What is Heaven?
Pearly gates, streets of gold, St. Peter, Clouds, Harps, Wings, The Great Golf Course in the Sky… We are always trying to imagine what heaven will be like. References to heaven are everywhere in our world. All Dogs Go to Heaven, Tears in Heaven, Stairway to heaven (or if you are a Wayne’s World fan, NO Stairway.). You could say we are obsessed, but all in all, we are pretty clueless.
We do have pictures of heaven in the Bible through the visions of prophets and through the teachings of Christ (who did live there after all). But we don’t have the whole picture because we aren’t ready for it.
No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9
One vision was from the great prophet Isaiah. (For more visions, see Revelation 21 & 22, 1 Kings 22:19 and Daniel 7:9-10.) This vision is at the beginning of his calling and we often hear it used to teach of humility before God and Christian service. However, I believe that this vision also illustrates several of the qualities of heaven that we will discuss.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty: the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6:1-7
Isaiah is considered to be the greatest Old Testament prophet and he is quoted at least 50 times in the New Testament.[1] Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and prophesied for 60 years. His ministry began during the reign of King Uzziah.
King Uzziah reigned over Judah for 52 years. During his reign, Israel turned away from God. He entered the temple to offer incense, which was a job of the priests, and God afflicted him with leprosy which he had until his death. His story is recorded in 2 Chronicles 26.
The first truth about heaven illustrated by this vision is that heaven is God’s home. Isaiah saw him sitting on a throne. This is reiterated throughout scripture, even back to the Exodus.
Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. Deuteronomy 26:15
We also see Jesus return to heaven following the resurrection.
While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Luke 24:51
How do you vision God’s home? We often talk about a “mansion” in heaven, and Jesus speaks of “many rooms”—perhaps this is where that vision that we hold came from.
By the way, the Bible also tells us what God looks like.
His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. Revelation 1:14-15
So, those childhood visions we have of God as a very old man may not be that far off! The white hair symbolizes the wisdom of God, the blazing eyes symbolize judgment, the glowing symbolizes holiness and the rushing waters symbolize power.
Interestingly, this scripture also speaks of other creatures who live in heaven. Stories about the angels are found throughout the Bible. They are seen over and over attending to God and doing God’s work on earth from guarding the entrance to Eden (Genesis 4:24) to announcing the resurrection of Christ (Luke 24:4-6).
When we recognize the power of God, we understand the next concept of heaven—worship.
And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Isaiah 6:3-4
Heaven will be full of praise! And not just controlled Sunday morning type of praise—the doorposts shook! I often joke that if we have a hard time sitting through an hour of church, how will we enjoy heaven. I have only experienced praise at this intensity a few times in my life and it is awesome.
John describes not just the angels but all of heaven praising God.
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” Revelation 5:13
The Bible is full of examples of praising God in heaven. After all, when you are in the presence of the almighty, how can you do anything but? Isaiah’s immediate reaction was abject humility. (Isaiah 6:5) When he was in the presence of God, he realized how unworthy he was. I believe that we will all have that moment when we meet our Savior face to face.
Through Isaiah’s humility, we see God’s love and grace. God cleanses Isaiah’s lips and forgives him of his sins. The thought of touching your lips with a burning coal is a painful thought, reminding us that there will be consequences to our sin. But, it is also a healing touch, reminding us that those sins will be forgiven and wiped away forever. We can try to guess what heaven will be like, but the most important thing is that God wants us to be there!
When we become a Christian, we become citizens of heavens. It is our home as well.
But 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. Philippians 3:20-21
And, even more amazing, is that Jesus has prepared it for us personally.
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. And 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.” John 14:2-3
The question came up in our live Bible study, what about children? The prevailing thought is that children are innocent and will be in heaven. This is partly because no one can conceive of a God so cruel that he would banish children to Hell before they are able to make a decision to follow him. But it is also verified in scripture.
He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matthew 18:2-6
First, this scripture illustrates that we are to become like children before we can enter heaven. It is not just a matter of innocence, but to truly follow Christ, we have to fully put our trust in Him like a little child puts all of their trust in their caretaker. Second, this scripture implies that children are without sin because Jesus has very harsh words for the one who would take that innocence away.
But, at some point (don’t ask me when because I don’t know), we do have to make a choice. As much as God wants us to be in heaven, He is very clear that it is a gift we must accept.
“When the son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left … Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’ … Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” Matthew 25:31-34, 41
I do not like to think of a God who can punish people forever—good people even, people I care about. But God is loving AND just, and justice includes allowing people to live with the consequences of their choices. Now that I’m a mother I can understand this better. If I give my children a limit and they cross it, I have to follow through with the consequences of their behavior—no matter how difficult it may be.
But it is easy to become a sheep. There is nothing we can do here on earth, it is a gift we need to accept.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18
I pray all the time for boldness to share my faith, and I pray all the time for God to grab the heart of my loved ones and draw them into his love. It’s not just to avoid punishment but to experience the full joy of knowing the Lord. Heaven will be full of that joy.
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. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4
This scripture is often heard at funerals, and is a great comfort to many. John uses it to describe the end of the world, which is actually God’s establishment of heaven on earth.
But beyond no tears, heaven will be full of joy! How could it be anything but, because that is where God is. As Christians, we are called to love God with everything that we have. How do you feel when you are in the presence of one you truly love? Do you remember what it was like when you first fell in love? You couldn’t eat, sleep, or feel the ground. I think the joy in heaven will be like that.
You have made known to me the path of life; you will find me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11
To the faithful Christian, heaven is our ultimate treasure.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 13:44
Heaven is more valuable than anything we could possess on earth. As we discusses with the life of Salome, we should strive not for recognition and possessions on earth but for treasure in heaven.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:32-34
So heaven is a great mystery. Although God has given us pieces of information about it, I believe that it is too wonderful for us to imagine. When we make it to heaven, we will finally be reunited with God—like he originally planned. The Bible begins with man in the Garden of Eden, communing with God. Then sin entered the world. Jesus came to redeem us from that sin so that we could return to where we were created to be.
Next week, we will further explore the concept of sin and consequences through the life of Eve.
[1] NIV Life Application Study Bible
