Imagine if a governing authority told you, you must travel on January 1 – no exceptions. Let’s say you were given a one-way plane ticket where you can travel first class. Immediately you are excited but in the midst of your packing you pause to ask, “Where am I going?” If your free ticket entitles you a first class ride to North Korean prison camp, you’d probably prefer to stay home. But if you were given a first class plane ticket to Tahiti, your excitement and anticipation will be overwhelming. Just like the mandatory plane ticket, the question isn’t, “Am I going to live forever?” but “Where am I going to live forever?”
Throughout today’s message, I’ll be talking about departures, arrivals, customs, and passports. Find 2 Corinthians 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 with me. In the next few moments, I want to speak to you about what your life will look like in Heaven and how do you get from here to there.
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1. How Should I Think About My Death?
2. Do Believers Immediately Go to Heaven?
3. What Will I Look Like in Heaven?
4. How Can I Make Certain I Will Be in Heaven?
1. How Should I Think About My Death?
As I speak this morning, my words are heard by a lady who has been diagnosed by cancer. She sits attentively with her husband as they seek to find solid ground on which to stand in their battle against this dreaded disease. A bereaved mother sits, as she looks on with only one remaining child. A couple we all know sit together as they have been doing so for some fifty years. As they sit together in church this morning they realize more than ever that their time is approaching. How will the one cope without the other?
Each of these individuals knows instinctively what most of us would rather push away from our mind: death. This is your departure for the Bible speaks of death being a one-way door into eternity. 2 Corinthians 5:1–10 is the most explicit answer to the question, “What happens to me when I die?”
“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” (2 Corinthians 5:1–5)
Paul is using two metaphors throughout these verses. The first metaphor he uses is in 2 Corinthians 5:1 where he talks about an earthly tent versus a permanent, God-made building. While the second metaphor he uses is in 2 Corinthians 5:3 to be clothed versus unclothed, or dressed versus nude. In both metaphors, Paul is reflecting on the events after his death.
1.1 We Long To Be Physically New
Paul speaks of the physical body we have now as a tent: “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home…” (2 Corinthians 5:1a). You are not destroyed by death; you are not annihilated. We see confirmation of this in Jesus’ words: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Based on this, we say our bodies die but our soul doesn’t die. Instead, our soul lives on.
Did you hear about the story of the two twins having a discussion in their mother’s womb: “You know” one says, “there’s a whole world out there – grassy meadows and snowy mountains, splashing streams and waterfalls, horses and dogs and cats and whales and giraffes. There are skyscrapers and cities and people like us – only much bigger – playing games like football and soccer and volleyball and going to the beach.” “Are you crazy?” the other twin responds. “Everybody knows there’s no life after birth.”
Here are you today, weakened by allergies, weakened by injuries, weakened by old age. Former NBA star, Barkley said of the diminishing skills of aging athletes, on screen: “Father Time is undefeated.” There’s a deep, longing inside of all of us for something new and to be made new.
1.2 We Long to be Morally New
You are morally conflicted: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24) There are so many days here on earth when we are out of rhythm with God. You and I long to be remade morally. Now, your fading body cannot and will not enter into Heaven; it must be discarded and transformed. Now we should not be surprised to know something must radically changed for the Bible teaches this: “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53). Your body as it is now could not enter into the presence of God.
1.3 We Are Changed from the Inside Out
When you embrace Christ by faith, great change happens to you. The body, which was once a workshop for Satan, has become a temple of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says sin no longer has dominion over you (Romans 6:14). When you experience the new birth, you are profoundly new. Jesus changes us fundamentally. He changes your desires. He wraps our lives with His love, His tremendous love that sweetens our life. Fundamentally, the work of the cross and the resurrection alters the effects of the curse. He is making our spirits new. He has made our souls new. We are forgiven! We are united with Him forever! “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
1. How Should I Think About My Death?
2. Do Believers Immediately Go to Heaven?
If your death is your departure then this is a layover. Think with me about this: you have a massive heart attack and we don’t recover. What happens that very next minute, even before your funeral service is being planned?
2.1 Believers Are Immediately in the Presence of God
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6–8).
He’s using either/or terms here. Away from the body means believers in Christ are home with the Lord. Home in your body means believers in Christ are away from the Lord. Paul is saying here that the very moment he departs or dies is the very same moment he will be in the very presence of Jesus Christ.
Listen carefully to Jesus’ word on the cross as He is surrounded by two thieves: And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)
I like is the word “today.” No purgatory, no soul-sleep, but simply absent from the body, present with the Lord. That man’s soul was in Heaven before the undertaker heard he was dead. Believers go directly into the presence of the Lord. One day, believer in Christ, you will take the same trip as the dying thief. Most likely, only seconds from your death you will have seen angels for Jesus tells angels escort Lazarus into Heaven (Luke 16:22).
It was January 1956 when five young missionaries were speared to death in the jungles of Ecuador. Their murderers would eventually become Christians and later on, they told Steve Saint, the son of one of the martyrs, an interesting story. They spoke about hearing and seeing what they now believe to be angels while the killings were taking place. A woman hiding at a distance also saw these beings above the trees and didn’t know what kind of music it was until she heard a Christian choir later while listening on records.
Like the Dying Thief, you will also arrive in Paradise. So in one important sense your death is not only your departure but it is also your arrival. It is your arrival for you are immediately in the presence of God even though you are still waiting on something important to happen to be finally home.
2.2 Your Future Resurrected Body Comes When Christ Returns
The Bible teaches that our souls immediately go to be with Christ, but we wait on our transformed bodies until the return of Christ. It seems the Bible is telling us that we will receive our resurrected bodies when Christ comes again: “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51b–52) You may not be satisfied with your current body or mind—but you’ll be thrilled with your resurrection upgrades.
2.3 Nothing Can Compare You for What’s Coming
Give me a moment here to whet the appetite for eternity: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17)
When Paul writes of the “an eternal weight of glory” he uses an adjective that I want you to get to know. You see it in the English Standard Version as “beyond all comparison.” As he writes “an eternal weight of glory” he then adds the adjective “huperbolé” – pronounced “he pear bow lee” (?pe?ß???). This word is used when making comparisons. It’s the same word Paul would use in Ephesians 2:7 when speaking of God’s grace: “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). Here God’s grace is described as immeasurable with the same word used in our verse. When Paul compares the present challenges of the Christian life, he wants to show the sheer amount of the future glory that awaits all followers of Christ. Yet, he cannot just use the word “huperbolé” once in verse seventeen, he is forced to use it twice. The glory that awaits us at death is beyond all comparison, it’s beyond all measure. You don’t have a yardstick to measure this glory by. You don’t’ have a set of scales to weigh the glory that God has prepared for His children in eternity. I don’t have words to describe what God has in store for His children. The glory of the age to come will neither be affected nor diminished by time. A tombstone’s words will be so weathered that you’ll not be able to read the words of the person who died in just two centuries. But eternity’s glory is not diminished by time.
1. How Should I Think About My Death?
2. Do Believers Immediately Go to Heaven?
3. What Will I Look Like in Heaven?
If death is departure, then our resurrection is the ultimate makeover! If you want to have an idea what you will look like in Heaven, then look no further than Jesus. Listen carefully to John’s words: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). The resurrected body of Jesus was immortal, no longer subject to any form of decay or aging. Plus, He would never have to worry about dying again. Now, you may ask, “Jesus was special; He was God. How is His resurrection a model for me?”
3.1 Our Future Beautiful Selves
Your future resurrected body will be free from the curse of sin. The most beautiful person you’ve seen this side of the Curse will pale in comparison to what you’ll see in eternity.
3.1.1 You’ll Be Physically Beautiful
We will NOT have to try to look beautiful, we will be beautiful. While on earth, so many times our physical beauty either opens doors or closes them for us. And while every redeemer Christ-follower will be beautiful, none will need the approval of another in order to feel good about themselves. There will be neither arrogance or insecurity about our bodies. Jesus’ resurrection is simply an appetizer for the full course meal of the New Heavens and New Earth restored! What a hope for believers who are now blind, deaf, handicapped, mentally handicapped, and PTSD!
On July 30, 1967, Joni, a teenage girl went with her sister to a beach on the Chesapeake Bay and suffered a diving accident that rendered her quadriplegic.
“I still can hardly believe it. I, with shriveled, bent fingers, atrophied muscles, gnarled knees, and no feeling from the shoulders down, will one day have a new body, light, bright, and clothed in righteousness—powerful and dazzling. Can you imagine the hope this gives someone spinal-cord injured like me? Or someone who is cerebral palsied, brain-injured, or who has multiple sclerosis? Imagine the hope this gives someone who is manic-depressive. No other religion, no other philosophy promises new bodies, hearts, and minds. Only in the Gospel of Christ do hurting people find such incredible hope.”
How Old Will We Be in Heaven?
Everyone on social media in recent days is showing the time lapse of their faces from thirty years ago to now. The Bible doesn’t tell us how old we will be in Heaven. Still, the question of our age in Heaven has been a question of tremendous speculation throughout history and it’s fun to think about. When you take time to read the opinions of those who speculate, most feel everyone in Heaven will the same age. But what precisely is that age if the assumption is correct? A lot of people would point to Jesus who was resurrected in His early to mid 30s. Still others would point to biological science to say that our physical performance peaks in our late adolescence. So we will all be eighteen years of age in Heaven. We can expect our bodies to be powerful, free from all disease and weakness. Think of it: no more insulin shots for diabetics, no MS, cancer, asthma, heart disease, or arthritis.
3.1.2 You’ll Be Morally Beautiful
“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him…” (Ephesians 1:4a). The power that raises us from the dead will also empower our lives to complete victory over sin in Heaven. A day is coming when no more moral and spiritual battles need to be fought. Only the pure and holy can rest in the immediate presence of God. When I will receive my transformed, resurrected bodies and there will be no more inner conflict inside of me. Just as there will no more war between us, there will be no more inner conflict in us. Three one-syllable words are so vital here: NO MORE SIN. When He returns He will transform us. He will vanquish your inner rebellion and your outer weakness in giving you a resurrected body. Your love for God will intensified.
3.2 You’ll Keep Your Identity
A young boy received a fingerprinting set for Christmas and soon after, his father discovered the boy visibly angry. So, his father asked him, “What’s wrong?” He replied, “Well, I’m mad at FBI.” He said, “Well, why are you mad at FBI?” He said, “Because they are liars.” He said, “Well, why?” He said, “In this book on fingerprints, the FBI says that no two men have the same fingerprints.” He said, “I know at least three men who have the same fingerprints.” And, his dad said, “Who is that?” The little boy replied, “Well, you, Santa Claus, and whoever it was that broke into my piggy bank.” There’s good news about your future in the New Heavens and New Earth – there will be no stolen identities anywhere!
Jesus Himself gives a quite a picture of our futures when He says, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven… (Matthew 8:11).
You’ll be you. And while so much is different, you’re the same person. Your mind and your memory will be more clear than ever before. There’s evidence you will keep your racial identity. Yes, your skin color will remain intact: “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…” (Revelation 5:9). Your national identity will remain minus the Curse.
1. How Should I Think About My Death?
2. Do Believers Immediately Go to Heaven?
3. What Will I Look Like in Heaven?
4. How Can I Make Certain I Will Be in Heaven?
Here we are arriving at your final destination! Think of this customs where you are going to be asked some questions. Yes, Heaven is an exciting place but you cannot enter Heaven as you are. You need to be transformed and you would expect this, wouldn’t you. If you had a dream of seeing the mysterious Area 51, one of the most secretive places on earth, do you think the United States Air Force is going to just let anyone into this top-secret military base? I doubt it. Likewise, many men would love to play eighteen holes at the beautiful Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia. But do you think just any old bumpkin can pull up with his golf clubs in the back of his pick-up truck and except to play at a moment’s notice? Not likely. No, certain places expect some preparation in order to visit and Heaven is no different in this respect. You need to experience a personal transformation in order to experience this transforming place – you need to be born again.
Conclusion
You must turn away from your independent life away from Christ and embrace Him by faith. From time to time, my wife, Traci and I, will receive an invitation in the mail for a friend’s wedding. But it is not enough to receive an invitation, we must respond. And we must also respond to the invitation of the gospel as well by turning away from our sin and placing our trust in Jesus Christ. Wouldn’t it a tragic thing to hear all about this place called heaven but miss it?
