What Heaven is Like
Revelation 21
I read something this week that intrigued me. It asked the question, “What if we lived in a world where the effects of time were reversed?” The writer proposed that it would go something like this:
You should die first. Get that out of the way. Then you live 20 years in an old age home where you wake up feeling better each day. Then you get kicked out when you're too young. You go collect your pension and get a gold watch on your first day at work. You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You go to college and have a great time with your friends until you're ready for high school. You go to grade school, you become a little kid, you play. You have no responsibilities. You become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months floating peacefully., and you'll finish up as a gleam in somebody's eye.
• When I first read that I thought, “That’s great, I like that plan.” In some ways we all think like that from time to time.
• When someone asks me how am I doing I reply, “I don’t have anything that being 20 years younger wouldn’t take care of.”
• I read an article last week about some billionaire who has the goal of reversing the aging process. His name is Bryan Johnson. He is a tech executive who spends $2 million a year on trying to reduce his "biological age." He is on a very strict routine, which includes taking 111 pills a day before 11 am. These pills consists of medicines, supplements, vitamins, etc. He has a very strict schedule, stays out of the sun, wears a special laser filled ball cap to stimulate his hair growth, and has acid skin peals done regularly. In the end he looks younger but he also looks like he is made of plastic. Ironically, at least to me, it seems that he is missing out on life in his quest to live longer.
• The more I thought about all of that, I decided that I liked the way God has it designed. We live our lives and as we grow older we experience a lot of different things and hopefully learn some things along the way. Our bodies get older and have a few more aches and pains but these aches and pains cause us to look forward to a time when we will hopefully no longer have them. As we age we also come to a better understanding that there is more to life than just what we have here on this earth. The closer we come to the end, the more we desire something better.
• What is it we look forward to? I can’t speak for you but for me it is heaven.
• When you think about it – the whole Bible is pointing us to heaven.
• There are a lot of songs about heaven – I’ve got a Mansion, Just Over the Hillside, When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, Heaven Came Down and Glory filled My Soul, Heavenly Sunshine, and the classic Back Home Again, In Indiana (maybe that doesn’t fit).
• Well, if you have ever thought about heaven and would like to go there, you have picked a good day to be here. As we wrap up this series on the book of Revelation the last two chapters of the Bible describe for us what heaven is like.
• Today we turn the page and see what heaven is like. We are going to walk through Rev 21. In some of the passages I will not give too many comments – the passage is pretty clear.
1. Heaven is like Nothing We have Ever Known
a. 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
b. He tries to describe what the angel is showing him and he says it is brand new and he is in awe, the kind of awe everyone has when they turn and see a new bride coming down the aisle.
i. What is new? Everything!
1. The Greek language had two different words for “new”. One was used to designate something that was new in time, like, today is a “new” day.
2. The second was used to designate something that was new in “quality”.
3. When God ushers in eternity for mankind is going to be better than anything we have ever experienced or could imagine.
4. The word used here is that word for something new is quality. Nothing like it has existed before.
5. The final dwelling place – heaven is coming down to us – and we will be in awe of it.
ii. The imagery of a bride beautifully dressed for her husband is something that every culture understands.
1. The bride always wants to look her absolute best when coming down the aisle.
2. God has saved the best for last and one day we will stand in awe of it.
iii. The good news is that everyone is invited to the wedding, but you must RSVP – in order to get into the wedding.
1. Last week we read that there was the Lamb’s Book of Life and that all whose names were written in it would be ushered into heaven.
2. What do you do to get into that book? How are you to respond to the invitation? Let me share some verses and just say I would love to share more with you if you are not sure your name is in that book.
3. In fact, the first two Wednesday nights of November I am going to lead a special class on God’s Plan for Getting Into Heaven. Maybe you have some questions that we can answer.
4. You see, in order to experience the new heaven and new earth, we need to discover the new life that Jesus offers.
5. 2 Cor 5:20-21 We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
6. John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that whosever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.
7. Acts 2:38-39 38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call."
8. 2 Cor 5:17-18 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
9. To experience the new heaven and new earth we need to let Christ make us new.
2. Heaven is Dwelling with God and Living in His Joy
a. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
b. There is a lot to be excited about in these verses.
i. God is going to live with us. Just like it was when Jesus was on this earth, we will be with God in heaven.
ii. He will give us joy. There will be no tears. Have you ever shed tears here on this earth? Won’t happen in heaven.
iii. There will be no more death or mourning. Death brings more anxiety, sorrow, and grief than anything we experience on this earth. All of that will be gone in heaven.
iv. There will be no more pain. Of all the things we experience pain is one that everyone can relate to. Americans spend billions of dollars each year on pain medicine. Guess what, no pain medicine needed in heaven.
3. Heaven is Not for Everyone
a. 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
b. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
c. I don’t say “Heaven is not for everyone” from God’s perspective – but from man’s perspective. God’s invitation is always open, man has a choice to make.
d. This passage shows quite a contrast. There is heaven and there is the fiery lake, also known as hell.
i. Heaven is the dwelling place of God, angels, and His people. Hell is the dwelling place of Satan and His demons
ii. Heaven is a place of no more crying, no more pain. Hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth
iii. Heaven is a place of a comfort and hope. Hell is a place of hopelessness and continual suffering.
e. It is offered to everyone, but not everyone chooses to accept the gift of God. Instead they follow the deception of Satan. God is just being honest with us here.
4. Heaven is Big and Beautiful
a. 9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. . . .16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. . . . The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.
b. John uses imagery that we all can understand – Gold, the most precious metal that never rusts or corrodes. All kinds of different gem stones that reflect light and brilliance. The picture is an amazing visualization of heaven.
c. It is interesting that it is measured. I’ve never really thought about how big is what is described her but one of our members, Cindy Lux did. 12,000 Stadia equals 1380 miles – the distance from here to Milwaukee, Wis. That is a big cube. That is big enough to hold 772 trillion 20,000 sq ft mansions with 25 ft ceilings.
d. What’s the point, the image is of a place that has a lot of room waiting for those who want to be there.
5. Heaven is Full of God’s Glory
a. 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.
b. There is no need for a temple where God dwells, because heaven is His dwelling place.
c. The glory of God and the Lamb dispels all darkness.
6. Heaven is Waiting for You, are You Ready?
a. They call Southwest Florida “Paradise.” I will have to admit, it is a real nice place to live. But have you noticed that “Paradise” has it’s drawbacks
i. First presence of Satan in SWF is Fire Ants
ii. Mosquitoes
iii. Snakes
iv. Hurricanes
v. Alligators
vi. Sharks, black bears, panthers
vii. When it comes right down to it – there is no place on earth that can hold a candle to heaven – not even southwest Florida.
b. John reminds us not to get too attached to this world because there is something much better awaiting for us. One day we will see it all.
• William Dyke was a witty and handsome young man. Though struck blind at the age of ten, he did not allow his handicap to keep him from living life to the fullest. While attending graduate school in England, William met the daughter of a British Admiral, won her heart, and proposed. She happily accepted. Before agreeing to give his daughter’s had in marriage, however, the admiral insisted that William undergo a potentially dangerous surgery to restore his sight. William agreed, but he too had a condition. He insisted that, after the surgery, the gauze remain on his eyes until the moment of the wedding. He wanted his bride’s face to be the first thing he saw with his new sight. The surgery was completed, and the wedding day came. William’s father stood next to his son at the front of the church, and the bride’s father began to lead her down the aisle. As he walked, Williams’s father began to unwind the gauze from his eyes. No one knew if the operation had been successful. Just as William’s bride arrived before him at the altar, the last strand of gauze was pulled away. He stood face-to-face with his beloved, and the entire congregation waited, breathless, wondering if Williams could actually see. Finally William spoke, words those in attendance never forgot: “You are more beautiful than I ever imagined.”
• A day is coming when that story will be ours. The roles will be reversed, for we are now the bride who now only sees our Groom dimly but one day we shall see face to face.
• New Jerusalem Size
The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. (Rev 21:16)
How big is that?
1 Stadia (Roman measure)607 ft 12000 Stadia 7,284,000 ft
1 Mile (US) 5,280 ft
Divide to convert 1,380 miles
Width, Length, and Height each: 1,380 miles FT Myers to Milwaukee, WI is 1,381 miles!
How many "floors"?
Each "Floor" (mansion size!) 25 ft
Total Height (1380 mi * 5280 ft) 7,286,400 ft
Number of Floors 291,456 Floors!
Now many "rooms"?
Each "room" (mansion size!) 20,000 ft
Area of Floor (1380x1380 miles) 1,904,400 square miles
Square feet per square mile 27,878,400 square feet
Total square feet per floor 53,091,624,960,000 square feet
Rooms per floor 2,654,581,248 Rooms per floor
Rooms per city 773,693,632,217,088 Total Rooms!
773 trillion Rooms!
Is there a place for me?
What Heaven is Like Handout
Revelation 21
• What is it we look forward to?
• When you think about it – the whole Bible is pointing us to heaven.
1. Heaven is like _____________ We have Ever ______________
a. Read Rev 21:1-2
b. What is new?
c. The good news is that everyone is invited to the wedding, but you must RSVP – in order to get into the wedding.
i. In order to experience the new heaven and new earth, we need to discover the new life that Jesus offers.
1. 2 Cor 5:20-21
2. John 3:16
3. Acts 2:38-39
4. 2 Cor 5:17-18
2. Heaven is _____________ with God and ____________ in His Joy
a. Read Rev 21:3-4
b. There is a lot to be excited about in these verses. What are some of those things?
3. Heaven is Not for _____________________
a. Read Rev 21:5-8, 27
b. This passage shows quite a contrast. There is heaven and there is the fiery lake, also known as hell.
c. What are some of those contrasts?
4. Heaven is __________ and __________________________
a. Read Rev 21:9-21
b. It is big enough to hold 772 trillion 20,000 sq ft mansions with 25 ft ceilings.
5. Heaven is Full of ______________ ________________
a. Read Rev 21:22-25
b. There is no need for a temple where God dwells, because heaven is His dwelling place.
c. The glory of God and the Lamb dispels all darkness.
6. Heaven is _______________ for You, are You ______________?
a. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.