"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
John 14:1-3
It has been said, “No one can ever paint hell too hot or heaven too beautiful.” There are no words in human vocabulary that can appropriately describe the beauty of Heaven.
1 Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
PLACE OF SCENERY
John 14:1-6, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Heaven is a literal place. It is not a state of mind or a figment of someone’s imagination. Just as people travel to San Francisco, Dallas, and New Orleans, Christians will one day travel to Heaven. Jesus promised to go prepare a place for Christians. It only took God six days to create the earth and everything in it. Jesus has been preparing Heaven for 2,000 years! How beautiful Heaven must be!
Revelation 21:1-2, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Revelation 21:10-27, “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 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.”
Jesus promised mansions in Heaven. The liberal teaches that Jesus meant rooms. He goes on to say that everyone in Heaven will have a room. If that be the case, why did not Jesus say what He meant? When Jesus said mansion, He meant mansion. Let the liberals have a room.
Heaven will be a place of newness. It will be a prepared place-no unfinished streets or buildings. It is a place of gates of pearl, foundations of precious stones, walls of jasper, pure gold, and streets of transparent gold.
PLACE OF NEW CHANGES
Many beautiful things will be present in heaven, but many things will be absent. There will be no cemeteries, cancer wards, funeral homes, deafness, persecution, beer, adultery, taxes, crime, recession, poverty, ghettos, sin, deformities, cigarettes, hospitals, wheelchairs, retirement homes, pornography, blindness, locks, abortions, drugs, sickness, death, insects, immodesty, discos, dancing, rock music, bars, country music, theaters, rock concerts, graffiti, error, fighting, war, communism, homosexuality, inflation, calories, guilt, or snakes.
PLACE OF NEW BODIES
In order for us to enjoy heaven, which is new, God is providing us with new bodies he calls glorified bodies. These new bodies will be without baldness, tears, weariness, fake teeth or deformities. Each will surely be in the prime of life (probably 30 years of age.) If someone goes to Heaven at age 90, they will not be condemned to look like age 90 throughout eternity. I Corinthians 15 describes the characteristics of the body we will have until the rapture when Jesus comes (I Thessalonians 4:16-18.) The glorified permanent new body will be given to us when Jesus comes at the rapture.
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-44, 46-49, “But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
Our new body will be a spiritual, powerful, Christ-like body of glory that resembles our present body (except for the flaws.)
1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
Does a Christian go straight to heaven at death? Yes. In II Corinthians 5:8, Paul says, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
If you will remember, after the resurrection, Jesus was able to walk through walls into the locked room where the disciples were meeting. He was also able to transport Himself back to Heaven. His disciples knew who He was. Our glorified bodies will be like this-powerful and recognizable!
It may seem farfetched, but some preachers believe we will be able to travel to see the other planets God created. Will we recognize each other in Heaven? Yes. Someone said, “I’d hate to think I’d be dumber in Heaven than I am right now.”
PLACE OF PEOPLE
There will be many people in Heaven. In addition to God’s created beings (cherubims, angels, seraphims), all the saints through the ages will be there! Adam, Abraham, Israel, Joseph, Joshua, Noah, John the Baptist, Peter, Phillip, Paul, Charles Spurgeon, David Livingstone, D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday—but best of all Jesus will be there! We will see Him face to face. There will be Christians from all around the world. Aborted and miscarried babies will be there. Children who died before the age of knowing right and wrong, as well as others without the capacity to understand will be there. (See I Samuel 12:23)
You will meet people you had a part in getting saved. Those who your mission dollars helped get saved will be there. It is possible God will let us live next to those we were nearest to on earth. Perhaps entire churches will live in subdivisions together.
PLACE OF ACTIVITY
Will Heaven be a quiet, reverent place? No! It will be a noisy place. The preaching, Bible classes, talking, angel choir singing, and shouting will cause great excitement. The four creatures will stand around the throne for eternity saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8)
Ephesians 2:7, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
It will take all eternity for God to teach us what it took for Him to send His Son to earth. He will teach us His Word. It is an eternal book, and it will take all eternity to learn its truth. It would be hard to imagine a Christian walking barefooted on the streets of gold without at least saying “Amen.”
Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us. Perhaps the saints are even helping in the construction of the New Jerusalem right now. (See Revelation 21-22.)
Revelation 22:3-5, “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
We will serve Christ for all eternity!
PLACE OF REWARDS
Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
Revelation 4:10-11, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Christians have an opportunity to earn crowns for being a pastor, being a soulwinner, being a martyr, loving Jesus’ appearing, and right living. We will have one opportunity throughout eternity to prove our love to Christ. We can cast our crowns at His feet, because He deserves the glory. What a privilege!
A boy was flying a kite on a cloudy day. A man only saw the string in his hand and asked what he was doing. The boy replied, “Flying a kite.” The man asked, “How do you know there’s a kite up there?” The boy said, “Mister, I know there’s a kite because I can feel a tug.” A Christian feels a tug and an attachment to his heavenly home.
A missionary sailing home on furlough saw a band and crowd of cheering people awaiting him (he thought) on the shore. As he got closer, he realized they were greeting a famous personality on the ship. His countenance fell. A friend nearby said, “You’re not home yet.” The heavenly home comes later. Don’t get too attached down here. The hymn says, “This world is not home—I’m just a passin’ through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me to Heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”
