We don't hear many sermons about heaven these days. This may seem strange, since the joy of every Christian is to reflect on being with the Lord for all eternity. The promise of heaven is at the very core of the gospel we preach.
But there is a reason why we don't hear much about this joyful subject. The fact is that the Bible doesn't say much about what heaven is like. Jesus never sat down with the disciples and explained the glory and majesty of the heavens. He did tell the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise," but he didn't say what it would be like.
The apostle Paul refers to the heavens when he speaks of being taken up to paradise. He says that he saw and heard things that so shook his mind, that he had no language to describe them. The idea one gets from Paul's description is that, even if he could explain what he saw, our human minds could not comprehend it.
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Whatever It Was That Paul Witnessed in Heaven
Impacted Him in Such a Way,
That For the Rest of His Life He Ardently Desired to Be There
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Paul was grateful for his life, for his calling, his ministry. I believe he loved God's people with passion. But throughout his years of ministry, Paul's continual desire was to go to the heavenly home and be with the Lord. His heart simply longed to be there.
So, where is heaven? We don't know. We do know that there is a new heaven coming, just as there is a new earth. And this new planet will not simply be the old earth refined by fire, but something entirely new. And its center will be the capital, the New Jerusalem.
We also know that God's throne is in heaven. Likewise Jesus is there, as are the Lord's angels, in countless multitudes. Moreover, Paul says that once being there, we will behold Jesus "face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12). In short, we will have immediate personal access to the Lord for all eternity. (Beloved, if that were all heaven was, it would be enough for me!)
Evidently, we will learn things that simply cannot be contained by the human mind here on earth. We will have access to the mind of Christ himself, which is unlimited. And I believe He will teach us about all eternal things.
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The Scriptures Suggest that Heaven
Will Not Be Just to Relax and Do Nothing
Except Attend Church
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The Bible says that in heaven the saints will rule with the Lord as "a kingdom and priests; and they will reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:10). We will act as His servants there - the saints "will serve him" (22:3).
This tells me that we will receive stimulating and blessed missions in this new world that will come. The scriptures speak repeatedly of the role that angels have played throughout history, ministering even to Jesus. Whatever our exciting work, we can know that it will continue for eternity, because God's worlds have no end.
Consider for a moment the apparent infinity we see in space. Our own solar system is thought to have at least about ten billion kilometers in diameter, and it is only a point in the universe.
Scientific discoveries show that there is system after system after system, apparently without end. This is so tremendous for the mind.
Just as our solar system moves through space, rotating around the sun, countless other systems are moving one over the other equally.
And it is all taking place according to God's divine order. For this reason I believe that in heaven we will receive tasks that are now incomprehensible to our human minds.
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When Paul Refers to His Experience in Paradise,
He Speaks of Being in the "Third Heaven"
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Scholars in Paul's time taught that there were three layers of heavens: first, the physical atmosphere in which we dwell; next the second heaven, where the stars are; and finally, the third heaven where God and paradise are.
All that I can say about this matter with certainty is that Jesus ascended to the "heaven above all heavens". And He told us that He is there now preparing a place for His people. He also said, "I will come again, and will take you there. Where I dwell, you will dwell".
In summary, beloved, I cannot tell you what heaven is like. And I don't know much about what is happening there. I have no new revelation to offer, I don't have a version like Paul's. But I can tell you what heaven is not like, and what is not there, for that is what the scriptures offer. And, as you will see, what this reveals to us gives us reasons to rejoice!
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Let Us Begin with the Vision of the Apostle John in Revelation 21
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John tells us that we will not find the following things in heaven:
1. There will be no more seas. "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more" (Rev. 21:1). He is declaring that there will be no more threats coming from great blocks of water: there will be no more cyclones, hurricanes or killer tsunamis. In fact, the only water that is mentioned regarding this new earth will be a river of joy flowing through the streets of the New Jerusalem. John speaks the following of it: "He showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (22:1).
2. There will be no handkerchiefs in heaven. We will have no need for these things, for the texts of the scriptures imply that we won't even need tear glands. "(God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (21:4). According to John, tears simply will not exist in heaven.
Likewise, there will be no more funeral homes, coffins or cemeteries. Why? Because "Death will be no more; mourning and crying will be no more" (21:4). Think about it: we will no longer stand beside coffins, crying over the loss of loved ones. There will be no more weeping or mourning, because in heaven we will never die. Once we have been raised from the earthly grave by the power of Christ's resurrection, we can never die again.
3. There will be no more pharmacies, hospitals, doctors, nurses, ambulances, painkillers or prescriptions. John says, "There will be no more... pain" (21:4).
I am reminded of a mother and her disabled daughter who visited our church. This lady's son had committed suicide after seven years of enduring an excruciating pain that no doctor could diagnose. During that time, he had to take strong narcotics because that was the only way he could endure one more day. The source of this pain was never found.
Now the daughter is showing the same symptoms. She is a talented dancer and brilliant student, who has won awards and scholarships. But her situation has deteriorated so much that she now faces torturous and continuous pain.
Like her brother, this young woman lives with such a high degree of pain that "on a scale of zero to ten, her pain reaches fourteen", according to doctors. It has been said that the narcotics she would need for the pain would be so strong that they would kill her within a few months.
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I Will Never Forget the Last Days on Earth of Our Precious Granddaughter, Tiffany
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My granddaughter's pain from her brain tumor became so intense that her limbs trembled violently. She suffered terrible convulsions, and I had to help her father hold Tiffany's arms and legs during these hours of pain.
The pain was simply too much for her, and it was really too much for her grandparents as well. Finally, Tiffany said to her mother that the Lord had spoken to her heart, saying "I want you to come to the heavenly home. With me, there will be no more pain".
John's verse has special meaning for me: "There will be no more... pain" (21:4). As Tiffany's grandfather, I rest in the knowledge that this is where my granddaughter is at this very moment: with Jesus, where there is no more pain.
4. There will be no more fear, there will be no more unbelief, there will be no more abominable things, murders, lies or sorcery. The Bible says that all who practice such things will be cast into the lake of fire: "As for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur" (Rev. 21:8).
The newspapers reported some time ago that an elderly couple was found dead in their apartment. They became so afraid of being robbed or attacked that they always locked their doors and sealed all the windows. They were so terrified of fear that they did this even during the terrible summer heat waves, and ended up suffocating.
There will be no more such fear in heaven. Nor will there be any more violence or murder. Recently, a man who attacked children admitted to molesting over two hundred of them. Thank God, in heaven there will be no more such abominations.
5. There will be no more reasons to move in heaven. My wife and I have already moved from one house to another countless times in our adult life. I am grateful that when we reach heaven, we will never have to move again. How do I know this? Jesus says: "Do not let your hearts be troubled...In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" (John 14:1-2).
Recently I read about a Christian lady who asked, "If there will be multitudes in heaven that cannot be counted, how would it be possible for God to make dwellings for everyone? How could there be enough room for so many residents?".
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Let Us Look at Jesus' Words On This Matter:
"I Go to Prepare a Place for You"
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Such words must have meaning for us. Some Bible scholars interpret Jesus here as meaning "many dwellings". That may or may not be correct. All that I know is the following: if Christ is building, we can rest assured that it is something glorious.
When we think of the place our Lord is building for us, we should not imagine a brick house or anything like that. Rather, His dwellings in general are of another dimension or sphere. As humans, we cannot imagine a world in which the body passes freely through material substances. (Jesus did this after the resurrection, and He says that in heaven our glorious bodies will be like His.) This is a realm that no scientist has discovered, something enormously different from anything we can comprehend.
The important thing Jesus brings about heaven is, "This is the heavenly home. You will live eternally where I live". "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also" (Jn. 14:3). In simple terms, there is a home in eternity for each of us. And Jesus is basically saying, "When that day comes – when you are here with me – I will personally show you what I built for you".
6. There are no invalids in heaven, nor the blind, deaf, or bodies in decline.
The Bible says we will have new bodies in heaven. Of course, this is a well-known doctrine among Christians, and Paul had much to say about it. He writes, "But someone will ask, 'How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?'" (1 Cor. 15:35). In other words, people may wonder, "What kind of body will be raised from the dead?".
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Paul Answers that the Body That Enters the Grave
Is Not the Body That Will Come Out of It
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"And what you sow is not the body that is to be... but God gives it a body as he has chosen" (1 Cor. 15:37-38). In other words, "The bodies we will inhabit in heaven will be like His. They will be celestial and not earthly".
According to Paul, our physical body is "sown in corruption" but "raised in incorruption". To put it simply, when our body is "sown" – or buried, it is a natural, earthly body. But when we are raised, it will be like a celestial body, from heaven. The body we will have then will be "glorified" by the power of Christ's resurrection.
The scriptures never say that God is going to search for lost parts of the body like limbs, one by one the teeth, each speck of our natural body, and find a way to put them together. Rather, Paul teaches, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God". He then adds, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet... the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed" (15:50,52).
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Our Glorious Bodies
Will Be Exactly Like Christ
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On that extraordinary day, the tombs will open. And in His tremendous power, the Lord will create new and eternal bodies. These bodies will be the image of the holy and the righteous, and will never decay. And when this happens, we will speak one language - a new language that we will all understand. In fact, all things will be made new.
More thrilling to me is what will happen to the millions of children dead or dying - of all ages. In an instant, these precious ones will be raised with new bodies. I think of children whose bodies went to the grave because of disease, or whose flesh was slaughtered in genocides, whose bodies were shattered by bombs.
I also think of men and women whose bodies were destroyed and wrecked by disease; I think also of bodies that were buried in sealed coffins. I think of the martyrs of all ages, those who died through torture, were mutilated, sawed in half, beheaded, burned at the stake. All of these will come out of the graves with new bodies, to never again see corruption or pain.
My mind has difficulty registering these things – yet my heart rejoices over them!
7. There will be no clocks in heaven, for time will exist no more.
John writes that an angel appeared before him standing on the sea and the earth. The angel then raises his hand to heaven and, according to John, "Swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it and the earth and what is in it and the sea and what is in it: There will be no more delay" (Revelation 10:6).
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This Is One of the Most Difficult Concepts For Me to Put in My Mind
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There will come a time when time itself will be set aside. Imagine that: no years, no months or weeks, no more days, hours, minutes or even seconds. There will be nothing to mark time, neither night nor daylight, for Christ will be the light in paradise.
A Puritan pastor tried to describe to his church the limitless absence of eternity. He told them not to try to understand, that eternity has always been and always will be; without beginning or end. He gave them this illustration: "Picture the earth as a ball of sand, nearly 50,000 kilometers in circumference. Every thousand years, a little bird flies over it and removes a grain of sand. When it removes the last grain, then eternity has just begun".
In other words, in the great tapestry of eternity, "time" is at this moment making only a brief appearance. The day will come when time will have fully served its purpose and will be abolished. It is all too astonishing for me to evaluate.
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Paul Sums This Up
With an Exhortation to All God's People
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Paul exults: "Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). Many Christians quote this verse daily, applying it to their struggles and tribulations. But the context in which Paul states it suggests a deeper meaning. Just two verses before, Paul declares, "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (15:54-55).
Paul was speaking eloquently about his ardent desire for the heavens. He writes, "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling" (2 Corinthians 5:1-2).
The apostle then adds, "So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord—" (5:8).
According to Paul, heaven – being in the presence of the Lord for all eternity – is something we should desire with all our heart.
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As We Ponder These Things that the Scriptures Say Heaven
Will Not Be, A Glorious Picture Begins to Form
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First, I imagine the description Jesus made of a gigantic gathering, when the angels "will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:31).
When all these multitudes are gathered, I visualize a great march of victory happening in the heavens. Almost everyone knows the music "When the Saints go Marching In". Try to imagine that music being played literally in heaven, with millions of glorified children singing hosannas to the Lord, the way children once sang in the temple. What a sound of victory and praise it will be: multitudes of orphans crying out, "Father!". I can see the brightness of joy on the face of Jesus. "For it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs", He declared.
Then come all the martyrs. These who have already cried out for justice on earth now cry out, "Holy, holy, holy!". I imagine the beheaded touching their heads and saying, "I am whole again". Those who were sawed in half search for the marks of agony on their bodies but find none. Those who were burned now have whole bodies, without any trace or smell of smoke.
All of these will be dancing with joy, crying out, "Victory, victory in Jesus!".
Then comes a mighty roar, a sound never heard before. It is the church of Jesus Christ, with multitudes from every nation and tribe. This group includes those who were addicted or alcoholics... who were blind or sick... who were poor, widowed or forced to beg. I visualize among them the impoverished widow who faithfully gave her coin at worship, when she had nothing else.
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Perhaps All This Sounds Distant or Forced to You,
But Paul Himself Testifies About It
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When the faithful apostle was caught up to heaven, "he heard inexpressible things, things it is not permitted to tell" (2 Corinthians 12:4). Paul says he was amazed at what he heard there.
I believe these were exactly the sounds he heard: he had a glimpse of the singing and praise to God by those who will be rejoicing in His presence, with their bodies already whole, their souls full of joy and peace. It was a sound so glorious that Paul could hear it but could not repeat it. Beloved saint, make heaven your most sincere desire. Jesus is coming back for those who long ardently to be with Him there!
By David Wilkerson