What Will Heaven Be Like?
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CPT: God is preparing a new creation for his people.
Purpose: To encourage the church on their future home with God.
CPS: Heaven will be the perfect place for God’s people.
Introduction
Attention
What will heaven be like? This is the last question in our God Questions series. The world will try and give you answers to these questions that most times look nothing like what the Bible says.
I was watching a comedy show this past week, and there was a skit about heaven. In the skit, the picture of heaven that was presented was full of sinful actions. I don’t think they were describing the right place.
With the advancements in medical technology and the ability to connect with people like never before, there has been a huge amount of reports of near-death experiences. One doctor wrote:
NDEs have been reported by children, adults, scientists, physicians, priests, ministers, among the religious and atheists, and from countries throughout the world.
In fact, at the time of the medical report on NDEs that came out in 2014, there were over 3,700 reports of NDEs from around the country. Many reported very similar experiences, including being out of their bodies and going to another place.
While these are not always reliable, there are a lot of similarities in their stories that are undeniable. The Bible says that there is life after death, a life that is more real then we know.
The Bible says that those who are in Christ will be with him in heaven. But what will heaven be like? Will we sit on clouds playing harps? What will we it be like in heaven?
We will look at this through Revelation 21.
Scripture Reading
1 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.
2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”
6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.
8 But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
9 Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 He then carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
11 arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
12 The city had a massive high wall, with twelve gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’s sons were inscribed on the gates.
13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
14 The city wall had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb were on the foundations.
15 The one who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
16 The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.
17 Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used.
18 The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold clear as glass.
19 The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of jewel: the first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
21 The twelve gates are twelve pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.
22 I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
25 Its gates will never close by day because it will never be night there.
26 They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
27 Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life.
1 Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
2 down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations,
3 and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Pray
Filler.
Transition
God’s people will live with him in a new creation.
God’s people will live with him in a new creation.
State the point; Anchor the point; Validate the point; Explain the point
Text: Rev. 21:1
Filler.
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A new heaven and a new earth
The events of Revelation 21 refer to a final new creation that comes after a period of a 1,000 year millennial kingdom on earth. At the end of the tribulation period, Christ will return, and begin his millennial reign here on earth. After this period of time, people in Christ enter into this final eternal home with God.
Notice first the language of this text. We are in a new place. This a new creation. Look at what it says in verse 1.
1 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.
In the future, there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
The current creation is coming to an end
The Bible tells us clearly that this present earth that we live on will pass away and be replaced. Jesus says this in Matthew 24:35:
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Peter describes the destruction of our current earth in 2 Peter 3:10:
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.
The day of the Lord describes a day of future judgment on the earth. Peter says the heavens and earth will be dissolved, as we wait for a new heaven and a new earth.
It is interesting that all of the things that we hold on to as precious will one day be dissolved. Peter discusses that, since we know that all that we see will not be here one day, it tells us how we should live, as people focused on the Lord.
The new creation will have elements of this creation
As the current creation is dissolved, the Bible says that God is bringing forth a new creation for his people.
A new earth
Part of this new creation is a new earth. When people attempt to describe heaven, they attempt to describe it as something foreign, with lots of clouds. Actually, what the Bible describes is something familiar, but perfect.
It is best to describe the most beautiful parts of the earth as we now know it to be a small representation of what is to come in the new earth.
It is interesting that when you go see artwork in the museum, you can tell who painted something because there is a similarity in style. So looking at creation today tells us a glimpse of this new creation in the future, coming from the same Creator.
A new light source
The new creation will have a new light source. Today we get our light from the sun (“s-u-n”), but in the new creation the light will be the Son “s-o-n.” Look at Rev. 22:5:
5 Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Our light will be the Lord God. We will live and bask in his glory.
River of life
The new creation will have water that flows from the throne of God. Look at Rev. 22:1:
1 Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
We constantly see pictures of water as life-giving. We see this picture from the Lord when he is speaking with the Samaritan woman in John 4. Jesus tells her in verse 10, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.” We also see this in a few picture of the Lamb on his throne in Rev. 7:17:
17 For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne will shepherd them; he will guide them to springs of the waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
There is this water of life, a spring or a river that flows from the throne of God in the new heaven and new earth.
There is a verse in Rev. 21:1 that says “the sea was no more.” Some scholars believe this may be referring to salt water seas. The Wikipedia on “Seas” says:
Seas are generally larger than lakes and contain salt water, but the Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake.
Drinking large amounts of salt water is deadly to humans. The river of life is a life-giving water, so is probably a clear, pure, and fresh water.
Tree of life
In many ways, the new heaven and new earth is a return to the perfection of the Garden of Eden in the beginning. The Bible begins with a garden and returns us to a garden.
A key part of this new heaven and new earth is the Tree of Life. This tree stands on both sides of the River of Life. Chapter 22 tells us it bears fruit every month, and has leaves that are healing.
A new body
We will eat in this new creation. We will have physical bodies that eat physical food. Paul talks about our new bodies in 1 Cor. 15:41-44:
41 There is a splendor of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars; in fact, one star differs from another star in splendor.
42 So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption;
43 sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power;
44 sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
Our resurrection bodies will have similarities with the Lord’s resurrection body. There will be similarities to your current body, but necessarily identical.
When Jesus resurrected from the dead, we see some things about his body. Jesus ate like a normal human and his body had a physicality to it. The disciples of Jesus were able to grasp his feet, and reach out and touch his hands and side.
Yet his body was able to walk through walls, and appear in places. Our future resurrected bodies will be perfect, raised in incorruption and power.
Mountains & animals
The new heaven and earth will have mountains, water, and animals.
There are heights and depths in this creation. The angel carries off the writer to “a great, high mountain,” and the river of life is flowing down the city’s main street, meaning the throne of God is higher above the city.
There will be creatures and animals in heaven. The same Creator who created your dog will have creatures in heaven. It says in Isaiah 11:6-8:
6 The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together, and a child will lead them.
7 The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle.
8 An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den.
There will be a dominion over God’s creation, where nothing will pose a danger. It would be nice to have a pet lion.
Heading: In 2016, a 3-year-old boy and his family were visiting the Cincinnati Zoo. They went to the gorilla exhibit in the zoo, which is to left when you walk in, past the reptile house and across from cat canyon, an exhibit called Gorilla World.
The 3-year-old boy was playing too close to the edge of the exhibit. He ended up climbing past a barrier and fell down into a moat where a male silverback gorilla named Harambe was there.
The gorilla began to drag the 3-year-old boy around the water in the moat. The zoo ended up calling in their Dangerous Animal Response Team, who made the decision to kill Harambe. The young boy went to the hospital but was safe.
In the new heaven and the new earth, there won’t be a need for the Dangerous Animal Response Team. We will be back in a place like the Garden of Eden, a perfect place where there is no danger. We will dwell with God, enjoying the beauty and safety of his perfect creation.
God’s people will live in a new creation with him.
Second,
God’s people will live in a new city in a perfect relationship with God and others.
God’s people will live in a new city in a perfect relationship with God and others.
State the point; Anchor the point; Validate the point; Explain the point
Text: Rev. 21:2
Filler.
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A new city
Revelation 21 tells us about this new city that is a central part of the new heaven and earth creation. It is described as the holy city, a new Jerusalem from God. It is a city prepared for a people who have a relationship with God. Look at this in Revelation 21:2:
2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
Further down in verse 10, it says:
10 He then carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
11 arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Chapter 21 outlines the details of this new city. It is a massive city. The city is laid out in a square, even on every side. The writer describes the length as 12,000 stadia, which we know is about 1,400 miles in length on every side. That is about the length from Canada to Mexico on each side. It is a city bigger than any city on our planet, a city big enough to hold billions of people.
This city will be beautiful. It is a city “arrayed with God’s glory.” It is a radiant city, with precious stones, each gleaming in the light of Christ. It says in Rev. 21:10, “Her radiance was like a precious jewel, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” If you’ve ever held up a precious gem to light, you could imagine how beautiful all of these precious gems will look in the city.
A new home
If you are a believer in Christ, you will have a new home in this new city. This new city is a place with many rooms. The Lord says this in John 14:2,
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
The word for “room” means a dwelling place. There will be no homelessness in this city. You will have a wonderful new room in this beautiful city. This will be a perfect place designed for you. Isn’t it good to know that God, who knows us so intimately, who created us, goes to prepare a perfect place for us?
A new relationship in the new city
What is beautiful about this city is the new relationship we will have with God in this city. It says this in verses 2 through 4:
2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
We will have a relationship with God where we are fully aware of his direct presence at all times. His room, his dwelling place, will be with us in the new Jerusalem.
This perfect relationship will have us in a place of perfect peace. I don’t know if we will lose the ability to cry, but if we do, they will be happy tears. All of the pain of this world will be a thing of the past. There won’t be any more pain or suffering, no more illness, no more grief, no more pain.
A new marriage
What about marriage? Today, marriage has many troubles, but it was not designed to be that way. Marriage was designed to build families in this life, but also to point us to the intimacy of our future relationship with God.
Jesus says this about marriage in Matt. 22:30:
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.
In the new heaven and new earth, God’s people are united to him through Christ. Instead of being married to another person, we will be married to the Lamb.
There is evidence that we will remember those who we had a close relationship with in the next life. Jesus tells a story of a poor and a rich man in the afterlife, and the rich man remembers his brothers. But our relationship with each other will be defined by our relationship with the Lamb of God.
The Bible says this about the marriage of God’s people to the Lamb of God:
6 Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns!
7 Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself.
8 She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.”
There will be people from every nation at the marriage feast of the Lamb. You may wonder how you get an invitation? The Lord provided the invitation at the cross.
This year, my wife and I got an opportunity to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary at the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is one of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever seen. It is the huge picture of God’s creation.
The rocks are huge and majestic. It is a place that goes on for miles and miles. I loved to sit on the edge and just stare out at this amazing creation.
But for many people, they see a connection with God like that Grand Canyon. They sit on one side, without knowing or wanting to know how to get on the other side. The Bible says there are many in this world walking a wide road to destruction, a road of people who have rejected the invitation to know Christ. They see a huge canyon between themselves and God.
But there is a bridge across the canyon. Not across the Grand Canyon, but across the canyon to God. That bridge was laid by Christ on the cross. It is a bridge that leads to life. But there is only one path to heaven, and that comes through Christ.
Rev. 21:27 says that only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will enter into the new heaven and new earth. Heaven will be a place with God, and a place that you can be in if you put your faith in Christ. Where do you stand? Will you accept the free gift of life that only comes through Christ?
Conclusion
God’s people will live in a new creation with him.
God’s people will have a perfect relationship with God and others in a new city.
Conclude
Have you heard the message today and realized that you need Jesus? Are you ready to put your faith in Jesus? We want to pray with you, and celebrate your new life. Please see one of our pastors after the service.
Blanks:
Prayer
Last Song
Doxology
24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you;
25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’
24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy,
25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!
