What Will Heaven Be Like?
Heaven is real, accessible to all, and more glorious than anything we have seen, heard, or imagined.
What promise did Jesus make about heaven?
Let not your heart be troubled: ye 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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
After His resurrection, Jesus returned to heaven to prepare it for His children’s arrival, and a day will come when He will return for them in order to bring them to heaven and dwell with Him for all eternity (see “Manner of Christ's Coming”).
What insight does Peter give?
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which 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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Unlike life on earth now, heaven will be a place where righteousness dwells. Sin and its consequences will be forever abolished.
What kind of people will be there?
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
No one is born pure in heart, hungering and thirsting after rigtheousness because all have sinned (Romans 3:23). This is why Jesus said that no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again of the Spirit. So even though all have sinned, some, after learning about the love of Jesus, choose to put an end to the rebellion against Him in their lives. They make peace with Him by reaching out and taking His hand of mercy that offers forgiveness and imparts grace into their lives, restoring them into His image and fitting them for heaven. They surrender their hearts to Him and become the blessed ones of Matthew 5 who have been transformed by His love and made citizens of His kingdom (Philippians 3:20).
What will it be like?
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 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. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
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: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
As one of the most hope-filled passages in the entire Bible, (Revelation 21:3, 4) adds a lot more color to what Peter meant when he said that righteousness will dwell there. And because sin and its curse will be abolished (Genesis 3:17-19), God will be able to dwell among His children, never to be separated again! They will be able to commune with Him the way Adam and Eve did before sin entered the world: face-to-face! These passages also tell us that God did not create earth just to watch it be destroyed by sin. No, He will abolish sin, recreate earth, and make it even more glorious than it was in Eden! He will do the work which Adam, Eve, and their offspring would have done had they never sinned—to populate and build up the earth (Genesis 1:28). God will fill the earth with the people He redeemed, and He will establish the New Jerusalem as its capital!
What kind of bodies will the saved have?
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
The saved will no longer have their mortal, earthly bodies because at Christ’s second coming they will receive new, immortal, and glorious bodies, like the body of Jesus, free from any trace of disease, abnormality, or blemish. Jesus had a real, physical body after His resurrection, and the saved will have a real, physical body in heaven too.
Will the sorrows of earth taint the joy of heaven?
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
What will the saved be doing there?
And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
In addition to having a mansion in the New Jerusalem built by Jesus (John 14:1-3), the saved will also build their own homes and plant their own vineyards. Real people will be doing real things, and they will be enjoying the fruit of their labor, unlike on earth where hard work can end in disappointment, theft, or sudden destruction. The saved will also have the blessing of friendship and fellowship with one another, including the heroes of the Bible!
Will there be predation and killing?
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them. The cow will graze with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.
There will be no death in heaven, which means no predatory behavior either.
What else will be different there?
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
Vast oceans and deserts make up a large portion of the earth’s surface today, but that will no longer be the case in heaven. There will also be no night there because the brightness of God’s presence will permeate the whole earth. There will be no weariness after hard work, and the saved will be able to fly like the angels, maybe even visiting other unfallen worlds created by God (Job 1:6; Hebrews 1:2; 11:3)! No destruction means there will be no natural disasters. And because heaven is a place where righteousness dwells, there will be nothing there that defiles, meaning no deception, no crime, no drunkenness, no brothels, no abuse, nor any other impurity. The righteous will be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus and will reflect His character of love!
What will the New Jerusalem be like?
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
The city is arranged in a square with its width, length, and height equal. The distance around it is 12,000 furlongs or 1,500 miles (1 furlong is 1/8 of a mile), which means it’s 375 miles long each side! The streets are of pure gold, and the walls are 144 cubits or 216 feet of solid jasper—nearly 20 stories high—with 12 gates total, and each gate is of a single pearl. The city also has 12 foundations with each one of a different precious stone and color, so from a distance it will look like it’s resting upon a rainbow! When the New Jerusalem descends from heaven at the end of the 1,000 years (see “1,000 Years of Peace”), it will rest on a great plain created for it by Jesus after He flattens the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4, 5).
What about the food and water supply?
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
The city is watered by the river of life that flows from the throne of God, while the tree of life produces a different kind of fruit each month! In addition to this, the saved will also plant their own food at the homes they build (Isaiah 65:21). Since there will be no death there, the diet will be what it was before Adam and Eve sinned: fruits, grains, and nuts (Gensis 1:29). Sustained by the fruit and leaves of the tree of life, the saved will experience unfailing youth and vigor throughout eternity!
What does Paul say about the glory of heaven?
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The joy, bliss, and glory of heaven will be beyond our wildest dreams; in fact, Paul writes that no matter the trials and sufferings that life on earth brings, they are not comparable with the eternal glory of heaven!
What does Revelation say about the saved?
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Those who overcome sin will inherit all things. And how do they overcome? By the blood of the Lamb. The Bible is clear that my only hope of overcoming the defiling sin in my heart is through the power of Jesus working in my life. There is no other way. The whole reason why Jesus left the courts of heaven to live a life of victory on earth and die a humiliating death on the cross on my behalf is because He longs to save me from the filthiness of sin (Matthew 1:21). And He gives this offer of salvation freely. Will I choose to renounce sin and follow the Lamb wherever He goes?
What am I to do while waiting for God’s literal kingdom?
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
When John the Baptist said the kingdom of God is “at hand,” he meant that the spiritual kingdom is already available now! I can experience the love, joy, and peace of God’s spiritual kingdom in my life today when I accept Jesus and give Him the throne of my heart! If seeking His kingdom and righteousness becomes my first priority in life, He will provide everything else for me. May the prayer of Jesus in (Matthew 6:10) be the prayer of my heart every day of my life.