E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y: Heaven is Eternal – Part 3

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Jude 21 – keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (NKJV)

Just like hell will go on and on and on and NEVER end, heaven is forever too. Comically, some people have the idea that heaven is 24-7 “church” and so they grudgingly want heaven only because it is a slightly better alternative than hell!

Heaven is not “eternal church”, especially the version of church we’ve come up with in organized religion.

It is not little fat babies with wings floating around on clouds. It’s not a bunch of ghosts floating around in mysterious misty places with auras of light dancing around our heads.

These ridiculous impressions of heaven have been manufactured by the Enemy so that we will not be anxious or excited about the real heaven that God has waiting for us. The real heaven is one that Jesus personally has prepared for us:

John 14:1-4 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And 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. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (NKJV)

The Lord is preparing our home for us, and He is going to come back and get us some day and take us there. Here’s a look at what heaven REALLY is. It should bring as much as excitement and joy as our description of hell brought dread and fear. If either or both have no affect on you, it’s simply because you don’t truly understand it (NKJV).

• Only those who have accepted salvation on God’s terms will be there:
  John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
  Romans 4:9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
  
  
• God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and Holy Spirit will be in heaven with us:
  Daniel 7:9 “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
  Revelation 7:17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
  Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
  
  
• It will be a place of perfection, unimaginable beauty and untainted holiness:
  1 Corinthians 13:10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
  Psalm 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth.
  Revelation 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
  
  
• There will be everlasting joy and unity:
  Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
  Ephesians 1:10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
  
  
• There will be no tears, no pain, no sorrow, no death, no sickness, no hunger or thirst, no tears:
  Revelation 7:17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
  Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
  1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
  Revelation 22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
  Revelation 7:15-16 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
  
  
• In heaven, there will be no sin, no condemnation, no judgment:
  Revelation 21:26-27 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
  Revelation 22:3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
  
  
• There will be no sun, moon or night because God’s glory will be the source of light (ever wondered where light came from in Genesis?):
  Revelation 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
  Revelation 21:25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
  Revelation 21:11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
  
  
• The city of heaven is a real place, called New Jerusalem existing in a new heaven and new earth; it is about 1500 square miles in size, shaped like a cube, resting on 12 layers of precious stones; it has gates of pearl, it will be built out of pure clear gold like glass and angels will guards its entrances that will never be shut:
  Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
  Revelation 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
  Revelation 21:16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.
  Revelation 21:19-20 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
  Revelation 21:20-21 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
  Revelation 21:10-11 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
  Revelation 21:12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
  Revelation 21:25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
  
  
• There will be no sea, which Biblically always represents death and sin:
  Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
  
  
• There will be no need of a temple because God and Jesus will be the living temple:
  Revelation 21:22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
  
  
• The River of Life will come out of God’s throne and run through heaven, watering the Tree of Life and all the fruit bearing trees that will produce new fruit each month:
  Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
  Revelation 22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
  
  
• God’s throne will be the central feature of heaven with four worshipping angels beside it sourrounded by a “sea of glass”; the throne will be surrounded by 24 smaller thrones and nearby will be the golden altar, bowls of incense, the lampstand and possibly the Ark of God:
  Revelation 4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
  Revelation 4:8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”
  Revelation 4:6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
  Revelation 4:4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
  Revelation 5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
  Revelation 4:5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
  Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
  
  
• Heaven is permanent, eternal, forever, never-ending, endless, ageless, unceasing and every other word you can think of that means E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y:
  John 3:15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
  Psalm 23:5-6 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
  Psalm 89:29 His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven.
  2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
  Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
  Matthew 25:46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
  Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,
  

That’s a lot of Bible verses, but it would be a waste of your time to read what Brent Riggs says about heaven when the Bible is so clear and descriptive for us. If you live each day without a thrilling expectation and anxiousness to get to heaven, perhaps it is simply because you have not really stopped and thought about it, or maybe you didn’t know what heaven was really going to be like.

For your benefit, and mine, I’ve created a nicely formatted list of these verses for you to print, click here. For those of you more aesthetically inclined, I’ve created a graphic with these verses from a photograph I took of flowers I recently bought for my heavenly bride. It should print very nicely on an inkjet (use glossy photo paper if you have it!), click here.