HEAVEN, AN OVERVIEW
Warsaw Christian Church, Richard Bowman, Pastor Emeritus
Text: John 14:1-3: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
What happens when we die? We know that death is around the corner for all of us. For me, the corner looks pretty close! While there are a few details about heaven scattered around in the Bible, I want to focus on these words of Jesus, which give us an overview of the future. If we can believe his words in John 14, we will not fear death. Like Paul, we can declare, For me to live is Christ, to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).
Our text begins with faith. Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God. Believe also in me. We are so accustomed to the magnificent words of Jesus that we are not shocked by this statement. However, if I were to make such a statement, you would be shocked. You would rightly push me out the door as a false prophet! Jesus asks us to trust Him as we trust God the Father. You believe in God, don’t you? Well, believe also in me, says our Lord. Once faith in the Father and the Son is established, fear and uncertainty go out the window. Death is a troubling experience for many. Jesus says, Let not your heart be troubled. Faith in Jesus does that. We say “Farewell” to anxiety about death.
What will we face when we leave this life? The atheist thinks he will see nothing but darkness. Death sinks him into oblivion, a state of eternal unconsciousness. Everlasting nothingness.
Jesus has a different view of what happens after death. He speaks of the Father’s house. We can identify with that. We understand the word “house.” What kind of a house? It is a house with many rooms. There will be no overcrowding. There is room for every believer. Our text uses the word “mansions.” It is a strange Greek word used only in this text. The word is “mone,” A word used often in the Greek text, which is easily defined. Its many uses help clarify the definition. A word used only in one text is more difficult. I like the idea of living in a mansion, but the word probably doesn't mean 'mansion'! It is derived from the more common word, “meno,” which means “to abide or remain.” Whatever the nature of the place we arrive at after death, it is a permanent place.
I have driven past my old house at 1408 Millman Street in Peoria, IL. It has been remodeled several times and doesn’t look the same as I remember. We left that house in 1950, or 75 years ago. It is not surprising that it has changed. Our place in heaven, whatever its nature, is unchanging.
Next, we learn that Jesus goes ahead of us to prepare a place for us. The text says “For you.” He is speaking to His first disciples and assures them that He will prepare an individual place “for you.” There is a place in heaven uniquely suited for you. I cannot go beyond the text. I have no idea what this place will be like, except to say it will be ideally suited for you, forever! Jesus is preparing that place for you, and He is a master carpenter. He doesn’t build any shacks. I want to describe that place in detail, but I cannot. I know that if Jesus is preparing my place, it will be wonderful beyond words.
There may have been a look of doubt on the faces of His first-century disciples. Jesus reminds them that they believe in Him. He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. He does not lie or distort the truth. “If it were not so, I would have told you,” He says. It’s as if He says, “Do you think I am fibbing? You know who I am and that I speak only the truth.” If it were any different, Jesus would have told us. He asks us to not only hear His word but to believe in our hearts that He speaks the truth.
Then comes the grand finale. There are two implications in His conclusion. He Himself will receive us unto Himself. When we are lying in our caskets (if we are not cremated) and people comment on how natural we look, we will not even be present in that dead body. We have been received into the arms of Jesus. We are with Him, forever. He will escort us (I think) to our dwelling place. Yes, death in the Bible is described as an enemy. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:26). But Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of death.
I won’t dwell on the matter. You have heard numerous times that He atoned for our sins on the cross. He destroyed death. He promised that the one who believes in Him will never die (John 11:26). My body will die, but my soul will live forever. Your body will die, but your soul will never die. And at the resurrection you will receive a new, indestructible body. What a blessing it is to be a Christian. The words of Jesus lift us up and drive all fear away-- if we believe them.
We also know that Jesus will one day literally return to this earth. Some environmentalists tell us that we are destroying the earth. I don’t believe it. There will be a planet Earth present when Jesus returns. He is the one who will destroy this earth and create a new heaven and a new earth. What will that be like? I don’t know, except I know it will be grand beyond our expectations.
When will Jesus return? We don’t know, and we will never know. That is a mystery God alone knows, but that’s okay. Yes, I fantasize about how wonderful it would be to be alive when Jesus returns and be caught up in the clouds with Him. I think of old Simeon in the New Testament who was told that he would not see death before the Messiah came, and in his final days on earth, he held the baby Jesus in his arms. He was there when the Messiah came, and now he was ready for eternity.
Jesus has not told me, “Richard, you will be alive at the second coming.” If He does tell me that I will let you know! But I don’t expect such a private revelation. It is enough for me to know that Jesus promised to come again. I believe that He will fulfill His promise. What will heaven be like? We want details! I can’t give you much in the way of details. It is enough for me to know that He is preparing a place for me in heaven. I don’t know the details, but it will be glorious beyond words. And He is preparing a place for you. Trust Him, and the promise will be fulfilled.
