The Apostle Paul said, For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phlp. 1:21). He had no doubt that he would be with Christ when this life ended and he considered that the life to come is better than this present life — it is gain. In fact, he had a glimpse of that life. He says that he was caught up to the third heaven, which he also refers to as paradise (2 Cor. 12:2,4).
The first heaven is the atmosphere around us, the atmosphere that sustains us: For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven (Isa. 55:10). That’s the first heaven — the atmosphere surrounding us.
The second heaven is the vast expanse above us where galaxies unfold: Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years … God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth (Genesis 1:14,16,17). That’s the second heaven.
The third heaven is the dimension in which God is enthroned in the full manifestation of His glory. Though God is present in all places at all times throughout the universe, heaven is the place of His unveiled presence. It is the dimension to which Jesus ascended after His resurrection, the place to which the souls of the righteous dead ascend.
Jesus said, Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name (6:9). Referring to Himself, Jesus said, For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me(John 6:38). Jesus, pre-existent, eternal, uncreated Second Person of the Trinity, was incarnate in human flesh to be our Savior. He came from the third heaven to earth and then after His resurrection, ascended to the third heaven.
What do we know about that heaven?
I. Heaven is the dimension of God’s unveiled glory.
Ezekiel had a vision of heaven and in Chapter One of his prophecy, he describes what he saw. We read of angelic beings and around them there was lightning, flashing fire and wheels moving in perfect symmetry. The wheels are like sparkling beryl, which can appear in a variety of colors or it can be perfectly transparent, reflecting the colors around it.
Ezekiel wrote, Now over the heads of the living beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads … Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking (Ezkl. 1:22,26-28).
Ezekiel describes the expanse above the angels as being like the awesome gleam of crystal. This would be transparent, shining. He sees something resembling a throne and describes the throne as like lapis lazuli in appearance. Lapis Lazuli is variously described as royal blue, midnight blue or greenish blue. Notice that the throne is described in terms of color, not physicality. It is a representation of the universal authority of Almighty God.
The prophet says, On that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Note the words resembled and the appearance of a man. Ezekiel is trying to describe that which is beyond human language. We know that God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are spirit beings and cannot be seen but here, God appears to Ezekiel in the likeness of humanity. This could be a prophetic picture of Jesus in His someday incarnation. Or this could be a representation of God identifying Himself with His human creatures.
Ezekiel says that this figure on the throne was encompassed in something like glowing metal and something like fire. He says, There was a radiance around Him and as the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance.
In these verses Ezekiel strains to describe in human language the indescribable majesty and glory of the Lord, the perfect symmetry of the wheels of providential purpose moving in perfect patterns determined by perfect wisdom, the fiery brilliance of angelic beings surrounded by fire, who live eternally in the presence of the explosive glory of God, rainbows which speak of redeeming grace which has no beginning and no end, a throne which speaks of authority and power, blazing light radiating through a transparent, jeweled expanse.
John the Apostle was given glimpses of heaven and he also strained to describe what he saw: A throne was standing in heaven, and someone was sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind (Rev. 4:2-6).
John sees a throne standing in heaven. It is standing — fixed, permanent, immoveable, towering over time and history, elevated over all the petty thrones of earthly kings and kingdoms.
John sees someone sitting on the throne. Again, we know that God is Spirit, so this could not be the physical body of God the Father or God the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, God is infinite — how could He fit into a chair? One might say that this is the glorified Christ seated on the throne but more truly He would be depicted as seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebr. 1:3). So this is a symbolic representation of God’s sovereign power, the reality of His rule and His glorious enthronement over the universe and over time and all the events of history.
The One seated upon the throne is revealed as the Almighty (4:8), before whom the elders fall down and worship (4:10), unto whom all creation gives praise (5:13). This is the One whom Isaiah saw high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1), the One who reigns over the nations ... on His holy throne (Psalm 47:8).
The emphasis here is not a literal or non-literal throne. The point is the reality of God’s sovereignty over the universe — He is ruling. Remember the context here — John was in a Roman labor camp on the prison island of Patmos. The small, first century church was undergoing deadly persecution. All the apostles except John are dead but God is sitting on His throne, ruling over the events of time and history, ruling over empires and emperors.
John does not describe the One seated on the throne in physical terms but in terms of light reflected from precious stones, like a jasper stone and a sardius. The Psalmist described God as One who covered Himself with light as with a garment (Psalm 104:2), who, in the words of Paul, Dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see (I Tim. 6:16).
In Revelation 21:11, John describes the jasper stone as being crystal clear, something like a diamond in its ability to reflect all the colors of the spectrum. A sardius is a blood red ruby, perhaps representing God as Redeemer. Interesting that the ruby and the jasper were the first and last stones on the high priest’s breastplate (Exodus 28:17-20). Together, they are a reflection of the glory and majesty of God filling all of heaven. John is trying to describe that which is indescribable — the brilliant, glorious, all-encompassing glory of God.
John also sees a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. This green hued rainbow speaks of the covenant faithfulness of God. The first rainbow, after the flood, had to do with the promise that the sin and judgment of the past would not limit or determine the outpouring of grace in the future. God’s holiness is expressed in the gracious outpouring of mercy and in the wrathful outpouring of judgment but at no time is God unfaithful to His covenant promises.
Around the throne of God are the thrones of twenty-four elders clothed in white garments with golden crowns on their heads (4:4). These elders represent the redeemed worshippers of God. They are among those who fall down before the throne of God, saying, Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth (Rev. 5:9,10).
The flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder around the throne speak of the majesty and power of God. When God descended upon Mt. Sinai, it was in the midst of lightning and thunder, smoke and earthquake (Exodus 19:16-18). God’s self disclosure, His revelation of Himself and His works, always cracks the very fabric of time and nature. The lightning and thunder also represents the storm of divine judgment which breaks upon the earth throughout history and finally and conclusively at the end of time.
And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne which are the seven Spirits of God (4:5).The number seven is often used in the Bible to express fullness, completion, perfection so this is representative of the fulness, the completeness of the Holy Spirit, the perfection of His being.
John attempts to describe what appears to be something like a sea of glass, like crystal in front of the throne — a transparent sea. Its perfect clarity reflects the dazzling brightness of the glory of God, the purity, transcendence and majesty of God, the flashing lightnings of holy wrath soon to be outpoured and all the dazzling colors and radiance of heaven.
And in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The word creaturesis literally living ones or living beings. They are angelic beings who guard the presence of God and lead in the worship of God (4:9,10, 5:14). These creatures may be the same as those described in Ezekiel 1:4-25 and 10:10-14 and Isaiah 6:2,3. Isaiah calls them seraphim which means burning ones. Ezekiel calls them cherubim.
They are full of eyes in front and behind — this speaks of their insight, their perception. Nothing escapes their vision. They are not all-knowing, only God is. But they understand everything pertaining to their responsibilities in heaven.
And day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God the Almighty, Who was and Who is and Who is to come’ (Rev. 4:8).
Night and day these angelic beings do not cease worshipping God, saying, Holy, holy, holy. Holiness is the summation of all God’s attributes — His love and wisdom and mercy and justice. They also praise God as the Almighty, the God who alone possesses all power and authority, who by His Word spoke the universe into being, who sustains all He created and fulfills all His purpose.
They praise the eternity of God, Who was and Who is and Who is to come. This is the God who exists before time, beyond time and within time, who meets us in our present moment and yet transcends all that was and is and shall be.
Heaven is the dimension of God’s unveiled glory and John witnessed the dazzling, all encompassing glory of God and heard the ceaseless worship around the throne of God.
It’s interesting that in Exodus 24, when Moses and representatives of the twelve tribes went up on the mountain, They saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself (24:10). Whatever they saw of God Himself, they saw that same clear pavement which Elijah and John saw. We are reminded that God is a spirit but manifests as light and the clarity of this pavement reflects the glorious explosion of colors radiating from the presence of God.
Heaven is the dimension of God’s unveiled glory.
II. Heaven is the home of the redeemed, dwelling in the presence of God.
The Apostle Paul said, We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). He was certain that when his body died, his immortal soul would move instantly into the presence of God.
Again, Paul said, For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain … But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better (Phlp. 1:21,23). Paul had no doubt that when he departed this life, he would be with Christ in heaven.
Jesus said, In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also (Jn. 14:2,3).
This was Jesus’ desire — that we would be with Him. In the prayer that He prayed just before His betrayal, Jesus said, Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24). The Father always answers the prayers of His Son, so we know we will be with Him and we will behold His glory.
John said, And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them’ (Rev. 21:3). The word tabernacle, skene, means dwelling place. Heaven is where God dwells in and among His people.
Throughout the Old Testament, God made it clear that His desire was to tabernacle among His covenant people (Lev. 26:11,12 Jer. 31:33 Ezkl. 37:27). The tabernacle in the wilderness was the place where God met His people and it was the symbol of His presence. God placed His glory in the Jerusalem temple and it represented His presence among His people. In his gospel, John described the incarnation of Jesus as, The Word became flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us (Jn. 1:14).
In eternity, God will dwell with redeemed humanity from all nations and races. This unending, intimate fellowship in the presence of God is the essential characteristic of heaven. We will see God as He is, know Him as He is, enjoy Him and perfectly worship Him.
Thus will be fulfilled the promise and exhortation of God, I will dwell in them and walk among them and I will be their God and they shall be My people (2 Cor. 6:16).
III. Heaven is a place of perfection:
1. We will experience personal perfection.
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 (I Jn. 3:2). We won’t be “little gods” as some cults wrongly believe. But insofar as is possible for a human being, we will be perfected physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually in the likeness of Jesus.
Our thoughts will be perfect, our words will be perfect, our memories will be perfect, our actions will be perfect. We will experience perfect purity in every area of life.
Our bodies will be perfect, like the resurrection body of Jesus — not subject to decay or death, not subject to the physical laws of the universe as we know them now; able to move at the speed of thought, capable of eating, not because we need nourishment but for the sheer aesthetic pleasure. We will be able to see, hear and understand on a far more advanced level; able to stand in the explosive presence of God’s glory because we will be sinless and immortal.
Another way of speaking of perfection is this, They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads (Rev. 22:4). The name of God represents His character. We who look upon Him will be transformed in His likeness, will have His nature, His character, imprinted upon our hearts and shining from our faces. This process of transformation is already under way but it will be perfectly fulfilled in eternity.
2. We will experience sinless perfection — there will be no sin in heaven.
John says, And nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27). Whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life? The names of the redeemed were written. We will not carry our sin nature with us into heaven. That which has begun in part now — the transformation of our lives in the holy likeness of Christ — will be perfected in that day.
Paul said, Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
Such were some of you, Paul says. We all sinned and separated ourselves from God by our sin. We all deserved to come under God’s judgment. We all were dead in (our) trespasses and sins, living according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (that is, the devil), of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. We all lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:1-3).
But we were washed … sanctified … justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11). When our soul enters the presence of God, we who have been forgiven of sin will be finally and completely delivered from our sin nature. Perfected in body and soul, we will never sin again. And how could we sin? There will be no temptation and no tempter. Our minds and emotions, perfected in purity and holiness, will not desire to sin or conceive of sin.
3. We will have a new name.
I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it (Rev. 2:17). This new name speaks of the journey that began when we became new creations in Christ. It speaks of the redeeming grace of God which broke into our lives and ransomed us from the prisons and powers of darkness. It speaks of the journey of our commitment, our giving, our choice to love and serve our Redeemer with all of our heart, soul mind and strength in the midst of storms and failures. It speaks of our desire for this Bridegroom God who set His desire on us, of our willingness to receive His love and love Him in return. It speaks of the fulfillment of God’s salvation purpose in us, the perfecting of the character of Christ in us.
It is a name which no one knows but he who receives it. Who else can know your personal journey of transformation from sinner to saint, the struggles and trials and tribulations, the joy of overcoming and entering into the Bridal feast of the Lamb? Who can know that journey but the one who makes it and the One who walks beside us along the way?
Who gives us the new name? The One who wrote our names in the Lamb’s book of life before the foundation of the world. Our new name represents our new life which is perfect in every aspect.
IV. The perfection of heaven is described in terms of what will not be there:
1. There will be no sadness:
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 (Rev. 21:4).
For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes (Rev. 7:17). Wipe every tear from their eyes does not mean God will be carrying around a big hankie. It is a way of saying that there will be nothing to mourn, nothing to cry about — no pain, no sin, no guilt, no loss. Nothing done poorly. Nothing left undone or incomplete. Nothing to be sad about.
2. There will be no curse.
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him (Rev. 22:3). Jesus, on the cross, bore the curse of sin, cancelled the curse and there will never again be anything to curse. The presence of the throne of God and of the Lamb signifies authority — God ruling. How could any curse or circumstance that causes curse overcome the authority, the rule of God?
3. There will be no sickness.
Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22:1,2). This does not mean that we will need healing. The word healing is a way of expressing the complete absence of disease, anguish, distress and need. The tree of life represents fulness of life, abundant, everlasting life enjoyed in a state of perfect wholeness and happiness without want. It is sharing the life of God.
4. There will be no death.
Death entered the universe when humanity first sinned but in heaven there is no sin. Therefore Paul said, But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory (I Cor. 15:54)
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die (Jn. 11:25,26).
John was given a vision of the great white thrown judgment of God and he tells us that following the final judgment of souls, death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14). Death, the condition of those who die, and Hades, the place of those who die and are awaiting judgment, are thrown into the lake of fire. This means that death and Hades will cease to exist. Nothing in the universe will ever again die and there is no need for a holding place for the dead, for all the dead now have a final destination — heaven or hell.
Paul said that death would be the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:54,55). Isaiah spoke of the day when, He will swallow up death for all time (Isa. 25:8).
Another way of speaking of the absence of death is to say that we will enjoy eternal life. Jesus said, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (Jn. 3:16). The essence of eternal life is to share the life of God. This is represented, by the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1,2). That river represents the life of God flowing continuously from Him to all who dwell with Him.
Heaven is the dimension of God’s unveiled glory.
Heaven is the home of the redeemed, dwelling in the presence of God.
Heaven is a place of perfection: no sadness, no curse, no sickness, no death.
V. Heaven is a place of reunion.
Paul exhorts us, For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words (I Thes. 4:16-18).
We will be with all the redeemed from all the ages of time. Those whom we knew on earth who are redeemed will be who they are, but perfected in body, intellect, emotion and spirit. We will know them and they will know us. They will not need us to fulfill them nor will we need them to fulfill us — our relationship will be one of perfectly fulfilled beings relating in perfect love.
VI. Heaven is a place of uninterrupted joy, praise and worship.
Praise and worship is not all that we will do in heaven — we will have responsibilities in the new universe. But all we do will be done as an act of joyful praise and worship unto the Lord.
We read of the creatures before the throne, Day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come (Rev. 4:8). Day and night they do not cease — the heavenly service of praise is unending.
We read that they are forever singing a new song (Rev. 5:9). Since God is infinite in His being, we will never come to an end of the discovery of the wonders of His glory and power and creative mind. Gazing into the manifest glory of God, there will alway be a new song rising up in our perfected mind and soul and spirit and body. This worship will be intensely personal and also corporate, joined to the voice of a redeemed universe.
John says, Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever’ (Rev. 5:11-13).
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God (Rev. 7:9-10).
In the midst of this vast multitude of worshippers, the Lord will hear your voice of praise, will enjoy your dance of praise. And yet your outpouring of joy will be joined to the joyful praise of millions of angels and holy saints forever and ever.
VII. In the new universe, God will be heaven’s temple.
In Revelation 3:12 we read, He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God. And in chapter seven we read of a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands (7:9). They have, washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (7:14) and they stand before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple (7:15).
In 11:19 we read, And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
So we know that in some manner of expression, there is today a temple in heaven. However, after the dissolving of the old, sin-tainted universe, after the creation of a new heavens and a new earth (a new universe), in describing the New Jerusalem (which is the capital city of the new universe), John says, I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (Rev. 21:22). He then says, And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them (Rev. 21:3).
Evidently, though there is now a temple in heaven, in the age to come, in the New Jerusalem, the temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And God will tabernacle, dwell among, spread His covering over the redeemed. The infinite presence of God and the Lamb will be the temple in the new heaven. We will never be out of the presence / the temple of the Lord for His presence will encompass the universe.
In summary, heaven is the place of God’s unveiled presence and the home of the redeemed, dwelling in the presence of God. Heaven is a place of perfection where there is no sadness, no sin, no curse, no sickness and no death. We will experience perfection of body and soul and will be given a new name which expresses the fulfilling of the character of Christ in us. Heaven will be a place of reunion with loved ones and with all the saints from all ages in the everlasting, all-encompassing presence of the Lord, our temple and our habitation. And with perfect joy, we will stand in His manifest glory and worship Him forever and ever.
Study Questions
1. When Ezekiel and John describe heaven, what in your opinion is the most dominant characteristic?
2. What are some qualities of the life we will experience in heaven?