“After Death Part 2:  Heaven”

INTRODUCTION

      In our previous study we examined hell and its purpose in the afterlife.  Hell was seen as a necessity due to the righteous and just character of God.  If hell is the just reward for the unsaved then what is the reward for those who are in Christ Jesus when they die?  The destination of the saved is the subject of this brief study: Heaven.

      The term "heaven" appears some 580 times in the scriptures.  It is used in reference to various places (i.e. the sky, spce, etc.).  The uses of the term for our purposes are the instances in which it refers to the final abode of the children of God or the dwelling place of God. 

      Scriptures reveal much to us about hell, but actually very little detail concerning heaven.  Could it be that the lack of detail describing heaven is due to the inability for mere words to describe something so awesome that our minds could not possibly comprehend the greatness of heaven?  In 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, Paul says in reference to himself:

I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. ³And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—⁴was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. (NIV)

Paul witnessed heaven and described it as inexpressible.  In the later chapters of Revelation the apostle John is given a vision of heaven and describes it in terms of such tremendous perfection and greatness that we can only attempt to understand his account. 

      If heaven is such a wonderfully awesome final destination for the faithful, why do we hear so little teaching about it?  In the past, there was a great deal of teaching about heaven.  Could it be that in those areas of the world that are highly developed that life has become so good that we cannot fathom anything better?  Or as Kenny Boles puts forth in this possible explanation:  “In our fear of teaching an incorrect picture of heaven, sometimes we end up teaching no picture at all.  Heaven becomes an empty address for a distant ‘someday’, and we show little eagerness to get there.”[1]  He makes two points.  The first is that since we know, or comprehend, so little about heaven that we tend to not teach on the subject.  Secondly, this lack of teaching has played a critical role in diminishing our desire to get there.

      Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:4 that heaven is “…an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you…”.  The Greek words Peter uses to describe our inheritance are aphthartos, amiantos, and amarantas; that is to say it is totally incorruptible and indestructible without flaw or blemish.  As children of God, we need to see heaven as our inheritance.  For now, God’s children are citizens of heaven embarked on a pilgrimage while on this earth, trekking toward their final destination: Heaven. (Philippians 3:20-21)  Mack Lyon so skillfully summarizes his longing for heaven thusly: “What excites me about heaven is that it is my eternal home.  I’ll no longer be a stranger and a foreigner and a sojourner.  I’ll be at home with my heavenly Father, and with my older brother Jesus Christ, and with all of the redeemed souls of all ages.”[2]

THE EXISTENCE OF HEAVEN

      If heaven is such an extraordinary final destination, why might some discredit its existence?  Some answers may be:  One does not believe in an afterlife.  One does not believe in God.  Heaven serves no purpose.

      Rest assured, heaven and a belief in heaven, do serve a purpose.  First, if God is truly a just God, then he must provide a place of reward and punishment.  His nature as a just God demands the existence of heaven.[3] (For more on the just nature of God refer to After Death Part 1: Hell.) 

      Second, the reality of heaven gives true meaning to life; if we live in the light of eternity we will have a much better and deeper appreciation of life. 

      Third, the reality of heaven helps us to prioritize our lives here on earth. 

       Finally, the reality of heaven causes us to persevere.  An example:  A dear brother in Christ has battled kidney ailments since the age of nineteen.  Through all his adversity, two transplants, dialysis, testing for a third transplant, the stress, pain and suffering accompanying all this…through it all he and his wife have persevered.  You do not have to talk with them too long to see that their strength comes from their faith in God and in their belief in the reality of heaven.  To them this life is just the journey, not the destination.

WHAT IS HEAVEN?

      So what is heaven?  Consider these words of Jesus to his disciples the night of his betrayal:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:1-4 NIV)

From this we see that heaven is a place, a prepared place.  Some refer to heaven as “a prepared place for a prepared people”.

      In Psalm 23:6 David states that he “will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”.  In Psalm 16:11 the psalmist states, “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”  In Acts 1:1-2 we see that Christ ascended to heaven.  In Isaiah 57:15 heaven is referred to as a place. 

      Notice in all of these that heaven is referred to as a place, not a state of existence.  These texts do show heaven as a place of “…intangible, inexpressible blessings of an intimacy with God not possible in our present reality.”[4]  Heaven is a place prepared by the Father and the Son for those who have obediently accepted his gift of salvation.  It is an inheritance, unlike an earthly inheritance that cannot be shared with the giver, an inheritance that can be shared with the Giver for eternity.  Heaven...difficult to define, wonderful to behold.

“Heaven would hardly be heaven if we could define it.”   -William E. Biedewolf

 WHAT WILL HEAVEN BE LIKE?

      When discussing what heaven will be like, one will find a variety of views.  Most of these fall into one of three categories:

1. Those who take the description given in Revelation as literal.
2. Those who take the description given in Revelation as figurative since the book is apocalyptic in nature.
3. Those who believe this present earth will be destroyed by fire as found in 2 Peter 3:10 and a new heaven and new earth are created, in the perfect sense of God’s first creation, to replace it. 

The main thing we need to remember is that heaven will be so awe-inspiring, not because of what it looks like but because of who is there:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  (Revelation 21:3 NIV)

      Revelation 21:9 – 22:5 is the lengthiest description of heaven that we have.  While some believe that this is a literal description, it must be remembered that Revelation is written in an apocalyptic style.  That is to say that it is “a figurative picture of an underlying reality”[5]; God is describing heaven in terms that we can understand.  Word pictures such as streets of gold so pure that one could see through them are used to portray things that we consider of great value in this existence that will only be worthy of being pavement in heaven.  What was once of extreme value will become the common when compared to the reality of heaven.

      Another means of describing what heaven will be like, is to look at the longings man has while here on earth, longings that are only partially filled at best, and see that in heaven these will be completely filled.  What are these longings?  The longing for peace, the longing for rest, the longing for pure beauty, and the longing for complete fellowship; all of these will be filled to overflowing. (Revelation 7:15-17; 14:13; 19:7-9; Psalm 68:19; 81:6-7; Matthew 11:29; 8:11-12; 26:29; John 14:1-3; Hebrews 4:1-11)

      Negatives are also used in scripture to describe heaven.  Negative in the sense of what will not be there.  No devil (Revelation 20:10; 21:27).  No curse (Revelation 22:3).  No sea, which the ancients saw as a place of grave danger (Revelation 21:1).  No crying.  No pain. No death. No mourning (Revelation 21:4).  No night (Revelation 21:25).  No impurity (Revelation 21:27).  No lies (Revelation 21:8).

      Heaven will be eternal.  Jesus himself taught this:

²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  (John 11:25-26)

Paul continues:

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thess. 4:17)

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

As previously stated, there is not a great amount of detail describing heaven.  Since God is the heavenly Father, “like children, we know enough about our Father to expect the best.  He won’t let us down.”[6]

 WHO WILL BE IN HEAVEN?

      This is one of the most asked questions in regard to heaven.  Looking at Matthew 18:10 and Luke 15:10 one sees that angels are in heaven.  Will the saved become angels when they enter heaven?  No.  Angels are created heavenly beings that God made for specific purposes.

      Hebrews chapter eleven paints the wonderful picture of the faithful in heaven.  John chapter fourteen begins with Jesus telling of a place prepared for his followers.  From these and numerous other references one realizes that the faithful and obedient will be in heaven…the prepared place for prepared people.

      Will the saved recognize one another in heaven?  Most scholars believe that scripture leads to the conclusion that recognition of those one knew on earth will be part of our heavenly existence.  This gives rise to the issue that if we know who is there, will we not also realize who is not there and will not this realization of souls lost bring sadness; the Bible states there will be no sadness in heaven.  One author offers the following insight in regard to this seeming contradiction:  “I have but one answer to all the unknowns.  It is my faith in an infinite God.  If you grant me that premise, I have the key that unlocks the door of the mystery to the things of the spirit for which there is no other key.  Yes, while some are in Heaven others will be in Hell…and the sincere Christian will regret the loss of just one person in Hell.  Yet somehow God has promised eternal happiness there, and I believe Him.”[7]  In other words, God promised happiness and He will make good His promise even though I cannot comprehend how this will be accomplished. 

      Finally, what makes heaven the most breathtaking place imaginable is the presence of God the Father and Jesus Christ our Savior (Revelation 22:3ff).  Can one even begin to imagine the pure joy and excitement of being in the dwelling place of our Creator, seated at the banquet table with the One who gave up the wonders of heaven to come to earth and shed his blood so that those who obediently accepted his gift of salvation could be in perfect fellowship with him for eternity?

WILL WE HAVE BODIES IN HEAVEN?

      A recent poll shows that while most people believe there is a heaven, only 25% believe individuals will have a body in heaven. 

      One of the reasons for this belief has its roots in ancient Greek philosophy.  In this system of thinking it was believed that the mind is the highest degree of existence and is imprisoned in the body.  Therefore if heaven is to be the highest state of existence, one must be free of a body. 

      Another reason for assuming there will be no bodies in heavenly existence dates from 200-300 A.D.  It is a belief referred to as dualism. In this system the soul was good and the body evil; therefore if one goes to a realm of perfection, one must be only in spirit form.

      In the fourth century Augustine put forth his belief that Adam was created only as a soul.  Upon the commission of sin Adam was placed in a physical body as punishment; therefore salvation from sin meant that the soul must go back to its original existence apart from the body.  Since Augustine was a respected scholar of the time this explanation was adopted by many.

      What does the Bible say in regard to theories such as these?  “And God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31).  God saw that the entirety of his creation was good; that entirety included Adam.  In Genesis 2:23 one reads that Adam and Eve were physical beings as Adam claims of Eve, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.”  Therefore, since the creation of the human form was very good in God’s eyes, all three of the aforementioned claims regarding the body must be false for they are founded on the premise that the body is inherently evil.  Such philosophies due not substantiate the absence of some sort of body in heaven.

      The inspired writers of the Bible witness to the fact that Jesus had a post-resurrection body (Matthew 28:9, 17; Mark 16:9, 12, 14; Luke 24:15-35, 36-52; John chapters 20 and 21).  Now consider Philippians 3:20-21: “…our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”  (Emphasis mine.)  Here Paul bears out the fact that we will have a heavenly body.  Scripture continues to validate this fact (2 Corinthians 5:1-4; John 5:28-29).

      The most extensive discussion of the resurrection body of the saved is found in 1 Corinthians 15:35-49.  In this text we are told that the resurrection body will be different than the earthly body.  In what ways will it be different?  It will be imperishable.  It will be raised in glory.  It will be raised in power.  It will be spiritual.  It will bear the likeness of “the man from heaven”.  Exactly what this resurrection body will be like, we do not know.  LaGard Smith makes this observation:

“How possibly could God communicate a reality of which we are completely unaware?  Life in heaven will be a qualitatively different kind of life from the one we have known in the earth’s space and time.  Even thinking of heaven as an ‘unending eternity forever and ever’ is to think in human terms, not God’s.  To be eternal is to have the kind of qualities which endure outside of time.

Whatever new bodies we are given will be tailor-made for heaven.  Just right for what we’re meant to do there, whatever that is.  No need to worry about it before we get there.  Function will automatically follow form…”[8]

Or as the apostle John states simply, yet eloquently, in 1 John 3:2, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.”

IN CONCLUSION

      We have seen that while Scripture wets our appetite for heaven it does not give us all the details.  One writer suggests “that we adopt a type of ‘Christmas morning’ view of heaven, which allows us to anticipate its glories and blessings without attempting to delineate exactly how all of these details work themselves out.  It is enough for believers to know and look forward to this much:  Heaven will be an incomparable time of eternal fellowship with Jesus Christ and with other loved ones.  Knowing that makes all the difference in the world.”[9]  Let us close our study with the words of Paul found in 1 Corinthians 2:9:

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.

-J. Watson

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