Heaven

Heaven

Paul shared his testimony when he was taken to the third heaven, the paradise, the abode of God, “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven…How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Cor 12:2, 4). The Bible says, “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is” (Deut 10:14; cf 1 Kings 8:27). Then, the word “heaven” in the Bible refers to three spheres.

The First Heaven is the atmosphere heaven, the sky from which there are dew (Deut 33:13), rain and snow (Isa 55:10), wind (Job 26:13), and thunder (1 Sam 2:10), and these remind us of God’s common grace and goodness to all mankind, “for he…sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt 5:45), and the birds of the air remind us of God’s sovereignty and loving care (Matt 6:26, 10:29).

The Second Heaven is the celestial heaven, the outer space, the universe with the sun, the moon, stars and planets, turning around in their own orbits, which remind us of God’s wisdom and power and His common grace and goodness, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good” (Matt 5:45), and without the sun, there will be no light, seasons and time, and we shall be frozen to death! “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever… To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Ps 136:1, 5).

The Third Heaven is the heaven of heavens (Deut 10:14), the Paradise (2 Cor 12:2, 4), the Father’s house (John 12:2), the kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph 5:5), the holy city, the new Jerusalem (Rev 21:2), a better and heavenly country (Heb 11:16). It is the abode of God (Matt 6:9; Rev 4:1-11), the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 9:24), the Holy Spirit (Ps 139:7-8), the holy angels (Matt 18:10), and God’s children (Heb 12:22-23).

Because of love, our Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself and “came down from heaven” as the Son of man to die for our sins (John 3:13-16). He rose again and “ascended up far above all heavens” (Eph 4:10) and is now our “great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God” (Heb 4:14). After preparing a place for us in His “Father’s house”, He “will come back, and receive” us unto Himself (John 14:2-3). Our Lord confirms, “Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (vv 5-6). How wonderful this truth is!

The Heaven is real whether you and I believe it or not. It is the place of eternal bliss of joy, peace, glory and holy fellowship of believers with God, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (v 3). There will be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor pain (v 4), no more curse nor night (Rev 22:3, 5) nor marriage (Matt 22:30).

Proper Attitudes toward Heaven

Proper Desires: The Bible says, “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Heb 11:16), and “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col 3: 2), and Paul said, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8). Knowing that the old heavens and earth are “reserved unto fire…the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:7, 10; Rev 21:1), we will not see this world as our home, but regard ourselves as “strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Then, do you and I really desire to be in Heaven?

Proper Preparation: Are you and I prepared for Heaven? The Bible confirms that the unrighteous (1 Cor 6:9) and “flesh and blood” or natural human beings shall not inherit Heaven (1 Cor 15:50). You and I must be born again, or else we cannot see nor enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5). You and I must be “found written in the book of life”, or else we cannot enter into Heaven (Rev 20:15). You and I must determine to trust in the Lord to overcome Satan, temptations, sins, selfishness, and worldliness in order to keep on obeying His Word since the reward of heaven is only for those who overcome, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (v 7). My friends, our life in this world is so short but it is so important because it is the precious time to prepare ourselves for the eternity. Shall we not live and do all things for the Lord to have our “treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth” (Luke 12:33)?

Proper Hope and Joy: Our Lord Jesus says, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Lu 10:20), and “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”“reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18) so that we may endure all things with joy and hope and will not fear death, which only brings us to our blessed rest with the Lord in Heaven, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Rev 14:13). It is a foretaste of Heaven while we are living in this world because “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Wherever the Lord is, it is Heaven, and “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom 14:17). Thank God for His presence, His righteousness, peace and joy in us, and that is Heaven on earth! (Matt 5: 12). Let us put our hope in the Lord and His Heaven and rejoice in Him and rejoice that our names are written in Heaven. May God help us always remember this truth. It is more precious than the whole world! May the Lord help us count all things but loss (Phil 3:8) even

Our Tears in Heaven: “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (v 4). Why shall we be in tears in Heaven? Yes, we shall be touched to tears when we understand God’s great love toward us and how He has saved us and kept us although we used to grieve Him, disappoint, dishonour or sin against Him through our pride, unbelief, indifference, disobedience, unfaithfulness, or failures. We shall be moved to tears when we are with our Saviour Jesus Christ, see the marks of the nails in His hands because of our sins, and hear from Him how many times He has delivered us from the snares of Satan and made all things work together for our good! We shall shed tears of regret when we have not done our best for the Lord or served Him with zeal and fervency. And our eyes shall fill with tears when we do not see our loved ones in Heaven. Where are our Dad, our Mum, our spouse, our children, our brethren, our close friends? My friends, may God’s love constrain us now so that we may cry for the salvation of our loved ones and others in prayers and then share the Gospel with them. May the Lord help us not waste our time and our lives for vanity but redeem “the time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:16).