Question: What will we do in Heaven all day?

Introduction:

1. Heaven is on our hearts.

2. We want to spend eternity with God and Jesus.

3. While the Bible gives us some glimpse of heaven, we lack the full capability to comprehend what it will really be like to be there.

4. Heaven is one, long, eternal day.

   1. Will we be bored?

   2. Is heaven one long church service?

   3. Will we recognize and know others?

What is Heaven Like?

1. In the presence of deity – God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Angels

   1. Revelation 21:1-4

   2. John 17:24

   3. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

2. All distance removed

   1. Revelation 21:2 – Comes to us as a bride comes down the aisle

   2. Hebrews 12:22 – We have come to God, angles, heavenly city

   3. Revelation 21:3 – God will dwell among us

3. Fellowship with God

   1. Revelation 21:3 – God will live with us, He will be our God

   2. 1 John 1:3 – Our true fellowship is with God and Christ

   3. Revelation 3:20 – Christ will come in and dine with us

4. Eternal life and health

   1. Revelation 22:2 – River of life for healing

   2. Revelation 21:4 – No death, no pain, no sorrow or crying

5. Far better

   1. Philippians 1:21-23 – Far better

   2. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 – Willing to be absent from body, to be with Lord

6. Full joy and pleasure

   1. Psalm 16:11 – Ultimate joy is being with God

   2. Luke 15:7 – Joy in heaven when sinner repents

7. Happy and Restful

   1. Revelation 14:13 – they do rest from their labors

   2. Hebrews 4:6-11 – There remains a rest for the people of God

   3. Hell is the opposite – a place of no rest – Revelation 14:11

   4. Here we get four kinds of rest: Physical, Sensory, Emotional, Mental

   5. In heaven the rest will be Spiritual

8. Country

   1. Hebrews 11:16 – We desire a better country

   2. Heaven is not a “dream, another dimension, fantasy world.” Heaven is real.

9. Inheritance

   1. 1 Peter 1:4-5 – Inheritance incorruptible, undefiled

   2. 2 Corinthians 2:9 – God has things prepared for us, which we can’t imagine.

10. City

    1. Hebrews 11:9-10 – Abraham looked for the eternal city built by God

    2. Revelation 21:1-2 – Holy city, new Jerusalem

    3. Revelation 21:10-12 – Great city descending out of heaven

11. More than a city

    1. Revelation 21:2 – City coming out of heaven

    2. Revelation 21:10 – Great city descending out of heaven

    3. John 10:9 – We can go in and out through the door

12. Secure

    1. Revelation 21:12 – High wall, thick wall with gates

    2. Revelation 21:27 – Nothing that defiles shall be allowed to enter

13. Restricted

    1. Revelation 21:27 – Those not in the book of Life are denied access

    2. Revelation 21:8 – Cowardly, etc. shall not enter

    3. Revelation 22:14-15 – Those who have a right will enter

14. Time does not exist

    1. 1 Peter 4:7 – End of all things

    2. Revelation 10:6 – There shall be time no longer

    3. When the roll is called up yonder – “Time shall be no more”

15. Human relationships do not continue

    1. Family, marriage – Matthew 22:30

    2. We will be in heave as the family of God.

    3. Our relationship is spiritual, not genetic, physical or emotional.

Seven Things NOT in Heaven

1. Nothing that defiles

   1. Revelation 21:8

   2. Revelation 21:27

   3. There will be no trace of sin or ungodliness – homosexuality, pornography, liquor stores, prostitutes, vulgar language, etc.

2. No pain or death

   1. Revelation 21:4 – Pain, suffering and death will be gone.

   2. These things (death and the things that cause death) are the result of sin in the garden of Eden – Genesis 3:1, 16-19

   3. Death means separation. In sin we were separated from God. (Romans 5:17; 1 Corinthians 15:55)

3. No sorrow, weeping, tears

   1. Revelation 21:4 – God will wipe away our tears – Permanently!

   2. No more – screams, moans, groans or whimpers.

   3. Psalm 30:5 – We may weep now, but joy will come in the morning

   4. Isaiah 65:17 – Heaven will help us forget our pain and misery

4. No night

   1. Revelation 21:25 – Gate will only close at night. Since there is no night, the gates will never close.

   2. Night (darkness) is the time of evil. Evil loves darkness. (John 3:19)

   3. The Glory of God is so bright there is not any darkness at all.

5. No sun

   1. Who need the sun, moon or stars?

   2. Revelation 21:23 – No need of the sun

6. No seas

   1. Revelation 21:1 – “There was no more sea.”

   2. What does this mean? Oceans (seas) were often spoken of as a symbol of judgment.

   3. The floodwaters were a judgment against the wicked world – Genesis 7:19-20. All judgment will be past. There will be no judgment in heaven.

7. No more curse

   1. Revelation 22:3 – The curse is over!

   2. Galatians 3:10, 13

   3. The curse of sin. The curse of death. The curse of disease. The curse of pain, sickness and disappointment. The curse of war, murder, drunk drivers, gambling, alcohol, crime, lies, being cheated, gossiped about, and all other ways we have been injured and wronged. All those curses will be gone!

24 Questions about Heaven

1. How do we know anything about Heaven, anyway?

We have no inside information.

We have not been there and come back to report.

All we know is what has been revealed in Scripture

Some object – “How do you know? Have you been there?”

We know what God has revealed for us.

2. Why won't we be bored in Heaven?

This question bothers many people.

Things that make life worth living – Love and Work

6 things that never get boring

1. Knowing yourself

2. Knowing your neighbor

3. Knowing God

4. Loving yourself

5. Loving your neighbor

6. Loving God

Because we are persons not objects – we are inexhaustible.

We are like magic cows that give fresh milk forever.

3. Will we have memory in heaven?

Since we retain our personality and recognize others, we will have our full memory.

4. How can I be happy in Heaven if someone I loved deeply on Earth doesn't make it to Heaven?

Question makes an assumption

It assumes that you love your family member more than Jesus does.

It assumes that Jesus can die for them and be happy that they are lost, but you can’t.

5. Can suicides be saved?

Simply stated, yes.

Most who commit suicide are not in full control of their reasoning ability.

The deeper part of a suicide’s soul and will may believe and hope in and love God.

6. What happens in hell?

Nothing.

7. What happens in Heaven?

Everything.

8. Can those in Heaven see us now?

Is there any reason for them NOT to be aware of earth?

Hebrews 12:1 – cloud of witnesses

Hebrews 11:4 – Able being dead yet speaks – To whom?

9. Will we all be equal in Heaven?

We will be as we are now – equal in worth, equal in being loved by God

We will not be equal in the sense of all being the same.

Paul will still be Paul, Peter will be Peter, John will be John

10. Do differences include sexual differences?

Yes – Men will be men; Women will be women

But that gender will be in “memory” not in fact

We will be “like the angels” (Matthew 22:30)

11. What kind of bodies will we have in Heaven?

We WILL have a body

It will differ from our present physical body

See the chart below for contrast in 1 Corinthians 15.

Mortal Body	Resurrection Body
Perishable	Imperishable
Dishonor	Glory
Weak	Powerful
Natural	Spiritual

12. What of injuries and deformities? Will they all be removed in the resurrection body?

All “defects” will be repaired – gone – physical, mental, emotional

Revelation 21:4 – the “former things” are passed away

13. Will there be nature in Heaven?

Descriptions include – rivers, trees, fruit

Revelation 21:1 – new heaven (sky) and new earth (where we walk and live)

14. Will we eat in Heaven?

Tree producing one fruit each month – 12 kinds of fruit – WHY?

IMHO – We will not HAVE to eat to remain alive. We will be immortal. We will eat for pleasure not hunger.

15. Will our bodies be clothed in Heaven?

White robes given to everyone – Revelation 6:11

Washed their robes white – Revelation 7:14

16. Will there be music in Heaven?

Revelation 14:1-3 – sing a new song

Revelation 15:3 – Sing the song of Moses and the Lamb

17. Will Heaven be big?

Revelation 21:16 – 12,000 furlongs long, wide and high – the same

8 furlongs (stadia) = a mile

12,000 / 8 = 1,500 miles each direction

How much space does a spirit being need?

We think in terms of house, land, space, room, and openness

18. Will there be time in Heaven?

Revelation 10:6 – shall be time no more

Song – When the roll is called up yonder, time shall be no more

No clocks in heaven, no calendars, no schedules, PDA, appointment books

19. What age will we be in Heaven?

Some people (in Michigan) knew me as a young boy and teen

Places I lived in west TN knew me just out of college and newly married (c. 25)

Some in Akron, Ohio knew me as a young adult (27)

Some in Athens, TN only knew me as a 55+ adult with gray hair

In Heaven – I will be all of the above – I am still the same person

There are two kinds of time – chronos (chronological time); kairos (lived time, human time, time for some purpose)

Chronos – How much time did you spend on vacation? I have lived a long time.

Kairos – I came here for a time like this. The time is at hand.

Matthew 2:7 – What time the star appeared (chronos)

Revelation 1:3 – The time is at hand (kairos)

20. What language will we speak in Heaven?

Most people think in terms of their “mother tongue”

Was there a language before the tower of Babel?

What language did Adam and Eve speak?

Is there a “heavenly language” that all can understand?

Will it be possible to understand all others in heaven?

21. Isn't concern about Heaven escapist?

Yes.

Is it escapist - - ?

For an infant to desire life outside the womb

For a seed to desire to become a flower

For someone at sea to desire to see land

For a Christian to desire a better country

Some of the promises about heaven assure us what we will be able to escape.

22. How do you get to Heaven?

Revelation 22:17 – Whosoever will

John 3:16 – God so loved the world

John 8:24 – Except you believe you will die in your sins

Hebrews 6:1 – Without faith it is impossible to please God

Luke 13:3 – Except you repent, you will perish

Mark 16:16 – Believe and be baptized

Revelation 2:10 – Be faithful until death

23. Is Jesus the only way? (Or can good pagans, Hindus, et cetera get to Heaven too?)

John 14:6 – Jesus is the way, the only way

24. How do you think all these questions and answers will look to you in Heaven?

Like a lump of clay compared to Michelangelo’s statue

Now we see “dimly” – then “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Who will NOT be in heaven?

Born Twice – Die Once