Heaven

 

The Bible teaches us that before the return of Christ there is a bliss that our souls will enjoy in the presence of Jesus, but that bliss is not the full glory to come when God makes a new heaven and a new earth.

What will it be like?  I want to name 5 things that will characterize the heaven to come.  

First, there will be an end to everything that is evil.

• No more aches and pains,
• no more weakness and tiredness,
• no more disease,
• no more brokenness or disability,
• no more confusion or memory loss,
• no more wicked perversions,
• no more haters of God,
• no more idol worship,
• no more heresy,
• no more blaspheming the precious name of Jesus,
• no more weariness in worship,
• no more hard heartedness in praying,
• no more rebellion,
• no more dishonesty and stealing,
• no more anger or disappointment or misunderstandings or broken relationships.
• no more covetousness, but only contentment.
• no more sadness and tears, but only joy.  

Second, perfection.  What I have already described may sound like perfection, but in heaven there will be something more than the absence of all that is wrong.  Our bodies and our souls shall be made perfect. Right now "eye hath not seen or ear heard the things which God had prepared for them that love him." Our eyes can’t see, but then we will be able to see.

Think for a moment about what it will mean to have glorified bodies. A blind man can be told about the beauties of God’s creation.  You can tell him, for example, about a sunrise, and about the beauty of spring. Similarly you can tell him about mountain ranges, prairies, flowing rivers and waterfalls; but you can’t make him see. So what if one day he could see? Then he would understand in a way he could never before. 

Or think about the deaf man who can’t understand the beauty of music, and so with sign language you try to help him understand. But he can’t understand unless you can make him hear.

In heaven there are things we will see with eyes that can see. There we will hear with ears that can hear. Such a change will come over us that it will be like a blind man given sight and like a deaf man able to hear. We shall hear perfect heavenly music with perfect ears.  We shall see heavenly sights with perfect eyes. It won’t merely be that heaven shall be many thousand times more glorious than this world, but there our bodies will have the capacity to take it in and enjoy it.

Third, knowledge.  When you have found something that interests you you love to learn.  The process of discovery and accumulating knowledge is wonderful. But all of it pales beside the knowledge of Christ!  You take up your Bible, and its wonderful how it leads you into a great knowledge of your beloved. In those moments perhaps you say to yourself, "O His mouth is sweet." Sometimes as you have meditated on the truths of Scripture, and as you have turned your eyes and thoughts toward heaven

you have caught a glimpse of Christ.   And seeing Him by faith you were overcome by joy.

Richard Baxter asks, "Christian when after long gazing heavenward, thou hast got a glimpse of Christ, dost thou not sometimes seem to have been with Paul in the third heaven… and to have seen what is unutterable?  Art thou not with Peter ready to say Master it is I good to be here… Didst thou never look so long upon the Sun of righteousness till thine eyes were dazzled with his astonishing glory?  Did not the splendour of it make all things below seem black and dark to thee?" He then added, "But, This knowledge which have given you such heights of joy and wonder  is as nothing to what you shall know; it scare in comparison of that deserves to be called knowledge…"

In heaven you will know things you can’t now imagine. Here you have been scratching the surface of the riches and the majesty of Christ, and you have called it excellent. But then you shall learn what knowledge is. You shall discover depths to those riches to His majesty that will stagger your glorified mind and satisfy you forever. You will look back on this life and remember what God has done, and you will understand it: the secret things shall be revealed, and the mysteries of His providence shall be opened. Then we shall understand the reason why, and we will fall on our faces and bless Him. We shall know and be glad.  We shall love Him and adore Him for the wisdom and lovingkindness that so perfectly directed our paths and worked in such a hidden way for our good. We will look back at our weariness in this world, our unwillingness to suffer for Him and our fear of death, and we shall wonder was I really afraid of this?  Oh, then you will understand like you’ve never understood before that these were tidings of great joy.  As Baxter put it you will say to yourself with amazement, "was this the place you came so unwillingly to?"

Fourth, joy.   While those in hell live forever in torment we shall live forever rejoicing.  

Think about the foretastes you have had. There have been times when you have known joy unspeakable and full of glory. Can you believe that those moments are but a taste of what is coming? 

Think about those moments in worship or at home with your Bible when you have sensed the favour of God and been assured of His love and welcome. Think of what it will be like to finally - truly - be home. Think of what it will be like to no longer walk by faith, but to walk by sight and to know not only the sense of the favour of God but to see it written all over His face.

I love how Baxter speaks of the mutual nature of this joy.   He writes about the joy of the angels who have served you and ministered to you over the years as they welcome you and congratulate you on your safe arrival; and then he speaks of the saints who have gone before you as they greet you with holy kisses, loved ones who have gone ahead rejoicing with you that now at last your home.  

But better than that consider Jesus.  We have the barest idea of how dearly He loves His people.  Think for a moment about the love of the Saviour for His people. Did you ask Him to come for you?  Did you beg and plead with Him to go to the cross for you?  No, this was His doing, His plan, and His joy. He took that cup for you. He suffered torments for you. He has been praying for you telling the Father, "Father look at these hands, look at these feet, look at this side. I did this for him, I did this for her, I want them to be with me in glory."  And there you are at last.  Do you remember the Father running to take the prodigal son in his arms?  Baxter says "O how quickly does he now spy a returning prodigal, even afar off!  How does he run and meet him!  And with what compassion does he fall on his neck and kiss him… this is indeed a happy meeting; but nothing to the embracing and joy of that last and great meeting.”  Then - in heaven - He shall joy over you with singing, and you shall joy over Him as you fall down before Him and worship. And there you will love Him as you could never love Him here.

Fifth, enjoyment of God.  When you were born again old things passed away and all things became new. A great great change took place. But a greater change shall take place then.  Here you have begun to desire God and to enjoy Him, but there God will enlarge your capacity to enjoy Him.  There you shall be able to enjoy as you have never enjoyed Him here.  There you shall behold Him. You shall look on His face. Here you have said, "O that He would me kiss me with the kisses of His mouth." There you shall be kissed by your beloved Saviour.  You shall be allowed to put your arms around Him as you tell Him you love Him. There it won't be as if loving Him from a distance. There you will be with Him and He will be with you; and He who has loved you with an everlasting love will go on loving you. He who has borne with you through all your sin and failure and faithlessness will still love you when in heaven you are no more faithless and sinful.

Think with me what it shall be like to be with God forever. It will be an eternal Sabbath unmarred by sin and unbelief, and unclouded by the deceitfulness of this world. It will be a true and perfect Sabbath with your beloved. All the powers of your soul and body shall be in constant enjoyment of God; and you will know more and more of that love that passes knowledge.

Believer, we are rich.  What an amazing truth: citizens of heaven!   Don’t you long to be home?!  Can you see why Paul would say to die is gain!  Soon, soon, we shall say with Donald Cargill, “Farewell all relations and friends in Christ; farewell all acquaintances and all earthly enjoyments; farewell, reading and preaching, praying and believing, wandering reproaches and sufferings.  Welcome, joy unspeakable and full of glory.  Welcome Father, Son and Holy Ghost.”

If you aren’t absolutely certain of your future home in heaven make sure of it today.  Come immediately to Jesus. The Bible says "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Call on Him now and ask Him to save you from your sin. If you have been living like that prodigal, wasting the good gifts of a kind and merciful Father, abusing the things of this world, living for pleasure, enjoying sin, living as if God were not worthy of your time and your love, may the Holy Spirit help you to come to your senses and believe that if you will return He won’t just take you as a servant but as His son.