Stop Thinking About Heaven as the Place You Go When Life Is Over

We have a problem when it comes to thinking about heaven, too often we think of it as the place we go when life is over and that’s a big mistake.

 

Recently I realized this problem in my thinking about heaven as I traveled home from my trip to the States.

So let me explain.

I’m not saying that it’s not a literal place, I believe the Bible does describe a real place when it tells us about heaven.

What I am saying is that you grossly miss God’s intended purpose for heaven and its greatests aspect when you primarily think of heaven as a place where you will have your personal mansion situated along a glittering street of gold.

Yes, Jesus does talk about the Father preparing a place for us:

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2-3 (KJV)

And no thanks to the translators of the King James Version many children (including myself) have learned during Sunday School that Jesus is busy in heaven building them their very own mansion.

Even if Jesus was concerned with building you a private mansion that meets your custom design desires, you’d still be missing the point of John 14:1-4 and most certainly you’d be missing the point of heaven.

Let’s take a closer look at this text!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God ; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4 (NIV)

In this passage Jesus is comforting his disciples. They were worried because they already understood that Jesus would be leaving them. They didn’t want Jesus to go, they wanted to be with Jesus!

Jesus tells his disciples that they should not be worried. Why? Because they will all get their own mansion someday?

Absolutely not!

Jesus’ reference to his Father’s house is a promise that he will not leave his disciples forever, it is a promise of coexistence with those who believe in him. It is the hope of coming home and dwelling together with the one who loved us and saved us.

Jesus’ promise in John 14:2-3 gives hope for man’s greatest problem; separation from God. Before Adam and Eve sinned they walked with God in paradise (Gen 3:8) but their sin forced them out of the Garden and out of the special presence of God.

Now Jesus is saying something that no one but he could say, “I’m going to fix that! I’m going to make a way for you to walk with God again!”

This promise of coexistence is often echoed in the Old Testament.

“I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.” Lev 26:11-12

“My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Eze 37:27

To a certain degree God did dwell with Israel through the ministry of the Tabernacle and later the Temple, yet even this was limited by strict rules of conduct.

Jesus’ promise of heaven to the disciples is something far different that the Tabernacle of the Old Testament, it is the promise of unhindered, unregulated, full access to God’s dwelling.

Thus, I believe in John 14 and throughout Scripture the emphasis upon heaven is not the beauty of its physical place or even our personal enjoyment of golden streets and mansions but rather the overwhelming joy of dwelling in the presence and glory of God.

Moving on in the Gospels you’ll find that Jesus often talked about heaven as “being with the father.”

“You heard that I said to you, I am going away, and I am coming again to you. If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced that I said, I am going to the Father; for My Father is greater than I.” John 14:28

“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” John 16:28

“And no longer am I in the world, yet these are in the world; and I come to You (referring to the Father).” John 17:11

Notice Jesus’ emphasis on his presence as he gives hope to the dying criminal who believed in him.

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

Paul also confirms this truth:

“Absent from the body present with the Lord.” 2 Cor 5:8

Revelation chapter 21 gives us one of the most striking and detailed pictures of New Jerusalem coming down from heaven and from God. As John describes for us this unusually beautiful city he quotes a common theme found in the Old Testament about how God will dwell with man.

“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.'” Rev 21:2-3

Even the theme of bride and bridegroom emphasizes the interdwelling of man with God.

Later in the chapter John describes the presence of God in New Jerusalem as being so powerfully overwhelming and consuming that there is no need for a temple or for a sun in heaven. God’s presence is literally seen and experienced equally powerfully throughout all the city.

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” Rev 21:22-23

Why is this important?

So maybe this information about heaven is new to you and maybe it’s not. Either way you might ask,

“So what’s the big deal? Heaven is heaven and we’ll all find out what it’s like when we get there!”

You might not think there is really anything at stake here but I’d like to argue that there is. In fact, I believe your concept of heaven has a very real and significant effect upon how you live your life now.

One problem is that all too often in the Western Evangelical world our view of heaven is like that of an assisted living home for faithful old Christians who can’t take care of themselves anymore. We know that it exists and we’re glad that it will be there when we need it, but we’d really like to avoid it as long as possible!

This low view of our future home strips heaven of its power and majesty in our daily lives. No longer can it motivate us to live passionately for Christ with our Heavenly Father in view, it fails to lift our souls and fill our heart with eager hope of someday coming home into loving arms, it leaves us to think that nothing could be better than wallowing in the muck of this earthly and temporary home.

There’s a second problem, it’s the mistake of thinking that heaven is all about the new mansion you’ll get and the physical pleasures of living in paradise. While I don’t deny that it will be pleasant beyond words in heaven, I also don’t think this should be the main motivation of those heavenly bound.

The problem with focusing on the physical pleasures is that such a focus inevitably spills over into our earthly life. For those who don’t have much money we begin to think of heaven as that place where we get all the “good” stuff that we didn’t get in this life, like that car we couldn’t afford or that house on the lake.

For the few who do have money they can easily be deceived thinking, “Why should I wait for heaven to get that mansion when I can get it now?”

Either way, focusing on the material/physical pleasures of heaven too much gets our focus off.

On the other hand when we begin to think about heaven for what it truly is, coming home to the loving father, it changes the way we live our life.

Paul said it best when he wrote to the church in Philippi:

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phil 1:21

Paul’s understanding of heaven didn’t just change the way he thought about life and death, it changed the way he lived! Life for Paul wasn’t about trying to do all he could to make it enjoyable, it wasn’t about becoming famous, or even about pursuing his dreams.

Paul’s life was laser focused on one person, Jesus!

Why?

Because Paul knew that a life in pursuit of Jesus would be rewarded by an eternity with Jesus! In other words when you live all out for Jesus you are chasing heaven and your chase will end well!

Heaven is about dwelling with God. When you pursue fellowship with God through Jesus Christ you are preparing yourself for heaven. As you pursue that lofty goal, not only will your desire for heaven grow but so also will your desire and ability to live a life that pleases your Heavenly Father who is calling you home!

Question: How does your understanding of heaven affect your life today?