Rev. Johnson V.
21st November 2010

Life, as a believer in our Resurrected Saviour Jesus Christ, is different. We are strangers and aliens in this world (1 Peter 2:11), pilgrims on our way to our final destination. We are sober-minded and don’t mind enduring hardship on this earth, for the hope of glory that is ours in eternity. So what is this place that we eagerly look forward to – a place that our God has gone ahead, to prepare?

Heaven is our future abode. Heaven is vast and has many parts to it. It is the place where we will spend eternity.

Heaven is different from the Kingdom of God. Heaven is a specific place, a physical place with spiritual composition. Isaiah 14:13, tells us how Lucifer wanted to put a throne above God’s throne in heaven. Whereas Luke 17:21, says that the Kingdom of God is within us. Mathew 12:28 tells us that the Kingdom of God is among us. So where is the Kingdom of God? A simple definition is this - wherever Jesus is King, there is the Kingdom of God. Heaven is specific, while His Kingdom is everywhere.

Layout of Heaven – there are many sections in heaven, meant for specific purposes. Some of them are:-

• Throne room of God – Revelations chapter 4. This is an expression of authority .
• Temple of God – Ezekiel 40-43. A place of worship.
• New Jerusalem – Revelations 21. It is a city and will probably be where the bride of Christ, the church, will be. The dimensions of this city are magnificent and the material used to build it (streets and foundations) are exquisite. It will be nothing like what we have seen so far because our Lord Jesus is the architect (John 14:1-3).
• Where the angels dwell – Job 38. There are many types of angels, each with a specific purpose. Seraphim’s, Cherubim’s and many others.
• Paradise. The thief who hung on the cross next to our Lord Jesus was assured of being in paradise.
  Heaven is promised to us, but only after we pass through the judgment and we are found deserving of it. The end time judgments are as follows:-
• Believer’s judgment – 1 Corinthians 5:1-4. There are no other judgments for believers.
• Judgment on the nations by the children of God – Revelations 19:11-16 and Jude 14 and 15.
• Great white throne judgment – Revelations 20:12-13 where each individual, dead and alive, will be judged.
• Jewish people are judged by the Law of Moses – Galatians 3:20

Heaven is real and our God is waiting for us. Let us live our lives carefully so we can get there, receive our rewards and spend the rest of eternity with our God and Saviour.