Let’s Talk About Heaven and Hell (Part 3, Final)

Let’s Talk About Heaven and Hell (Part 3, Final)
By Tommy Franks

The most important thing about heaven is…you and I will be with Christ forever.
Truly, the best is yet to come. Paul tells us even more about Heaven! Read on…
When Christ returns and takes us home, you and I will have new glorified bodies... resurrected bodies. We are told that our bodies will be like Christ's glorious body. We will be whole and complete in every way…no sickness, infirmities, or any type of illness.

What was Christ's body like after the resurrection? Was it real? Was it corporal? Was it susceptible to disease or death? Was His body still governed by the laws of this universe? Could He appear and disappear? Did He go through closed doors? We will be like Christ in all of these ways. We will no longer be susceptible to disease, death, or sin. We will be with Christ, and we will be like Him. And that is what makes heaven, heaven.

Heaven is our true home. It is our eternal destiny in Christ. What is heaven like? The Bible gives us some insight by way of various passages, especially in the book of Revelation, but the very best knowledge we have of heaven is like looking through a glass darkly. The world we live in now is an anomaly. It is designed for decay and death. Everything and everyone around us is in some state of deterioration or wear and tear. In other words, we are in some state of dying while yet living. Do we have to die to go to Heaven? In most cases, yes. Elijah and Enoch are the only two people in Heaven who did not die. They both were “raptured” to Heaven. In Christianity, this is a mystical experience of being transported into the spiritual realm…sometimes applied to the second coming of Jesus Christ when true believers are expected to rise up to join Him in heaven. If Christ delays His coming, I don’t think many of us will get out of here alive! We will most likely go by way of the grave unless 1 Thes. 4 applies first.

If we truly understood what Heaven is like and what it will be like to be there, our attitudes would be extremely positive and filled with gratitude. The happiest moment that you have ever experienced will be so minute compared to the incredible joy and comfort that Heaven will bring. Think about it…no aging, no pain, no disease, no loneliness, no fear, no doubt, no discomfort, and no death. And we have only scratched the surface! Heaven will be filled with majesty beyond compare and conception, beauty beyond imagination, and joy beyond description.

As part of the Heaven complex, the new Jerusalem will be a splendid and magnificent city towering above us in such stunning beauty. Our eyes will behold a brilliant, shining city…with light streaming through its jasper walls and pearly gates. A full spectrum of color will be gleaming from its jeweled foundation. We will gaze in awe and wonder. The apostle John described it as follows: "The light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal”.

These semi-precious stones are translucent and semi-transparent. Light passes right through them… radiating brilliant rays of dazzling color for all to see. The glory of the city will be visible from afar…a very long way. The wall around the city is real. It is also symbolic. The purpose of the wall is not to preserve the city against invaders because there will be none. No enemies against God or His people! It has been estimated that the wall will be 216 feet high. This signifies that no one will enter the city apart from God's grace. The only portals are the 12 gates of solid pearl. Imagine the size of those oysters!

What is the requirement to enter this city? It is wrapped up in one word: Salvation. No one who has rejected God's plan will be able to enter. Salvation is the gift of God's grace to everyone who humbly acknowledges his need of forgiveness and who receive Jesus Christ as Savior.

What is the foundation of this city? The foundation is made of jewels. Most Bible scholars believe that these jewels reflect all the colors of the rainbow. Beginning at ground level, let’s take a look:
First: Jasper (light green or yellow)
Second: Sapphire (sky-blue or cobalt)
Third: Chalcedony (a combination of green and blue)
Fourth: Emerald (bright green)
Fifth: Sardonyx (red and white)
Sixth: Sardius (reddish in color)
Seventh: Chrysolite (golden yellow)
Eighth: Beryl (sea-green)
Ninth: Topaz (yellow-green and transparent)
Tenth: Chrysoprasus (golden-green)
Eleventh: Jacinth (violet)
Twelfth: Amethyst (rose-red or purple)

Imagine, breathtaking radiating light of the city…shining out through the jasper wall and blazing rays through the open gates…reflecting a spectrum or prism from these precious stones in splendorous and incredible colors. Furthermore, the street of the city will be pure gold (like transparent glass). Gold will be so plentiful that it will be used for cobblestones and building blocks. Can you imagine walking or driving on pure gold? It will be like glass, possessing transparent qualities. This will allow the glorious light of the holy city to be reflected and shine through it at all times. And the gates of pearl will always be open.

Traditionally, gold has symbolized purity. For example, during a ring ceremony at a wedding, the gold circle represents endlessness and stands for purity. The golden street of New Jerusalem might suggest the pure and holy walk of God's redeemed in eternal paradise. The brightness of the city will abound everywhere, especially in the hearts of every citizen of Heaven. Purity will pervade the eternal Paradise of God.

Someone has asked about the river that flows through the New Jerusalem. Yes, there is a crystal clear river that flows through the city. The apostle John declared: “And He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb”. This river of life will begin at the throne of God, the uppermost part of the city…and then flow downward through the entire area. This clean, pure river will flow forever. This crystal river…flowing through our eternal home…will be of sparkling beauty and of clarity beyond the purest water man has ever seen. On either side of the river…in the middle of the street…will be the tree of life…which bears twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Think of it! All of us who believe in Christ will walk the banks of this glorious crystal river. What a joy this will be! Currently, it is difficult to envision just how the tree, the crystal river, and the street of gold will be related.

Remember one thing. Life in eternity will not be a nebulous existence in some nameless place. We will lead rich and full lives in our glorified bodies. We'll dwell in a city of gold. Our lives will be filled with significance and meaning as we give praise to our Redeemer! Life in heaven will be filled with excitement, beauty, passion, and variety. The capital of the universe will be our eternal home. It will be radiant with God's glory.

Today, multitudes of Christians worldwide have a renewed determination more than ever to prioritize the spiritual and eternal…rather than the physical and temporal. The very thought of Heaven should cheer us when we become discontented, disenchanted, and discouraged about life and the future. No matter how bad things get or how difficult the struggles, just the thought of a wonderful, heavenly home awaiting us…should perk up our day and give us hope. We have been eternally delivered from every evil and burden that plagues our world today. We will become what God intended us to be.

What will we do in Heaven? What will we say? How will we handle this tremendous life of joy? It will be a perfect society. We will realize our full potential as individuals. We will have total communication and fellowship with one another and with God. I believe we will be engaged in an endless variety of meaningful activities. We'll join with other saints in a spirit of communion, fellowship, and never ending love. The imperfections of this life will be missing. That is a good thing. Millions of positive blessings will take place in our lives in Divine abundance.

Our present life will be behind us. We will cling no longer to sentimentality or negative emotions. Our destiny will be the reality of an eternal hope. Paul said, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (I Cor.2:9).

During the Middle Ages, philosophers talked about the "ultimate good." The ultimate good to them was being in the presence of God. That will be the greatest aspect of heaven. We will be in His immediate presence. Thus far, I do not think that any of us can possibly imagine what this will be like. Today, many people have met the President of the USA. When Karen and I met him in Florida, it was awesome and incredible. Being in God's presence will be a millions times more awesome and overwhelming because of the intensity of delight that will far exceed anything we have ever experienced on Planet Earth.

"He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Rev.21:3-4).

The Bible talks about crowns and thrones in heaven. Therefore, we know that Heaven is not just a huge democracy where there is no differentiation of function. There will be different functions and different levels of responsibility assigned to different people. Different levels of order and structure will be throughout God's Kingdom and Universe. The Word even says that we as human beings will actually judge angels (I Cor.6:3).
Perhaps you will be assigned to watch over a planet or two. I don’t know. It’s possible. Currently, we do not know what tasks we will be assigned, but we do know that God’s Kingdom…to include Heaven…will be an ongoing, functioning universe. We will be assisting God running it.

Many things we don’t know about heaven. Will there be animals in heaven? Personally, I think so. That’s my personal opinion. I have no Scripture for that; however, the Bible does say that Christ will be riding on a white horse when He returns to reign on the earth (Rev.19:11).

Will we recognize our loved ones in heaven? I think so and I also think that we will experience great joy when we are reunited with them.

We (our real selves) will live in heaven…not some figment of our imagination or some shadowy figure of us. We will never feel so alive as when we enter into the heavenly city (the New Jerusalem) that God has prepared for us. We will have no fear of anything! No evil will be there…No sin will be present. Now, get this…Our minds will also be expanded beyond anything that we can understand now. Our minds will be open and receive great understanding which will include the secrets and mysteries of the universe. Our minds will also have eternal memory that will never fail us. We will be able to recall anything at anytime…whether it is five million years in the past or yesterday!

What is heaven like?
It is better than anything that any human being could ever imagine.
No man can completely fathom or comprehend what Heaven will be like.
It will be a million times better than anything that we could ever dream possible. Beyond that, what else can I say? Amen!