The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. Fourthly, we will not mourn or cry. Once again, I believe this means we will not mourn or cry in a negative way, that is, crying from hurt or from pain.
It is very possible we will still shed tears of joy or laughter or tears of emotion welling up from deep experiences of beauty in heaven. Here on earth when we trust Christ as Savior we are saved first from the penalty of sin. Then as we grow in Christ we are saved more and more from the power of sin. But in heaven we will be saved even from the very presence of sin. We will not sin, and we will not even desire to sin. That is victory indeed!
We will not sin, and therefore, we will not die. We have looked at Isaiah 65 a number of times this morning and its various descriptions of the new heaven and the new earth. This verse gives us a description of heaven in earthly terms. It does not mean that we will just live longer in heaven but still eventually die.
Rather it is a poetic way of saying we will indeed live forever in the new heaven and new earth. Will we just sit around on clouds paying harps all day? We will worship, we will fellowship, we will serve, we will work, we will rest and we will rule. We will not be bored, we will not hurt or be hurt, hunger or thirst, mourn or cry, sin or die. Heaven is a perfect place designed for perfected people.
Sin and all its consequences will be completely removed. We will enjoy all of the good things God intended and none of the bad things that resulted from sin. Hell will be a lonely place full of pain, weeping and regret. Heaven will be full of worship, people, family, friends, laughter, creativity, productivity and joy. Basically, heaven is going to be a blast.
So where would you rather be? Christ offers you heaven. He offers you salvation even today. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this message provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and that you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For any web postings, please link to the sermon directly at this website.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copies: By Ray Fowler. Hello and welcome to RayFowler. If you are new here, be sure to subscribe by email or feed reader so that you don't miss any future posts. You can also check out the Top Posts page to get a feel for the site.
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I wonder if it is during this time that Jesus will take communion again with us, as he stated in Matthew. Whether it happens then or at another time, I can imagine the rejoicing over taking communion with Jesus. After all, it was his broken body and shed blood that will allow us to participate in this celebration. One of the things believers will do in heaven is fellowship. This will be a time for reunion. We will be able to identify everyone in heaven.
In 1 Corinthians, this is what Paul tells the church. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. It is safe to say that Peter, James, or John had never met Moses or Elijah before, yet clearly, they knew who they were. I believe this is how it will be in heaven. We may not know everything about a person, but we will be able to identify who they are. This will allow for some wonderful fellowship and some glorious reunions.
One thing you can be certain of is that believers will worship in heaven. Revelation tells us of the worship that will happen around the throne. Here is one instance. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:. The Bible is not clear on how much we will worship or for how long, but the worship in heaven will be the purest and sweetest worship we have ever experienced.
People from every nation and language gathered around the throne, offering worship to our God. Just the thought of that causes joy to leap in my heart. These are the tears of suffering over sin and death, the tears of oppressed people, the cries of the poor, the widow, the orphaned, the unborn and the persecuted.
We might, though, shed tears of joy. Can you imagine joy flooding your eyes as you meet Christ, for example, and as you're reunited with loved ones?
I can. God alone is omniscient. When we die, we'll see things far more clearly, and we'll know much more than we know now. But we'll never know everything. In heaven we'll be flawless, but not knowing everything isn't a flaw. It's part of being finite. Righteous angels don't know everything, and they long to know more 1 Peter They're flawless but finite. We should expect to long for greater knowledge, as angels do.
And we'll spend eternity gaining the greater knowledge we'll seek. Scripture gives no indication of a memory wipe causing us not to recognize family and friends. Paul anticipated being with the Thessalonians in heaven, and it never occurred to him he wouldn't know them. In fact, if we wouldn't know our loved ones, the comfort of an afterlife reunion, taught in 1 Thessalonians , would be no comfort at all. In heaven we probably won't fail to recognize an acquaintance in a crowd or forget people's names.
Believing in this assumption means you've fallen for the devil's lie. In reality, sin robs us of fulfillment. Sin doesn't make life interesting; it makes life empty. When there's fulfillment, when there's beauty, when we see God as He truly is—an endless reservoir of fascination—boredom becomes impossible.
In heaven we'll be filled—as Psalm describes it—with joy and eternal pleasures. In heaven we'll see clearly that God revealed Himself to each person and that He gave opportunity for each heart or conscience to seek and respond to Him Romans Everyone deserves hell; no one deserves heaven.
Jesus went to the cross to offer salvation to all 1 John God is absolutely sovereign and doesn't desire any to perish 1 Timothy ; 2 Peter Yet many will perish in their unbelief Matthew Hell's small and distant shadow will not interfere with God's greatness or our joy in Him. All of this should motivate us to share the gospel of Christ with family, friends, neighbors and the whole world. Used with permission. The Bible tells us much more about heaven than is often assumed. In a day when speculation and subjectivism about heaven run rampant, I've found it both exciting and refreshing to carefully examine what Scripture says.
If you are wondering what happens when we go to heaven, find some answers in Heaven by Randy Alcorn. In his book, Randy breaks down biblical answers and facts based on years of research and study. Presented in an engaging, reader-friendly style, his conclusions will surprise readers and stretch their thinking about this important subject. How do you think the purposes He has on earth for you will be reflected in Heaven?
Come join the conversation on our blog! We want to hear your thoughts about what Heaven will be like! The New Heaven and the New Earth God has established an eternal home for His children where there will be no sickness or dying.
Never again will we have to say good-bye to a loved one or give a farewell party. When we get to Heaven, we are going to praise God in every conceivable way. Like the article?
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