Scott Huckaby
www.BibleTract.org
Why study about
heaven?
It helps us endure adversity in the
here-and-now.
It gives us the eternal perspective
we need to make better decisions
in the here-and-now.
Today’s Discussion:
Miss-conceptions about heaven
The new heavens and new earth
What our bodies will be like
What we will be doing in heaven
Is knowing about life in heaven
beyond our imagination?
"No eye has seen, no ear has
heard, no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for
those who love Him"— but
God has revealed it to us by
his Spirit.
(1 Corinthians 2:9-10, NIV)
No… people neglect to read verse 10.
Deut 29:29 - The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but
those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children
forever... (NKJV)
God does reveal “secret things” to His children, so…
Col 3:1 - If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things
which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
What is heaven?
Who is like
the LORD
our God,
who dwells
on high
(Psalms 113:5, NKJV)
Heaven is
where God is.
What is the common view of what heaven is like?
I heard a voice from
heaven, like the voice
of many waters, and
like the voice of loud
thunder. And I heard
the sound of harpists
playing their harps
(Revelation 14:2, NKJV)
Most people think of heaven as a spirit world
where the saved spend eternity as disembodied
spirits, floating around on clouds, playing harps.
Harps represent expressions of elegant creativity
What is the Bible’s view of heaven?
I saw a new heaven
and a new earth, for
the first heaven and
the first earth had
passed away.
…And I heard a loud
voice from heaven
saying, "Behold, the
tabernacle of God is
with men, and He will
dwell with them
(Revelation 21:1-3, NKJV)
Our eternal home is a
re-created earth. Since
God will live with us here,
heaven comes to earth.
Where does the idea of heaven as only a
spirit world come from?
Greek mythology; the Gnostic heresy: They viewed the
material universe as evil and could
not accept the Bible's teaching that
God became incarnate in the flesh.
They believed that Jesus was a spirit
being or phantom who never took on
the flesh and therefore never
experienced physical death.
By this you know the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesses that
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is
of God
(1 John 4:2, NKJV)
How is the Bible’s creation account diametrically
opposed to the Greek belief that matter is evil?
Then God saw everything
that He had made, and
indeed it was very good.
So the evening and the
morning were the sixth day.
(Genesis 1:31, NIV)
God created the world good; but the goodness of creation
was corrupted by the sin of mankind…
Isaiah 24:5-6 - The earth is defiled by its people; they have
disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the
everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth (NIV)
Did all the goodness of creation disappear
as a result of man’s sin?
The heavens declare
the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the
work of his hands.
(Psalms 19:1, NIV)
No; the creation still reflects to some degree the glory of
God and will someday be redeemed by God…
Romans 8:21 - creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to
decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God
(NIV)
What does this tell us about our life in heaven?
In my Father's house are
many rooms; if it were
not so, I would have told
you. I am going there to
prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come
back and take you to be
with me that you also
may be where I am.
(John 14:2-3, NIV)
We will spend eternity with
Jesus… and He is returning to earth to reign forever:
Daniel 2:44 - "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will
set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (NKJV)
Why is earth’s redemption essential to God’s plan?
“For behold, I create
new heavens and a
new earth; and the
former shall not be
remembered or
come to mind”
(Isaiah 65:17, NKJV)
God has promised it
It is essential for
God’s greater glory…
Psalm 72:19 - And blessed
be His glorious name
forever! And let the whole
earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen. (NKJV)
The wonders of a new
earth and universe will be
the primary means by
which God reveals Himself
and His love to us.
What will it mean for
the curse to be lifted?
No longer will there be
any curse. The throne of
God and of the Lamb will
be in the city, and His
servants will serve Him.
(Revelation 22:3, NIV)
The “thorns and thistles” of living will be removed…
To Adam He said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from
the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will
eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles
for you… (Genesis 2:17-18, NIV)
Why does all creation await our resurrection?
The creation waits in
eager expectation for
the sons of God to be
revealed. For the
creation was subjected
to frustration, not by
its own choice, but by
the will of the one who
subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself
will be liberated from
its bondage to decay
and brought into the
glorious freedom of
the children of God.
(Romans 8:19-21, NIV)
Our resurrection immediately
precedes the redemption of all
God’s creation. No longer will
“survival of the fittest” appear
to be the way of things.
What happens when
a person dies?
We are confident, I
say, and would prefer
to be away from the
body and at home with
the Lord.
(2 Corinthians 5:8, NIV)
The concept of soul
sleep is unbiblical…
1Thes 5:23 - Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you
completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NKJV)
People are spirit, soul, and body…
…and we’ll always be spirit, soul, and body.
How do we know that we’ll
have bodies after death?
The rich man also died and
was buried. And being in
torments in Hades, he lifted
up his eyes and saw
Abraham afar off, and
Lazarus in his bosom. Then
he cried and said, 'Father
Abraham, have mercy on
me, and send Lazarus that
he may dip the tip of his
finger in water and cool my
tongue; for I am tormented
in this flame.'
(Luke 16:22-24, NKJV)
The Bible describes people as having body parts
(even those separated from God will have bodies)…
The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will
hear His voice and come forth-- those who have done good,
to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to
the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:28-29, NKJV)
What can we learn about our future glorified
bodies from this passage?
Our citizenship is in heaven.
And we eagerly await a Savior
from there, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who, by the power that
enables him to bring everything
under his control, will transform
our lowly bodies so that they will
be like His glorious body.
(Philippians 3:20-21, NIV)
Our eternal bodies will be like the glorious body
Jesus was resurrected into (He is the first fruits)
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of
those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20, NIV)
What does this tell us about our future bodies?
Jesus Himself stood in the midst of
them, and said to them, "Peace to
you.“ But they were terrified and
frightened, and supposed they had
seen a spirit. And He said to them,
"Why are you troubled? And why do
doubts arise in your hearts? "Behold
My hands and My feet, that it is I
Myself. Handle Me and see, for a
spirit does not have flesh and bones
as you see I have.“ When He had
said this, He showed them His hands
and His feet. But while they still did
not believe for joy, and marveled, He
said to them, "Have you any food
here?“ So they gave Him a piece of a
broiled fish and some honeycomb.
And He took it and ate in their
presence.
(Luke 24:36-43, NKJV)
He materialized in their
presence.
They recognized Him.
He had a physical body
with hands and feet;
flesh and bones.
He ate food.
Will men be men and women, women in heaven?
There is neither
Jew nor Greek,
there is neither
slave nor free,
there is neither
male nor female;
for you are all one
in Christ Jesus.
(Galatians 3:28, NKJV)
This does not say we lose our identity in heaven…
it is already true that men and women
are the same in relation to Christ.
Jesus is the first fruits of the resurrection;
He did not lose His gender so likewise we’ll be.
What does this tell us about
our future relationships?
At the resurrection people
will neither marry nor be
given in marriage; they
will be like the angels in
heaven. (Matthew 22:30, NIV)
Believing spouses will certainly have fellowship in heaven
but marriage is an institution for this world only.
The quality of the relationships will be better in heaven
than on earth.
The joys of heaven will far exceed the pleasures of marital
intimacy; there will no longer be a need for the exclusive
relationships that protect us from loneliness and despair
in a fallen world.
What will keep us
busy in heaven?
They sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take
the scroll and to open
its seals, because you
were slain, and with
your blood you
purchased men for God
from every tribe and
language and people
and nation. You have
made them to be a
kingdom and priests to
serve our God, and they
will reign on the earth."
(Revelation 5:9-10, NIV)
We will be reigning with Jesus.
He will delegate authority to
His children to participate in
managing His creation:
Matthew 25:21 - His master replied,
'Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few
things; I will put you in charge of
many things. Come and share your
master's happiness!' (NIV)
What will it be like to rule with Jesus forever?
Then God said, "Let
Us make man in Our
image, according to
Our likeness; let them
have dominion over
the fish of the sea,
over the birds of the
air, and over the
cattle, over all the
earth and over every
creeping thing that
creeps on the earth."
(Genesis 1:26, NKJV)
God’s plan has always been for His children to work with
Him in managing His creation. It is our destiny…
Psalm 37:18 - The LORD knows the days of the upright,
and their inheritance shall be forever. (NKJV)
What will it be like
to rule with Jesus
forever?
'Well done, my good
servant!' his master
replied. 'Because you
have been trustworthy
in a very small matter,
take charge of ten
cities.'
(Luke 19:17, NIV)
The better stewards we are of God’s blessings in this
world, the greater capacity we’ll have to participate in
what God is doing in the next world.
God is in the
Isaiah 9:7 - Of the increase of His government
creation
and peace there will be no end. (NKJV)
business!
Will we know everything in
our resurrected bodies?
Now we see but a poor
reflection as in a mirror; then
we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I
shall know fully, even as
I am fully known.
(1 Corinthians 14:12, NIV)
We will know a lot more about God but only He is
omniscient. We will continue to learn throughout eternity:
Ephesians 2:4-7 - God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great
love… made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of
His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
What will worship be like in heaven?
Every creature which is in
heaven and on the earth
and under the earth and
such as are in the sea,
and all that are in them, I
heard saying: "Blessing
and honor and glory and
power be to Him who sits
on the throne, and to the
Lamb, forever and ever!"
(Revelation 5:13, NKJV)
There will be universal spontaneous praise for God.
And there will not be church services as we know them…
Revelation 21:22 - But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. (NKJV)
Will we measure
time in eternity?
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.
(Revelation 22:2, NKJV)
Yes! Time is a 4th dimension, part of the created universe.
The new earth will have many features of the old earth…
Genesis 8:22 - While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not
cease. (NKJV)
What will our daily lives be like in heaven?
By the seventh day God
had finished the work
He had been doing; so
on the seventh day He
rested from all His work.
(Genesis 2:2, NIV)
We will have a pattern of work
and rest as God demonstrated
in the original creation.
Indeed, work was God’s plan
from the beginning…
Genesis 2:15 - The LORD God
took the man and put him in the
Garden of Eden to work it and
take care of it. (NIV)
…and God works!
Jesus answered them,
"My Father has been
working until now, and I
have been working."
(John 5:17, NKJV)
What will make our work
more pleasant in heaven?
No longer will there be any
curse. The throne of God and
of the Lamb will be in the city,
and his servants will serve Him.
(Revelation 22:3, NIV)
The curse that makes work
difficult will be removed…
Genesis 3:17 - To Adam he said, "Because you
listened to your wife and ate from the tree about
which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you; through
painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your
life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you.
(NIV)
Note
that
“serve”
is a
verb!
What will work be like in heaven?
They will build
houses and
dwell in them;
they will plant
vineyards and
eat their fruit.
No longer will
they build
houses and
others live in
them, or plant
and others
eat.
Work will be an outlet for our
creativity and we will enjoy the
full fruits of our labor.
(Isaiah 65:21, NIV)
How far-reaching is the resurrection?
Blessed are
the dead who
die in the
Lord from
now on.
“Yes,” says
the Spirit,
"that they
may rest
from their
labors, and
their works
follow them”
(Revelation
14:13, NKJV)
The fruit of our labor that glorifies God in
this world will be redeemed in the new
world…
Psalm 90:17 - And let the beauty of the
LORD our God be upon us, and establish
the work of our hands for us; yes,
establish the work of our hands. (NKJV)