What is Heaven?

” … He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” Revelation 21:4-5a (NASB)

There are some awe-inspiring and ridiculously beautiful places on earth: Waterfalls in Iceland, glaciers in Chile and the Amazon rain forest in Brazil are examples. People who have been there can describe it to the point where we are able to picture the details, the landscape, and the architecture as though they are actually there. Add to that the fact that today’s cameras take such vivid pictures that you can almost reach out and touch what is in the photo. I’ve never been to Heaven, so it’s difficult to picture exactly what it’s like or even begin to comprehend its splendor. Fortunately the Bible gives us looks into the place where those who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will spend eternity. The Bible gives us a glimpse of Heaven, enough to thrill the soul.

For example Heaven is a huge place. Revelation 21:16 “When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.” Let that sink in. A metropolis of this size in the middle of the United States would stretch from Canada to Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the California border. We don’t need to worry that Heaven will be crowded. The ground level of the city will be nearly two million square miles. But remember, that’s just the ground level.

And since the city is as long as it is high, and if the city consisted of different levels (we don’t know this), of say twelve feet high, the city could have over 600,000 stories. If they were on different levels, there is plenty of room for billions of “rooms” (John 14:2 ESV) in Heaven, with many square miles per person. (Math was not my best subject so these numbers could be off, but you get the idea).

Not only is Heaven a huge place, but a happy, joyous place as well. Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” No more aggravation, backache, bitterness, broken bones, broken homes, cancer, funerals, crime, car wrecks, disappointments, high blood pressure, kidney stones, or toothaches to name a few.  

Heaven is an extraordinary place of astounding wonder. Greater than we can fully understand or imagine. It is the home of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings; the home He delights in sharing with us.

To spend eternity in any other place than Heaven is the one goal we should keep in front of us in every decision and every situation life should bring our way, big or small. 

Discussion Questions: 

1. How do you picture Heaven? 
2. How does the idea of Heaven affect how we live our lives?