What will heaven be like?

A Popular Country Western Song

• Raise your hand if you know the rest of this line in the song and the singer.

• “Everybody wants to go to Heaven

but ______ _____ __ __ ___”

What do we know about heaven?

• It is a place of holiness. Rev. 21:27

• It is a place of beauty. Ps. 50:2

• It is a place of unity. Eph. 1:10

• It is a place of perfection. 1Cor. 13:10

• It is a place of joy. Ps. 16:11

• It is a place for all eternity. Ps. 23:6

• There may be a tabernacle. Rev.21:3

• 37. There will be no temple. Rev. 21:22

• 38. There will be no sea. Rev. 21:1

• 39. There will be no tears. Rev. 21:4

• 40. There will be no sickness. Rev. 22:2

• 41. There will be no pain. Rev. 21:4

• 42. There will be no death. 1Cor. 26

• 43. There will be no more thirst or hunger. Rev. 7:16

• 44. There will be no more sin. Rev. 21:27

• 45. There will be no more judgment upon sin. Rev. 22:3

• 46. There will be no need for the sun or moon. Rev. 21:23

• 47. There will be no night. Rev. 21:25• 48. The city will be the Bridegroom’s gift to the

bride, Christ’s Church. Rev. 21:2• 49. It will be shared by saved Israel. Heb. 11:16• 50. It will be shared by the holy angels. Heb.

12:22• 51. The Father will be there. Dan. 7:9• 52. The Son will be there. Rev. 7:17• 53. The Holy Spirit will be there. Rev. 22:17

What do we know about our “resurrected” bodies?

• 1. It will be a body like Christ’s body 1John 3:2• 2. It will be a body that will permit eating.

Luke 24:41-43• 3. It will be a body in which the spirit predominates.

1 Cor. 15:44,49• 4. It will be a body unlimited by time, gravity, or

space. John 20:19,26• 5. It will be an eternal body. 2 Cor. 5:1• 6. It will be a glorious body. Romans 8:18

What will we do in heaven?

• 1. There will be singing. Rev. 14:3

• 2. We will serve God. Rev. 7:15

• 3. There will be new things learned. 1Cor. 13:9-12

• Is there more? Of course. We have here just scratched the surface. However, do we know everything? Certainly not. That is where our faith comes in.

What will Hell be like?

• 1. Hell will be a place of unquenchable fire. Mark 9:23

• 2. It will be a place of memory and remorse. Luke 16:19

• 3. It will be a place of thirst. Luke 16:24• 4. It will be a place of misery and pain.

Rev. 14:10,11• 5. It will be a place of frustration and

anger. Matt. 13:42

• 6. It was originally prepared for Satan and his hosts. Matt 25:41

• 7. It will be a place created for all eternity. Dan 12:2

• One final note on Hell. Luke 13:25-30

Weeping and gnashing

Intense pain and suffering

Recognition of those who are in heaven

The saved shall come from all over the earth

Let us try to answer one question before we go on. Will there be “degrees” in Heaven and will we be

accountable for our sins when we meet our maker?

“A summary of Christian Doctrine” by Edward W.A. Koehler

LCMS.org > Belief and Practices > FAQs > Doctrinal Issues > Heaven and Hell > Degrees of Heaven and Hell

Myths about Heaven

• “At Home in the Cosmos: C.S. Lewis on Heaven”

Outline and Lewis Quotations

By Wayne Martindale

Petoskey, C.S. Lewis Festival Nov. 2008

Major Themes on Heaven developed in Lewis’s writings

• 1. Christ is the center of all things.• 2. Heaven is utterly real and our earthly life its

shadow.• 3. Heaven flows from the character of God,

which means it is fully integrated and love reigns supreme, accompanied by goodness, justice, mercy, and creativity.

• 4. Here humanity finds the fulfillment of its created potential-it is our true and natural home.

• 5. All of our longings are at their core for Heaven.

• 6. We choose Heaven by choosing the pre-eminence of Christ.

Myth # 1, Heaven will be Myth # 1, Heaven will be boringboring

“…“…He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly His mirror which reflects back to God perfectly His own boundless power and delight and own boundless power and delight and goodness…”goodness…”

Sound like boring people to you?Sound like boring people to you?

Myth #2, What? No Sex?Myth #2, What? No Sex?

The joy of eating chocolate verses the The joy of eating chocolate verses the carnal raptures of sex. A boy knows the carnal raptures of sex. A boy knows the pleasures of eating chocolate-he can not pleasures of eating chocolate-he can not imagine there could be something better.imagine there could be something better.

““For now we see through a mirror, dimly For now we see through a mirror, dimly but then face to face. Now I know in but then face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” have been fully known.” 1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians 13:1213:12

Myth #3, But I hate Ghosts Myth #3, But I hate Ghosts

““Trying to understand what our bodies will be Trying to understand what our bodies will be like in heaven is much like expecting and like in heaven is much like expecting and acorn to understand his destiny of roots, bark, acorn to understand his destiny of roots, bark, branches, and leaves. Or asking a caterpillar branches, and leaves. Or asking a caterpillar to appreciate flying.”to appreciate flying.”

Philippians 3:20-21Philippians 3:20-21 1 Corinthians 15:43-531 Corinthians 15:43-53 Anybody hear anything about “ghosts”?Anybody hear anything about “ghosts”?

Myth #4, I won’t be Me

“God… makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one. Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you.”

“All that you are is destined, if you will let God have His good way, to utter satisfaction. Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone because you were made for it.”

Myth #5, Just a Harp and CrownMyth #5, Just a Harp and Crown ““There is no need to be worried by facetious There is no need to be worried by facetious

people who try to make the Christian hope of people who try to make the Christian hope of “Heaven” ridiculous by saying they do not “Heaven” ridiculous by saying they do not want “want “to spend eternity playing harpsto spend eternity playing harps”. ”. The The answer to such people is that if they answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for cannot understand books written for grown-ups, grown-ups, they should not talk about they should not talk about them.”them.”

““People who take these symbols People who take these symbols literallyliterally might might as well think that when Christ told us to be like as well think that when Christ told us to be like doves, he meant that we were to lay eggs.”doves, he meant that we were to lay eggs.”

Myth #6, Heavenly Minded but no Earthly Good

“Hope means a continual looking forward to the eternal… It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is.”

“It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

“Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown” in: aim at earth and you will get neither”

Major Themes on “Hell” developed Major Themes on “Hell” developed by Lewis’s Writingsby Lewis’s Writings

1. Those in Hell are consumed with self.1. Those in Hell are consumed with self. 2. As a consequence of that, Hell is the 2. As a consequence of that, Hell is the

drying up of human potential in separation drying up of human potential in separation from Christ, in whom we find fulfillment or from Christ, in whom we find fulfillment or not at all.not at all.

3. Hell and evil cannot create and are 3. Hell and evil cannot create and are reduced to counterfeiting good.reduced to counterfeiting good.

4. Those who go to Hell choose it by 4. Those who go to Hell choose it by choosing something other than Christ.choosing something other than Christ.

5. Hell is destined for ultimate defeat.5. Hell is destined for ultimate defeat.

Myths about Hell, #1, A Good God Myths about Hell, #1, A Good God Wouldn’t Send Anyone to HellWouldn’t Send Anyone to Hell

If that statement is true then would If that statement is true then would the opposite also be true?the opposite also be true?

A “bad” God would send A “bad” God would send everyoneeveryone to Hell? Since everyone is not going to Hell? Since everyone is not going to Hell then we must conclude that to Hell then we must conclude that God is not “bad”. Therefore:God is not “bad”. Therefore:

Our God is a “good and gracious” Our God is a “good and gracious” God.God.

Myth #2, Hell is just a State of MindMyth #2, Hell is just a State of Mind

““Hell is a state of mind-ye never said Hell is a state of mind-ye never said a truer word. And every state of a truer word. And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind-is, in the end, Hell”.its own mind-is, in the end, Hell”.

““But heaven is not a state of mind. But heaven is not a state of mind. Heaven is reality itself. All that is Heaven is reality itself. All that is fully real is Heavenly”.fully real is Heavenly”.

Myth #3, A Tolerant God Would let Myth #3, A Tolerant God Would let Me ChooseMe Choose

““There are only two kinds of people in the There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “thy will be done” end: those who say to God, “thy will be done” and those to whom God says, in the end, and those to whom God says, in the end, ““ThyThy will be done.” All that are in Hell, will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. could be no Hell.

““It’s not a mere question of God sending us It’s not a mere question of God sending us to Hell. In each of us there is something to Hell. In each of us there is something growing up which will of itself growing up which will of itself be Hellbe Hell unless unless it is nipped in the bud. it is nipped in the bud. The matter is serious: The matter is serious: let us put ourselves in His hands at once-this let us put ourselves in His hands at once-this very day, this hour!”very day, this hour!”

What then Shall We Conclude• John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and

the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who believes in me shall never die.”

• John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…”

• “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

TWO VERSES TO CLOSE WITH• 2 Corinthians 3:18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as

in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being “transformed into the same image from glory to glory as from the Lord, the Spirit

• 1 Corinthians 13:12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then

face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

We are but a stranger here,

HEAVEN

IS OUR HOME

DOXOLOGY

• Praise God from whom all blessings flow

• Praise Him, all creatures here below

• Praise Him above, ye heavenly host

• Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost