When I was a young Christian, I heard a song written by Andréa Crouch titled "If Heaven Was Never Promised" that resonated deep in my soul about what my relationship with Jesus meant to me. The song spoke of the unspeakable joy found in Heaven with its streets of gold and Angels singing for eternity. Yet, even if nothing was ever promised, it was worth just having Jesus in my life. Decades later, those same feelings about Heaven have only intensified as I continue to grow closer to Jesus daily, and He continues to prove Himself more trustworthy every day.
For centuries, Christians have been taught that they should focus on the blessed hope of Heaven to overcome the struggles and trials of this world because it is not their ultimate home. Within the last century, teaching has emerged that Christians should occupy this world and focus on politics, the environment, improving human potential, and society to usher in the new Heaven and Earth quickly.
So many Christians are content to get forgiven and go to Heaven when they die! And that's great, except that because they are going to Heaven, they often think that they can ignore and avoid dealing with life's many problems in the here and now! When they find themselves challenged by life's stresses and pressures, they think they can emotionally and psychologically avoid dealing with those problems by just 'hoping for the day of the Lord's appearing.' This makes it easy to avoid having to confront their present reality.
When this type of behavior occurs, the "blessed hope" of the Church dissolves into a way to avoid problems. The trouble with this kind of thinking is that it doesn't allow room to appropriate what God has already done in daily circumstances. The promise of eternal life is not something that starts in the future. Eternal life begins the moment a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! Christians are supposed to live in the world with an eternal understanding that they are no longer of this world but merely passing through.
Too many Christians carry this negative understanding of what eternal life means. They don't have to be dead and buried in the grave for eternal life to begin in them. No one can inherit a million dollars when they die. They inherit it when their ancestor dies and wills it to them! Jesus already died so that every Born-Again Christian can inherit His promises in the here and now! Eternal life doesn't start on the day of physical death. It starts on the day a person begins dying to self - by surrendering their life to Jesus and submitting to His Lordship.
Preparing a Place
Most people believe they will go to Heaven when they die. It is the great future promise of God to every human being. However, Jesus said He was the only way to get there.
"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture." (John 10:9-10 NIV)
"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16-17 NIV)
Because Jesus is love incarnate, He "isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent" (2 Peter 3:9-10 NLT).
Every human being who has ever lived will one day stand before the "great white throne," where the book of life will be opened, and they will be judged according to their choice to reject or receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
"If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15 NIV)
The Three Heavens
The Bible is literal and filled with symbolism, allegory, and metaphors. John the Beloved was given a revelation about the things to come including a description of what He saw, including Heaven.
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John” (Revelation 1:1 ESV)
Much of what the Bible says about Heaven is found in the Book of Revelation that was made "known." The word 'known' is translated from the Greek 'sémainó,' a verb meaning to give a literal sign or mark that distinguishes something or someone from another, to indicate, signify, or make absolutely known.
The Bible does not provide multiple details about Heaven but gives a minute glimpse. It says Heaven is not merely a state of being but an actual dwelling place. It is mentioned over 238 times in the New Testament alone. The word "heaven" is also used in the Bible in reference to the Earth's atmosphere and interstellar space (Genesis 1:17, 20). There are three Heavens referenced in the Bible.
First is the sky and clouds, or atmospheric heavens (Genesis 1:8, 20,6; Deuteronomy 11:11; Leviticus 26:19; Job 22:14; Daniel 7:13; Psalm 77:17-18; 104:2-3; Hosea 2:18).
Second, there are the stars of the sky, which are the planets in outer space (Genesis 1:14-18, 15:5; 22:17; 26:4; Deuteronomy 1:10; Isaiah 13:10; 14:13; Ephesians 4:10, 7:26; Hebrews 4:14).
Third, there is the Heaven of Heavens (known as the third Heaven - 2 Corinthians 12:1-9), the dwelling place of the Triune God (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 10:14; Isaiah 14:12-14, 66:1; 2 Corinthians 12:2; Revelation 21:2,10). From this point, the word 'Heaven' used in this study refers to the Third Heaven.
Heaven is most commonly understood as the abode of God and the Angels and the final destination of all who have put their faith and trust in Jesus (Psalm 2:4; Matthew 5:3,12, 22:30; 2 Corinthians 5:1,12). It is also known in the Bible as the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3), God's throne (Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:48-49; Matthew 5:34-35), great reward (Matthew 5:12), the kingdom of the Father (Matthew 13:43), life everlasting (Matthew 19:16), the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:21), the kingdom of God (Mark 9:46), the kingdom of Christ (Luke 22:30), the house of the Father (John 14:2), the incorruptible crown (1 Corinthians 9:25), the holy place (Hebrews 9:12), city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12), inheritance of Christ (Ephesians 1:18), eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15), a crown of life (James 1:12), a crown of justice (2 Timothy 4:8), and crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4).
Heaven is a place of beauty (Revelation 21:1-22:7), life (1 Timothy 4:8), service (Revelation 22:3), worship (Revelation 19:1-3), and glory (2 Corinthians 4:1718). The Apostles John and Paul were called to this place (Revelation 4:1). Paul was forbidden to reveal what he saw and heard there (2 Corinthians 12:1-9).
Jesus promised to prepare a place for Born-Again Christians in Heaven which is also the ultimate destination of Old Testament saints who died trusting God's promise of the Redeemer (John 14:2; Ephesians 4:8).
Paradise Found
The Heaven of heavens is far more than being a paradise. The word "paradise" is often misused as a synonym for "heaven" (2 Corinthians 12:4; Revelation 2:7). When Jesus was dying on the Cross, one of the thieves being crucified with Him asked Him for mercy. Jesus replied, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43 ESV). This "paradise," also known as "Abraham's bosom," is not the dwelling place of the Triune God. It was located in the lower parts of the Earth (Ephesians 4:8-10; Matthew 12:40).
Before the Cross and the resurrection of Jesus, the souls of the "righteous" went to this place where they were held captive by the devil against their will (Hebrews 2:14-15). The unrighteous went to a place called "Hades," which is often mistranslated as "hell" (Luke 16:19-31).
When Jesus died, He went to Paradise and liberated the ‘righteous’ captives taking them to the third Heaven with Him when He ascended on high. It is now empty (Matthew 12:40; Ephesians 4:8-10). Jesus has the keys of Hades and of death (Revelation 1:18). When a Born-Again Christian passes from this world through death, they are not held captive by the devil but go immediately to be with Jesus to await their resurrection body (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21-24; Hebrews 12:22-24; Revelation 6:9-11).
Hades continues to fill up with those who have rejected Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. It will hold them until the end of the Millennium when it delivers the souls in it to be cast into the eternal Hell (Revelation 20:11-15).
The Nature of Heaven
Human beings can't understand the whole nature of Heaven. John the beloved made an eloquent attempt to describe it in the book of Revelation, but the reality of Heaven is beyond the ability of finite human beings to explain. The Bible declares:
"eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV)
The primary object of Heaven is eternal intimacy with God Himself as He is. The central core of Heaven is that Christians will be with Jesus forever! There will be no marriage in Heaven because every Born-Again Christian is married to Jesus and belongs to Him forever, which is the great mystery of all eternity (Romans 7:1-4).
The Bible says that Heaven is immeasurable. That is because the love of God is immeasurable! (Jeremiah 31:37) Heaven is Holy (Psalm 20:6) because Jesus IS the Holy One! (Revelation 15:5)
Perfect contentment and rest are found in Heaven because no one will desire anything else but Jesus alone. To live in Heaven is "to be with Christ." The Born-Again Christian lives "in Christ" (Philippians 1:23; John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:17). This is the true nature of Heaven!
The Beauty Realm
There is indescribable beauty in Heaven because Jesus is the beautiful One! (Revelation 21:17-21) The Sun, the Moon, and the stars aren't needed because the glory of Jesus illuminates Heaven! (Revelation 21:22-26) It has no night or darkness because Jesus is light! Those living there will never know darkness because, in Jesus, there is no darkness at all!
"And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them." (Revelation 22:5 NLT)
The Prophets Daniel and Isaiah were given a glimpse into the Beauty Realm, the Secret Place of God. It so overwhelmed Isaiah that he cried out, "Woe to me!"…" I am ruined!" (Isaiah 6:5 NIV) The breathtaking beauty of God ruined him forever. He could no longer be content with what the world had to offer. Any person who seeks after God with their entire being and received Jesus as Lord and Savior will also be ruined forever as they will take on the beautiful "fragrance of Christ" and become His reflection (2 Corinthians 2:15 NKJV). The cares of the world and what it offers won't mean that much anymore because they will finally understand their true destiny; to "dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple" (Psalm 27:4 NIV).
The Apostle John made a valiant attempt to describe the indescribable of what he saw and experienced in Heaven with words we could understand. He provided a tiny glimpse into the transcendent glory of Jesus and the Beauty Realm.
However, the depiction is at best insufficient and severely lacking in its representation, but what John did describe is just how beautiful beyond description Jesus truly is and how one day soon, every Born-Again Christian will "share in the glory to be revealed" (1 Peter 5:1 NIV).
The Bread of Life
Jesus promised the Church that those who remain faithful through trusting-faith in Him would be given hidden manna to eat. The hidden manna is Jesus! He is the bread of life! (John 6:35,48; Revelation 2:12-17)
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus: "took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19 KJV).
During the Passover ceremony, a portion of the bread was to be wrapped in a napkin and buried or hidden until it was retrieved later. The lesson Jesus was teaching the Disciples was that He was the bread of life that came down from Heaven. His crucifixion was the breaking and burying - and the blessing would be the resurrection!
