Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
April 24, 1983
Why I Believe in Heaven
Revelation 21:1-4,22-27, NIV
No question has plagued the minds of men and women over the centuries more than the question of death. When we look into that casket and see the cold face of our mother, or husband, or daughter, or close friend, we have to fact the question, "is death the end of their existence, or is there the possibility of continued life for them?"
This question was put for the more than three thousand years ago in Psalm 88. Verses 10 through 12 read:
"Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?"
This question is not limited to the Bible but is found in every other culture. Over thirteen hundred years ago in the portion of pagan England called North Umbria, the first Christian missionaries arrived. They came to the courts of King Edwin and in his great hall ablaze with the light of many torches these Christian missionaries gave their first sermon on the Christian faith. When they had finished, one old chieftain asked, "Can this new religion tell us anything of what happens after death? The soul of man is like a sparrow flying through this lighted hall. It enters at one door from the darkness outside, flits through the light and warmth, and passes out at the farther end into the dark again. Can your new religion solve for us the mystery?"
I am convinced that this new religion, Christianity, gives the only truth concerning life after death. I believe in eternal life. I believe in heaven. One reason I believe in heaven is because I believe in the Bible. The Bible clearly teaches that heaven exists and that those who believe in Jesus will live there forever. Some of the best teaching on heaven comes from the lips of Jesus himself. In John 14:2-3 Jesus says:
"In my Father's house are many rooms [KJV: mansions]; 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."
We take it for granted that the Bible affirms the belief in heaven. But many people wonder if there is any other evidence. For one thing, there is the universal longing of mankind for eternity. As far as we know, of all God's creatures, man is the only one who longs for eternal life. It is a universal experience of mankind which forbids him to accept any other answer to the riddle of life. As the poet Emerson said, "The blazing evidence of immortality is our dissatisfaction with any other solution."
There has never been a race of people upon this earth - whether in the deepest heart of Africa, some island in the Pacific, or some mountain in Asia, that has not had a belief in some form of future life. Some scientists have said this isn't true, that there are groups that do not believe in a form of heaven. But more recent research has shown that these doubts are unfounded. Every tribe has been found to believe in an afterlife. That belief may be distorted, it may be only a dim reflection of the glory that really is, but however perverted or distorted, every tribe has had this belief.
There is also the testimony of many people who have been clinically dead. The authority in this field is Dr. Kubler-Ross. When she began her studies she described herself as a non-religious person. As she worked with thousands of terminally ill patients, she began to encounter people who were clinically pronounced dead, then brought back to life. At first she heard of one or two cases, then more and more. In all she has examined over five hundred people who seemed to die, then come back. These people described either a place of beauty, wonder, joy and peace, or they have described something terrible. Some of these patients were blind but could see while they were pronounced dead by the doctors. They tell about who came into the room, what those persons looked like and what they did. Yet, when they were brought back to life these blind people still could not see.
Just because the Bible says eternal life and heaven exist, just because all men have an inner desire to live forever, and just because some people claim to have caught a real glimpse of it, these reasons do not prove beyond all doubt that heaven exists. It is only evidence. You will not have proof till the Judgment Day, and then it will be too late.
Let's assume there is a heaven. What is it like? Wherever I have gone I have found that Christians are intensely interested about heaven. I have also found that many strange ideas and misconceptions abound. Part of the problem is that the Bible does not give a systematic teaching about heaven and some of the points people are most interested in are mentioned only briefly. Many different descriptions appear. I have already quoted John 14, where Jesus describes heaven as a house with many rooms. Hebrews 12 and Revelation 21 describe heaven as a city, the New Jerusalem. The physical details of this city are rather unusual. Turn with me to Revelation 21. In verse 16 John says the city measures twelve thousand stadia. That would be fourteen hundred miles. Verse 21 says the twelve gates are made of pearls, which is where we get the expression "pearly gates of heaven." The same verse mentions that the streets of the city are transparent gold. Some take these as literal descriptions of heaven while others say the details are symbolic and show us how rich and fabulous heaven will be. In any case, I think heaven will be greater than anything our minds can conceive.
One misconception is that Christians will spend eternity strumming harps on clouds. (People who mention this to me generally think it would be pretty boring. I agree!) I can assure you that heaven will be more interesting than this. It will be the most dynamic, expanding, exhilarating experience conceivable. For one thing, most of eternity will be spent on a new heaven and new earth. Although it will be in a different time dimension, it will be just as concrete as life here and now. The big difference will be in the quality of our life. Eternal life in the Bible is more than just life that never ends - it is life that is lived to the fullest. Many people today are trying to get more out of life but they are failing miserably. Beer that promises gusto, drugs, success and money cannot fill the emptiness we find in our souls. Only God can fill it.
One of the most beautiful passages on the quality of eternal life is found in Revelation 21:4:
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
Another question about heaven is "when do we arrive there?" Is it the moment we die, or do we have to wait for the Resurrection? The Bible teaches the conscious existence of both the wicked and the righteous after death and before their resurrections but it gives few details. It seems clear that the soul is without a body and that Christians are in a condition of conscious joy right after death. In 2 Corinthians 5:8 Paul says he is willing to be absent from the body (that is, dead) because it means he will be present with the Lord. In Philippians 1:23 he says, referring to death, that he preferred to "depart and be with Christ, which is better by far."
It is true that death is frequently described in the Bible as sleep. In the Old Testament the term sleep is applied to all the dead but in the New Testament is applies mostly to the righteous dead. Paul uses the word only of believers. This term does not apply to the soul or spirit. It does not imply total unconsciousness until the resurrection. Instead it implies unconsciousness with reference to earthly life. The dead are asleep as far as this world is concerned but this does not mean their spirits sleep. In my opinion, the Bible nowhere teaches what is called "soul sleep."
This leads us into a final question - What will we be like in heaven? According to 1 Corinthians 15 our present bodies cannot get into heaven. For those Christians who die, their spirits will go to be with God and their bodies will decompose in the ground. But at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ all this will change. At that time we will be given new resurrection bodies, just like Jesus has. This is pointed out in 1 John 3:2 which says:
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
After Jesus was raised from the dead, the gospels tell us he appeared to the disciples in bodily form. They were able to recognize him, and so I believe we will be able to recognize each other in heaven. Jesus was also able to eat and drink but he also had some unusual abilities. He could appear in locked rooms without being let in. He could change his appearance so people couldn't recognize him. And he could go between earth and heaven at will. I believe that in some way we will also have these supernatural qualities when we are in heaven.
Heaven is one of the greatest hopes for Christians. I know that many in this sanctuary today are looking forward to the time when you will be reunited with loved ones who have died. This will be great but there will be something more important about heaven. The greatest thing about heaven is that our fellowship with God will be face to face, which is something we have never experienced before. You'll notice that John's description of heaven in Revelation 21 does not mention human reunions. Instead, it focuses on Christ. As it says in verses 22 and 23:
"I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb [that is, Jesus] are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."
I am convinced there is life after death. The question is not whether we live forever but where we will spend eternity. For though there is a heaven, which the Bible abundantly makes clear, it makes equally plain that not everyone is going there. Listen to the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13:
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
How do we go to heaven? In John 14:5 Thomas says:
"Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
Jesus answered him:
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
The way to heaven is as narrow as the Cross. Only those who are willing to humble themselves and acknowledge their sin and place their trust in Christ will even enter the gates of heaven.
There are two personal truths I know about myself. The first is: I ought to go to hell because that is where I belong. I stand guilty before God and deserve his displeasure. But the second truth, which I know equally, is: I am going to heaven because Jesus went to hell on a cross for me.
I have no other hope but Christ's free gift.
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Typed on February 20, 2006, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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