What will Heaven be Like?
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
If this fallen world in all of its brokenness can be so wonderful, what must heaven be like?
T. S. Elliot
9 But as it is written in the Scriptures: “No one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9
Elderly Couple died in an accident
An elderly couple died in an accident and found themselves standing before the Pearly Gates of Heaven. St Peter was there to welcome them and took them inside.
First Peter showed them their new, heavenly mansion. The man, awed by the sheer luxury of it all asked, "How much does this place cost per night?" St Peter replied, "Sir, this is Heaven, it doesn’t cost anything."
Then Peter took them to the dining room where table upon table was piled high with the most superb, delicious foods you could imagine. Again overwhelmed by the lavishness of it all the man asked, "How much for the meals?" St Peter said, "You forget, this is Heaven; it’s free."
St Peter then took them out back where they saw the very finest professional golf course. As the man stood there open-mouthed St Peter said, "Now before you ask, there are no greens fees; this is Heaven; everything is free."
The man turned to his wife and said, "If it hadn’t been for your bran muffins, we could’ve gotten here ten years ago!”
Palm Sunday
On this Sunday – Palm Sunday – we remember the streets, covered with palms and dusty robes of excited people. We remember Jesus astride a small donkey being received with great joy by all of the people of the old Jerusalem.
Draw the picture of John walking just behind the donkey… and taking in the scene
Imagine John walking alongside Jesus on the donkey this morning. See the people and then let it all fade into the background.
Flash forward to an old John. His body is gnarled. His feet are flat. His hands are shaky. His mind is full of the images of a new heaven whose streets are paved with pure gold.
Streets of Gold
10 And the angel carried me away by the Spirit to a very large and high mountain. He showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
Revelations 21:10-14
The Holy City - Twelve Angels
11 It was shining with the glory of God and was bright like a very expensive jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 The city had a great high wall with twelve gates with twelve angels at the gates, and on each gate was written the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The Holy City - Twelve Gates
13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west.
21:9-23. 12-21. The City has twelve gates, on each of which is the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and each gate is guarded by an angel.
The word translated street, plateia, means literally a broad place; from this word derives our word plaza.
The Holy City - Twelve Foundations
14 The walls of the city were built on twelve foundation stones, and on the stones were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The wall rests upon twelve foundations, which apparently means twelve sections of the foundation, and on each of these is a name of one of the twelve apostles.
The Holy City - Twelve Gemstones
Jasper: (greenish yellow?)
Sapphire: (azure)
Chalcedony: (greenish blue?)
Emerald: (green)
Sardius: (red)
Sardonyx: (red and white)
Chrysolite: (yellow)
Beryl: (sea-green)
Topaz: (yellow)
Chrysoprasus: (golden-green)
Jacinth: (violet)
Amethyst: (rose-red)
The wall is made of jasper, the city is of gold, the gates of pearl, and the foundations of twelve precious stones.
J. N. Darby rarely said that he did not know what a passage of Scripture might mean, but regarding these stones, he once wrote, “The difference of the stones contains details which are above my knowledge” (Collected Writings, Volume V, p. 154).
“If we compare the colors of the foundation stones with those of the rainbow,” says Govett (op. cit., in loco), “we shall find, I believe, a designed resemblance, though, from our ignorance in regard of the precious stones, we cannot come to any very close or satisfactory conclusion. The stones, then, with their colors, and the tints of the rainbow, are as follows:
Revelation 21–22 describe God’s eternal residence, the ultimate in glory, for this passage likens it to a magnificent, immense piece of jewelry, a cube 1,360 miles long, wide, and high. This city will be made of crystal clear gold, its streets paved with similar gold, its gates mammoth pearls, its foundation a laminate of twelve gargantuan gemstones.
The Holy City – Twelve Thousand Stadia
16 The city was built in a square, and its length was equal to its width. The angel measured the city with the rod. The city was twelve thousand stadia long, twelve thousand stadia wide, and twelve thousand stadia high.
The length, breadth, and height of the city is twelve thousand stadia, an old Roman method of measurement. A stadia is about 607 feet, 185 meters or about 1,380 miles. This would seem, upon first reading, to be in the shape of a cube, but many others believe that the Holy City is the shape described is that of a pyramid.
The Holy City – Perfection and Beauty
Tree of Life
In Heaven there is No Temple
This is the city from which the river of life will flow and in which the tree of life will grow. This is the city which will need no sun or light, for it is the eternal residence of Almighty God. It is, at last, the eternal city which is eternally free of the curse of sin.
The fact that gold and precious stones will be used as common building materials challenges our sense of values, and insists that values in the coming eternal state will be spiritual, not material. The things we hold dear in this world will be trodden underfoot, and in their place will be a new sense of values, an ethical, purified sense of values, for it is precisely the practice of these values that God will use to determine each saint’s eternal reward – “treasure in heaven.”
22, 23. John proceeds to tell us that the city has no temple within, and that it is so brilliantly illuminated by the glory of God that it has no need of the light of the sun or moon, though they will still be shining. “So long as men dwell here under the conditions of earthly life, they cannot do without these temples, the place, the time, the thoughts marked off for God, the place where we learn the secret of realising His presence in life, the time when we claim and proclaim His fellowship with Him, the thoughts, which, of set purpose, we direct toward the manifestation of His love in Christ, and of His will in duty.
But there is no temple there; for the simple reason that none is needed. That which now has to be delimited from the world, and set apart for God—yes, and held with determination and force of will against invading hosts—has there expanded to cover the whole area of human experience and activity. God’s presence has no longer to be sought; it is known; it is felt, universal and all-pervading as the light of day” (C. Anderson Scott, op. cit., in loco.).
Our text does not say that there will not be any sun or moon in eternity, but that we will not need the light of the sun and moon, for the very glory of God will illuminate the city. As we need a candle in the night, but not at noon, when the sun is shining, so we do need the sun and moon in our present state of existence, but will need them no more when in the presence of God, who is light indeed.
Heaven… is Real
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Now God’s presence is with people, and he will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God.
Revelations 21:3
This description is, I am sure, symbolic, for God has used temporal, perishable terms that we can understand to describe the indescribable, eternal, and imperishable. The city is marvelous beyond description. But the central feature of the life to come is not gaining access to this indescribable city-it is the eternal relationship with God the Father and God the Son, for did not Jesus Himself define eternal life thus: “this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3)?
Heaven will be a real place with real, meaningful and rewarding work for us to do. Heaven will be the fulfillment of what we pray in the Lord’s Prayer:
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The Bible says, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. . . . But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:10,13). The old earth will pass away and God will create a new earth which will be the home of righteousness.
Heaven… is Right
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain, because all the old ways are gone.”
Revelations 21:4
Heaven will be right. It will be a place of righteousness, or right-ness. All the wrongs of the world will be made right. It will be a place where everything evil is absent, and everything good is present; everything sad will be gone, and only joy will exist; everything disappointing will disappear, and everything exciting will appear; everything depressing will be gone, and everything hopeful will come; everything violent and hateful will be gone, and everything born of love will be prevail; every unfaithfulness will be in the past, and steadfast loyalty will be present; everything detestable will be gone, and everything desirable will abide with us; every sickness will be gone, and complete wholeness will take over our lives; every struggle, frustration and failure will be over, and only success will be possible.
The way to the Streets of Gold passes over streets of stone
Perhaps John remembered this day we call palm Sunday when he wrote, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
Our fallen, imperfect nature will be healed and we will be capable of intimacy in relationships that we cannot even imagine here and now – because Jesus was willing to walk the streets of stone that lead to a place called Golgotha and an appointment with death.
We Belong in Heaven
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 entitled “Further Up and Further In,” Aslan, the lion who represents Christ, has come for them in order to take them home. They are headed away from Narnia and are about to enter Aslan’s land. But 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.”
