Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelations 21:1-4
The Greek word for Heaven in the New Testament is “Ouranos” meaning the abode of God, and implies
happiness, power and eternity.
Most of us don’t wonder where Heaven
is. We have understood most of our lives
that it is above us. The Bible testifies
that it is indeed high above us. God
brought Abraham out and told him to look to the heavens, he said look up to the
stars when he was explaining to him that his children would be as many as all
the stars he could count. The Bible also
tells us the hills and valleys drink rain from Heaven, and God gave us rain
from Heaven to make the seasons fruitful. The dew and the four winds come from
and smoke rises to Heaven. The Hebrew
word for Heaven in the Old Testament is” Shameh meaning the sky, a visible arch
where the clouds move, as well as a higher place where the celestial bodies revolve.”
God created heaven and
claims ownership of it. The very first sentence of the Bible explains that in
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The Psalmist says, “Our help is in the name
of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” And the prophet Isaiah cry’s, “you are
God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and
earth.” Genesis tells us that God is the
most High, the possessor of Heaven and earth.
And Deuteronomy shouts “to God, belongs heaven and the heaven of heavens
and the earth and all that is in it!”
Heaven is described in the
Bible as a holy habitation, where God’s Kingdom resides; where God hears
prayers, where he forgives the sins of his people. It is the place that God speaks from; where
he works his signs and wonders. It’s
where gifts come from, where blessings come from, and where the reward is great,
where there is hope and peace, and the throne of God in its entire splendor. In this place Jesus appears in the presence of
God on our behalf. It’s the place where Jesus came from and will return to
earth from.
When
Jesus returns, every man will be judged by God and then Heaven and Earth as we
know it will be destroyed by fire and pass away. Then there will be a new creation, a joining
of Heaven and Earth where former things will not be remembered and we will live
with God. This new place will reside in
the glorious radiance of God which is described as a rare jewel of jasper and
clear as crystal. There will be no need for the sun or the moon for God
gives it light and its lamp is the Holy Lamb who is Jesus. It will be an awesome
place, paved with jewels. The walls are described as being adorned with jasper,
sapphire, emeralds, agate, onyx, topaz and amethyst. The streets are described as being paved with
pure gold as clear as glass. There will
be light brighter than the sun, where there is no night, and we will see the
face of Jesus there and death shall be no more.
We will be in the presence of a holy God! There will be more pleasure than anything
ever experienced on this earth. Our
infinite human imagination cannot even fathom it. It has been written that no
eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor heart of man imagined, what God has prepared
for those who love him.
The Bible tells us who will be in heaven. We know that the Father who is God and Lord
is in Heaven. There reside the angels and the hosts of heaven, and the Angel of
the Lord. It is the abode of the Lord
Jesus, Son of Man and the Holy Spirit.
Finally in Heaven you will find the elect, the chosen of God, those who
names are written in heaven, the one who does the will of the Father, and those
that humble themselves and believe in Jesus, and those that are written in the
Lamb’s Book of Life. We will recognize each other but no one will be married. Heaven will offer us much more than matrimony,
much more than pitiful human relationships.
The new heaven will be on earth and we will be in our human bodies. I imagine it will be like going back to the
Garden of Eden where everything was good and perfect. He will be our God and we will be his people.
The Bible also tells who will not be in Heaven. The names of the unrighteous will be blotted
out from Heaven and also the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, thieves,
drunkards, homosexuals, liars, murderers, cowards, and sorcerers. Nothing unclean or false or detestable shall
ever enter into it. Satan and sin won’t
be there for Jesus has defeated sin and death.
These will go to eternal punishment while the righteous will go to
eternal life.
Will you go to Heaven?
Have you done the will of the Father, and humbled yourself and believed
in Jesus? Will you walk with him in the
garden, laugh with the people you know, bask in his glory for eternity? Jesus gave his life so you could do just
that! Are you one of God’s chosen
ones? Read the bible and you will know,
believe and you will have eternal life in paradise.
Reference Verses
Where is Heaven?
The
mountains are under Heaven Gen 7:19
Where
the stars are Gen 15:5 Gen 22:17
Where
the dew comes from Gen 27:28
Where
rain comes from Deu 11:11 Act 14L17
Heaven
is up Jos 8.20
Where
the sun is Jos 10:13
Who Made Heaven?
God Psa 124:8 Is 37:16
Who Owns Heaven?
God Gen
14:19 Deu 10:14
Ex
20;11
Who is in Heaven?
The
Angle of the Lord Gen 22:11 Mat 28:2
The
Lord the God Of Heaven Gen:24:3
The
angles of God Gen 28:12
God
Ex 20;22 1 Ki 8:30 1 Ki 8:36 Neh 1:5 Psa 11:4Ecc 5:2 Mat 5:16
The
hosts of Heaven 2 Ki 23:4 2 Ch 33:5 Acts 7:24
The
Father Mat 5:47 Mat 6:9 Mat 10:33 Mat 11:25
The
one that does the will of the Father Mat 7:21
Those
that humble themselves Mat 18:4
Angles
Mat 18:10 Luke 2:15 Luk 22:43
The
elect Mat 24:31Mar 13:27
The
Son of Man Mat 26:64
The
Lord Jesus Mar 16:19 Act 1:11
Those whose names are written in
heaven Luk 10:20
Those that believe in Jesus Act
4:12
Holy Spirit 1 Pe 1:2
The New Jerusalem comes from
heaven Rev 3:12
People
you can recognize Mat 8:11
How is Heaven described?
An
awesome place Gen 28:17
Where
blessings come from Gen 49:25
Where
God speaks from Ex 20.22
A
pavement of Sapphire stone; clear Ex 24:10
A
holy habitation Deu 26:15 2 Ch 30:27
Where
gifts come from Deu 33:13
Degrees
1Ki 8:27 2 Ch 2:6 2 Ch 6:18 Neh 9:6 Job 25:2 Mat 5:19 2 Co 12:2
Where
God hears and forgives the sins of his people 2 Ch 6:27 2 Ch 7:14
Where
God hears prayers 2 Ch 6:32
The
throne of God Isa 66:1
Heaven
Rules Dan 4:26
Where
God is King Dan 4:37
Where
God works signs and wonders Dan 6:27
Where
the four winds come from Dan 8:8
Where
Gods Kingdom is Mat 6;10
Where
neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and
steal. Mt 6;20
Like
a man who sows good seed Mat 13:24
Like
finding hidden treasure in a field Mt 13:44
Like
a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind Mat 13:47
As
treasure Mat 19:21 Mar 10:21
Where
you do not marry Mat 23:9 Mar 12:25
Where
the reward is great Luk 6:23
Where
spirits will be subject to us Luk 10:20
Where
these is joy over a sinner who repents Luk 15:7
Where
there is peace Luk 19:38
Where
there is a light brighter than the sun Act 26:13
Where
the wrath of God comes from Rom 1:18
Where
Jesus comes from 1 Co 15:49
Where
Christians have their citizenship.
Where
we await a savoir, Jesus Christ Php 3:20
Where
there is hope Col 1:5
Where
Jesus will descend from 1 Th 1:10
Where
Jesus appears in the presence of God on our behalf Heb 9:24
The
firstborn who are enrolled in heaven Heb 12:23
Where
an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled and unfading is kept for
Christians 1 Pt 1:4 Where the final holy city will come from the new heaven and
new earth Rev 21:10
Who is not in Heaven?
Heaven
is a place where names can be blotted out Deut 9:14 Deut 25:19 Deu 29:20 2Ki
14:27
Those
that are not righteous Mat 5:20
Those
that are not like children MAT 18:3
Satan
Luk 10:18
What will happen to Heaven?
It
will pass away Mat 5:18 Mat 24:35 Mar 13:31 Luk 21:33 Rev 21:1
How will you feel in Heaven?
Greater
than John the Baptist Mat 11:11
We
will be like angles Mar 12:25