Third, the Bible teaches that heaven is a home which is beautiful of the promise of an eternal home with You and the reunion with my loved.
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If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. John reminds us that this world will one day pass away when God judges the world 2 Peter 3: Knowing that this earth will pass, believers should not live for this world but for the eternal kingdom of God.
Understanding heaven helps us endure rather than escape the trials of this earth. Understanding eternity teaches us how to live according to wisdom Psalm Three things will last for eternity: God, His word, and the souls of men and women. Understanding our destiny teaches us to invest our lives in the things that will last for eternity.
A good starting point in our study of heaven will begin with the citizens of heaven. Part of the excitement of going to a party is knowing who will be there. When we know that someone important or friends whom we have not seen in a long time will be there, we look forward to a grand appointment. Knowing who will be in heaven should excite us for this grand meeting. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect. From this passage we see the populace of heaven will include the Lord, the angels of God, and the redeemed from all the ages. Heaven is where God abides.
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The Bible teaches that God is omnipresent and not localized in heaven. However, in heaven, God is manifested and His intimate presence is experienced in a special way. He is the centerpiece of the heavenly kingdom. He sits on His throne and Christ is seated at His right side Romans 8: The throne of God is the heart and focus of heaven. In the book of Revelation, the throne of God is mentioned thirty-seven times. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
All activity focuses in the direction of the throne and all glory emanates from there. God is the centerpiece of heaven, which makes it such a glorious place. Many popular images of heaven reflect the values of the culture rather than Biblical teaching. The focus is often on our reunion with our loved ones or the discovery of the true meaning of our lives on earth. He discovers heaven to be a beautiful place, one that is created and fashioned by his thoughts and images. As he gains familiarity with his surroundings, he and his guide, played by Cuba Gooding, have a conversation.
Although a wonderful story, this is far from the teaching of heaven taught in the Bible. According to Scripture, God is central in heaven and all activity focuses around His magnificent throne. We will not wonder where God is or fail to hear His voice. Any portrayal of heaven that excludes God as the central feature of heaven fails to capture the real picture of eternity. As in our present lives, ultimate meaning in eternity comes from our creator God, who makes heaven meaningful. For this reason, heaven is for those who love God and have received His gift of eternal life given through His Son Jesus Christ.
Those who willfully reject God in this lifetime and decide they do not want to have a relationship with Him, will not be forced against their will to be in His presence for all eternity. Heaven would not be a paradise for those who do not want to be with God. Instead it would be a painful ordeal. I recently met a man who hated our present President with immense passion. Do you think my friend would have enjoyed attending an evening banquet honoring the President? Even though it would be a fine and elegant event, it would be a distressful situation for him.
In the same way, for those who reject God in this lifetime, a place like heaven would be intolerable for them since the God they rejected is the focal point of our existence there. In heaven the glory, holiness, and the majesty of God will radiate throughout the entire realm. At this present time, fallen mankind is unable to see the glory of God John 1: However, in heaven, man is perfected and glorified, sin and its effects are no longer present, and the redeemed will see the glorious majesty of God.
As we studied previously, God is the focal point of heaven. Therefore, heaven is for those who have received Christ as Lord and Savior. Those who have rejected the Lordship of Christ in this life would not want to be in His presence for all eternity. The second group of beings in heaven we will be the angelic host. We will find ourselves surrounded by a myriad of angels. A popular notion is after death, men and women become angels.
However, the Bible teaches that humans do not become angels. Angels are spiritual beings whose ministry is to worship the Lord and execute His commands. Finally, the spirits of departed Christians will be in heaven. Once again John states in Revelation 7: United in heart, mind, and spirit, we will worship and fellowship with one another and the Lord for all eternity.
Friendships here on earth are very meaningful. However, when we are perfected, when the sin that hinders pure fellowship is removed, our relationships will be even sweeter. The city was pure gold, like clear glass. Traditionally, gold has symbolized purity. In the wedding band, for example, the circle speaks of endlessness and the gold stands for purity.
And the brightness of the city, reflecting from the gold that abounds everywhere, w ill have its uncorrupted counterpart within the heart of every citizen of heaven. Yes, holiness and purity will pervade the eternal city. A river clear as crystal will flow through the New Jerusalem.
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The apostle John declared:. He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb Rev. Just as in Eden there was a river to water the garden, so also in the New Jerusalem there will be a river of life. It will begin at the throne of God, the very uppermost part of the city, and it will course downward through the entire area. Cities have always been dependent on a good water supply, providing for their inhabitants freshness, cleanness, and life.
Even today the river continues to be an emblem of fruitfulness, vitality, and abundance, its waters being fed by melting snows from mountain ranges and refreshing springs, and constantly purified as they tumble downward to be used by people. In the New Jerusalem, a river of crystal will flow forever, reminding us for all eternity that God has graciously and abundantly provided for our every spiritual need. Remember, life in eternity will not be a nebulous existence in some nameless place.
We will lead rich and full lives in glorified bodies. Life in eternity will not be a nebulous existence in some nameless place. This crystal river flowing through our eternal home will be of sparkling beauty and of clarity beyond the purest water man has ever seen. All who believe in Christ will walk the banks of this glorious crystal river.
What a blessed joy will then be ours! Its Tree Of Life. A third item of special interest in the New Jerusalem will be the tree of life. One reason He did this was to prevent them from having further access to the tree of life.
Heaven: Our Eternal Home
You see, they had rebelled, bringing the curse of death on themselves. The tree of life was therefore out of bounds for them. But in our eternal home we will once again be free to partake of the fruit of this tree, for Revelation 22 says:. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life v.
The term tree of life does not refer to one single tree, but to a species. Some excellent Bible teachers feel that a river will flow through the middle of a broad street, and that alongside the river on each bank will be the trees.
Our Eternal Home
Others believe that a grove of trees is centered between the avenue of gold on one side and the river on the other. Life in heaven will be filled with beauty and variety. We have seen its beauty from without: We have also seen its glory within as we have envisioned the street of gold, the crystal river, and the tree of life.
This glimpse of our eternal home should bring two responses to the heart of the true believer in Christ. First, there should be a renewed determination to place top priority on the spiritual and eternal rather than on the physical and temporal. Second, the thought of heaven should cheer us when we become discontented with life and discouraged about the future.
No matter how badly things may be going or how difficult the struggles, the prospect of that wonderful abode awaiting us should be a source of encouragement and hope. The thought of heaven should cheer us when we become discontented with life and discouraged about the future. Remember, in heaven we will live forever in the presence of our loving Savior.
Life will be rich and full, and we will know a purity, bliss, and love such as could never be experienced here. Get monthly emails with the latest Discovery Series reading plan. Return to Sign In. In America we pride ourselves on seeking the truth. We look for truth in the media, on the Internet, in the test tube, in mathematic formulas.
All we find are physical descriptions of location, time, weight, occurrence, and so forth. These facts are not truth. Truth answers the question "why? Truth is a Person. It is He who explains the meaning of all things. It is He alone who answers the question: It is not possible to have truth until we have Christ. Since He created the physical universe, He knows more about the material world than the most learned scientist. He has total understanding of the makeup of the atom, of gravity; of light. In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Without Christ the world is continually learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Our Eternal Home
I have thought in time past that when people died and went to Heaven they would understand all doctrine, all theology. I think if an individual is to understand the Bible he has to be taught by Christian teachers. I would suppose those who believe in a pre-tribulation "rapture" will still believe this after they die.
It is possible that they will not understand they have been taught an error until Antichrist and the Great Tribulation are raging in the earth and there has been no rapture. Being devout people, I suppose they will just worship Jesus and be done with it. Jesus Christ is the truth.
We do not come to the truth by dying or by going to Heaven, except in certain instances. When a Muslim young person who has blown up himself and caused the death of ten other people becomes conscious in the spirit world, and he is not in Paradise and there are no dancing girls, he will become aware he needs to find truth. I think it is very possible that those Christians with the gift of teaching will be available to teach the young Muslim man after he dies. I know of no passage of the Scriptures that denies the possibility of this. We have an acquaintance who teaches the Gospel to Muslim people.
Many have been saved and are rejoicing in Christ. I see no reason why he cannot continue to teach Muslim people in the spirit world, for many of these devout people will realize after they die that Christ is the Son of God and all truth is in Him. We find truth in Jesus and in those whom Jesus appoints as teachers. He is the Way, and the only way, to the Father. Biologic life is always dying, always becoming corrupt.
The Life of God never dies, never experiences corruption. The New Testament speaks often of eternal life, seldom or never of our going to Heaven. From listening to Christian people, I think they have Heaven and eternal life confused. They quote John 3: In actuality, John 3: The Lord Jesus is the Tree of Life. When we live and believe in Him we are positioned with Him at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. When we die physically, our position does not change.
We still are at the right hand of God in Heaven. When the Lord returns, our flesh and bones will be raised from their place of interment and clothed with incorruptible resurrection life. This is the meaning of John 3: It is not referring to escaping Hell and entering Heaven. The blessing is, as the Lord said, everlasting life. There are numerous Christians who have "accepted" Christ but who are living in the sinful nature. They are living in spiritual death. They still have hatred and malice in them.
They are not entering eternal life. They do not understand the gate to life is small and the way to life is pressured.
We have to enter life every day. As Paul exhorted Timothy, we have to lay hold on eternal life. I think we have the idea of eternal life as being a kind of ticket God signs meaning we will exist forever. The truth is, we will exist forever whether or not we have eternal life. Eternal life is not eternal existence; not even eternal existence in Heaven. Eternal life is a kind of life.
It is the Life of God. And we can have eternal Life just as fully here as we can in Heaven. Eternal life has nothing to do with going to Heaven.
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Can you see that? When we put it all together, our eternal home is God Himself, and we come to God through Christ. Where Christ is, there is Home for us, whether in Heaven or on the earth. As long as we have Jesus, we are home.
Our eternal home
Home is much, much more than the place where you hang your hat. Home is that situation in which you feel perfect peace, perfect fulfillment, perfect joy, perfect love. That is home, no matter where or who "home" is. I want you to notice carefully how conventional thinking influences translators. But notice a literal translation: