How many of you know someone who's in heaven? Lift your hand. You should know the Lord there. Tricked you on that a little bit. In addition to him, I think nearly all of us have friends or loved ones that have gone to heaven. I don't suppose that there is a thought that is so dear to us, so it once filled with hope and wonder, with glory and mystery, as that of heaven. The word heaven in either a singular or plural form is found in the Bible some 600 times.
There are three uses of the word heaven, three meanings to it. There is what is called the atmospheric heavens, Genesis 1.8 says, and God called the firmament heaven. That refers to the atmosphere of the world. And then there is what is called the stellar heavens, where the stars are the universe that we see. Psalm 19 says the heavens declare the glory of God. But then there is that very special sense of heaven, which we refer to it as the abode of God.
It is called in 1 Kings 8.27 the heaven of heavens. It is the place where God dwells. Certainly it is true that God as God is omnipresent. There is not a place in his universe where he is not. But yet in a special sense, it is said that heaven is the abode of the Lord. A Christian does not expect to be either annihilated or reincarnated. Those two doctrines come from the pit. The idea that man is annihilated when he dies, that his existence ceases, that he no longer is, is a lie.
Man is not annihilated, for existence continues after death for every person, whether saved or lost. And then the idea that man is reincarnated is also a lie. To each person is meted out a certain portion of time on this earth, and when that time has been finished, he dies. He leaves this earth, not to return again. There is only one lifetime. We are not reincarnated as other people or as other life forms or even as material objects.
Nor do we dwell around the earth as ghosts or disembodied spirits. You say, but there are people who have seen ghosts. There are people who have contacted spirits. Yes, that is true, but they are not human spirits. They are demonic spirits, and they can disguise themselves and masquerade as departed humans at times. The Bible is very clear that when a person dies, he leaves the earth and is then found either in the Lord's presence or in torment in hell.
The Christian's hope is fixed on a Savior who is to come from heaven. So let's talk about heaven tonight. There are a number of frequently asked questions, and I want to try to ask these and answer them in such a way that even a child here can understand something about heaven. The first question that is often asked is, where is heaven? Well, that is not an easy question to answer, because the location is never directly revealed in the Bible.
There are some people who claim that astronomers have found in the northern sky an area where there are no stars, where there is just blackness, although there are those who say that in that area there is a luminous glow that is indefinable. Well, I am not an astronomer, and I have never been able to trace that down and nail it down to my own satisfaction. But as to where heaven is, there is a clue given in the Bible, and that is that it is up. That's profound, isn't it?
Heaven is up as opposed to down or around. It's up. For example, back in Genesis 11, when united mankind in its one-world effort attempted to build the tower at Babel, they built a tower up to reach into heaven where God lives. Furthermore, in the Old Testament, when Elijah was caught away, it says that he went up by a whirlwind into heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ ascended up into heaven, the word says.
The Apostle Paul testifies in his own experience in 2 Corinthians 12 that he was caught up to the third heaven, as he put it. And then the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos was told by the Lord, come up here. And so where is heaven? The best answer we can give from the Bible is that it is up. It is not in this world, it is not below the earth, as we suspect, some of us at least, hell is, but rather it is up. Where up?
Well, perhaps beyond the stellar heavens, perhaps beyond the edge of the universe, perhaps in another dimension within our sight, if our eyes can only perceive it, that is possible. But wherever it is, it is up. It is furthermore at the end of the life of a believer, for that is where he goes when he dies. But then what is it like there? What is heaven like? Well, it seems that there are three descriptions in the Bible that tell us a little bit about heaven.
Frankly, the Lord says more about hell than he does about heaven. I think there is a reason for that. He was warning people to repent of sin and turned to him to avoid hell. Had he said too much about heaven, it might be that we would not be too content to stay here. So he does not say a great deal about it, but what he does say is that in the first place it is like a house. Turn over to John chapter 14 for a moment.
In these familiar words spoken that night in the upper room before his crucifixion, Jesus said, Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 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. 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. Now, where do most preachers quote those verses? At funerals, right?
That's where I almost always use them. And there is comfort there. And I think there is an application in that when a person dies, a Christian dies, it is the Lord, as it were, coming to that individual and taking that individual to be with himself. But technically the interpretation of this verse 3 especially seems to be not the Lord coming to take us in death, but the Lord coming to take us in the rapture.
I think this is a word about that event before its full revelation through the Apostle Paul later on. But where are we going to go when he comes to get us? Well, to that place he is prepared in the Father's house. The first time that a child of God speaks of the heavenly abode, he uses that term, and that's Jacob in Genesis 28-17, on that night when he had the vision and saw the ladder that the angels were ascending and descending. He says, this is the house of the Lord.
This is the gate of heaven. The house of the Lord is what David called it. He said, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell where? In the house of the Lord forever. And that house of the Lord, as David called it, is what Jesus calls here my Father's house. I doubt if there is a sweeter term to us than the term home. When we use that word, we think of a place of contentment and rest, a place of closeness, of love, of warmth, of fellowship.
In 2 Corinthians 5-8, the Apostle says that when we are absent from the body and present with the Lord, we are at home with the Lord. We are at home. We are not at home now. We are on a pilgrimage here. We are aliens in this world, but that is home. When it says that there are many dwelling places, in John 14, it uses the same word that is found only one of the place in the New Testament, in this same chapter, as a matter of fact, verse 23.
When it says, the Lord Jesus says regarding himself and the Father, we will come to him, the believer, and make our abode with him. In other words, right now you and I are the abode, the dwelling place of God by his Holy Spirit. But there is coming a day when, just as the Holy Spirit indwells us, we will indwell heaven, a place in the Father's house. The suggestion seems to be here in these verses in John 14 that the Father's house is composed of many individual dwelling places.
And it suggests that throughout eternity to come, we are going to have a place prepared for us, which will be there in the Father's house and will be our home in a special sense. Not that we will be limited to that place, it's not a prison, but that will be home for us. It is a specially prepared place. Jesus says, I go to prepare a place for you. And so what is heaven like? Well, it's like home. It's like a house where there are many dwelling places, a place for each one of his own.
And then heaven is also like a city. When we think of a city, we think of activity, we think of excitement. Heaven is like a city. Turn over to Hebrews chapter 11 and notice what it says regarding Abraham's outlook of faith. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 10, regarding him it says, he was looking for the city which has foundations whose architect and builder is God.
In other words, Abraham recognized that he was a pilgrim here, he lived in tents, and was content to do so because he was looking for the city which God would build, which God would design. In chapter 13 of this same book, and verse 14, it furthermore says, we do not have a lasting city here, but we are seeking the city which is to come. In other words, we are identified with Abraham.
We too are pilgrims, we too should be content with temporariness in this world because we have a permanent dwelling place in the city which is to come, the same city that Abraham anticipated. I believe that we have a view of that city in chapter 12, which comes in between 11 and 13. I mean that's kind of an obvious place for it, isn't it?
Chapter 12 verse 22, we have not come to Mount Sinai with all of its effects and its fearfulness and its law, but it says, you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. It seems to me that this is the same heavenly city that is described in Revelation chapters 21 and 22. The heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, the Lamb's bride dwells there. It is a sparkling, pristine city reflecting God's glory.
It is not precisely the same thing as heaven, for this city that is seen comes down from God out of heaven. Heaven seems to be much larger in its concept than just this city. Perhaps we can say that in a sense this city is the capital of heaven. It is the chief cornerstone to the heavenly abode of God. That city that is described is two and a half million square miles, which means that it is 15,000 times the size of London, 10 times the size of Germany.
If you were to place just the new Jerusalem now, which is a part of heaven, it comes down out of heaven. If you were to place just that city on the United States, it would cover two-thirds of the 48 states. It's a big place. So heaven is described in part as a city as well as a house. But one of my favorite descriptions telling us what it's like is found back in 2 Corinthians, chapter 12.
Again, this is the Apostle's own experience, perhaps when he was stoned to death and died in that first missionary journey. He says in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 2, I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago, whether in the body I do not know or out of the body I do not know, God knows, such a man was caught up to the third heaven.
And I know how such a man, whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows, was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words which a man is not permitted to speak. So the Apostle Paul here using the third person but rather clearly indicating that he's talking about his own experience. The Apostle Paul says that he had an out of the body experience. Now he wasn't sure if he was in the body or out of the body.
And that kind of reminds you of some of the language we hear these days of people who relate so-called out of the body experiences. But the Apostle says that in this case he himself was caught up into heaven. And then he uses in verse 4 that very special word, he was caught up into paradise. That is a Greek word which goes back to a word originating in the Persian language. It literally means a park. A park. So what is heaven like? It's like a park with beauty and serenity.
A park landscaped, manicured, and kept in good order. A park with trees, a river. And indeed we know that the New Jerusalem itself has a river flowing down from the throne and trees that line the river. This park is perfectly designed by the great architect of the universe and is kept by him. James Montgomery said, if God hath made this world so fair where sin and death abound, how beautiful beyond compare will paradise be found.
If God can make the Garden of Eden as it was in all of its beauty, do you think he's able to make heaven even more beautiful? Paul was forbidden to speak about what he saw, what he heard. Don't you wish he had been able to tell us more? And yet as I said before, if Paul told us what he saw there, we might be discontent in this world and desire to get there as soon as possible. I remember, and we need to be content to finish out this pilgrimage within the will of God.
I remember a young lady with Campus Crusade for Christ who was drowned three times in Colorado in that terrible flood that took place several years ago now. She went down, she remembers three times, and thought she was dead. And though she did not express what happened during those times when she was out of it and unconscious, she did experience when she was revived what she called culture shock to come back into this world. Heaven is a beautiful place filled with glory and grace.
Who is in heaven? Well, that's part of why heaven is so special. I'm going to see my Savior's face. Heaven is a beautiful place. The first one we think of in heaven, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ. He ascended up, it says in Acts chapter 1, and was taken out of the sight of the apostles. How do we know he made it all the way back to heaven? Well, we know because in Acts chapter 7, Stephen, just prior to his being martyred, looked up and heaven was opened for him.
And he saw Jesus there standing at the right hand of God. And so we know that he got back to heaven. That's where he is today. Who else is in heaven? Well, of course, God, the Trinity, is there along with the innumerable angels, the myriad of angels. In fact, let's go back to Hebrews chapter 12, where we sort of have a list of the ones who inhabit heaven. He says, you've come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. And then he says, to myriads of angels.
And so heaven is populated by these angelic beings who serve the Lord however he desires. The myriads, the innumerable angels. Furthermore, to the general assembly and church of the first born who are enrolled in heaven. Who is that? Well, those are believers who have died already in this age. They are there. Now the general assembly is not completed yet because some of us are still here. The family is split between heaven and earth.
But many of our brothers, many of those who are part of the general assembly and church of the first born are already there. Who else? God, the judge of all. So as I said before, God is omnipresent, he's everywhere, and yet there's a special sense in which he is in heaven. And then it says, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect. What does that refer to? Seems to me the best understanding of it is that it's the Old Testament saints.
Those who believed before the Lord Jesus Christ came, who are a part of the Old Covenant. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, all of those Old Testament saints. The spirits of righteous men made perfect. And then he says, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel. And so those are the ones who dwell in heaven. Very often people ask about babies and children who have not reached the age of accountability. Do they go to heaven?
What about those who are mentally incapable of comprehending, who are retarded as we say? What about those people? My conviction is, I should say, my opinion is, a conviction is something you die for. You don't die for opinions. So this is my opinion. My opinion is that those who have died and cannot be held accountable because of age or mental incapacity, those people are in heaven. You say, where's a verse for that? Well, there isn't a verse that clearly says that.
It is suggested in what David remarks in 2 Samuel 12, 23, when he speaks about the baby that had been born to him in Bathsheba and who died in infancy. And he says regarding the baby, he shall not return to me, but I shall go to him. Now that can be taken to mean that he inevitably will die, as did the baby. But I think that there is at least the suggestion there that something more is involved, that he was anticipating seeing that child again.
David grieved over that sick baby, prayed that God would spare the child, and yet God did not do so. He anticipated seeing his son again. I think also that there is the implication that there is an age of accountability in what happened in ancient Israel. For you remember when the people came out of Egypt and went to Kadesh Barnea. They refused to enter into the land of Canaan, which God had promised to them.
And when the nation as a whole refused, God judged them and told them they were going to have to do what in the wilderness? They were going to have to die. The whole lot of them from 20 years of age and up. From 20 and below, they were not going to die. And so God in that case arbitrarily, it would seem, chose that as the line of accountability. And said those from that age and up are accountable for this act of rebellion against me in the wilderness. And those from that age and below are not.
So I think there is the implication there at least that there is such a thing as an age of accountability. I believe that in God's grace, he made provision for these that I've mentioned in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. And then the question is often asked, will we know others in heaven? But I think the easiest way to answer that is, do you think we're going to be more ignorant in heaven than we are here? Of course not. We will know others in heaven.
The disciples who were with Jesus on the mount when he was transfigured recognized Moses and Elijah though they had never seen them. In Matthew 8 it says, 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 other words, there is the identity of these three patriarchs in the kingdom of heaven. Why not everyone else as well?
And then the suggestion of 1 Corinthians 13-12 says that we shall then fully know, even as we shall be fully known. The idea is we shall understand. Anyway, I believe that the powers of perception which we have at this point, rather than being lessened, will be enhanced and intensified in heaven. The answer is yes, certainly we will know others in heaven. And even after we receive our glorified bodies, for you see even though that body will be different it will be the same in a sense.
There will be identification though they won't be identical, those new bodies. Jesus had a new body and yet the disciples knew exactly who it was when he appeared to them. You say do we have a body when we die and go to heaven? I think there is at least a suggestion in 2 Corinthians 5 that there is a covering for the soul. I don't believe that in heaven there are just disembodied spirits. It would seem that there is some kind of a covering for the soul and an identity.
For example, Moses had died, his body hadn't been buried, and yet he appeared in a body formed there with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Yes, we will know others in heaven. And it seems to me that when we enter heaven our minds are going to be enlightened. But so many of the things that are mysteries now will be understood then.
I think it was Charles Swindoll who one time on his broadcast said that he believes, it's not a conviction again, but he believes that when one enters into heaven that there is a panorama of time laid out there so that upon entering into that place one is able to with a glance see the layout of time as God has schemed and planned it so that immediately he has knowledge of all of what God is doing. Now there are some things that are not in heaven.
According to Revelation 21, 22, tears will not be ultimately in heaven. There is the idea, the suggestion that there will be tears at the judgment seat of Christ, but ultimately tears will be removed, death and sorrow, crying, pain, the curse, night will no longer exist, ultimately in heaven. And then of course there will not be a single unforgiven sinner in heaven.
Not one who has rejected Jesus Christ in this world, not one who has turned from the light that God has given to him, not one who has done that will be there. Heaven is a prepared place, it has been said, for a prepared people. As someone has said, I think it was Bishop Ryle, they that enter shall find that they are neither unknown nor unexpected. Heaven in one sense is to be with Christ, in another sense it is to be like Christ, and we shall experience both.
Dr. A.J. Gordon wrote the words, I shall see the King in his beauty, in the land that is far away, when the shadows at length have lifted and the darkness has turned today, I shall see him, I shall be like him, by one glance of his face transformed, and this body of sin and darkness to the image of Christ conformed. Are you bound for heaven? Is that your hope, to see Christ, to be like him? Someone has said to be heaven bound, you have to be heaven born. Have you been born again?
Will you make this journey from earth to heaven one day? Whoever we are here tonight, one of two destinies awaits us. We cannot avoid that fact, deny it though we may, it still is true. Is your destiny heaven? Will you be with the Lord? Will you dwell in that place that he has prepared for those that love him? If you are not sure about that, you can be sure. You say, I don't think a person really can know he is going to heaven until he dies. How mistaken that is, my friend.
God intends for us to know right here and now that heaven is our destiny, that we have eternal life. If you don't have that assurance in your heart, if you don't know that you are saved, that you have been born from above, then you can know tonight by trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior. Let's bow together in prayer. Father, as we contemplate heaven and that which you have revealed to us, we confess it tends to leave more questions in our minds than it does give us answers.
And yet those things that you have not revealed are not revealed for a purpose. Give us contentment to understand what we can, even that which you have revealed causes our hearts to be filled with wonder and awe. Thank you. Thank you for saving us from sin and hell, which we deserve. Thank you for preparing a place for us in heaven.
Father, if there be some friend here tonight who is not sure of heaven, who cannot honestly say within his own heart that he knows his sins are forgiven, that he has cleansed, that his name is written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, I pray that that one, even tonight, before he leaves this place, will receive the Lord Jesus Christ. And I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.