What is Heaven like?
Bible Reading: 1 Kings 8:27.
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold,
heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple
which I have built!”
Heaven will be our eternal Home, and will
have many areas there, for it has:
1. A Place of Review.
The first thing on the schedule, after getting there, is the judgment
seat of Christ. Paul explains in 2 Corinthians
5:10 “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.
We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in
this earthly body.”
Here, every man’s work will be tested by fire to see what sort it is. Sincere
dedication will pay great dividends on this day.
Following this will be the great “Marriage
Supper of the Lamb,” revealed in Revelation
19:7 “Let us be glad and rejoice and let us give honour
to Him. For the time has
come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His
Bride has prepared herself.” Only the redeemed
will make up the Bride of Christ. be involved in these
2. A Place of Records.
The “Lamb’s Book of Life” is there, and other record books at the
judgment seat and at the great white throne judgment. God has a great recording
system to preserve every idle word, thought or deed. We can be sure that
God has records of every man and woman.
We are told to rejoice because of this. “But rather rejoice, because your names are written in
heaven” Luke 10:20. In Hebrews, we read, “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are
written in heaven . . .” Hebrews 12:23. Pity the poor soul
whose name is not written there!
You can die in cancer
and go to heaven.
You can die in liver trouble
and go to heaven.
You can die in kidney
trouble and go to heaven.
You can die in sugar diabetes
and go to heaven.
You can die in poverty
and go to heaven.
You can die in loneliness
and go to heaven.
You can die in rags
and go to heaven.
You can die in poor house
and go to heaven.
you can die in a car
accident and still go to heaven.
But you cannot die in sin and go to heaven.
John tells us in Revelation 20:15 “And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
There are two places without hope:
One is hell, all hope
is lost there.
The other is heaven, there
is no need for hope there!
3. A Place of Rewards.
Christ is my inheritance, and heaven is the safe deposit box where all
my inheritance is kept! Heaven is a place of rewards. Jesus, speaking in the
Sermon on the Mount, said in Matthew 5:12
“Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven.” He
then went on to say in Matthew 6:20 “But
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal,”
This is our heavenly safe deposit box. There will be rewards for
sincerity, suffering and service. To think along this line will excite the
heart, to hear those words: “Well done,
good and faithful servant” Matthew 25:23.
4. A Place of Rejoicing.
The devil is the opposite of God in every way. Satan gives us the
best first and saves the worst for last. God saves the best for last!
There will be much eternal joy in Heaven. The greatest joy that
comes to Heaven is because of souls coming to Christ. “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be
in heaven over one sinner that repented, more than over ninety and nine just
persons, which need no repentance” Luke 15:7.
Surely a great shout of joy can be heard from the redeemed saints when
souls are saved. The Father, Son, Holy Spirit and angels must join with
them to celebrate. “Therefore
rejoice, your heavens, and you that dwell in them” Revelation 12:12.
5. A Place of Reunion.
David the king remarked when his baby died, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” 2 Samuel 12:23. Jesus
Himself promised “Where I am, there you
may be also” John 14:3. It will be a homecoming time and renewing old friends
and family will be exciting. Friends and loved ones already there will be
out to meet us. We will meet those whom we have known from the Scriptures,
such as Moses, Abraham and David. Then, it will be worth it all when we
see Christ!
But let everyone remember, that Heaven is the prepared place, for a
prepared people.
A man may go to Heaven:
Without health.
Without wealth.
Without fame.
Without name.
Without learning.
Without earnings.
Without culture.
Without beauty.
Without friends.
Without a thousand other things;
But he cannot go to
Heaven without Christ!
