Afterlife: Heaven
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 5/31/15
A Sunday School teacher just finished a lesson all about Heaven, then asked her students, “How many of you want to go to Heaven?” Of course, everyone in the class raised their hands… except for one little boy. “William,” she asked, “don’t you want to go to Heaven someday?” Suddenly lighting-up, the boy replied, “Oh yes ma’am. Someday. I just thought you were taking up a load right now!”
We all want to go to Heaven… someday, don’t we?
We’re also very curious about what’s like up there. Someone once posed the question “What is Heaven like?” to a group of Sunday School students. Scott, age eight, replied, “Heaven is up in the sky, and you can look down at circuses for free if you want to, except you have to ask God for permission first.” David, age seven, said, “Heaven is kind of big and they sit around playing harps. I don’t know how to play a harp, but I guess I should learn to play that dumb old thing pretty soon.”
In one of his Far Side cartoons, Gary Larson depicts a winged man seated in heaven on a cloud. No one near. Nothing to do. Marooned on his celestial post. The caption witnesses his despair: “Wish I’d brought a magazine.”
That’s how many of us imagine heaven. Clouds in our midst, harps on our laps, and time on our hands, unending time. A nonstop sing-along. A hymn, then a chorus, then still more verses. Is that really what awaits us in the Afterlife?
The last couple of week’s we’ve explored what lies beyond death’s door. The Bible describes three distinct realms in the hereafter. First is Hades, the place of dead where disembodied souls await the resurrection and the Day of Judgment. Second is Hell—and by the way, it seems that my sermon on Hell stirred quite a bit of conversations, questions, and maybe even a little controversy.
And finally the Bible offers the promise of Heaven.
According to a Gallup Poll conducted for U.S. News and World report. As many as 81% of Americans believe that Heaven exists (and as many as 78% believe they have a good or excellent chance of getting in), but few know what to expect when they get there.
It think the success of books about near-death experiences such as Heaven is for Real and 90 Minutes in Heaven reveals an innate longing to know what lies beyond Heaven’s door. But rather than rely on the notoriously unreliable experiences of others; Christians ought to find our answers in Scripture.
One of the most vivid, expressive descriptions of Heaven is found in Revelation 21—the second to last chapter of the Bible:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:1-5 NLT)
As with the rest of this apocalyptic book, this passage is replete with fantasy imagery and symbolism, so we should be careful not to take it too literally. But I believe the picture it paints gives us glimpse of Heaven’s glory and highlights three important features that will make Heaven so very heavenly.
First, this passage reminds us that Heaven will be real.
• HEAVEN IS REAL
The movies have told you wrong. Those images of knee-high fog banks, disembodied friends, and floating spirits? Forget them. Unlike the immaterial realm of Hades, Heaven will be as real as the soil in your garden, as tangible as pew beneath your bottom. When Christ comes, the present heavens and earth will disappear. We read Peter’s description of that day last week. But that’s not the end of the story. God said it himself, “Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5 NLT). He will purge, cleanse, and then reconstruct His cosmos.
Centuries before John’s vision, God told Isaiah, “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!” (Isaiah 65:17-18 NLT).
John’s description of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, descending from Heaven to Earth symbolizes the merging of these two realms. At that time Heaven and Earth will be joined together. It shouldn’t be difficult for Christians to imagine a world where Heaven and Earth are one; after all, we have the perfect parallel in Jesus Christ. Just as God and man will be forever united in Jesus, so Heaven and Earth will be forever united in the new universe. God’s plan is to abolish the gulf between the spiritual and physical worlds. There will be no divided loyalties or divided realms. There will be one cosmos; one universe united under one Lord—forever.
John describes this New Heaven as a place that will have rivers, trees, cities, buildings, gates, streets, mountains, and houses (Revelation 21-22)—a place of sensory delight and breathtaking beauty.
But nothing compares with God’s crowning jewel: the New Jerusalem. Christ will descend in a city unlike any the earth has ever seen, with shimmering spires, jewel encrusted buildings, and streets of purest gold. Of course, there’s a great deal of symbolism in these descriptions. We shouldn’t expect the streets of Heaven to literally be paved with gold or that the walls will be gilded with every type of jewel. In fact, the actual material substance will probably be unlike anything we’ve ever see or touched before. These are metaphors, communicating how beautiful the heavenly city will be.
It’s not just beautiful, though, it’s big too. Scripture reveals its jaw-dropping dimensions: an exact square of 12,000 stadia (1400 miles). Large enough to contain all the land mass from the Appalachians to the California coast — Canada to Mexico. Forty times the size of England, ten times the size of France, and larger than India. And that’s just the ground floor. Again, the actual measurements are likely metaphors—12 is the number for God’s holy people and 1,000 the number for totality. The point is Jesus is preparing a place for us and that place has ample space—room for all God’s people.
After hearing these majestic metaphors and colorful comparisons, someone might wonder, “Why not just tells plainly what Heaven is like, John?” A little girl named Mary once asked a similar question.
Years ago, a beautiful baby girl was born to a Christian couple. After several weeks, however, her parents noticed that she seemed to be having trouble with her vision. They scheduled an appointment and the ophthalmologist told them, “Your daughter Mary is rapidly losing her sight. She’ll likely be completely blind before her first birthday. But it’s possible that when she’s twelve years old, an operation could be done to restore her sight.” For twelve years, Mary learned to live in the dark. She and her parents adapted quite well and together they overcame Mary’s many obstacles. But still they anxiously awaited the day Mary’s eyes would be opened again. Finally the day arrived. Mary’s family traveled to a hospital in the Alps where the corrective surgery was performed. Mary’s bandages were removed just as the sun was setting behind the majestic peaks outside her window. It was against that backdrop that she saw her parents for the first time. With tears running down her cheeks, she asked, “Mom, why didn’t you tell the world is so beautiful?” Mary’s mom gathered her in her arms and said, “I tried to tell you Mary, but I just didn’t know how.”
Words fall short. If the human tongue is inadequate to describe the beauty of this world, how much more so the next? Consequently, John stumbled into the storage closet of metaphors and returned with an armload of word pictures. Regardless of what it actually looks like, it will truly be Heaven on Earth—in the most literal sense.
That brings us to the second characteristic of Heaven highlighted in John’s vision. Furthermore, Heaven will not only be real but it will be righteous.
• HEAVEN IS RIGHTEOUS
John describes the New Jerusalem as the “holy city… coming down from God.” Heaven will be just that—holy! It will be good and perfect. Peter described it saying, “But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13 NLT).
Heaven will be home to all that is good and right. As Christians, we anticipate a day when all of creation, every square inch, is flooded with the love, peace and joy of Jesus Christ! The coming of Christ will herald the total abolition of sin, suffering and sorrow. In fact, as John witnesses the melding of Heaven and Earth, he hears a loud voice cry out, “God… will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Rev. 21:4 NLT).
One of the greatest blessings of Heaven is what won’t be there. No death, disease, or divorce. No trials, tribulation, or turmoil. No funeral homes, abortion clinics, or psychiatric wards. No rape, missing children, or drug rehabilitation centers. No bigotry, no muggings or killings. No worry or depression or economic downturns. No wars, no unemployment. Close friendships but no cliques, laughter but no put-downs. Intimacy, but no temptation to immorality. No hidden agendas, no backroom deals, no betrayals.
Without the presence of evil, the New Heaven and New Earth will be like nothing we’ve ever experienced. In this world, bad moods infect the best of families. Complaints shadow the clearest days. Bad apples spoil bunches of us, but rotten fruit doesn’t qualify for the produce section of Heaven. Christ will have completed his redemptive work. All gossip excised and jealousy extracted. He will suction the last drop of ugliness from the most remote corners of our souls.
Since Heaven is the home of righteousness and you’re living there—that means you’ll be made righteous too. You’ll love the result. No one will doubt your word, question your motives, or speak evil behind your back. You’ll still be you, but a better you—the you you’ve always longed to be. I love how John MacArthur once put it: “Heaven is the perfect place for people made perfect.” One thing is for sure: you’ll love it. Never weary, selfish, or defeated. Clear mind, tireless muscles, unhindered joy. Heaven is a perfect place of perfected people with our perfect Lord.
That brings us to the last trait of Heaven John’s vision highlights. Finally, Heaven is relational.
• HEAVEN IS RELATIONAL
In other words, eternal life will be heavenly because of who we spent it with. From the throne of God, John heard a divine voice proclaim, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them” (Revelation 21:3 NLT).
The very best part of Heaven will be getting to know God.
What we have only seen in our thoughts, we will see with our eyes. What we’ve struggled to imagine, we will be free to behold. What we’ve seen in a glimpse, we will then see in full view. Imagine finally beginning to get a handle on how God is one in nature and three in person. Imagine exploring the depths of God’s love, wisdom, and holiness. Imagine forever growing in our capacities to fathom his immensity, immutability, and incomprehensibility. And to top it all off, the more we come to know him, the more there will be to know. Endless attributes await us. His grace will increasingly stun, wisdom progressively astound, and perfection ever more sharpen into focus. We serve a God so rapt with wonders that their viewing requires an eternity. A God whose beauty enhances with proximity.
Never again will God feel distant. His home will be your home. Isn’t that what Jesus promised. Before leaving this world, Jesus assured his disciples, saying, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am” (John 14:1-3 NCV). In the words of Jessie B. Pounds, “Anywhere with Jesus will be home, sweet home.”
In C. S. Lewis’ wonderful books The Chronicles of Narnia, the characters who have lived in Narnia have completed their time and work there. In a closing chapter, Aslan—the lion who represents Jesus—has come for them in order to take them home. They are headed away from Narnia and are about to enter Aslan’s land. When they do, they are met with familiar scenes. One of the characters cries out: “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this.”
Friends, I think we’ll feel the same way, when Christ comes again.
Conclusion:
I don’t know if Don Piper actually spent 90 Minutes in Heaven or if Colton Burpo really sat in Jesus’ lap and asked Heaven’s angel’s to sing We Will Rock You. When it comes to near-death experiences the lines between dream and reality are often blurred. But when it comes to Scripture, we can be certain. We can rely on God’s Word to reveal to us what could never otherwise know.
So, yes, Heaven is real. Yes, Heaven is the home of righteousness. And, yes, Heaven is relational—a place filled with real people enjoying the love and fellowship of a real, righteous, and relational God.
Invitation:
I’ve very much enjoyed this series on the Afterlife. I hope that it’s given you hope and encouragement. But I hope it also challenges you. If you aren’t sure where you’re headed—if Heaven will be your eternal home—them I want to invite you come talk with me while we stand and sing.
