Dover Assembly of God
We have been talking lately about what God says about certain issues that we face in our lives. We mentioned godliness, fear, resentment, the cost of being a Christian.
Now we’re going to change it up a bit. We’re going to tackle the light-hearted issue of what happens when we die.
Specifically, heaven.
We have preached on hell before but never heaven. There are countless scriptures that allude or describe heaven.
I’m not sure how much we think about it. In fact it probably only crosses our mind when someone we know passes away. And we might hear it in the funeral message.
And I’m sure we all have some kind of image in our minds about it, so let’s see what God says about heaven. I’m going to look at it a bit differently. I’m going to ask a question and see what the Bible says about that question.
If you google “questions about heaven”, you’ll get a ton of responses. Some biblical, some not. So hopefully we can limit the confusion.
1) DOES THE BIBLE SAY A LOT ABOUT HEAVEN?
The Bible started out with the very first verse talking about heaven and near the end of Revelation.
Revelation 21:10 NIV
Jesus, in Matthew alone mentions heaven 70 times.
In John, he talks about rooms, mansions, and that we will be with Him.
2) WHEN WAS HEAVEN CREATED?
Well, it was not created, it like God always was. When we think of the word heaven, we probably look to Genesis 1:1.
Genesis 1:1 NIV
The word “Heaven” in this sentence means physical sky.
Not the place we think of. It also can mean “the space of the universe”.
Genesis 1:8 NKJV
Genesis 1:8 NIV
It literally means “atmosphere”.
Those would be the “2 heavens”.
Now we come to what we are talking about today . . .
2 Corinthians 12:2 NIV
This is the only reference that shows heaven as God’s dwelling place.
In this same story, Paul shows that heaven and paradise are linked.
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 NIV
Luke 23:43 NIV
Revelation 2:7 NIV
If heaven is God’s dwelling place, John tells us that it has always been.
John 17:5 NIV
So, the answer is that it was not created. It has always been.
The Bible then tells us that the first 2 created heavens will be gone, but not the 3rd heaven.
2 Peter 3:10 NIV
The atmosphere, universe and sky will all be destroyed, but God’s eternal home will not.
3) WHERE IS HEAVEN?
It is where God lives.
Psalms 103:19 NIV
Matthew 6:9 NIV
John 14:2 NIV
Since the Bible tells us that God cannot be contained to a certain space or time, then it goes that neither can heaven be given a specific place or dimension.
Isaiah 57:15 NLT
Eternity by definition is outside of our time and space. So heaven is not some set of coordinates that we can locate on the Hubble telescope.
Regardless of what Time magazine or anyone else tells you, you can’t spot or see heaven from here. It is outside our physical universe.
If the universe is going to be destroyed then God’s Heaven cannot be in our universe. So to spend time and energy thinking about where it is and trying to find it is a waste of time.
4) WHAT IS HEAVEN LIKE?
It is not a bunch of clouds that we will sit on. It will have tangible, physical structures.
John 14:2-3 NIV
It will have vineyards that produce wine.
Matthew 26:29 NIV
It is also referred to as a country with cities.
Hebrews 11:16 NIV
It is a place of perfection with nothing but joy! We all know the verse . . . Revelation 21:4 . . .
Revelation 21:4 NIV
Right now, everyone will have a reason or 2 to cry. Everyone will experience death-either their own or those they love.
When we experience death or loss, we mourn. No more.
And we all have or will experience pain.
All the things that make life difficult and unhappy will be taken away.
All the reasons we have now to not enjoy our blessings-gone!
All that remains will be joy.
5) WHAT WILL WE SEE IN HEAVEN?
Because Heaven is beyond our human words and minds to comprehend, what the Bible tells us is what we are able to understand.
And these examples are not all there is. These are just a few of the many descriptive verses about heaven.
a) You will see Jesus in His glory.
Isaiah 33:17 NIV
Revelation 5:6 NIV
b) We will see and participate in worship:
Before we read the next few verses, think about when we are in a huge convention center and you have hundreds or thousands or men or women worshipping . . .
Revelation 5:11-13 NIV
Revelation 7:11 NIV
Revelation 14:3 NIV
So, is it ONLY worship in heaven? Will all we do is sing? Or have one continuous church service?
That sentence assumes that church services are boring and who wants that for eternity?
No it’s not one long service. It also assumes there will be nothing else to do.
But we’ll get to that part later.
c) The images will be something like we see in a good sci-Fi movie with CGI
Talking about the Great City of Jerusalem . . .
Revelation 21:11 NIV
Revelation 21:21 NIV
In short, heaven is a place that is very hard to describe in our language or understanding.
God allows us a glimpse so we can be excited about what our future holds.
Why study about heaven? Isn’t it enough to just wait until we get there?
I believe God allows us this glimpse so that we do have something better to look forward to.
There’s a saying: If you are a believer, earth is the closest you’ll get to hell. If you do not believe, earth is the closest you’ll get to heaven.
Everyone who is living will at some point have discouragement, pain, suffering, heartache and death.
When we find ourselves in those places, we should take some time and think about what is promised to us . . .
Romans 8:18 NIV
We send our kids to school. And for the most part they don’t like it. Some may even hate it because of the work, the harassment, bullying, whatever they face.
But we send them to prepare them for a better future. We allow them to “suffer” because we know that when school is done for them, the amount of hardships they experienced will pale in comparison to the benefits they receive because of their education.
The 12 years of school is minimal compared to the rest of their lives.
So the hardships we face here while they are difficult, are easier to endure when we think about what is waiting for us.
If this life is the best that Christianity can offer then we are in trouble.
If there is nothing to look forward to, then why serve God?
1 Corinthians 15:19 NIV
Heaven is the future reward for us as we trust Christ in this life.
