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Monthly Archives: December 2024
Heaven Will Be Filled With Endless Pleasures
Lest we get off on the wrong meaning or direction on this subject, I think it will be best to look at a few Scriptures.
Psalm 16:11
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Here David tells us that in God’s presence there is fullness of joy and pleasures forever. I’m sure he has realized this in his own relationship with God; but I think it is also a promise of heaven for all believers. Notice that our joy won’t be so much in God’s creation of heaven, but in His presence—being with Him. Yes, there will be beauty and wonder everywhere in our heavenly home and in all of heaven that we will enjoy; but all that will pale in comparison to the enjoyment we will receive by being with Him, enjoying His words to us and feeling His presence and loving compassion for us.
Psalm 40:8
I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart.
This Psalm is no doubt what David felt about God—the delight he had in doing His will. But I think it goes beyond our earthly realm. In heaven for all eternity, we will have God’s word in our heart and we will be constantly doing His will in our service to Him. And we will fully enjoy it and will delight in it.
Psalm 149:4
For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
In the previous verses (vv. 1-4), the Psalmist directs Israel to praise the Lord and sing to the Lord and rejoice in the Lord with dancing. Then in verse four we see that the LORD, in response, takes pleasure in His people. In heaven God will take pleasure in us as much as we take pleasure in Him. We will rejoice in Him and He will rejoice in us.
Ephesians 2:7
so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
In heaven for eternity God will pour out His kindness on His children through Christ Jesus—and He will be glorified forever in doing it (Eph. 1:6).
Matthew 25:22-23
“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
There will be great joy and pleasure for all believers in heaven, but it seems that for those who have been most faithful in doing the Lord’s will, their joy will be the greatest in heaven.
Preparing for Revival
In Heaven We Will Have Perfect Glorified Bodies – Part 2
Here are three things, in regard to our new bodies, that will be different in heaven.
There will be no marriage. There is only one Scripture passage that addresses marriage in heaven; it is in Matthew 22:30. There Jesus addresses the Sadducees, telling them that in the resurrection we will not marry, because we will be like the angels. Angels, as we know, do not die and do not propagate. Therefore, they have no need for marriage. This then will also be true of us. And if you are thinking that there are other reasons for marriage; yes, that is true. But in heaven we will all have perfect relationships, even better than our marriage relationship now. We will all love and encourage each other with a perfect fellowship. I guess we will just have to trust God on that.
As for our gender, the gender we have now is part of who we are—it is in our DNA, and so it will be transferred into our new body. We will remain that way. Also, if you remember all the occurrences of Jesus after His resurrection, we know that He remained as a male. When Mary saw Him shortly after He arose and supposed that He was the gardener—a man’s occupation—she spoke to Him as “Sir” (Jn. 2 0:15). Also, the two men who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus did not see Him as not being male (Lu. 24:13-27), nor did Peter see Him any differently (Jn. 21:15-23).
We will have perfect knowledge. In 1 Corinthians 13:12 Paul writes, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”
The Greek word here for knowledge, epiginosko, is used several times in the New Testament; but I think here in 1Corinthians 13:12, we really get the feel of what this full knowledge in heaven will be like. It will be perfect, or full. There will be no more confusion or ignorance about our understanding of things. When God speaks to us about something, we will understand Him. In fact, I will hear and understand Him (what He says to me) just as He understands me.
And I think we will also have this kind of knowledge/communication with angels. What great conversations we will have together. I have always been a slow reader. How great it will be to not only speed read with comprehension, but to very quickly hear and understand everything.
But we will never have absolute knowledge (omniscience) as God has. Yet it will be as complete as we need it to be or ever desire it to be for eternity.
We will have supernatural powers. I think the best way to look at this is to look at what Jesus did after His resurrection, because we will have the same kind of body and the same supernatural powers. So, I looked at three of the gospels, Mark, Luke, and John for this information. In Mark 16:12 it is recorded that “He appeared in a different form to two men walking.” I take it that they were going to a village named Emmaus, as Like 24:13 records. I also noticed that in Luke’s gospel it says that “their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.” So, we have a bit of a difference in the way Mark and Luke heard of the occurrence. Either way, they were prevented from seeing who He was.
I’m not sure that we would have any occasion to have this kind of power in heaven, but maybe we will during the Millennial kingdom—if we didn’t want a mortal person to know who we were. This particular power may suggest that we will be much like the angels; for we know that they occasionally have appeared in a different form as mere men (Heb. 13:2). We will see.
In Luke’s gospel (Lu. 24:31), after the two men invited Jesus to their home, as they were about to eat, and after Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and passed it to them, they suddenly recognized Him and He vanished right before their eyes. So, this was the second power we see.
The third power is in John 20:19 and 26. On two different occasions, the disciples were in a room together with the door having been shut, and Jesus appeared to them and stood in their midst. Apparently, locked doors could not keep Him out. He simply walked right through the walls, or He just appeared! Hence, like Jesus we will be able to move through solid matter as if we were just a spirit—yet with a visible and supernatural body. And like in the earlier story, we will be able to also disappear at will.
In John MacArthur’s book, The Glory of Heaven, he brings up the fact that our home in the heavenly city will be 1500 miles cubed and we won’t be using an elevator to get to our residence—if it happens to be on the top floor. He said that we will either have the ability to fly or to simply be transported in an instant at will.2
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to explore the heavens. I wonder if it will be anything like our solar system today. I just wonder if we will actually be able to travel through the heavens by the speed of thought, millions of miles in a second. And what will we see?
2 John MacArthur, The Glory of Heaven (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1996), pp. 133-134.
In Heaven We Will Have Perfect Glorified Bodies
There is so much to cover in this section. Here are two things that we know will be true concerning our heavenly bodies.
Our heavenly body will be basically the same as our natural body except that it will be glorified. I’m sure you know that when Jesus was resurrected He looked the same—except that He was glorified. He did things that He didn’t do in His earthly body. He walked through solid walls; He appeared and disappeared; and when He ascended to heaven He just flew up!
But concerning why we will be the same person as we are now, except glorified, I don’t really have a good answer, except that God designed it that way. He planned that our genetic code will be transferred from our old dead body into our new resurrected body—like a dead seed that is planted grows into a living plant. Hence our DNA will be identical except greatly regenerated and empowered. But don’t ask me how!
Our New body will be like Jesus’ resurrected body. We have already mentioned that we will be able to do the same supernatural things that Jesus did; we will be glorified just as he was after His resurrection. As for the biblical teaching on this, I think it would be best to look at a few verses and to comment briefly.
Romans 8:29
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
Here it tells us that we believers were predestined (or chosen in advance) to be conformed to His image—not just to His appearance but in every aspect of Him, including His glorification. And this term, “firstborn among many brethren” is critical. It means that we were to follow after Him as our leader and example. Hence, we were called and designed to be in every way like Him, even in His glory.
1Corinthians 15:44-49
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
Here we have described for us two prototypes: the natural body of Adam, and the heavenly body of Christ. And it has been designed for every believer to have both kinds of bodies: an earthly (natural) body, and then a heavenly (spiritual) body. And this has been made possible for us by God. When we believed in Him, the blood of Christ paid for our sins and delivered us from eternal death to entrance into heaven by the miraculous resurrection to glory—having a new glorified body.
Philippians 3:21
Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
Here is how our glorification is accomplished: By His power! It is the same power that He uses to subject everything to Himself.
1 John 3:2 1
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
Here, it seems, is the occurrence of our change. We will be instantly glorified when we see Him, that is, when He comes for us in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:16). We (the dead first and then the living) will be taken up into the air to meet Him. And then, as soon as we see Him we will be instantly glorified like He is—because in that moment “we will see Him just as He is.” In that moment God will cause us to see all of His holiness and it will be infused into us. A wonderful moment! Suddenly, our faces will shine like the sun in glory and strength just like His (see Revelation 1:16).
The History of Revival
In Heaven We Will Be Holy And Sinless
We will be absolutely holy and sinless. That concept is very appealing to me, and I suppose to all of us who struggle with sin and have a longing to be free of it. Romans 6 has much to say about sin and how we sometimes find ourselves becoming slaves to sin; then also about how we may be free from sin and slaves of righteousness and live in sanctification.
Well, after we die, or after we are raptured, our struggle is over. We will receive absolute victory over sin—because God will give us a brand-new body without sin. Let’s look at two different verses and see what they say.
Philippians 3:20-21
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
The part we want to examine here is that He, the Lord Jesus Christ, will transform our old natural body into a body like His own glorious body. A body without sin.
1 Corinthians 15:42-44
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
In this group of verses we have come in the middle of a discussion about resurrection and what our resurrection body will be like. In verses 36-38, Paul compares our dead body and our resurrection body to a dead seed that sprouts new life. Just as a dead seed sprouts new life, God gives new life to the body of a believer who dies. It will be a body just like the old one, but will be a new resurrection body.
In verses 42-44 Paul tells us how the new body is different from the old one. The body we have now is perishable—we get old, sick, and eventually die. But our new body will be imperishable—it will never get sick or diseased; and it will never die. Our present body is dishonorable—because of the way we have treated it; we have sinned against it. Bur resurrection body is a body of glory and honor. Thirdly, our present body is weak and frail and subject to temptation and sickness. But out new body will be strong and powerful. This old body is a natural body, but our new resurrection body will be a spiritual body, that is, a supernatural body having no natural limits.
In Revelation 21:8, 27 and 22:15 we are given a description of people who won’t be allowed into heaven. Combining these verses together, we come up with people who are unclean, cowardly, abominable, liars, murderers, idolaters and sorcerers. And as Revelation 21:27 infers, these people’s names will not be written in the Lamb’s book of life.
So here we see the great contrast. All those who are excluded from heaven (and are not written in the book of life) have remained in their sins—because they have rejected God’s salvation; hence their sins remain with them forever. But those who are saved, they have been forgiven of all sins and cleansed by His blood.
Now I want to take a little time trying to describe what being holy and sinless will be like in heaven. But that’s going to be very hard, because none of us has experienced it. We have always been sinful. I suppose the best we can do is try remembering when we have been less sinful.What it was like. Okay, I’ll try. Way back when I attended an all-day Christian conference (this was when I was about twenty-five years old), I remember being so uplifted by all the excellent bible teachers; and even more, by speaking to so many smiling, fellow believers about all their wonderful Christian adventures. That entire day was like experiencing heaven on earth. Sin was the last thing on my mind.
Attending church hasn’t always been pleasant for me. Some churches I have attended were nothing but a drag. But the church I am attending now is so blessed. I enjoy the fellowship with so many fellow believers, and I so look forward to singing the hymns and courses and all the worship.
Putting these two things together, I would say that when I have been in Christian fellowship and surrounded by good bible teaching and the worship of God, my sin is at a low point—and that is why I feel so uplifted.
I’m thinking that being holy and sinless in heaven for eternity will be at least a thousand times better than at any low point of sin on this earth. It will be so glorious. We will be surrounded by believers and the fellowship will be wonderful. Awe! Breathing the fresh clean air will be so good. And feeling the heavenly light on our faces will be blessed. We will walk in His light forever and enjoy His wonderful fellowship—never thinking about sinful temptation ever again.
The Sevenfold Pattern of Revival
In Heaven We Won’t Be Disturbed by the Existence of Hell
Just as the former things (of this world) will not be remembered or come to mind (Isa. 65:17), we won’t be affected in any way by the existence of hell. I don’t think the suffering of those in hell will even come to our mind. John MacArthur indicates in his book, The Glory of Heaven, according to Isaiah 66:22-24, “The destruction of the wicked will ultimately be something for which we will worship God.”1
Yes, I can’t believe we will suffer in the least over those in hell. God will shield our mind and emotions from any suffering. And He has said to us through David in Psalms 16:11,
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Hence, if we are full of the joy of His presence and of the pleasure He gives us, how can we at the same time think about and suffer for sinners in hell. It seems to me that God will separate believers from any contact with unbelievers. In Revelation 21:8 and in 22:15, God tells us that those who have chosen an unbelievers life (with all the sins they commit), they will have a special place separated from believers. It is a place that God has designed for them with Satan and all his demons. And we should not be sorry for them or think that God is unjust. He gives them what they deserve. And we all deserve it; but God reached down to all of us and gave His Son to die for us and save us. All we had at do was believe in Him. We who believe have eternal life. But those who chose not to believe and obey Him will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on them (Jn. 3:36).
1 John MacArthur, The Glory of Heaven (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1996), p. 98.
Where Revival Is Needed
Stephen Nielsen 