Baby Steps 4: Heaven, The New Jerusalem and Eternity

Just as we started the lesson on Hell with a Bible verse, I think we should do the same in this one.  It is a verse I've used before but one that should be forefront in our minds especially during times of trials.  It is, 

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

Isn't this great news?  It is impossible to comprehend the wonder that God has in store for us.  If we think about our lives here on Earth, and those things that give us much pleasure, we need to remember that...

    "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh         down from the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness,         nor shadow of turning." James 1:17 

Everything that gives us joy here in this world is just a foreshadow of what God has in store for us.

There is a difference in the Bible between Heaven and The New Jerusalem and we are going to look at that difference and also try to get a small handle on the concept of eternity.  You will often hear Christians say that we go to Heaven when we die and that is true.  The mistake in this idea is that Heaven is where we are going to spend eternity.  It is not.  Let's see what the Bible says.

We know that God, by His Spirit, lives within every believer, but his home is currently Heaven.

    "Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy     dwelling place, and maintain their cause," 1 Kings 8:49

    "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in             heaven, Hallowed be thy name." Matthew 6:9

The Bible also says, "
    "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." 2             Corinthians 5:8

So, it is true that we go to Heaven when we die but we are missing the big picture if we stop there.

I'm not going to go into great detail here on the New Jerusalem because I already did in our study, "A Tale of Two Cities".  You can read all about the streets of gold, the pearly gates and the crystal sea.  That's right, all that imagery we all hear all the time is from New Jerusalem not Heaven. 

The whole purpose of human history is for God to carry out His plan for a family who chooses Him.  He is going to restore what was lost in the Garden of Eden where He used to come down and visit Adam in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8). Remember, free will always carries the potential for rebellion and Adam did just that.  For more information on that you can look at the post, "Why?".  

So we are not going to spend eternity in some distant unknown place.  God, who made this earth to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18), is going to cleanse it with fire and then come and dwell with us right here, forever, in the beautiful New Jerusalem.

    "I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of                heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.      And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: 'Behold, the             dwelling place of God is with man, and He will live with them.          They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as         their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and             there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the     former things have passed away." Revelation 21:2-4

What a wonderful promise!  Time starts with God on Earth in fellowship with man and ends the same way.

Now, let's talk a little about eternity.  I have heard it said that we will get bored after a while.  After all, eternity is a long time.  Well, you see, that's the thing.  It really isn't.  I believe time as we know it, will cease to exist.  

Most people believe that God is outside of time and I agree, for the most part.  I think that is why prophecy is so precise. This whole time thing is complex enough to require its own post and maybe I will go there at some point; but, for now, let's just touch on this little part.  Eternity will not be boring.

We will no longer experience linear time, I think.  I'll tell you why I think this.  We measure time by the sun and the moon.  God made them for this purpose, Genesis 1:14.  The Bible says that we will have no need of them in our eternity.  If God made them to mark times and seasons and we won't need them anymore, the logical conclusion is that time is a thing of the past, pun intended. 

"And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.  By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory.  Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there." Revelation 21:23-25

Here is the best part.  God wants you there.  How do we know?  Because

    "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotton Son that         whosoever would believe on Him would not perish, but have             everlasting life." John 3:16

Think of all the joy you have experienced in this life.  Even if you have had a horrible life, you know what joy feels like.  Do you remember how we opened this post?  All good and perfect gifts are from God, and eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the hearts of man what God has prepared for them that love Him.  We cant even imagine how wonderful it's going to be.  

I encourage you to avoid the alternative.  Please give your life to Jesus today.  You can read my post on, "The Gospel" or there is also a video on You Tube called, "What Must I do to be Saved?", that is short but informative.  You can always email me at areasoningtogether@gmail.com.  I would love to hear from you and, Hope to see you there!