep here. He's not feeling very well. Father, bless Bill with good health," and she stroked the pillow and felt a face. "Bill," she cried, "is this you?" "Yes, mother!" he shouted, and he hugged and kissed her.

The mother went into Mary's room. Dropping to her knees, she said, "Heavenly Father, Mary is all alone in the big city. Guard her, guide her, take good care of her," and she stroked the pillow and felt her hair. "Mary," she sobbed, "is that you?" "Yes, mother," she answered, "it's me!" They hugged and kissed.

Then she ran into Jim's room and asked, "Jim, are you here too?" "Yes, mother," he answered, "I am."

Running back to her husband, she cried, "Dad, all the children are home. They're all home. What a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!"