A1 – Heaven, the dwelling place of God
We would like to start by first introducing you to a remarkable place called “Heaven”. It is the dwelling place of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ also dwells there because He is the Son of God.
Now, the best way to describe heaven is to consider what sort of things are not found in it and what sort of things can be found in it.
Firstly, let us consider
What is absent or not found in heaven?
1) Church buildings:
Look at the church building! Isn’t it beautiful! Yes, these magnificent structures will be absent in heaven. On earth, we use church buildings to worship God and enjoy fellowship with other Christians. In heaven however, church buildings will be useless because God Himself will be there! Wouldn’t that be great!
2) The sun and the moon
The Bible tells us that there will be no need for the sun or the moon in heaven. That’s because the glory of God in heaven provides all the light that is necessary. So, there is no need to pack your sunscreen lotion!
3) Sin
Every thought and every act we do against the law of God is regarded as sin. Sin is found in every person’s heart. “For all have sinned…” says the Bible. There will be no sin in heaven. All people who want to go to heaven must make sure their sins are forgiven while still here on earth.
4) Medicines
Have you ever been sick? Surely you have! There will be no medicines in heaven because no one will ever get sick there!
5) Pain
We go through all sorts of pain everyday. It can be physical pain in the form of sickness, accidents, suffering emotional abuse or any other form of sadness caused by some kind of pain. There will be no pain and suffering in Heaven. God will wipe away all tears from our eyes.
6) Candles
We don’t use candles much these days. Instead we use electric bulbs and artificial lights for the same reasons candles were used in bygone days; to provide light for our homes during dark hours of the night. Well, in heaven we won’t need any candles or bulbs because there will be no more night.
You must be thinking “what if I am tired and want to sleep? Are we never ever going to need rest in heaven?” No! we will never ever get tired again once we are in heaven.
7) Death
The sight of a grave yard filled with tombstones, of children crying, widows and bereaved family members weeping over their lost loved one because of death is very painful. But in heaven there will be no more sorrow, no more crying and no more death.
Now on the good side, let us think of those things
What we expect to find in Heaven?
1) Angels
We know, the Bible makes it obvious that there are a countless number of angels of many ranks and beauty.
2) The word of God
The Lord Jesus Christ told us while he was on earth that the Word of God will always be there, it will never pass. For many centuries people have tried to destroy the Bible but they have never succeeded, they will never succeed in their attempts to destroy it. It is the Word of God and it will be there in Heaven.
3) The Book of Life and the Tree of Life
There will be another book in Heaven. It is called the Book of Life. It contains names of all people young and old, dead or alive who have been saved by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
There will also be a strange tree in Heaven called the Tree of Life. That tree is said to produce twelve different kind of fruits, one kind for each month of the year. How awesome is that!
4) Mansions
Oh! There will be many mansions in heaven for those who belong to the Lord. Before He ascended into Heaven He promised them “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 vs. 2
5) The Golden Streets
Our roads are paved with gravel, bricks or tar. Heaven streets on the other hand will be paved with pure gold. How beautiful heaven must be! There is no other place like it anywhere.
6) The Golden Crowns
Golden crowns have been promised to those who serve the Lord in various ways. There are crowns for those who lived honestly for God and for those who told others about the Lord Jesus Christ and many other efforts will be rewarded with these crowns.
7) The Lord Jesus Christ
The most amazing thought about heaven is the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ himself will be there! Our eyes are going to gaze upon Him who loved us and died for us so that we could be with Him in Heaven. What great joy it will be huh?! Aren’t you thrilled?
Now think about it this way: if you ever pass by the window of a shop and you happen to see wonderful items that you definitely need, don’t you ever wonder why those items were placed there so close to the window with only a transparent glass?
Why do the shop owners do that? Simply, they are inviting you to come into their shop!
Why does God in the Bible tell us so many details about Heaven?
He wants us to go in! Yes, dear friend, Heaven was made for you and God is inviting you to come into Heaven which is why He is telling us about it in His Word particularly in the book of Revelation.
Why does God want us to go to Heaven?
Because He Loves Us! True, every one of us can say, “God Loves Me!” Say it aloud right now, put your hand on your chest and say it out loud, “God Loves Me!” Do it again, “God Loves Me!”
Isn’t it a wonderful thing to know that God loves us and wants us to be with Him in Heaven? Think about it. In our next lesson we will consider greater things about God.
IMPORTANT POINT OF NOTE:
• God Loves Me
• God wants me to live with Him in Heaven
In our next lesson we are going to explore the topic: “How sin entered the world”.
Next Steps
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