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What is Heaven?
Paradise? Eternal Life? Are these the same?
There are at least four major strands of thought in the
Bible and in Christian tradition contributing to
contemporary notions of heaven.
* Heaven
* Paradise
* Eternal life
* The kingdom of God
Let's take a closer look at each:
Heaven in the Hebrew Bible is used as a synonym for
"sky," and there is considerable evidence to show that
in the ancient world people thought of God as quite
literally a "sky dweller." The term is used this way,
for example, when the psalmist writes: "The heavens
declare the glory of God." (Psalm 6). And Jesus echoes
the image when he addressed God as: "Our Father, in
heaven."
Paradise, which many equate with "heaven," is derived
from a Persian word for a nobleman's park or garden. The
word also refers to the biblical Garden of Eden, and
connotes a world without suffering, sin or death. Jesus
also used this term, as for example, when he said to the
thief hanging next to him on the cross, "Today you shall
be with me in Paradise."
Eternal life -- This phrase refers to the depth and
quality of life as much as it does to life's duration.
In the New Testament one does not enter into "eternal
life" at death, but rather in the here and now as one
keeps the faith and the commandments. As Jesus put it:
"And I know that His commandment is eternal life."
The kingdom of God -- This phrase is a beautiful and
subtle one, which Jesus preferred to the others, making
it the focal point for this own teaching. The kingdom of
God (or the kingdom of heaven) refers to any time or
place where the will of God is done. It was to hasten
the day when the will of God would be done on earth that
Jesus devoted and ultimately sacrificed his life. And he
used the phrase with the clear meaning that God's
presence was something to be experienced now: "Behold,
the kingdom of heaven is in the midst of you!"
WHAT IS HEAVEN LIKE?
What is heaven like? The Bible gives us some insights in
various passages, especially in the book of Revelation,
but even that, is looking through a glass darkly. The
world we live in now is an abberation, completely
designed for decay and death. Everything and everyone
around us is in some state of deterioration. If you
truly understood what Heaven is like, and what it would
be like to be there, you would change all your negative
lifestyle habits and attitudes. Think of the happiest
moment you've ever experienced, think of the best you've
ever felt, think of the most incredible beautiful sight
you've ever seen, magnify it billions of times, and
understand there is no end to this joy, no aging, no
pain, no disease, no loneliness, no fear, no doubt, no
discomfort, no death, and you only scratch the surface
of what it's like in the Paradise of God. Majesty beyond
conception, brightness and light of such beauty, it's
beyond description.
Let's imagine we're standing on a vast plain, with the
heavenly city towering above us in resplendent beauty.
Our eyes behold a brilliant, shining city, with light
streaming through its jasper walls and pearly gates, and
a full spectrum of color gleaming from its jeweled
foundation. As we gaze in awe on the city, the first
thing to attract our attention is its massive jasper
wall. The apostle John described it as follows: "The
light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper
stone, clear as crystal. We know that these
semi-precious stones are translucent in composition, so
that light is able to pass through them. From these
jasper walls, therefore, radiate brilliant rays of
dazzling color for all to see. The glory of the city
will thus be visible from afar, and even the dwellers in
the area outside the walls will share in its brightness.
Although the wall around the city is real, it is also
symbolic. The purpose of the wall is not to preserve the
city against invaders, for God will have no enemies in
the new earth. Being 216 feet high, it impressively
signifies that no one will enter the city apart from
God's grace. The wall is too high to be scaled by human
effort, and the only portals are the 12 guarded gates.
The requirement for admittance is salvation, and no one
who has rejected God's plan will be able to go in.
Salvation is the gift of God's grace to those who humbly
acknowledge their need of forgiveness and who receive
Jesus Christ as Savior.
The next thing to catch our vision as we look at the
city is its jeweled foundation. Many Bible students
believe that these jewels reflect all the colors of the
rainbow, though we do not know the precise
characteristics of each stone. Beginning at ground
level, these were probably the colors seen by the
apostle: the jasper stone may have been a light green or
yellow; the sapphire, a sky-blue or azure; the
chalcedony, containing a combination of colors, was
mostly green and blue; the emerald, bright green; the
sardonyx, red and white; the sardius, reddish in color;
chrysolite, golden yellow; beryl, sea-green; topaz,
yellow-green and transparent; chrysoprasus,
golden-green; jacinth, violet; and amethyst, either
rose-red or purple. The radiating light of the city,
shining out through the jasper wall and blazing through
the open gates, reflects from these precious stones in
splendrous color.
And the street of the city was pure gold, like
transparent glass (Rev. 21:12,21). Some Bible scholars
believe that these gates of pearl suggest salvation by
grace. Even as a wound to an oyster results in the
formation of a valuable pearl, the gates of heaven can
be entered only because the Lord Jesus was "wounded for
our transgressions" (Is. 53:5). Although men wickedly
rejected Him and crucified Him, it was through this
death that salvation was made possible. Now, all who
believe on Him can look forward to entering the pearly
gates of heaven. Jesus Himself said, "I am the door. If
anyone enters by Me, he will be saved" (John 10:9).
The gates are open at all times and in every direction,
for salvation is still offered freely to everyone. The
angels who keep watch at the open gates, therefore, are
a wonderful contrast to the cherubim who guarded the
closed gate of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned. These
angels keep the way of access open, while the cherubim
kept the Garden closed to fallen humanity. One of the
characteristics of the heavenly city is the abundance of
gold. A precious commodity throughout man's history,
gold has been used as an overlay in works of art and as
a standard of value, and has been the means of a great
amount of both good and evil in society.
It served the purposes of God in the tabernacle and
temple, for much gold was in evidence there; it was also
used by idolaters in the making of images. On earth, men
have fought, suffered, and died for it. But in the New
Jerusalem, gold will be so plentiful that it will be
used for cobblestones and building blocks. And it will
be like glass, possessing transparent qualities, so that
the glorious light of the holy city will both shine
through it and be reflected by it. Here is John's
description: The city was pure gold, like clear glass. .
. . and the street of the city was pure gold, like
transparent glass (Rev. 21:18,21). Traditionally, gold
has symbolized purity. In the wedding band, for example,
the circle speaks of endlessness and the gold stands for
purity. The golden street of the New Jerusalem,
therefore, might well suggest the pure and holy walk of
God's redeemed in eternal paradise. And the brightness
of the city, reflecting from the gold that abounds
everywhere, will have its uncorrupted counterpart within
the heart of every citizen of Heaven. Purity pervades
the eternal Paradise of God.
A river clear as crystal will flow through the New
Jerusalem. The apostle John declared: And he showed me a
pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev.
22:1). Just as in Eden there was a river to water the
garden, so also in the New Jerusalem there will be a
river of life. It will begin at the throne of God, the
very uppermost part of the city, and it will course
downward through the entire area. In the New Jerusalem,
a river of crystal will flow forever, reminding us for
all eternity that God has graciously and abundantly
provided for our every spiritual need. Remember, life in
eternity will not be a nebulous existence in some
nameless place. No indeed! We will lead rich and full
lives in glorified bodies. We'll dwell on a renewed
earth in a real city of gold, and our lives will be
filled with significance and meaning as we give praise
to our Redeemer and gladly do His bidding.
This crystal river flowing through our eternal home will
be of sparkling beauty and of clarity beyond the purest
water man has ever seen. Think of it! All who believe in
Christ will walk the banks of this glorious crystal
river. What a joy will then be ours! It's difficult to
envision just how the trees, the crystal river, and the
street of gold will be related. Some Bible teachers feel
that a river will flow through the middle of a broad
street, and that alongside the river on each bank will
be the trees. Others believe that a grove of trees is
centered between the avenue of gold on one side and the
river on the other. Regardless of which view you may
choose, it's evident that those who conceive of Heaven
as a place where the redeemed will do nothing but sit on
golden stairs playing harps are grossly mistaken. Life
in heaven will be filled with beauty and variety.
We've been concerned with what the Bible tells us about
our eternal home. We have seen its beauty from without:
its gleaming jasper walls, its jeweled foundations, and
its gates of pearl. We have also seen its glory within
as we have envisioned the street of gold, the crystal
river, and the tree of life. This glimpse of our eternal
home should bring two responses to the heart of the true
believer in Christ. First, there should be a renewed
determination to place top priority on the spiritual and
eternal rather than on the physical and temporal.
Therefore, in anticipation of the glory and beauty of
our eternal home, begin right now to "lay up . . .
treasures in heaven" (Matt. 6:20) by putting God first,
and by a constant willingness to serve Him. The thought
of Heaven should cheer us when we become discontented
with life and discouraged about the future. No matter
how bad things may be going or how difficult the
struggles, the prospect of that wonderful abode awaiting
us should be a source of encouragement and hope.
We will know a purity, bliss, and love such as could
never be experienced here. Writing in Revelation 21 and
22, the apostle John recorded his vision of an immense
city of shimmering beauty, descending slowly from heaven
to become the capital city of our eternal home. It will
be radiant with the light of God's glory shining through
its jasper walls, its jeweled foundation, and its pearly
gates. And this city, the New Jerusalem, will be the
eternal abode of all who have placed their faith in
Jesus Christ. All who have been saved will walk the
street of gold in transformed, eternal, glorified
bodies. We'll enjoy heaven's beautiful crystal river and
have ready access to its tree of life. We'll be
eternally delivered from every evil and burden that
plagues our world today. And we'll finally have become
what God intended us to be.
In that perfect society we'll realize our full spiritual
potential as individuals. Having entered an eternal
fellowship with God, we'll be engaged in an endless
variety of meaningful activities. We'll join with the
saints of all the ages in a spirit of communion,
fellowship, and love never ending. We'll see that the
imperfections of this life will be missing and that
positive blessings will be there in abundance. All you
have to do is stop clinging through sentimentality and
emotion, to the miserable, hopeless, death centered way
of life the world has decieved you into living, and cut
your emotional bondage to it, become a new person inside
and out, and find a destiny of never ending hope.
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