by Garrett Glende
It’s fitting the last chapter in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology is also the last chapter of all of history, the New Heaven and New Earth. Many Christians lack interest in Heaven because they don’t really know what to expect when they get there. Most of their theology has been informed by cartoons or jokes and not by the Bible’s teaching. Since it is the place where eternity will be spent for those who have trusted in Christ, it should be all the more interesting and meaningful to us today.
One of the common misconceptions about Heaven (in reference to the eternal state) is that it is a spiritual realm, where we have no bodies and we aimlessly float around on clouds. However, the Bible paints a much different picture of Heaven for us. We see from the testimony of the Scriptures that it is a physical place, where our souls will be united with our resurrected bodies and we will live in perfect fellowship with our Creator. These first two points are very important and we must understand that Heaven is an actual place where we will have real bodies. Throughout Scripture we read that there will be eating and drinking and working and singing for all eternity, so this must have some relation to a physical existence. We know that God will redeem our current sinful bodies into perfect resurrected ones. Paul writes of this in 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 8, where he says that all creation awaits this renewal, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23). Further evidence to support this view of Heaven comes from the book of Revelation itself, where we see images of trees, a river, and a new city of Jerusalem with its specific dimensions. This New Heaven and New Earth are much different than what most people think of.
Perhaps the most wonderful thing about the eternal state is that we will be in the very presence of God. Revelation 22:5 says that we “will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” I love John’s words in Revelation 21:1-5:
“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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
We will be His people and He will be our God. There will be no more pain or suffering or sin, for these former things will have passed. This is a new place, where sin does not exist and every action is pure. We will see God in all His glory and we will praise Him for all eternity.
To many of us this might seem like a distant thought, but we would do well to consider it deeply, even today. Since Heaven is an eternal state, Jesus urges his disciples, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19-21). Everything that we accumulate here on Earth is going to burn. It’s either going to perish or be taken from us and we’ll never have it again. So we must store up our treasures in Heaven, where they will last for eternity. This passage in Matthew comes in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, just after Jesus had taught on the hypocrisy of those who pray and fast for everyone to see. These people have already received their reward, the praise of man, but those who are humbly come before God, only wanting to please Him, will receive heavenly rewards. The reality of the new creation should motivate us to live holy lives today. Peter also exhorts the church to live “lives of holiness and godliness,” for “all these things are thus to be dissolved” (2 Pet. 3:11). In his book called Holiness, JC Ryle calls Christians to live holy lives so that they will be prepared for Heaven. If we are living lives full of sin now, how will we know how to act when we are in Heaven where there is no sin? This means that we are to lay aside anything other than Christ that grasps for our heart’s affection. Invest in the things that will still be relevant in Heaven, the things that bring God glory.