What will Heaven be Like?

Open: Staying at the Lake House in Jackson, GA. The FM team stayed at this 13 BR home in April, 2021. When we arrived I went from room to room taking pictures. I was amazed at the movie theater, the outside fireplace / TV area, the dual kitchens upstairs & downstairs (2 sets of ovens, fridge, pantry, etc), the pool with jacuzzi, the view of the Lake, the boat house, the barn (a venue for weddings and high school graduation).

The Lake House is an amazing place. I have stayed there on three separate occasions, and each time I am discovering new things. On my last visit I was on the deck in the morning reading in the Word and looking at the Lake when a deer walked out of the woods onto the fairway (the house is situated on a 75 acre tract).

Transition: The youngest of three brothers is the owner of the home. The 3 have been involved in real estate and developing for over 2 decades. They collaborated to bring the best designs from previous vacation homes into this one structure. The Lake House was thoughtfully and lovingly built for the extended family to enjoy

The New Heavens and the New Earth will put such a dwelling to shame. By comparison, the Lake House will be a storage shed used for collecting seldom used items. Our Eternal Home will be grand and glorious, and we will have an exciting adventure just exploring and discovering its many amazing features. Let’s get a glimpse of Heaven from a passage that contains an overview.

READ the Text: Revelation 21:1-7

The Plan of God for the New Earth is truly amazing!

NOTE: This message is the second of a planned 4 part series on the Eternal State. This message is also part 1 of 2 parts - this message will focus on the New Earth and the next message titled “I can only Imagine) will focus on the New Jerusalem

The Eternal State will feature a joining of Heaven and Earth in what is called the New Heavens and the New Earth. (Revelation 21:1)

Explanation: Both the present earth and the present Heaven are temporary; they will cease to exist as they are known. In their place, God is going to bring forth the new and improved version and they will be connected. John saw the New Jerusalem “coming down from God out of Heaven” (Rev 21:2). This phrase is repeated in Rev. 3:12 and in Rev. 21:10. So a good question to ask is this: To where is the New Jerusalem descending? It is descending to the New Earth.

In the Eternal state following the Millennial Kingdom and the final judgment on Satan and his demons, God will bring forth the permanent places that will never again be altered. The writer of the Book of Hebrews describes this coming shake up - READ Hebrews 12:25-29.

Why is this Renewal / Restoration important?

Argument: This restoration and renewal declares the incredible power and majesty of our God. God created a perfect world in the beginning: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, BEHOLD, it was very good” (Gen 1:31). Sin entered that perfect world, however. and the earth has been suffering under the curse for over 6,000 years. “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Rom 8:23)

God is One who delights in redeeming and restoring. He is the Original Extreme Makeover Artist, and He is going to re-make a New Earth through the cleansing by fire of all that is sinful and wrong. The Apostle Peter informs us that “the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7)

God is a God of purpose, and He will bring to pass the things He has promised to do. Sin is not greater than God, and it will not stop His Ultimate plan for Restoration and Redemption. The prophet Isaiah declared, “For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

The New Earth will be a place where the saints will work, reign, explore, and worship.

Explanation: Believers often struggle with the concept of Eternal Bliss. When we are honest with ourselves we can sometimes think we will be bored by Heaven. Make no mistake, we still want to go there because we certainly don’t want to spend a godless eternity in a place of suffering. Yet, some of us can’t fully get behind the idea that we are actually going to fully and completely enjoy being in Heaven. When we read the words of the Apostle Paul when he declares, “to die is gain … and “having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” (Phil 1:21-23) we can sometimes feel guilty because we don’t think or feel that way.

Why do some believers (not all, but some) think this way? I think the main reason is that we don’t have a solid, biblical grasp of what Heaven is going to be like.

Illustrate: Shirley Lackey as an 8 or 10 year old in a service with a message on the Rapture. Her family had a trip planned for Disney about 2 weeks later, and she prayed and asked Jesus not to come back until after she went on the trip.

Argument: We smile at the way a young child thinks, but are we more mature in our faith? Too many of us have the mistaken idea that this present world has more to offer than what God has waiting for us on the other side. Yes, we want to go to Heaven, but not right now - got too many things I want to do, places to go, people to see,

God Himself is spirit (cf. John 4:24) and He is infinite and not to be confined by any limits. God is outside the Box; He created the Box and all that is contained within. As Solomon declared in praise and adoration, “ Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded” (1 Kings 8:27)

God did, however, create mankind as a body. The body was formed first and then God breathed life into the body (see Gen 2:7). God created a world in which He placed man, with the original plan for humanity to work the land and exercise dominion.

When God put in place the Rescue Mission, He Himself entered His own creation in the form of a man. Christianity is Incarnational - Jesus came to live with us. After Jesus was Resurrected He came to the Disciples with a Resurrection Body. Jesus remains in that Glorified body now - Stephen saw Jesus standing at the Right Hand of God right before he was stoned to death (Acts 7:55-56). The Apostle John also saw the Glorified Christ (Rev. 2:12-17) and He was revealed in a body.

The saints are going to receive Glorified bodies at the Return of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:50-53). Scripture places an emphasis on the physical body for a reason, and that is because the saints are going to make use of our glorified bodies on the New Earth and in the New Jerusalem

Poor Example: Far Side cartoon of a guy with wings sitting on a cloud with a harp looking bored. The text bubble has the words: “I wish I had brought a magazine”

If you think the Eternal State is just us floating around being bored, get that thought out of your head! Another idea that is just as bad is thinking that Heaven is one extremely long, never-ending church service. Think Groundhog Day on a Sunday morning service that lasts until 3:00pm!

The primary focus of Heaven will be the reality that we will be in the very presence of God Himself! We will see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). In that new phase of our relationship with God we will still be doing things for God. It is interesting to note that Creation started with mankind in a perfect Garden in which God walked and talked with Adam & Eve in their perfection. [God assigned work to Adam before sin entered the world. Work in and of itself is a good thing! ] It is also interesting to note that the Bible ends with an account of the New Heavens which contains another garden which contains the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:1-2)

Summary: The New Heaven and the New Earth are going to be an incredible place to explore. The description we are given in Rev. 20 & 21 should not lead anyone to think we are going to be floating on a cloud for Eternity with nothing to do. There will be eating, drinking, serving, worshiping, fellowshipping, and other things we can only imagine.

Application: Having a biblical understanding of Heaven should increase our joy and anticipation. Knowing our destiny and destination should also motivate us to live righteous lives. After Peter gives imagery of the fiery future cleansing of the planet he continues by stating, “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” (2 Peter 3:13-14)