Dwelling Places
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.
We’ve all seen movies that show many different ideas about heaven. If you ask 20 people their idea of heaven, you would probably get 20 different answers. What do we really know about heaven? What really happens to us when we die? Some people think that we just cease to exist. If so, Jesus was wrong, along with all of the apostles, every prophet, and many others. They were all so convinced of life after death that they were willing to give up the rest of their lives, just so they could tell others.
To Live is Christ
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;
we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Paul referred to this in many places. Paul even described in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 how he was caught up to the third heaven. God showed him what it was like.
Citizenship
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
We are only here for a short time. James writes that we are “just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (Jas.4:14, NASB) Jesus said that He was leaving so that He could prepare a place for us. He left; now, we are waiting for Him to return and bring us to Him. When we talk about heaven and our eternal home, we need to understand the actual sequence of events.
People who die now are taken to heaven, where Jesus is. That is only a temporary home for us, though.
The Rapture
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NASB)
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.
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.
This is called The Rapture. All born-again believers, living and dead, will be brought up to heaven with Jesus. After a time of judgment on this earth, called The Great Tribulation, we will reign with Jesus on this earth for 1,000 years. This is called The Millenium. After that comes the final judgment and punishment or reward.
New Jerusalem
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
After The Millenium, the heavens and the earth will be burned up and pass away (2Pt.3:10,12). God will create a new heaven and a new earth. On this new earth will be the new Jerusalem. This is what Jesus said that He was going away to prepare for us.
God With Us
3 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,
We will be with God forever. He will live with us, and we will belong to Him.
No More Tears
4 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.”
There will be no more sadness or crying or pain. “the first things have passed away.” This life is hard and filled with sadness. None of that will be in the next life, because we will be with God and Jesus.
All Things New
5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”
God is making all things new. Nothing in this life will be left, except for the souls of God’s people. See how God is saying again that “these words are faithful and true.” No, we don’t get to create our own, personal heaven. What we see here is the way it will be.
Alpha and Omega
6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
Jesus created everything in the beginning. He will recreate everything in the end.
He paid the price, and He is giving us the water of life without cost.
Overcoming
7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
Everything hinges on whether we overcome in this life. We overcome by living for Jesus, giving Him control of our lives. If we do, we are His children, and He gives us His inheritance.
Lake of Fire
8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Yes, there is also eternal punishment for those who don’t follow Jesus. These are just some of the things that can separate us from God. We have all sinned. Jesus paid for our sins, so we don’t have to go to this second death; we can live in our second life with Him. John then describes some of the incredible aspects of this city, new Jerusalem.
Lake of Fire
16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.
This city is like nothing we have ever seen before. It’s 1,500 miles long, wide, and high! That’s about the distance from New Orleans, LA to New England in the Northeast.
It seems like we might have houses above each other, as well as next to each other. The city is built with giant pearls as gates, and precious stones as walls. The streets are pure gold. All of the things that we consider precious now, God considers basic building materials.
What He considers precious is us, His children.
Glory of God
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.
God created light, and He is light, so we won’t need the sun or moon.
Glory of God
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.
There is a river of the water of life, and a tree of life. Notice how there is no death, no separation, no sickness, no sadness. The leaves of the tree of life bring healing for the nations. We won’t be fighting with each other, because God has healed our hearts.
Name of Jesus
3 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;
4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
The curse of sin that started with Adam and Eve will be gone. Jesus will put His name on our foreheads; we will belong to Him.
Are you ready to meet Jesus today? If not, simply pray and give Him your life.
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