WHAT IS HEAVEN LIKE?—Revelation 21, Isaiah 65:17-25
Read Revelation 21.
***The couple were in their 80’s, in good health, largely due to the efforts of the wife, who carefully controlled their diet, and regularly nagged her husband to watch his weight and exercise.
For their 60th anniversary, they flew to Hawaii. Unfortunately, their plane crashed, and they died.
They reached the pearly gates, and St. Peter ushered them into a beautiful mansion. The house was huge, and the finishes were fantastic. The old man asked Peter how much a place like this would cost. Peter said, “Don’t worry; it’s all included.”
They opened a sliding door, and looked out from the deck over the most beautiful golf course. Peter told the old man he could play anytime he wanted, for free! The weather would always be perfect, and there would be no wait times.
Then Peter took them to the clubhouse, where they saw an elaborate buffet, with prime rib and seafood, rich desserts, and free-flowing beverages. The old man asked what it would cost to eat at the buffet, and Peter assured him that the buffet would always be available, at no charge.
The old man looked around and glanced nervously at his wife. He whispered to Peter, “Where are the low fat, low cholesterol foods? We have to watch our sugar too.”
Peter said, “That’s the best part. You can eat whatever you want, and you will never gain weight or get sick. This is heaven.”
The old man said, “Where is the gym, with the boring treadmills?”
Peter said, “I’ll show you later, if you want. But you don’t have to go, you know. This is heaven; you will always be in great health, and you will never be bored.”
The old man took a deep breath, turned to his wife, and said, “You and your bran muffins. We could have been here ten years ago.” (internet source unknown)**
What is heaven really like?
In the 1800’s, the dominant picture of heaven was a like Victorian garden. Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, in an 1868 novel that was a bestseller for decades, described a house built of curiously inlaid woods, with flowers, birds, and “a fine dog sunning himself on the steps.”
When Billy Graham started preaching in 1950, he described heaven by saying, “We are going to sit around the fireplace and have parties, and the angels will wait on us, and we’ll drive down the golden streets in a yellow Cadillac convertible.” He later regretted saying that.
In the 2011 best-seller, “Heaven Is for Real,” four-year-old Colton Burpo described his near-death vision of heaven as sitting on Jesus’ lap. For a toddler, maybe he wasn’t too far off.
The Apostle Paul was more reticent about trying to describe heaven. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, he said, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.”
What do we know about heaven?
HEAVEN IS REAL
Read Revelation 21:1-2.
The word “heaven” appears several times in these verses, and it can be a bit confusing. In John’s time, “heaven and earth” or “the heavens and the earth” referred to what we call the universe. So in Revelation 21:1, “the first heaven and the first earth” is the universe we live in. That universe will not last forever; it will “pass away.” Our eternal home is “a new heaven and a new earth,” created by God for us.
Our eternal home is not within the universe we presently know. Because of that, it is not bound by the physical laws of our universe; the new heaven and earth might have different laws! The possibilities are mind-blowing, beyond our comprehension, or even our imagination!
Our eternal home is real, and the exact nature of its reality is a mystery known only to God. As the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”
All that we can know of our future home is what the Holy Spirit reveals, passed on to us in the Bible. The book of Revelation records a vision of heaven, given to John the Apostle.
John describes his vision that day in Revelation 21:2, “I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” Here, “heaven” refers to the particular place in all of God’s REALITY where God is enthroned in power and glory. Psalm 103:19 explains, “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.”
God reigns in heaven, but God is omnipresent—everywhere present—so he is always near. We don’t always sense that he is near, and that is our problem, a result of sin. Yet Isaiah 57:15 indicates that God is near to us when we make room for him: “This is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”
Because God might seem far away, in the Old Testament God established Jerusalem as a Holy City, a place where his presence and his reign over his people could be celebrated. Jerusalem was where God’s anointed king was enthroned, and where God was present in the temple.
In John’s vision of a new heaven and earth, there is a new Jerusalem, where God reigns as king. It is a holy city, “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
The Holy City is beyond our comprehension, so the glory of it is revealed to John in symbolic imagery:
Read Revelation 21:9-21.
Is this a physical description of heaven? Are the streets paved in pure gold? Do the gates consist of single pearls, the size of a house? The Holy Spirit is appealing to our imagination, and this city is wonderful beyond our wildest dreams.
The dimensions of the Holy City are unlike the dimensions of anything in the universe. John says the city is a square, with foundations and gates and a wall. A square has length and width, of course—2 dimensions. But in John’s vision, three dimensions are given for the city! It is 1400 miles in length, 1400 miles in width, and 1400 miles high! That sounds like a cube! How do you visualize that? Are there thousands of floors in the cube? Incredibly high ceilings? Apartments stacked 1400 miles high?
We can’t say for sure, but could it be that God is trying to tell us something about the dimensions of our heavenly home? If 2 dimensions of the city can morph into 3 dimensions, maybe our 3-dimensional universe will be replaced by an eternal home of more than 3 dimensions—4, 5, 10, or 20 dimensions of space!
***Preacher: You can find on the internet a representation of a 4-dimensional cube. When you show that, you can ask your hearers to try to imagine a 5-dimensional cube. It is beyond our limited comprehension, just as the “new Jerusalem” is.**
***The holy grail of physics is to discover a “Theory of Everything,” a theory that brings together Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and quantum theory. One popular approach is called string theory, or M-theory, which speculates that the universe actually has 10 or 11 dimensions, with higher dimension curled up so tightly they cannot be detected. Mind-blowing! But then, does heaven fit into our minds? What might be possible in a 6-dimensional heaven, or a 10-dimensional heaven? Only God knows!**
Mind-blowing! “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what NO HUMAN MIND HAS CONCEIVED”—the things God has prepared for those who love him…” In the words of a popular Christian song, “I can only imagine…” Yet God does tell us some things about our future with him, and those things are the most important.
What DO we know about our eternal home? (Note to preacher: I refer to “our eternal home,” not “heaven.” N.T. Wright adamantly points out that our future home is not “heaven,” but “the whole creation put to rights.” I would emphasize that our eternal home is a new creation entirely, where, as Wright puts it, “heaven and earth overlap and interlock.” Revelation 21 indicates a new creation for God’s people, in which God is at the center, and his glory fills the place. Call it what you will.)
IN OUR ETERNAL HOME, EVERYTHING WILL BE RIGHT
2 Peter 3:13 says, “In keeping with God’s promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where RIGHTEOUSNESS dwells.” The Greek word for “dwells” is related to the word for “house,” and it can be also indicate “possession.” Peter says that in heaven, righteousness takes over the house. (Preacher: The Greek verb “oikeo” is related to “oikos,” house. The word used here, “katoikeo” can symbolically mean “possess,” as in demon possession.)
In our eternal home, righteousness rules the house! Everything will be RIGHT.
-IN OUR ETERNAL HOME, OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WILL BE RIGHT.
Read Revelation 21:3.
When the people of Israel came out of Egypt, God told Moses to build a tabernacle—a tent, where God’s glory could be in the middle of the camp. Whenever the people wondered whether God was truly with them, they could look at the tabernacle, and think, “God is there—God dwells among us.” It sounds sort of good, doesn’t it?
Yet the common people could not come into the presence of God. Even the priests could only enter the tabernacle when God allowed, burning incense and offering animals to atone for sin. When two of Aaron’s sons decided to go into the tabernacle on their own, burning incense when God had not authorized it, they were consumed by holy fire. (Lev 10:1-3) God was among them, but the glory of God could not be seen in its fullness by any human. Even Moses, when he asked to see God’s glory, was only allowed to see God’s “back,” not his “face.” (Exodus 33:18-23)
Later, the tabernacle was replaced by the temple in Jerusalem. People went to the temple to be near God. As Psalm 84:2 says, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Yet even those who went to the temple could only enter the outer courts of the temple, not the most holy place. God was not that accessible.
What about the temple in the new Jerusalem? Will it be open to all?
Read Revelation 21:22-23.
No temple is needed, because God is always near.
Even now, God is always near. His Spirit lives in us, we can pray any time, and he hears us. Yet our relationship is flawed, and we long for constant connection with God.
***Shortly before my mother died at the age of 95, I sat with her in the hallway of the nursing home where she was staying. We had a precious conversation, where she told me stories I had never heard before. One of those stories was about a time when she had signed up for a prayer vigil. Praying in the church building, she heard the voice of God, saying to her, “You are my precious child.” Those few words stayed with her, even as she faced death. In fact, she welcomed death, because she believed that precious moment of hearing from God would become her constant experience after she left the earth.**
In Isaiah 65:17, 24, God promises constant communication in our heavenly home: “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth….Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”
Our relationship with God will be right.
-IN OUR ETERNAL HOME, LIFE WILL BE RIGHT
Read Revelation 21:4.
Too often, life is quite UN-right: We are sick, depressed, dissatisfied, lonely, afraid, anxious… We stand at a graveside, wait up for a teenager who is late coming home, or hear whispers of bad behavior. We might lose a job or a spouse, be cheated, abused, rejected, or find ourselves lost in shame and regret.
In our eternal home, life will be totally right. We can hardly imagine that, except in an earth-bound way, which is what Isaiah does: Read Isaiah 65:17-25.
Will there be wolves and lambs in heaven? No, but in our future home, no one—especially people—will harm or destroy. Will there be dogs in heaven? If so, no poop to pick up in tiny plastic bags, and no chewing on the furniture.
There will be no unkind words or bullying, no misunderstandings, no selfishness, and no greed. No shame, no fear of being known, total trust. No jealousy, no suspicion of ulterior motives, and no annoying habits or frustrating peculiarities.
Will we literally build houses and plant vineyards in heaven? No, but houses and vineyards will not be unjustly taken away; justice will permeate life. Children will not be “doomed to misfortune,” by poor health, abuse or neglect, bullying or poverty. People will not have to face the prospect of cancer, dementia, or untimely death.
There will be no anxiety, depression, or boredom.
***True story, told to me by a grandma I met on a street one time: A 6-year-old warned his 3-year-old brother not to ride in the street. The younger child said, "If I get hit by car, I'll just go to heaven and be with Jesus, like they say in Sunday School." The older child replied, "You won't be able to ride your big wheel there, and Jesus will just read your Sunday School paper to you all the time.”**
Honestly, I can’t imagine how God will keep us from getting bored in heaven. But with Jesus, and activities, and perfect people, and maybe unending growth and development???
In our eternal home, life will be right.
-IN OUR ETERNAL HOME, PEOPLE WILL BE RIGHT.
Just imagine: The best family vacation ever, with everybody getting along. A team that never squabbles, always supporting each other. Friends you never get tired of being with.
We can only imagine…because it is rarely like that! We find ourselves saying, “I love these people, but they drive me crazy sometimes.” Even people we love dearly have faults!
If you go to a funeral of an old widow, whose husband preceded her in death, you might hear people say, “It is sad that she died, but at least Mom and Dad are together again now.” Hopefully that would be a good thing! You see, when the kids sit down for lunch later, they might laugh—or cry—about how Dad never listened and always had to be right, and Mom continually nagged him and put him down. If they are together forever, will that pattern continue for eternity?
Although Mom and Dad might be together again, marriage is not “a thing” in heaven! Jesus said in Luke 20:34-36, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.” The wonderful thing about heaven is that the love between Mom and Dad will be multiplied many times over. All of God’s children, whether married or not, blessed with a faithful spouse or betrayed, widowed too young or suffering through brokenness, will enjoy close and fulfilling relationships forever.
Yet if Mom and Dad, who were married for 60 years, were far from perfect, what about the other people we will have to live with?
Let’s be honest: The thought of some people being in heaven with us is a little troubling. Some people get on our nerves. Some are insecure, manipulative, dishonest, uncaring, or unkind. Some are just plain difficult—at least, we think so.
Even Christians! If everyone in heaven got a mansion or a room, we could probably think of some people we would rather not have next door to us! Just sayin’
So how can everything about eternal life become right?
When we talked about the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, we skipped over something important. Read Revelation 21:2, 9. Cities, streets and buildings are not usually compared to brides. In the imagery of John’s vision, the “bride” must not be understood merely as a place; it is God’s people, the church.
God’s bride doesn’t show up at the wedding in old, dirty clothes. We will be “PREPARED as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” We will be transformed, purified, perfected, and renewed, as we enter the joy of the Lord forever. We will be made right—totally right.
How can that happen? Revelation 7:9, 14 gives us a picture of the saints of God in heaven: “There…was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes…They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
The stain and corruption of sin needs to be washed away. Water will not do it; only the blood of Jesus, shed for us on the cross, can do it. If we come to him for forgiveness and change, he will purify us, make us right, and make us ready for life with him, forever.
I can hardly wait! Hopefully you feel the same way. But when does the change begin?
The change begins when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We are washed in the blood of the Lamb. Our sins are forgiven, our shame is removed, and we are righteous in God’s eyes. As 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Our sanctification is not perfect yet, but we don’t have to sit around until Jesus returns. Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Put off the old, unrighteous self, and try on the garments of righteousness that you will have for eternity!
If righteousness means no shame or regret, leave those behind.
If righteousness is a deep relationship with God, get out your Bible and take time to pray and worship.
If righteousness is purity of thoughts and actions, confess your sins to God, asking the Spirit to give you the strength to overcome.
If righteousness is loving, trusting relationships, do whatever it takes to support those kinds of relationships. Forgive, speak the truth, affirm other people, share with those in need.
If righteousness is a community of justice and grace, do what you can to bring justice and grace to our community.
If justice is joy in the life God gives, take time to celebrate life. Keep a Sabbath. Make time for worship and relaxation. Play games with your family. Reach out to those who are lonely. Have a party—a good, healthy party, that brings people together.
As we look forward to our life together with God, we should live in the light of eternity. As 2 Peter 3:11-13 says, “What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming…In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.”
