Heaven Study - Part 1

“Heaven—a Place Prepared for You?” – Part 1 

INTRODUCTION:

            Jesus told His disciples in John 14:1-6, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² 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. ³ 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. ⁴ And you know the way where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, so how do we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” 

There are many misconceptions about the Father’s House/Heaven:

·         Laying around on clouds

·         Wearing white robes and sandals

·         Lots of golden harp music

·         Saint Peter holding the keys and standing guard at the gate

·         People turning into angels

·         Mind-numbing boredom and centuries of inactivity

·         Angelic choirs going on and on interminably

·         Long charismatic-style worship services

 

TRANSITION:

            In surveys, many “Christians” admit they are not anxious to go to Heaven because of these kinds of misconceptions. It shocks me that they say they would favour annihilation over eternity if this is what Heaven is going to be like. Well, I have good news for you if you are one of these people who has been dreading Heaven.

One of my favourite verses is 1 Corinthians 2:9 where Paul says, …but just as it is written [quoting Isaiah 64:4 and 65:17], “Things which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man; all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” Paul is telling us that the wonder and beauty and excellence of Heaven go far beyond the best that you can even imagine in your wildest dreams.

MAIN BODY:

I. “Heaven” – What does the word mean? The Greek word is ourenos and it is used in several different senses in the NT.

A. Sky, firmament, atmosphere, the aerial or terrestrial heavens.

·         Acts 1:9-11, “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. ¹¹ They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven [or, the heavens], will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” (N.B. ourenos is used 4 times here)

B. Area of sun, moon, and stars; outer space; the telestial heavens

·         Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

·         Psalm 19:1, “The heavens [the realm of the planets and the stars] are telling of the glory of God; and the firmament [the earth and sky] is declaring the work of His hands.”

C. The dwelling place and throne room of God

·         Psalm 11:4, “The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in Heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.”

·         1 Kings 8:30, “Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place; hear in Heaven, Your dwelling place; hear and forgive.”

·         Matthew 6:9, “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name.’”

·         2 Corinthians 12:2-4, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the Third Heaven. ³ And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows—⁴ was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.”

 

II. How is Heaven characterized in Scripture?

A. As a place, real not imaginary

·         John 14:1-3, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² 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. ³ 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.”

B. As a kingdom with its King

·         Matthew 18:1-4, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” ² And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, ³ and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. ⁴ Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

·         2 Peter 1:10-11, “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

C. As a city with its citizens

·         Hebrews 11:8-10, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going ⁹ By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow-heirs of the same promise; ¹⁰ for he was looking for The City which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

·         Revelation 22:1-5, “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, ² 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. ³ There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bondservants will serve Him; ⁴ they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. ⁵ And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.”

D. As a country with its laws and customs

·         Hebrews 11:16, “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

E. As a home with its happiness and security

·         John 14:2, “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.”

F. As a resting place with its contentment

·         Revelation 14:13, “And I heard a voice from Heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow with them.”

·         Hebrews 4:9, “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.”

G. As an inheritance with its possessions

·         Colossians 1:9-12, “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.”

·         1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

 

III. Who are the residents of Heaven?

            A. God Himself

·         Matthew 6:9, “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name.’”

·         Isaiah 6:1-4, “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. ² Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and two he flew. ³ And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” ⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.”

B. The Lord Jesus

·         Acts 3:19-21, “Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; ²⁰ and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, ²¹ whom Heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”

·         Hebrews 6:19-20, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, ²⁰ where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  

·         Hebrews 9:12, 24, “…and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption… ²⁴ For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”

·         Hebrews 10:12, “…but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.”

C. The angels

·         Matthew 22:30, “For in the resurrection they [believers] neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in Heaven.”

·         Matthew 18:10, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in Heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in Heaven.”

D. The “redeemed”

·         Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

·         John 3:16-18, “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. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; but he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

·         Revelation 21:22-27, “I saw no temple in it [the Heavenly City], for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its Temple. ²³ And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. ²⁵ In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; ²⁶ and they will bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it; ²⁷ 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.”

 

CONCLUSION:

            Let me share one more Scripture passage with you… 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”

The doctrine of Heaven is not intended to frighten you but to thrill you. Heaven will be better than anything you can envision or imagine. It will be a place of joy and laughter and fun. There will be no tears. There will be no sorrow. It will never grow old or become commonplace.

Remember, God does not make junk or rubbish, and Jesus has already invested 2,000+ years preparing a place for you, and you do not want to miss seeing that!