The Present Heaven--Heaven Series

            Woody Allen once said, “I’m not afraid to die—I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” I think we can all agree with that thought. I’ve often teased my wife by telling her that when I die, I want to leave behind a crater where I was standing, but in all honesty, I think I agree with Woody Allen.

            Its understandable that we don’t like to think about the moment when we will die, but for children of God, the thought of what comes after death is not frightening, but fascinating. We live with the promise that we will go to Heaven to live with God after we die. In Philippians 1, the Apostle Paul said that this was a “far better” option than remaining in this life, even if remaining here meant continued service for God.

            So for us, death is merely an unpleasant moment in an otherwise glorious journey to a better place. But what do we know from Scripture about this “better place?” What do we know about the present Heaven—the Heaven where Jesus and our loved ones live today? So far in our study of Heaven, we’ve been focused on the New Heaven and New Earth that is described at the end of Revelation—the place that is said to be the final dwelling place of God and man. Today, we are going to turn our focus toward the Heaven where Jesus lives today, and we will see what the Bible has to teach us about it.

ARE THERE ANY “STOPPING POINTS” FOR US BETWEEN EARTH AND HEAVEN?

            Some groups within the broad label of Christianity teach that at death, our soul does not go immediately from Earth to Heaven. For example, you may be familiar with the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory, which is said to be a place of suffering where people who are on their way to Heaven go when they die to finish paying for their “less serious” sins.

            To put it simply, the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory has no biblical basis whatsoever. It comes from Catholic tradition and from books that the Catholic Church added to the Bible in the 1500’s in order to combat allegations raised by Martin Luther and others. It is a direct contradiction of the biblical truth that our sins are paid for by Christ in full [READ Colossians 2:13-14; p. 638].

            We can also think of the thief on the cross who asked Jesus to remember him as they were both dying. If its true that most people have minor sins that they must finish paying for, then we could assume that the thief did as well. Yet Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” There’s no reason to think that Jesus was telling him his time in Purgatory would just be unusually short—he was assuring the man that he would go right away to be with the Lord.

            If you have repented of your sins by confessing to God that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness, and if you have placed your faith in Christ’s death and resurrection to provide that forgiveness for you, there is no further payment for your sins that is necessary! Besides, we don’t even have a “currency” that God would accept. Trying to pay for your own sins would be like walking into Wal-Mart and trying to pay in Euros! Only Jesus can pay for our sins, and He has paid for them in full. Thus, there is no need for any place like Purgatory.

            Other groups have promoted an idea called “soul sleep,” which is the idea that the soul goes unconscious at death and does not “wake up” until God resurrects your body out of the grave. This teaching is a misunderstanding of the biblical comparison between death and sleep. Biblically, when you die, your body becomes inactive, but your soul does not. Your soul goes to be with the Lord and is fully conscious at all times.

            In 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, Paul writes these words: “We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” Paul mentions only two possibilities—either I am at home in the body, or I am at home with the Lord. That would mean that when I die, my soul goes immediately to be with the Lord—without losing consciousness and without going somewhere else along the way.

IS THE PRESENT HEAVEN A PHYSICAL PLACE?

            In other words, if you could somehow go there right now, would you be able to touch things, smell things, and maybe even taste things? I think the answer must be “yes,” Heaven is a physical place. I say this for a couple of reasons. First, when Jesus returned to Heaven after His resurrection, He went there in His physical body. We know His resurrected body had flesh and bones, and Jesus went to Heaven in that body, so Heaven must be a place that is suitable for a physical body.

            Also, in the Old Testament, we read about two men who were taken to Heaven in their physical body before they even died. You may remember the story about Elijah in 2 Kings 2, how a fiery chariot appeared and took him into Heaven. There was also a man named Enoch in the book of Genesis who was apparently taken to Heaven permanently, without dying. Their stories also show that Heaven must be a place that is suitable for a physical body.

            Second, it seems that at least some of the objects in our world are copies of objects that exist in Heaven. Let me ask—have you ever read in the Old Testament about the tent where God met with Moses and wondered why God gave him such detailed instructions about how to build it? He gave him precise measurements and told him exactly how to decorate it. It seems that the Lord did that because that sacred place—which was called “the Tabernacle”—may have been a copy of a place that exists in Heaven. In Hebrews 8:5, the author of Hebrews writes about the priests of the Old Testament, and he states, “They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.’”

            That verse may not require the conclusion that there is an exact, physical place like the Tabernacle in Heaven, but it could strongly suggest it. Either way, we can think again about the body of Jesus and conclude that Heaven must be the kind of place that can accommodate a physical body, so it would seem that it is a physical place.

This raises another question for us…

WHERE IS HEAVEN?

            Is it some place in our universe, like a far-away planet, or is it outside of our universe? There seem to be three basic options for an answer. The first option is that it is not in our universe. In other words, if we could explore every corner of outer space, we would never find Heaven, because it is not within our universe. The second option is that it is a specific place within our universe. In other words, if we could explore every corner of outer space, we would be able to find Heaven somewhere.

            The third option is that Heaven permeates our universe—that it is all around us, but we just can’t see it unless God allows us to. The Bible does teach that God is always with us, and apparently we are always accompanied by angels as well, so some have said that perhaps Heaven is all around us, too.

            I am more inclined to believe that Heaven is a specific place within our universe. The Bible always portrays Heaven as being “up” from the Earth, which gives us the impression that its “up there somewhere.” For example, Jesus ascended into Heaven after His resurrection; Elijah was taken “up” by the fiery chariot. Of course, “up” is undoubtedly just a general description as well. Since the Earth is round, going “up” from Antarctica would take you in a different direction than if you went “up” from Canada!

So, its tough to say exactly where Heaven is, but fortunately, we can say much more about what its like—which is the most important detail, anyway!

WHAT IS THE PRESENT HEAVEN LIKE?

            In a few passages, the New Testament uses the word “Paradise” as a title for Heaven. For example, when the thief on the cross asked Jesus to remember him as they were both dying, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise (Luke 23:43).” This word is an ancient Persian word that refers to an enclosed garden. Think of a nature sanctuary—a place of tremendous natural beauty that is safe and protected. That’s the picture that the word conveys.

            This word was also used in translations of the Old Testament to refer to the Garden of Eden, so it could be that thinking about the Garden of Eden will give us a very accurate picture of Heaven. Genesis 2 says Eden contained “every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food (Gen. 2:9).” There was also a river running through it, and animals were there, and best of all, it was a place that God and man enjoyed together.

            There is also a possibility that the New Jerusalem we recently read about in Revelation is actually the Heaven where Jesus lives today. Connect these dots with me—the present Heaven is referred to as Paradise, and in Rev. 2:7, Jesus says that the tree of life is in paradise. Then, when we get to Revelation 22 and read about the city called the New Jerusalem, we find that the tree of life is there. So if the tree of life is in Paradise, and the tree of life is in the New Jerusalem, it could be that Paradise and the New Jerusalem are the same place! (This is starting to feel like algebra class all over again—if a=b and b=c, then a=c).

            I think there’s a very good possibility that this is true. Remember, in Revelation 21, John said that he saw the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven to settle on the New Earth, and it was called, “the dwelling place of God (Rev. 21:3).” So if you want an accurate picture of the present Heaven, I think you could picture the Garden of Eden and the city called the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21-22. You might remember that Revelation 22 described a beautiful, park-like area in the middle of the New Jerusalem, so even there we have these two images combined.

            In the words of Paul, this certainly does sound like a “far better” place, and if you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you don’t need to fear that you don’t know the way to get there. In John 14, as Jesus was telling His disciples that He would soon be leaving this world, his disciple, Thomas, became concerned and said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” And Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:5-6).”

            Getting to Heaven is not about knowing a path; its about knowing a person—the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus came to die in our place because have rebelled against God through our sin. He paid the penalty for our treason on the cross, but then He rose from the grave to give us the offer of forgiveness and eternal life with Him. You can accept that offer today by confessing your sinful rebellion against God and believing that His Son, our Lord Jesus, has paid for your sins so that you can be forgiven. Then, you can live in unity with God today and carry out His purpose for your life, and you can have the assurance that you will live with Him when you die.

            But remember, my friends, Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” There is no other way to find forgiveness; no other way to be reunited with God; no other way to gain entrance into Heaven. You must accept Christ as your Savior, and I urge you to do so today!