WHAT WILL HEAVEN BE LIKE?
VARIOUS PASSAGES
INTRODUCTION
This month we are talking about the question: “You are dead… now what?” The purpose of John and I’s sermons all month long are to answer questions that you may have about what happens after we die… that is the purpose of our time together in God’s Word each Sunday morning. Hopefully you are encouraged along the way or perhaps convicted, but more than anything we want your questions to be answered if at all possible. John preached one message about the destination of our souls after death and one sermon about Hell. There are significant questions when it comes to the afterlife. What have we learned thus far?
* We talked about how all of us are made up of body, soul, and spirit and upon our death we all continue in one way or another.
* There are only two places when you die. Hell or Hades is a place where God is not. Heaven is the place where God is always.
* Since the afterlife is definitely real, if you aren’t sure where you are going, it is not safe to die.
* Hell is a solitary garbage dump of emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual suffering.
Since everyone thinks they are going to Heaven, Heaven is the place that seems to have the most questions about it and the strongest emotions attached to it. To be honest, Scripture is VERY clear that only those who accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior are going to Heaven. In John 3:3 Jesus tells us, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” and in John 14:6 Jesus makes it so clear, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is only by the Grace of God and the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that any of us have even a glimmer of hope in reaching Heaven. One of the biggest questions about Heaven I can answer right away… NO… not everyone goes to Heaven and you have this life to choose where you eternity will be spent.
ILLUSTRATON… The Right Side (sermoncentral.com illustration)
The story is told of a little girl who had lived her life in the city and was acclimated to the many street lights at night. She had opportunity to go to the country on a vacation. One starlit night, she and her mother stood gazing up into the sky without any street lights to conceal its aura. The child was awestruck by its sparkling beauty. She exclaimed, "Mama, if heaven is so pretty on the wrong side, I wonder what it looks like on the right side!"
So what will Heaven be like? Well, since I have not been there, I must take my cues in describing it to you from those prophets and servants of God in Scripture who have seen glimpses of it. To be honest, I personally do not read books about accounts of Heaven or Hell or memoirs about near death experiences because the authoritative Word on the things of God and spiritual issues is the Bible and no other book or account or experience can be trusted fully. We find glimpses of Heaven in passages such as Isaiah 6, John 14, Revelation 4, 11, 21, and 22. I’d like to mention that this is my brief description of Heaven based on these passages.
Heaven is a place that has at its center the Throne of God in a Holy City dedicated to Him. There is a river of crustal clear water springing up from under the throne and flows all over Heaven. The presence of God lights the entirety of Heaven and there is no need or a sun, moon, or even stars and His presence fills all of Heaven. Around the throne are angels with six wings constantly praising God over and over singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." From this center of Heaven, light flashes out across the sky, sound thunderclaps, and all Heaven shakes with the Awesomeness of God Almighty. A rainbow of green surrounds God and spreads out as far as one can see and the brilliance of God is unmatched by the brightest light you can imagine. All around the Throne of God are lamp stands flaming with God’s power and presence, people falling down in worship casting crowns before Him, and songs of praise non-stop. Roads of gold lead out from the Throne of God to the rest of Heaven. Away from the center of the Throne of God, Heaven looks like Earth, but not like anything we could imagine. Everything is perfect. Plants, countryside, buildings filled with banquet halls, whatever is there is absolute perfection. Existence is perfect and there are no tears, no sickness, no pain, no curses, no death, and no sin. Everything has been made new for us and we dwell with God forever. There are mansions and space for all in Heaven and plenty of heavenly perfect food and fellowship with others.
My human imagination and description are quite inadequate as to what Heaven will actually be like. In fact, 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” My simplistic description of Heaven does not even come close to Truth, but hopefully it gets you thinking about some questions about Heaven or perhaps reminds you of questions you have always had about it. I tried to figure out what some of the top questions were so that we could have a beneficial time together this morning. If you have a question that we do not answer here this morning, please email to me and I will answer it on the Church Blog so that others can benefit from your question and the hopefully good answer.
I. Will we retain our Earthly identity?
This is one of the basic questions about Heaven and about the afterlife. Will I still be me after I die? To answer this question, there are 3 passages we can rely on for the answer.
Luke 16:23-24, “In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'”
John 11:40-44, “Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus,” come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
Revelation 6:9-10,“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?"
We see from these passages that the answer is YES… you will still be you for eternity in Heaven. To be honest, you will still be you even if you end up in Hell. Specifically, the verses in Luke 16 show us that the rich man, the beggar Lazarus, and Abraham all kept their identities after this life. In addition to that, when Jesus’ good friend Lazarus died (not the same one as in the story in Luke 16), Jesus called Him by name out of the tomb. Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha and dear friend of Jesus of Nazareth was still Lazarus whether he was alive or dead. We even see in Revelation 6 that those people who had been killed for their faith knew who they were.
I think this is one of the most wonderful things about Heaven and to be honest the way God has created us. God Almighty has created each one of us as a unique individual, not just for this life, but for all of eternity. That is part, I believe, what Genesis 1:27 means when it says, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” We are uniquely created by God and will continue as ourselves in Eternity.
Tag: You gonna’ be there?
II. How will we know who other people are?
ILLUSTRATION… Dwight Moody: Ready to go (sermoncentral.com illustration)
Dwight Moody was traveling by boat on one of the Great Lakes when a really bad storm developed. The other passengers on the boat cowered in fear. They even started an impromptu prayer meeting asking God to deliver them from the storm. Moody didn't join in this prayer meeting. When asked why not, he answered with these words, "I have a sister in Chicago and one in heaven and I don’t care which I see tonight."
There is another question when it comes to identity, and that is, how will we know who other people are? How will we know when we see our father, mother, sister or brother? As with the last question, there is some certainty here that the Scriptures give us on a subject that is broad and full of mystery. God has revealed that we will, YES, know who each other are in Heaven. There are 3 passages which describe this answer.
Matthew 17:2-4, says “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. 4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
1 Corinthians 13:12 “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
1 John 3:2, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
There is something supernatural that will happen when we get to Heaven and we will know and recognize who each other are… do you believe supernatural things will happen when we get to Heaven? I do! Matthew 17 describes the Transfiguration of Jesus and it also describes Peter, James, and John somehow being able to identify Elijah and Moses… I don’t know how they did it… they just did. 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 3 describe for us that after this life we will be able to fully know God face to face. Something about Heaven and how we are in Heaven will allow us to know one another and those that we have never met. I find that kind of cool… amazing… wonderous… and definitely something to look forward to. Yes we will know each other in Heaven and the how is a bit of a supernatural awesome mystery.
Tag: You gonna’ be there?
III. Will we have memories of our relationships here on Earth?
When I imagine Heaven, I often imagine Heaven as a huge banquet hall filled with all the people I have ever known and loved… well… at least those that have accepted Jesus and believed in Him. Perhaps I imagine Heaven as a great feasting time because the Bible often uses this image of a feast or huge wedding celebration to describe Heaven. Matthew 8:11 says, “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 25:10-13 also describes, "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' 12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” As I think about the party hall full of people in Heaven, it occurs to me that we will recognize the people around us, but will we have memories of our relationships here on Earth? Will I remember when Uncle BillyBob fell and broke his arm? Will we remember our divorce from that no-good-[beeeeeeep] and all the horrible things that happened? Will we remember our addiction and how it hurt everyone around us? Will we remember raising our children and the time when we grounded all our kids for a month for putting peanut butter on the ceiling? To be honest, this is a little more complicated question than the others… will we have memories of our relationships here on Earth?
I must again look to the Scriptures to find out if there is an answer on this side of Eternity. We find 4 passages that help us answer this question.
Isaiah 65:16b-18 says, “For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes. Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.”
Matthew 22:30 // Mark 12:25 state, “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”
Luke 16:27-28 says, "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
Revelation 21:3-4 "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
The answer to this question is a YES, BUT. Yes we will remember our lives and have memories of our loved ones, but it seems that life in Heaven will be all together different. Yes we will remember our lives and our relationships, but I think those memories that cause us pain will be healed and will pass away. The memories of our sin will be gone. God will heal our hearts. Yes we will remember our marriages, but the specifics about our marriages will fade as we focus on our personal face-to-face relationship with God. Jesus tells us that the rich man remembered his brothers after he died and certainly knew who they were, but we are unclear on what all he remembered. His overarching concern is that his brothers not end up with him in torment, but rather end up in Paradise with God. Life in Heaven will be so totally different and we cannot forget that spiritual fact.
ILLUSTRATION… Wait a Second (sermoncentral.com illustration)
Heaven is so very different. There is a story about the man who approached God and asked Him, "Lord, up in heaven how much time is a million years?" "Well," God said, "a million years is but a second in heaven."
"Oh!" said the man, "and up in heaven how much money is a million dollars?" "Well," said God, "a million dollars is only a penny in heaven." "Great!" said the man. "God, give me one of your pennies." "All right," said the heavenly Father. "Just wait a second."
Tag: You gonna’ be there?
IV. Do people in Heaven know what is happening on Earth?
The next question is one of those questions that I need to be careful with because it is tied to something many people say to one another at the death of a loved one and may be a misconception about Heaven… meaning a belief we think is true but isn’t. Many times people will say, “your so-and-so is watching over you.” Others around us say it to try and say something nice and to be of some comfort… but it may or may not be true. If the answer is yes, then it is a nice warm thought that your Christian family who has already died are rooting you on in your life and watching over you. If the answer is no, then all those times you told yourself your mom or dad or child or spouse are still with you watching over you was a lie to help you feel better. So which is it? Do people in Heaven know what is happening on Earth?
There are basically two trains of thought on this topic. The first train is that once we're in Heaven we will be so preoccupied with worshipping God that the last thing in our mind would be what's happening on earth and we won’t really care. In addition, with all the tragedy, hurt, evil, and sadness in this world, Heaven wouldn’t be Heaven if we had to watch and endure all of the destructive behaviors and decisions our loved ones make. The second train is pretty much the opposite of that. Some feel like folks up in Heaven are sitting and watching our every move almost like it's their form of entertainment and they are waiting for us to join them. Some even think that sometimes those in Heaven might be intervening in our lives and directing our steps and helping us to know what to do.
So what does the Bible say? I must be honest and say that the Bible is not so clear on this one. We do have a passage in 1 Samuel 28:11-18 where the prophet Samuel is brought up after death to speak to King Saul and the prophet is aware of Saul’s sinful activities. We also have , Luke 15:7 which says, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Yet the context and meaning of that verse is clearly the angels rejoicing and doesn’t mention saints in Heaven. I must conclude, based on Scripture, that I really have no idea. I would tend to lean towards a “NO” answer, but that is my personal opinion.
I did have an additional thought. If it has been your belief that your loved one is watching over you, may I challenge you to rely not on a family member for guidance or the thought of them keeping an eye on you to keep you on track, but rather focus on God for guidance and realize that He always watches over you. Christians are never alone! John 14:16-18 says matter-of-factly, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
For Christians, our guidance in this life comes not from a dead family member, but from the Holy Spirit. For all people, our conscience is God-given and for those of us who are Christians, our conscience is augmented by the Holy Spirit.
Tag: You gonna’ be there?
V. How will we enjoy Heaven if people we love aren’t there?
ILLUSTRATION… Lunch at a new school (p)
One of the hardest things about growing up in a military family was moving every three to four years. This meant new friends, new schools, new places to live on a constant basis. One of the hardest times for me when I moved was the very first week of school… and not just school itself… but lunchtime. Lunchtime the first week at a new school was absolutely the hardest… why? I didn’t have anyone to eat with! There is something special about sharing a meal with people you know and love… and there is something equally disturbing about eating by yourself in a sea of people you don’t know. It is not enjoyable. I bring up this sad little memory of my childhood to try and introduce the last question we will speak about this morning.
The question is: How will we enjoy Heaven if people we love aren’t there? Some people think that Heaven won’t be Heaven if the people you love the most are absent. It’s like sitting at a lunch able all by yourself with people you don’t know. Awkward. Sad. Socially painful. That doesn’t sound like Heaven.
Our answer comes from Scripture:
Revelation 2:7 “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
Revelation 2:17 “To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”
Revelation 3:5 “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.”
Revelation 3:12 “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.”
Revelation 3:21 “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
Revelation 21:6-7 “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
The picture we get of Heaven is that we will be provided for in all things, all things will be made new, we will be in the presence of the Holy God, we will be healed of all our earthly issues to the point that we are made brand new… so NO I don’t think the people who are NOT in Heaven will be on our minds. We may remember them distantly, but God will heal any hurt that they are not present in Eternity with us. Heaven will be a whole different way of existing and I think we can scarcely imagine what it will be like. We will enjoy Heaven because it will be Heaven and Jesus Christ has prepared a place for us!
Tag: You gonna’ be there?
APPLICATION
ILLUSTRATON… I shut my mouth (sermoncentral.com illustration)
A number of years ago a church member knocked on his preacher’s door and asked if he could talk to him. The preacher invited him in. The man took a seat and began his story. “Preacher, do you remember hearing about the death at the steel plant this past week?” “Yes, I heard about that,” the preacher said. “It was a terrible tragedy.”
“Well,” the man continued, “I was there.” “Bob was working when suddenly there was an accident and the molten metal spilt on him. He began to holler. After a minute or so he began to cry and ask, ‘Someone, please tell me how to be saved. Someone, tell me how to be a Christian. I am going to die soon. I know that. But please, won’t someone tell me how to be saved. Won’t somebody, please tell me how to go to heaven?’ The man continued, I stood there with the rest of the men at the plant and watched him die, without saying a word.”
The preacher, confused, asked, “John, why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you tell him how to be saved? You’re a good man. You’re a faithful church member. You’re a leader in the church. Why didn’t you step up and say something? Why didn’t you tell him how to be saved?”
The man replied, “Because I have not lived that kind of life in front of the men at work. I haven’t lived the Christian life in front of those men. And so when I was needed the most, the life I lived in front of that man, closed my mouth to that man.”
CONCLUSION
