A Description of Heaven

(Part III)

“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.” (Rev. 21:23-27)

Heaven is a Provided Place v.23

Without the presence of “the Lamb,” the crucified, risen, and victorious Christ, then Heaven would not be Heaven. There will be “no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God” will “lighten it and the Lamb” will be “the light thereof.” We need to note that the Bible says there will be “no need” of these heavenly bodies, if they still exist, we will not be dependent upon them. This reminds us of the “light” (Gen. 1:3) of God’s presence that “divided” the “darkness” (Gen. 1:4) in creation. It wasn’t until the 4^th day of creation that God gave the “sun” and “moon” their function to shine and glow. In this world, man is constantly struggling against the various natural elements of the weather. We complain about it being too hot or too cold, about having too much rainfall or too little sunshine. There will be no need to have a weather forecast about hazardous weather conditions.

In Heaven there will be no problem with temperature, high food prices, nor starvation. Just think about it, no more arguments of any kind, no more disagreements over theology. Denominational disputes will be a thing of the past and it will not matter the color of our skin nor whose right and whose wrong in their opinions. Christ will provide for all our needs whatever they might be because He will fulfill His role as our Great Provider. In the Hebrew, Jehovah-jireh is often translated to mean the Lord will provide (Gen. 22:8). He not only did that for “Abraham” when he went to offer “Isaac” on the altar, but God provided Himself a sacrifice for the “sins of his people” (Matt 1:21).

Heaven is a Populated Place v.24

This verse along with all the others may prove to be rather hard to understand, but it appears to represent redeemed humanity from all its cultural diversity from all around the world. Scripture tells us that God has redeemed a people unto Himself from “all the nations” of the earth and all “saved” shall willingly “walk in the light” of the Lamb’s presence. When it speaks of “the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it,” it makes us think about the promise of us being “kings and priests unto God” (Rev. 1:6, 5:10). In all honesty, I don’t understand how all of this will play out, but I believe that God has great plans for us now and in eternity as His redeemed people.

The wording of this passage certainly makes it sound like Heaven is going to be a busy place. What a privilege and delight it will be to serve our Lord throughout all eternity with whatever He assigns us to do. There will be no drudgery nor will there be any reluctance with which we carry out our assignments. There will be no more racial or cultural divide as we live in harmony with one another and love one another with the Love of Christ.

Heaven is a Pleasant Place v.25-26

The mention of “gates” that “shall not be shut at all by day” first of all tells us that there will be nobody in proximity of Heaven that will have to be kept away. Those who die lost in their sins will spend eternity in the torments of the “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:14-15) and will be confined there with no possibility of escape. This means that those in the eternal bliss of Heaven can only find entrance because of the shed blood of Calvary’s “Lamb.”

“Night” speaks of darkness which is symbolic of the blackness of sin and in Heaven “there shall be no night.” No one likes to venture out in total darkness because we cannot see where we’re going. I’ll never forget hiking the Application Trail in my young years and hiked the last several miles one night in pitch black darkness with only our old-fashioned flashlights. I’ve never seen such darkness in all my life. Besides, there is danger in the darkness with it being a prime time for crime to be committed at “night” and in the woods, even animal attack. The Lord was looking out for us even in our stupidity, as He does today, and promises to tomorrow. In Heaven, there will be no fear of darkness, no crime, molestation, abuse, murder, rape, hatred, malice, envy, or jealousy because the Devil and all the Demons of Hell will be confined to the “lake of fire” (Matt. 25:41) and nothing evil will be permitted to enter.

Heaven is a Pious Place v.27

Only those whose names “which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” will be found in Heaven. I don’t know everything that we’ll be doing in Heaven, but I know we’ll “bring … glory and honor” to the “Lamb of God” (Jh. 1:29,36). Only those washed in the Blood of the “Lamb” will be there and “whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie” will be in the “lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21:6-8).

Christians are NOT people who are perfect in and of themselves, but people who have been “born again” (Jh. 3:3) by God’s “grace.” God’s people are sinners who have come to Christ by “grace … through faith” (Eph. 2:8) by the convicting and converting power of the Holy Spirit. In our Justification by “faith” (Rom. 3:28), God sets us on the road to Sanctification with the promise that someday we’ll reach the final state of Glorification in Heaven (Rom. 8:30).

Closing

Someday, every person will make their final change of residence from earth to the beyond. At the time of death, the “soul and spirit” (I Thess. 5:23) will leave this earthly “body.” If the person who dies was saved, the “soul and spirit” goes to be with the Lord in Heaven. If the person who dies was lost, then the “soul and spirit” enters a Christ-less eternity in Hell. In the same manner that Heaven has two locations (temporary and permanent) so does Hell. When a lost sinner dies, he goes immediately into the present state of conscious “torments” (Lk. 16:23). However, the permanent state of Hell will be in the “lake of fire” following God’s final judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).

Whether we’re referring to the temporary or permanent state of “heaven,” it’s all a state of joy, bliss, happiness, contentment, satisfaction, holiness, and consciousness. The “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) of the church is that Christ will “come again” and give a glorified body to the “soul and spirit” of every believer who comprises the “new Jerusalem,” the “bride” of Christ. At the “sound” of the “last trump … this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality (II Cor. 15:52-53).

When you step out into eternity, will you wonder aimlessly into the torments of Hell or find a resting place in the bliss of Heaven? If today were your last day to live upon this earth, how would you want to live it? If you’ve never repented of your sin and trusted Christ in childlike “faith” to save you from the penalty of your sin, then you have no hope of heaven.

Man’s highest ambition should be to go to heaven when he dies, but the sad part is that not everyone is going there. Just because you attend a church service, join a local assembly, make financial donations to a church, do good deeds, or help those in need will not get you into Heaven. Being good will not get you into Heaven nor being bad keep you because we’re all rotten sinners deserving of God’s Judgment. Trusting Christ as our personal Savior by “faith,” repenting of our sin, confessing Him as our Lord and Master, believing that He took our place on the cross, suffering our sin in our place, and that He arose on the third day after His crucifixion to secure our salvation is a work the Holy Spirit does within a lost sinner bringing him to Christ in saving grace.

One difference between a saved person and a lost person is that a Christian doesn’t look upon death as a horrible monster, but a kind friend. The Christian can look death in the face and say “come and get me, I’m not afraid of you.” When a believer dies, he doesn’t lose anything, but gains everything. We’re not saved by our good “works” (Eph. 2:8-10), but by “faith” in the “finished” (Jh. 19:30) work of Christ, “the Lamb of God” (Jh. 1:29), Who died as our Substitute on the Cross. Those who die in the Lord, will never again be plagued with turmoil, tears, terror, or trouble Their sins have been forgiven, washed “white as snow” (Isa. 1:18) by the precious atoning blood of Calvary’s “Lamb” (Jh. 1:29) and have been promised the presence of Christ throughout all eternity. Do you have the hope of Heaven when you die? If not, trust Christ today as having taken your sin upon Himself “who knew no sin” (II Cor. 5:21) and “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

As I close this chapter of Revelation, I remind all Christians that we should never allow our differences in interpreting this entire Book to separate us as Bible Believing Christians. When it comes to future prophecy, such as we find in the Book of Revelation, there are many different interpretations due to the fact we are living on this side of the prophecy being fulfilled. I’m simply sharing with you from my study the way I understand it. Therefore, as long as we can agree on the literal truth of the passage, let us treat one another in grace despite our differences of interpretation.

It’s been said that people can make the interpretation of Revelation say just about anything they want it to say. Therefore, we must be gracious in how we differ, compare Scripture with Scripture, and trust the Lord to speak to our hearts and fulfill His plan for the ages according to His Sovereign will. Whatever we believe about the Book of Revelation will not change the way God has pre-ordained it to happen.

I cannot tell you what the final state of Heaven, God’s abode with His people, will be like on the “new earth” and neither can any other mortal being. I don’t know what the structures will look like on the “new earth,” but I do believe there will be structures because the “throne” (Rev. 22:1) of Christ will be there. I don’t know what the landscape on the “new earth” will look like, but I can only assume that it might look something like the original garden of Eden were paradise was lost. Since “all things” will be made “new” (Rev. 21:5), we can be assured that this paradise regained will be beyond our wildest dreams and imaginations, free from sin and temptation. Besides, the most wonderful part of Heaven is that our Lord Jesus Christ will be there in our midst, and God’s people shall behold Him and serve Him for all eternity. That in itself causes all believers to join John in saying as he closes the Book of Revelation, “Even so, come Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).