There is no better thing we can do on Thanksgiving Day than to look up to heaven and begin thanking God for His great love to us—for giving us His only Son, that he would die on the cross in order that we may have eternal life.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This is our great prize from heaven. There is no better gift. Our joy and thanksgiving overflows on this day. All other things we are thankful for pale in comparison to that great gift. Nonetheless, with hearts full already, with eternity awaiting, we thank God for all other good things. His basket of gifts fills our life. Our joy overflows.
In Revelation 7 (from the sixth seal judgment) John, in his vision, saw a great multitude of people praising God.
Revelation 7:9-12
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
This great multitude we know are the resurrected martyrs of the fifth seal (v. 14); and they are worshipping God around His throne with the angels, and also with the elders—who are actually the resurrected church (that will be us!). What a glorious group!
John tells us that this great multitude had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (v. 14); for this reason, they are before the throne of God (v. 15). Hence, they worship Him because they are so grateful to God and the Lamb for their salvation which He purchased for them with His own blood.
And in their worship, they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He spreads His tabernacle over them—which means that He covers them with His presence. And they will no longer hunger or thirst or suffer from the heat of the sun; for He, their Shepherd will guide them to the springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes (vv. 15-17).
This particular scene is during the Tribulation period in heaven. Of course, after the Tribulation and during the Millennial Kingdom and for all eternity we will still be worshipping Him, and for the same reasons—because He has saved us and is with us, and because He loves us and cares for us.
We will never stop serving Him or worshipping Him. In fact, our service (which includes our reigning) and our worship in some respects are the same. Our service is how we worship Him. And all that we will do in heaven forever will be for the glory of God and to bring Him worship. And that will also bring us pleasure.
None of our earthly pleasures can compare with the delight we will get in serving and worshipping Him. The Psalmist wrote, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth” (Ps. 73:25).
Our reigning with God and with the Lord Jesus will be in heaven during the Tribulation, then during the Millennial Kingdom, and then on and on for eternity. There are four Scriptures that we will highlight.
From our first passage in Matthew 19:27-28, it happened that Jesus was traveling with His disciples to Jerusalem. And after Jesus had confronted a young man, telling him that he must sell his possessions and give that money to the poor in order to obtain eternal life, he went away grieving; for he was a rich man. Peter then came to Jesus and said to Him,
“Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” 28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Here in verse 28, the words “in the regeneration” refer to the regeneration of the earth in the Millennial Kingdom. Clearly, he was saying to Peter and all the disciples that they would sit next to Jesus, each on his own throne, reigning with Him. And their reigning seems to be specifically toward governing the twelve tribes of Israel. Hence, we have to conclude by this that the Jews will be the primary group of people during the Millennial Kingdom.
Luke 22:29-30
And just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
In this setting, the disciples were partaking of the Lord’s Supper (the last one); and they began arguing among themselves as to which one of them would be the greatest in the coming kingdom. And it was during this clash that Jesus granted them to eat with Him in His kingdom, and also to rule with Him. How gracious Jesus was to forgive them of their selfishness and to speak to them of how they would reign with Him. Jesus must have thought it was pretty important to tell them what they would do. I think He was excited about it, and He wanted them to be excited and ready for it—instead of arguing among themselves.
Revelation 3:21
He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
This is the third time Jesus brought up the subject of reigning. But here it is not just His twelve disciple who will reign. It is he who overcomes,” which refers to all true believers. And it seems clear that at any time we are in heaven we will sit down with Him on His throne to reign. What a privilege that will be.
In the first two passages Jesus was addressing only His disciples which would rules over the twelve tribes of Israel during the Millennial Kingdom. But in this passage (Rev. 3:21) Jesus is addressing all resurrected believers—you and me. Hence, the disciples will have a special mission to rule over all Israel. But all others (who are resurrected believers) will have other duties. We don’t know what they will be; whatever Jesus assigns to us to do we will gladly do it. In general terms (as Revelation 3:21 indicates), we will reign from His throne—with Him. But more specifically, I think we will probably be assigned some region to rule over, or to do something else.
Revelation 22:5
And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
This passage (vv. 1-5) is clearly describing the eternal state of every believer. We are His bond-servants (v 4); there will no longer be any night, because the Lord God will illumine us; and we will reign forever and ever [with Christ]. So, we are more than servants, we are rulers over the earth and the universe. We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
Now before we leave this topic, I want to include a few other verses. This subject is too important to leave anything out.
Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Just before God created man, He commissioned him to rule over all the earth.” At this point man’s rule did not include other people, but in the end—in heaven—it would, as we will see. But clearly, from the beginning, God made us with the capacity, and a purpose to rule.
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
The gentle can also be translated as humble or meek. They are true believers, followers of God. And I would say that the closer a person is to God, the more he will inherit from God.
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.’
These verses are from Jesus’ parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30). We must be careful not to read too much into this teaching; but here we may definitely see that our faithfulness now will determine how much God will entrust us with regarding our leadership in heaven.
Luke 19:17
“And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’
This is a similar parable as Matthew 25, but it is a little different. In Matthew 25 the faithful servant was put in charge of “many things.” Here the faithful one is given authority over cities. Hence, we don’t really know what we will be given to do. But I’m sure we will be glad to do it.
Roman 8:16-17
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
I love these verses. We suffer now on this earth as He did. But soon we will be glorified with Him. And we will share all things with Him as fellow heirs with Christ. I like what Randy Alcorn said. “Ruling the universe is a family business.”5 Indeed, we are part of His family and we share all things with Him.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3
Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?
Here the application is to not sue our brethren, but rather to seek the Lord for wisdom in resolving a case ourselves—since we someday will be judges over many and even over the angels.
2 Timothy 2:12
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
“If we endure” means that we prove that we are true Christians by our life. Then we will also reign with Him. But if we deny Him in this life, He will deny us when we see Him; and we will miss out on the great opportunity to reign with Him.
5 Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Wheaton, Illinois, 2004). p. 211.
Our service to God in heaven will be in three different time periods: during the Tribulation, during the Millennial Kingdom, and after the Millennial Kingdom in the New Jerusalem for eternity.We will start our conversation from Revelation 7, which is during the Tribulation period.
Revelation 7:13-17
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. 16 “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (bold for emphasis)
This passage (beginning at v. 9) provides us with a glimpse into heaven in which John saw a great multitude in white robes standing around the throne of God and before the Lamb (Christ), worshipping God with all the angels and the elders (the resurrected church). They are the resurrected believers of the Tribulation who were martyred for their faith.
Verse fifteen tells us that they serve Him day and night in His Temple. We don’t know much about this heavenly temple, but we know that it is where the throne of God is and where His presence is. And we can only wonder what they (and we) will do to serve Him day and night. But in their service they will be well cared for. They will not hunger or thirst. They will be out of the heat of the sun. The Lamb will be their shepherd and will guide them, and He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Our service during the millennial kingdom will also be quite a mystery in that we don’t know many details of it. But we do know that we will always be with God and with Christ. And our home will be in the New Jerusalem, which will probably, at that time, be somewhere hovering over the earth. I am also inclined to believe that while we are serving on the earth we will be invisible (most of the time), as are the angels.
As I have outlined in my book, The Coming Millennial Kingdom, there will be at least five great purposes of the Millennial Kingdom: 1) to restore harmony to His creation, 2) to demonstrate God’s perfect government on the earth, 3) to fulfill God’s eternal covenants with Israel, 4) to display the character and glory of Christ, and 5) to provide a final test for man.4 I’m sure that in some way and form we, with the angels, and also with all the believing mortal leaders, will be serving Christ to fulfill these purposes. It will be an exciting time.
Our service after the Millennial Kingdom will be equally, if not more exciting. Revelation 22:1-4 gives us the setting.
Revelation 22:1-4
Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
Here John sees a crystal-clear river flowing from the throne of God. And it flows out into the golden streets of the heavenly city into every neighborhood, where on either side of the river will be the tree of life bearing fruit; and even the leaves of the trees will bring healing (or nourishment). And in this place (heaven) there will no longer be any curse. And the throne of God will be in it. I take this to mean that God will be everywhere showing us His presence.
This next part has to do with our service. It says that we are His bond-servants, that we will see His face, and that His name will be on our foreheads. In some respects, this sounds restrictive. A bond-servant is like a slave; and to have His name on our forehead means that He owns us and He is our master. Yet in other ways, this sounds very comforting and securing. Because we know that He loves us and cares for us, and He will never leave us. And we will never want to leave Him. Being very near Him and looking at His face is what we always desire. And to serve Him night and day will be our greatest joy.
And you think that is great, look at what Luke 12:37 tells us. In this parable Jesus tells us that “he will gird himself to serve, and have them [his slaves] recline at the table, and will come and wait on them.” Here Jesus is telling us that in heaven He will also serve us and wait on us. In so doing, He will demonstrate to us that He too will enjoy serving us. Yes, serving each other will be one of the great joys we will share together.
4 Stephen Nielsen, The Coming Millennial Kingdom (published by Stephen Nielsen, 2017), p.49.
Fellowship is all about companionship and sharing things in common. In heavenly, Chrisitan fellowship, we first of all, have fellowship with the Father and the Son. And of course, we will share in our love for them and for each other.
Before our glorification believers’ fellowship embraced confession of sins and faults, with prayers. And we often meet together to encourage one another. But, of course, fellowship in heaven will not include these things. All that is over and not needed.
If I could describe heavenly fellowship, I would say it involves just being together, sharing heavenly experiences, and sharing the love we have in Christ. It sounds quite simple, but I’m sure that it will never get old. In fact, the thing that baffles me is that we will be fellowshipping with each and every believer throughout history. That will take a long time; but we have an eternity to do it. I count it a challenge to make my rounds, contacting and greeting each and every believer down through the centuries: “Hi John, remember me?” “Hey Noah? Have you built any arks lately?” Just kidding!
Now, on the question of marriage, as to whether we will maintain the same kind of fellowship in heaven with our present spouse, here are a few remarks:
1. The institution of marriage is a wonderful thing for now, but it is a temporary provision. It is one of those things that will be “passed away” (Rev. 21:1, 4), making room for all things that are new (Rev. 21:5).
2. As Jesus declared to the Sadducees, in the resurrection we will not marry, but will be as the angels (Matt. 22:29-30). This, I think, is mainly because, like the angels, we will not die, and therefore, will have no need to propagate.
3. In heaven the man will no longer require a helper because he will be perfect. Likewise, the woman will no longer need a protector.
4. If you have a good relationship with your spouse, you will no doubt continue to have it in heaven; and you will also have that same perfect relationship with all people forever. Being divorced, I sometimes grieve over not having a good married life. But I look forward to having great relationships with all people in heaven.
Besides the question of marriage relationships, we may also have questions regarding our loved ones who have died, whether we will see them again and recognize them. Well, good news, the bible clears that up quite well. Several times in the Old Testament when someone died it was said that he was “gathered to his people,” indicating that the first ones he would see in heaven would be those of his family that he loved.
Here are five examples of men who were “gathered to his people”: Abraham (Gen. 25:8); Isaac (Gen. 35:29); Jacob (Gen. 49:29); Moses and Aaron (Nu. 20:24); Joshua and all that generation who died (Judg. 2:10).
We also have three other accounts that confirm that we will see our dead loved ones. In 2 Samuel 12, when David’s infant child died, he confidently said, “I shall go to him…” Hence, David was assured by God that he would see his child when he also would die.
Then also, in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 Paul tells all believers that we should be comforted knowing that our dead loved ones will be raised up first and then all who remain alive when He comes will also be caught up with Him, so that we would be together with those who died.
A third group is Christ with His disciples. In Luke 22:17-18, Jesus promised them that He would soon meet with them in heaven to share a meal together.
Another question we may have, is whether we will see and recognize some of the great saints of the bible like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Well, once again, the bible confirms that we will see and recognize them. In Matthew 8:11, Jesus said, “I say to you [people who were following Him] that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”
I guess we can’t be absolutely sure on this point, but I have a feeling that God will make all of us able to recognize each other.
And if you have any thoughts that you will feel lost and out of place in heaven, well, I don’t think you will. I believe that God wants to make all of us comfortable and at home. I have a feeling that heaven will feel more like home to you than any place on earth. We will love being there. After all, we have been looking forward to heaven for a long time.
The most precious thing about our fellowship will be Jesus’ presence, and also the presence of the Father. What will that be like? Pure joy. I know it. Here are a few verses that may shed some light on what our fellowship with God will be like.
1 John 1:3-4
What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
It is clear that our fellowship with each other is based on and is nurtured by the fellowship we have with the Father and His Son. And in this fellowship our joy is made complete.
1 Corinthians 13:12
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.
Here is a good description of how things will change—with how we will see (or understand) things, including God. We see Him and His will now dimly, but after we are glorified we will see Him clearly (or face to face). God will always be pure spirit, so I’m not sure how we will see Him. Indeed, it will be through our spiritual eyes and in our glorified state; and it is beyond me now. But since I will be sinless, I know I will see Him clearly with glorified eyes—no doubt more clearly than I see anything now.
John 17:24
“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Some day in heaven we will see the full glory of the Son (with the Father, v. 2) and share in it. Yes, it will be wonderful. That glory, it seems, will be all wrapped up in the Father’s love.
John 17:21
That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us…
Backing up a few verses, Jesus has prayed for us that we (all believers) will be one as the Father is one with the Son; and so, we also together will become one with the Father and the Son. This is great fellowship. We will all, with the Father and the Son, be unified together in love.
John 14:1-3
Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
This is absolute confirmation that we will always be with Jesus in the Father’s house. We will never be alone. We will always be with Jesus and with the Father.
Life in heaven will be glorious, that is, full of beauty, splendor, and magnificence. But that is just the outward sight of our heavenly home. We will at all times also feel incredibly happy, joyful, and full of love for God and all our friends. And we will no longer experience sickness, pain, sorrow, or anything negative; for we will be perfectly healthy and satisfied—with all our needs fulfilled. Indeed, we will have everything we ever needed or wanted. To put it in biblical terms, we will be joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). That means, everything that Christ receives from His Father by His divine right, we will receive as well, do to our adoption into the family of God. Romans 8:16-17 tells us,
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Our glorification it seems will be the final proof (or the indication) of our Christlikeness and of being joint-heirs with Him. For just as He is glorified, we also will be glorified—that is, having a new body of glory. And it will happen at the rapture when our dead body is resurrected (or when we are raptured alive) and when we see Him as He is (1 Jn. 3:2).
Our new body (our glorified body) will actually be our same earthly body glorified. But they will be a little different. We won’t have any wrinkles, or skin imperfections, or receding hairlines. We won’t have any health problems, or personality disorders, or depression, or bad attitudes, etc. And for that reason, a mortal person may not recognize us. (and that may be the case during the millennial kingdom). Oh yes, we will have supernatural abilities too—more than I can imagine.
These things (above) are the glory side of our heavenly life. But there will also be an honor side. Let me explain. All believers will be glorified and be joint-heirs with Christ. We will be perfectly satisfied and content and happy. And we will at all times drink of the water of life and eat of the tree of life freely. But there will also be honors given out according to each man’s earthly works—some more than others (read 1 Cor. 3:10-15). Daniel 12:3 says it well.
“Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
It seems from this text that those who are most rewarded (or honored) will be those who have a holy influence on others and those who “lead many to righteousness.” And it seems that their reward will be a greater capacity to reflect God’s glory. They will shine brighter as some stars shine and sparkle brighter than others.
I do think that this is true even now on earth. Those who have brought many to Christ and to the truth of the word do in fact shine brighter, at least in the eyes to true believers. However, God sees all; and even those who don’t have a large public ministry (they may have a ministry that is more concealed), God sees how they too have reached others. Hence, in the end, at the Bema seat, it will all come out; and all those who are worthy will be honored and will shine as the stars forever.
Yet we must not think that the honoring of some and the dishonoring of others will cause pride or bitterness. This will never happen. We will all be glad for each other and give glory to God for whatever happens. I see this illustrated well at the end of football games when certain deserving players receive a football to honor them for playing well at their position. I have never seen a player that didn’t get a football complain. Everyone is happy for all those who were honored.
There is no doubt that the bible is full of Scripture that illustrates this point: that heaven will be a life of abundance. We will start with Ephesians 2:7, where Paul declares “that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”
This grace is illustrated for us in Revelation 22:1-2, as the writer (John) speaks of a river of life flowing from the throne of God in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21). But this grace of God is not just a symbolic illustration of His grace and kindness to us in the future. It is a vision as best John can describe of what he actually sees. We will start with verse one and the first part of verse two.
Revelation 22:1-2a
Then he [an angel] showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street.
So, John sees in his vision (as an angel points out to him) a river flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, “in the middle of its street.”First of all, I take this to mean that this river—the river of the water of life—will be flowing from the throne of God and winding around in the middle of all the streets of the heavenly city, New Jerusalem.
As for the streets of the city, they will not be like anything we know in our time. Our streets are mainly for transportation with gas-powered automobiles. But no such thing will be needed in heaven. We will be able to fly or go from place to place with just a thought. So, the mention here of “streets” is probably more like the public square—the place where neighbors will go to hang out, a place to fellowship. Oh, it will be a beautiful area where the streets are of pure gold (Rev. 21:21). These beautiful golden streets will be everywhere, in every neighborhood of the city. And in the middle of these places will be the flowing clear river of life with fruit trees all along its banks (v. 2). But we are getting ahead of ourselves. First, I want to talk more about the river.
Our text tells us that it is “a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God.” Hence, it is not like our H2O. It is of a divine substance and without any impurities; for its source is from God. It is no doubt the same water that Jesus spoke of to a woman from Samaria (in John 4:7-14). In this interaction Jesus asked her for a drink of water from a nearby well called Jacob’s well. And when she was surprised that He would ask her for water (since Jews had no dealings with Samaritans), Jesus boldly said to her,
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
So here, Jesus speaks of living water, and if we (or anyone) drink of it we will never thirst again. In fact, this water will become in us a well of water springing up to eternal life. Hence, I think we can say that when we were first saved we did in fact take and drink of this living water; and it has been our source of eternal life ever since. Yes, I am saying that every believer has this living water flowing in him; it is what makes him a Christian—one that walks by the Spirit of God.
In verse two John writes,
On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
I picture here beautiful gardens all throughout the New Jerusalem, where there will always be a sparkling, clear river nearby, and fruit trees on either side of the river, and golden streets to walk upon and pick the fruit. And though there is no mention of it, I think there will be beautiful flowers everywhere, and also vegetables of every kind to eat. And though we will have no needs of sustenance, everything in the garden and of the trees will have a beneficial effect on us when we eat of it—not for our health but for our pleasure and for the satisfaction in knowing that God continues to love us.
And for our variety we are told that each month for twelve months there will be a new crop of fruit. Thus, it seems that God is expecting us to eat all the fruit of the trees bare in one month. And then each month a new crop of fruit will appear. And I imagine that there will be many kinds of fruit: apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and many more.
And a side note of importance. I do undoubtedly believe that the river and the fruit trees are literal. But there is a deeper meaning here. The flowing of the river may represent the moving of God’s Spirit in me, continually living in me and empowering me. And the fruit on the trees no doubt represents the fruit of God’s Spirit always flowing in me. Hence, each time we see and hear the river and taste of the fruit, we will be reminded of what God is to us and is doing in us.
And now, what of the vegetables? Do we eat them raw or cook them? I don’t know. But we are told that the leaves of the fruit tree (or trees) will be for our healing. What does that imply? John MacArthur writes that since the Greek word for healing is translated therapia from which we get our English word therapeutic that the leaves “somehow enrich the heavenly life—if only through the pure joy of eating.”3
Yes, there is much to look forward to—endless pleasure and abundance. It is definitely true that we will enjoy Him forever.
3 John MacArthur, The Glory of Heaven (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1996), p. 115.
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.
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.
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).
Stephen Nielsen 