Recently in Heaven Category

We come full circle. In our sketch of the NT evidence, there is enough evidence to conclude that heaven -- at least for Peter and for John -- is not the final place. The final place is the new heavens and the new earth with a new Jerusalem.

Rev. 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev. 21:10 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

This leaves this question: Does Jesus teach a new heavens and a new earth? Not in so many terms, but this leaves then the probable reality that for Jesus the word "kingdom" refers both to the reality of God's presence now and it also refers to the manifestation of God's final kingdom as well. Hence, in the word "kingdom" we have both now and the new heavens and the new earth.

One point I would suggest is that not everyone used words with the same meaning. It is not like the earliest Christians had a pocket lexicon with words defined by Jesus and they pulled it out at just the right time to get their terms just right. Instead, we have a variety of authors/speakers using terms that overlap and terms that are defined differently. Which also means the NT writers didn't have one set of ideas for the future that were tied down tightly with specific words. They had an inspired vision of what God would do and each expressed the vision in ways that resonated with that culture at that specific time.

In Revelation, Heaven is a place where the ultimate drama is staged, and one gets the sense that the drama on earth is staged in Heaven prior to its being staged on earth. While that is one sense, I tend to think this Heavenly Drama is more the heavenly response to the earthly drama, and because Heaven is the presence of God, the drama of Heaven is more intense and clear.

Rev. 8:1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Rev. 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Messiah,
and he will reign forever and ever.”

Rev. 11:19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Rev. 12:1 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

Rev. 12:3 Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born.

Rev. 12:7 And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

Rev. 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming,
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Messiah,
for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down,
who accuses them day and night before our God.

Rev. 12:12 Rejoice then, you heavens
and those who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
for the devil has come down to you
with great wrath,
because he knows that his time is short!”

Rev. 18:20 Rejoice over her, O heaven,
you saints and apostles and prophets!
For God has given judgment for you against her.”

Rev. 19:1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power to our God...

Rev. 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

Rev. 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.

In Revelation, Heaven is the place or world that is acknowledged by the true people of God:

Rev. 5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!”

The Lamb is on the Throne in heaven and earthlings are to acknowledge that Throne.

Rev. 18:1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor.

These two reference then trade in two ideas: God is in Heaven and God's Throne is in Heaven, and earthlings are to acknowledge the creator of heaven and earth.

The issue we have examined, assuming that explicit mentions of "heaven" can give us all we need for our decision, is what "heaven" refers to and whether or not "heaven" is the final "resting place." We turn in this our final week of this study to the Apocalypse of John.

The significance of Revelation for this term is clear enough from this observation: the term appears no fewer than 50x in this book; the term appears 255x in the NT altogether so Revelation is about 20%.

Heaven in this book is the place in which the divine will is decided and out of which its plans are realized. In heaven God sits on his throne in majesty as God enacts the divine will. It can be accurately described as the Throne Room where the plans of God for earth are decided. Thus, the Control Room, the Meeting Room, the Planning Room. Thus:

Rev. 3:12 If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Rev. 4:1 After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne!

Rev. 8:10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

Rev. 9:1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit;

Rev. 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.

Rev. 10:8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

Rev. 14:17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.

Rev. 18:1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor.

Rev. 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.

2 Peter may finally clinch the matter for our question:

2Pet. 1:18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

2Pet. 3:5 They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water,

2Pet. 3:7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.

2Pet. 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

2Pet. 3:12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? 13 But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

This book brings all the themes together:

1. The Voice of God comes from heaven at Jesus' transfiguration (1:18). Here it is the place of God from which location God acts on earth.

2. God created the heavens (3:5).

3. The present heaven and earth will someday be destroyed (3:7). When? On the day of judgment. This could be the purgation of the earth of its sinful death-shaping directions, but that view is far from easy to demonstrate.

4. The present heaven and earth will be dissolved in a grand act of discerning, revealing judgment (3:10).

5. Then God will refashion it all as a "new heavens and new earth" (3:12-13).

There it is; perhaps the only text in the NT that puts it all together.

But, we've got some texts in Revelation for next week. And then we'll look at the word "gospel" for awhile.

Three texts in 1 Peter are about heaven: 1Pet. 1:4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 1Pet. 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you,...

The book of Hebrews has a strong dualism between the earth and the heavenly realm, so what it says about "heaven" is of concern to us. Notice these texts: Heb. 1:10 And, “In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,...

We had an interlude on a book and now we are back to finish up our series on heaven. Is "heaven" the permanent eternal place or, like some are arguing today, is it an alternative world, perhaps only temporary, but...

Recently I was asked where theology was headed. I assured my reader that I wasn’t “in the know” but that I would hazard a guess or two. First I thought we were likely to see a more robust Trinitarian theology,...

One of the most significant texts in this discussion of the "permanence" of heaven is Philippians 3:20. In context now: 17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep...

Many of Paul's references to heaven repeat what we have seen elsehwere. Thus: Gal. 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let that person be...

"I know a man in Christ," Paul says in 2 Cor 12:2, "who who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows....

2 Corinthians 5 fits in many ways with the concerns of the re-made spiritual body of 1 Corinthains 15. So here is our text for today: 1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,...

Paul's next reference to heaven is 1 Cor 8:5, and it speaks of false gods whether in heaven or on earth, and it doesn't do much for this discussion. But 1 Cor 15:47 does: 42 So it is with the...

Romans 10:6 is not an easy text to understand. Here it is in context: Rom. 10:1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 I can testify that they...

The three remaining texts in Acts do not add to the picture but prop up what is already standing tall and clear: Acts 14:15 tells us that God made "heaven and earth and sea" and 17:24 that God is the...

Paul can say he saw a light flash from "heaven" in Acts 9:3, and probably just mean "up" or "in the skies." But, Peter's observations about his vision open up the heavens for us: Acts 10:9 About noon the next...

Acts 7 also has a very interesting reference to "heaven." Here are three texts in Acts 7: 42: But God turned away from them and handed them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the...

Acts 4 has two references to heaven, and neither opens up new vistas for us on the meaning of heaven. Acts 4:12: There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals...

We are in a series that seeks to examine what "heaven" refers to in the NT, and we are particularly searching to see if "heaven" is the eternal destiny. In other words, is heaven the intermediate state or the divine...

Acts 2 has a number of interesting references and I will quote each one with a little context: 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of...

My little computer program boots up about 19 separable instances of "heaven" in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. And we begin with a text that is at the center of a few debates today, in particular the...

Two more texts in John, both of which inform us of nearly the same thing: 12:27 “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I...

Yet another interesting text in John, which I have to quote more completely. We are asking what does "heaven" mean and whether or not it is the final place of the blessed. 30 So they asked him, “What miraculous sign...

One special text in John about heaven: John 3:26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with [ie. Jesus] you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are...

We enter into the world of John's Gospel today. This Gospel has a stronger vertical dualism than the Synoptics, but let's look at a few texts: John 1:32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a...

Four more references to "heaven" in Luke's Gospel: Luke 21:11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:26 People will faint from fear...

One of the most common uses of the word "heaven" in the Gospels is to indicate "up-ness" or "sky" or "the beyond." Hence, the following few references from Luke but there are other texts that seem to go to the...

We are marching through Luke's use of "heaven" this week, and I'm not so sure we will finish. So here are a few more references: Luke 12:56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky,...

A few more texts from Luke on heaven: Luke 10:21 At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise...

Many of the Gospel texts have parallels we have discussed last week when we looked at Mark. So, I begin with a text that, while it doesn't say much new, emphasises something important about "heaven": Luke 9:51 When the days...

We are looking into such issues as whether or not "heaven" is the eternal home, or whether it is better to speak of "new heavens and new earth" as the eternal place, and then we are looking into whether heaven/new...

Here are some texts from Mark 13 that muddy the clear waters of tradition when it comes to the meaning of "heaven." Mark 13:25: the stars will fall from the sky [heaven], and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Mark...

Four texts from Mark 11 and 12 bring us back to the big idea of what heaven refers to. Here they are: Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your...

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