Heaven

[Chad]

What is Heaven like?

Heaven is a real place described in the Bible. The word heaven is found 276 times in the New Testament alone. Scripture refers to three heavens. The Apostle Paul was “caught up to the third heaven," but he was prohibited from revealing what he experienced there (2 Corinthians 12:1-9).

If a third heaven exists, there must also be two other heavens. The first is most frequently referred to in the Old Testament as the "sky" or the "firmament," which appears as an arch that is spread over our earth. This is the heaven that contains clouds, the area that birds fly through. The second heaven is the interstellar space, which is the abode of supernatural angelic beings and celestial objects (Genesis 1:14-18).

The third heaven, whose location is unrevealed, is the abode of the Triune God. God's plan is to fill heaven with believers in Jesus Christ. No wonder the word heaven is interchangeable with "eternal life"! Jesus promised to prepare a place for true Christians in heaven (John 14:2). Heaven is also the destination of Old Testament saints who died trusting God's promise of the Redeemer (Ephesians 4:8). Whoever believes in Christ shall never perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

The Apostle John was privileged to see and report on the heavenly city (Revelation 21:10-27). John witnessed that heaven possesses the "glory of God" (Revelation 21:11). This is the Shekinah glory or the presence of God. Because heaven has no night and the Lord is the light, the sun and moon are no longer needed (Revelation 22:5).

The city is filled with the brilliance of costly stones and crystal-clear jasper. Heaven has 12 gates (Revelation 21:12) and 12 foundations (Revelation 21:14). The paradise of the Garden of Eden is restored: the river of the water of life flows freely and the tree of life is available once again, yielding fruit monthly with leaves that "heal the nations" (Revelation 22:1-2). However eloquent John was in his description of heaven, the reality of heaven is beyond the ability of finite man to describe (1 Corinthians 2:9). Yet it is more real than this earth, which will pass away.

Heaven is a place of "no mores." There will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more sorrow (Revelation 21:4). There will be no more separation because death will be conquered (Revelation 20:6). The best thing about heaven is the presence of our Lord and Savior. We will be face to face with the Lamb of God Who loved us and sacrificed Himself so that we can enjoy His presence for eternity.

What are the New Heavens and the New Earth?

Many people have a misconception of what heaven is truly like. Revelation chapters 21-22 give us a detailed picture of the new heavens and the new earth. After the events of the end times, the current heavens and earth will be done away with and replaced by the new heavens and new earth. The eternal dwelling place of believers will be the new earth. The new earth is the “heaven” on which we will spend eternity. It is the new earth where the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city, will reside. It is on the new earth that the pearly gates and streets of gold will be.

Heaven—the new earth—is a physical place where we will dwell with glorified physical bodies (see 1 Corinthians 15:35-58). The concept that heaven is “in the clouds” is unbiblical. The concept that we will be “spirits floating around in heaven” is also unbiblical. The heaven that believers will experience will be a new and perfect planet on which we will dwell. The new earth will be free from sin, evil, sickness, suffering, and death. It will likely be very similar to our current earth, or perhaps even a re-creation of our current earth, but without the curse of sin.

What about the new heavens? It is important to remember that in the ancient mind, "heavens" referred to the skies and outer space, as well as the realm in which God dwells. So when Revelation 21:1 refers to the new heavens, it is likely indicating that the entire universe will be created, a new earth, new skies, a new outer space. It seems as if God's heaven will be recreated as well, to give everything in the universe a "fresh start" whether physical or spiritual. Will we have access to the new heavens in eternity? Possibly, but we will have to wait to find out! May we all allow God’s Word to shape our understanding of heaven!

What happens after death?

Within the Christian faith, there is a significant amount of confusion in regards to what happens after death. Some hold that after death, everyone “sleeps” until the final judgment, after which everyone will be sent to Heaven or Hell. Others believe that immediately after the moment of death, people are instantly judged and send to their eternal destinations. Still others claim that when people die, their souls/spirits are sent to a “temporary” Heaven or Hell, to await the final resurrection, the final judgment, and then the finality of their eternal destination. So, what exactly does the Bible say happens after death?

First, for the believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that after death, believers’ souls/spirits are taken to Heaven, because their sins were forgiven from having received Christ as Savior (John 3:16,18,36). For believers, after death is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). However, passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 describe believers being resurrected and given glorified bodies. If believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, what is the purpose of this resurrection? It seems that while the souls/spirits of believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, the physical body remains in the grave “sleeping.” At the resurrection of believers, the physical body is resurrected, glorified and perfected, and then reunited with the soul-spirit. This reunited and glorified body-soul-spirit will be the inhabitance of believers for eternity, in the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation chapters 21-22).

Second, for those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior, after death means everlasting punishment. However, similar to the destiny of believers, unbelievers also seem to be sent immediately to a temporary holding place, to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny. Luke 16:22-23 describes a rich man being tormented immediately after death. Revelation 20:11-15 describes all the unbelieving dead being resurrected, judged at the Great White Throne, and then being cast into the lake of fire. Unbelievers, then, are not sent to Hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but rather are in a temporary realm of judgment and condemnation. However, even though unbelievers are not instantly sent to the lake of fire, their immediate fate after death is not a pleasant one. The rich man cried out, “I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:24).

Therefore, after death, for both believers and unbelievers, a person resides in a “temporary” Heaven or Hell. After this temporary realm, at their final resurrection, peoples’ eternal destiny will not change. The precise “location” of that eternal destiny is what changes. After death, believers will ultimately be granted entrance into the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:1). After death, unbelievers will ultimately be sent to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people - based entirely on whether or not they had trusted Jesus Christ alone for salvation (Matthew 25:46; John 3:36).

article: gotquestions.org

 

[B-A-C]

While I certainly agree with everything in Chad's post about Heaven, I also wonder about the New Jerusalem.


Heb 13:14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

Rev 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
Rev 21:4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
Rev 21:11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
Rev 21:12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
Rev 21:13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west.
Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Rev 21:15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.
Rev 21:16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

Wow, a "City" 1500 miles by 1500 mile square! That would cover roughly 2/3rd of the continental U.S !!! The tallest mountain on the
earth right now is a little over 29,000 feet tall (6 miles) . It wouldn't even make a door step on this City!!

Rev 21:17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
Rev 21:18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
Rev 21:19 The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
Rev 21:20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
Rev 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
Rev 21:22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Rev 21:23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Rev 21:24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
Rev 21:25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;
Rev 21:26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;
Rev 21:27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Mic 4:1 And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it.
Mic 4:2 Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Mic 4:3 And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war.
Mic 4:4 Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
Mic 4:5 Though all the peoples walk Each in the name of his god, As for us, we will walk In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.
Mic 4:6 "In that day," declares the LORD, "I will assemble the lame And gather the outcasts, Even those whom I have afflicted.
Mic 4:7 "I will make the lame a remnant And the outcasts a strong nation, And the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever.

Heb 12:18 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,
Heb 12:19 and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.
Heb 12:20 For they could not bear the command, "IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED."
Heb 12:21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling."
Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,
Heb 12:23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

Rev 22:1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
Rev 22:2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Rev 22:3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;
Rev 22:4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
Rev 22:5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

Psa 2:6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

Psa 48:1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain.
Psa 48:2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King.
Psa 48:3 God, in her palaces, Has made Himself known as a stronghold.
Psa 48:4 For, lo, the kings assembled themselves, They passed by together.
Psa 48:5 They saw it, then they were amazed; They were terrified, they fled in alarm.

Psa 48:11 Let Mount Zion be glad, Let the daughters of Judah rejoice Because of Your judgments.
Psa 48:12 Walk about Zion and go around her; Count her towers;
Psa 48:13 Consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, That you may tell it to the next generation.

Psa 76:1 God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel.
Psa 76:2 His tabernacle is in Salem; His dwelling place also is in Zion.

Isa 2:2 There's a day coming when the mountain of GOD's House Will be The Mountain-- solid, towering over all mountains. All nations will river toward it, people from all over set out for it.
Isa 2:3 They'll say, "Come, let's climb GOD's Mountain, go to the House of the God of Jacob. He'll show us the way he works so we can live the way we're made." Zion's the source of the revelation. GOD's Message comes from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4 He'll settle things fairly between nations. He'll make things right between many peoples. They'll turn their swords into shovels, their spears into hoes. No more will nation fight nation; they won't play war anymore.

Who are the dogs, idolaters and sorcerers who cannot enter into this city? Rev 22:15

If there is no more sickness and pain for believers, who are the "nations" that need to be healed? Rev 22:2

Those who reign with Christ (Rev 20:6).. who will they reign over?

I'm beginning to think there will still be non-believers, even after the rapture, and at least during the millennial reign.

Otherwise where will Satan get the millions in his army?

Rev 20:7 When the thousand years are up, Satan will be let loose from his cell,
Rev 20:8 and will launch again his old work of deceiving the nations, searching out victims in every nook and cranny of earth, even Gog and Magog! He'll talk them into going to war and will gather a huge army, millions strong.
Rev 20:9 They'll stream across the earth, surround and lay siege to the camp of God's holy people, the Beloved City.