The Faith's Foundations - Part 12: Heaven

Introduction

In 2010, Tyndale House Publishers released a book entitled The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A True Story. The book was about a small boy, Alex Malarkey, who claimed to have died in a car accident and visited heaven.

Publishers’ description: “In 2004, Kevin Malarkey and his six-year-old son, Alex, suffered an horrific car accident. The impact from the crash paralyzed Alex–and medically speaking, it was unlikely that he could survive. ‘I think Alex has gone to be with Jesus,’ a friend told the stricken dad. But two months later, Alex awoke from a coma with an incredible story to share. Of events at the accident scene and in the hospital while he was unconscious. Of the angels that took him through the gates of heaven itself. Of the unearthly music that sounded just ‘terrible’ to a six-year-old. And, most amazing of all . . . Of meeting and talking to Jesus. ‘The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven’ is the true story of an ordinary boy’s most extraordinary journey. As you see heaven and earth through Alex’s eyes, you’ll come away with new insights on miracles, life beyond this world, and the power of a father’s love.”

The book was an immediate success, selling over 112,000 copies the first year in Christian book stores and online. In March of the same year, a movie was even made based upon the book. By the time it all said and done, the book sold over 1 million copies.

Unfortunately, the story was as much malarkey as the author’s last name. The boy, Alex, confessed that the entire book was fraudulent, entirely false. He never died. He never went to heaven.

His open letter:

“An Open Letter to Lifeway and Other Sellers, Buyers, and Marketers of Heaven Tourism, by the Boy Who Did Not Come Back From Heaven.”

Please forgive the brevity, but because of my limitations I have to keep this short.

I did not die. I did not go to Heaven.

I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible.

It is only through repentance of your sins and a belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who died for your sins (even though he committed none of his own) so that you can be forgiven may you learn of Heaven outside of what is written in the Bible…not by reading a work of man. I want the whole world to know that the Bible is sufficient. Those who market these materials must be called to repent and hold the Bible as enough.

In Christ,

Alex Malarkey.”

Other popular books on Heaven:

90 Minutes in Heaven (2004): more than five years on the New York Times best-seller list; sold more than six million copies

Heaven Is for Real (2010): sold over 10 million copies; film adaptation earned $101 million

Just like many who are enamored and spend an unhealthy amount of time attempting to discern the jots and tittles of Christ’s Second Coming, many look for signs, wonders, evidence, and miracles of life beyond the grave. The Bible is just not good enough. They desire more confirmation and affirmation that heaven is truly real. God’s promise that it is, is just not enough for some.

And then much of what is provided as evidence in books and movies turns out to be nothing but a bill of goods. It turns out to be mere speculation, fantasies, or even outright lies.

We need to take to heart what Alex Malarkey as an adult said: “People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth.”

So what does the Bible say about heaven?

1. Heaven is Nature Restored (Rev 21:1-2)

A New Heaven and New Earth (v.1)

Revelation 21:1 (NASB95)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

New Heaven and Earth:

In OT Prophecy:

Isaiah 65:17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.”

Affirmed in NT:

2 Peter 3:13 “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

The Present Heaven and Earth:

2 Peter 3:7 “But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

Why? To recall from message on sin, sin has permeated all of reality, including all of nature (earth, comos, etc.). It was placed under a curse by God in Gen. 3 as a penalty for sin. Part of redemption, then, is physical nature itself being redeemed, i.e., the curse being removed and all of creation being restored.

We even see the restoration of all creation with the vision of new Jerusalem coming down from the sky in the vision here in verse 2.

A New City (v.2)

Revelation 21:2 NASB95

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

Often, we may think of heaven as a place of redeemed people only. But heaven will be just as much a redeemed place.

Illustration

“Joy to the World,” 3rd Verse:

“No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.”

Application

Note:

(1) God is the one restoring all of creation, and he is doing it for us. Grace and the fulness of salvation, from the beginning to the end, is God’s work, not ours.

And He is preparing to remake all of the universe and earth for a dwelling place for us. He is designing and preparing a city for us. This says a lot about what God thinks about and feels for us. His love must be boundless.

(2) And notice that God doesn’t go cheap: Rev. 21:2 says that the new Jerusalem is “made ready as a bride for her husband.”

2. Heaven is the Presence of God Restored (Rev 21:3)

The Dwelling of God (v.3a)

Revelation 21:3 (NASB95)

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men . . .

Greg Laurie: “Religion is man's attempt to reach God and Christianity is God's attempt to reach man.”

My revision: “The theme of human history is not man’s pursuit of God, but God’s pursuit of man.”

It’s at the end of this present world that God’s pursuit will be fully consummated and fulfilled. The presence of God will be restored among people. He will come to us; we will not have to go to him. He is coming to us!

And when he comes to us, we will see him!

Christian tradition of “Beatific Vision”

The Beatific Vision (v.3b)

Revelation 21:3 (NASB95)

. . . and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

Since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God’s presence has been somewhat hidden. He often feels distant from us. It’s like a kind of wall or veil separates us from God. We can almost feel him and experience him as we do the warmth of the sun, but we cannot quite grasp him. Something stops us short every time.

In those moments when we have an experience of him, it is short lived, and it leaves the desire for him yearning and unfulfilled.

C.S. Lewis referred to his experience of God as “joy” and described it as short lived and always wanting more. “In a sense the central story of my life is about nothing else” (C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1955), p. 17.

In short, joy is the experience “of an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction” (C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy, pp. 17–18).

“I call it Joy, which is here a technical term and must be sharply distinguished both from Happiness and from Pleasure. Joy (in my sense) has indeed one characteristic, and one only, in common with them; the fact that any one who has experienced it will want it again. Apart from that, and considered only in its quality, it might almost equally well be called a particular kind of unhappiness or grief. But then it is the kind we want. I doubt whether anyone who has tasted it would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasures in the world. But then Joy is never in our power and pleasure often is” (C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy, p. 18).

But all this is going to change. In heaven, we shall behold God himself. Our joy will truly be made completed. This is true happpiness.

“Man is not happy, so long as something remains for him to desire and seek.” ~ Thomas Aquinas

[SUMMA THEOLOGIAE: What is happiness (Prima Secundae Partis, Q. 3, a. 8)].

"SUMMA THEOLOGIAE: Things in which man's happiness consists (Prima Secundae Partis, Q. 2, a. 8)".

"SUMMA THEOLOGIAE: How God is known by us (Prima Pars, Q. 12, a. 4)"

https://www.newadvent.org/summa/5092.htm

Illustration

Imagine walking with God as Adam and Eve did in the Garden.

Application

Mankind is always seeking for happiness. There is some intrinsic desire to human nature that seeks happiness. Where shall we find this happiness, this joy Lewis speaks of? Do we seek it in the presence of God? Do we want to behold him? Do we passionately desire to be with him?

Problem: most often human nature seeks happiness in the wrong things, such as money, job, gaming, football, a life with trouble, degrees, etc.

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” ~C.S. Lewis

Psalm 42:2 “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?”

Psalm 63:1 “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Do we really thirst for God? Do our souls yearn for him? Do we want to be with Jesus in Heaven and behold the glory of God?

But heaven is not only nature and God’s presence being restored; heaven is also humanity restored.

3. Heaven is Humanity Restored (Rev 21:4-7)

The Former Things (v.4)

Revelation 21:4 (NASB95)

. . . and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

In short, heaven will be a place without sin and all its effects and consequences. All the troubles, pain, sickness, and death we experience in this present life will be wiped away, and humanity will be restored.

When God created humanity in Gen. 1-2, he created him good—morally, spiritually, and physically. It was the Fall, the sin of Adam, that brought the downfall and distortion of human nature. We all became sinners as a result. The consequences given by God to humanity for its sin were physical and spiritual death. As a result, pain, sickness, and death have ruled this present life since that time.

But when Jesus returns—when he comes to make his dwelling with mankind in the new heavens and new earth—he is going to restore human nature to its original goodness:

The New Things (v.5-7)

Revelation 21:5–7 NASB95

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

Illustration

Ever had something brand new? My favorite: A new car. . . .

But that new car gets old . . .

Contrast: when God makes all things new, none of it will break down, get old, or fade away. It will always be new.

Application

For all of human history, mankind has been attempting to solve the problem of disease, pain, and death with minimal success in the disease category, and never in the death and pain categories.

In his book Immortal, author and theologian Clay Jones documents all the different ways in which we humans try to avoid and overcome death. In fact, his thesis is that just about every human activity is done due to the fear of death.

Why do we have health insurance? What is the primary focus of the medical establishment? Why is the so-called climate crisis so attractive? It’s the fear of human death and extinction. What drives a lot of “preppers,” those who are always preparing for a catastrophic event or cultural collapse? Fear of death and not surviving. The most obvious example: chaos of the covid pandemic.

Clay Jones even points out that the desire to leave a legacy, make a change, and be an influencer is all about overcoming death. The idea is that somehow, even when you die, you live on in your legacy and society’s memory of you.

Why are socialism and communism so attractive? Because it promises utopia on earth by redistributing wealth.

Problem: no matter how much we try to eradicate sickness, disease, pain, and death, we will never succeed. No matter how much we try to create a utopia on earth, we will never succeed. We do not have the power to overcome all sickness, disease, death, and the grave. Only Jesus Christ does. He is the one who will make all things new.

Jesus said, “I am making all things new. . . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”

Conclusion

Our eternal state is not going to be lived in the heavens, in the air, in some vague, nebulous spiritual condition. We are taught here that we shall spend our eternity on the glorified earth under the new heavens—‘the new heavens, and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness’. In other words, we can say that heaven in an eternal sense is going to be ‘heaven on earth’. Heaven on earth—that is where we shall spend our eternity, and not as disembodied spirits, for the whole man will be redeemed, the body included. A concrete body must have a concrete world in which to live; and we are told that that will be the case. The whole creation is going to be delivered. All that we know now of the evil in creation will be done away with when the ‘elements will melt with fervent heat’, and the heavens will be on fire. That will mean the dissolution of the present, and the exclusion from the cosmos of all evil and sin.

The Final Perseverance of the Saints, 88–89

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)