The Hope of Heaven: Unimaginable Beauty

by David Chadwick

There will be unimaginable beauty in heaven. Inextricable joy. Eternal wonder.

The New Jerusalem is described as a magnificent and glorious city. Revelation 21:2 says that this new city will come “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” One day it will come down from heaven and be established on the new earth at the end of the millennial kingdom.

What will New Jerusalem look like? The walls are jasper, the streets are gold, and the gates are made of pearls. I wonder if what we describe on earth as “precious metals” are simply common sources of construction in heaven.

Here on earth we search far and wide to find gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones like jasper and emeralds. They are precious and valuable because they are scarce. But in heaven, they are used in every basic part of the construction of the holy city!

It reminds me of the joke of the man who decided to hide gold in his death suit, thinking that perhaps he could smuggle it into heaven and have some resources available to him in eternity. Upon arrival, St. Peter purportedly examined him and found the gold. He then jokingly asked the man, “Why in the world are you trying to smuggle street pavement into heaven?”

What is valuable here will be common there. The beautiful things we cherish on earth will surround us in heaven. It will be splendorous. Beautiful. Unimaginably glorious.

The reality of heaven should cause all of us who follow Jesus to exclaim, “I can’t wait!”

Are you one of his followers? Do you feel the anticipation swelling in your heart to go home one day? This should drive you to worship Jesus more and share him with others.

When you are faced with the brokenness of this world, whisper to yourself, “I can’t wait!” When discouragement settles in because the world is not yet restored, proclaim, “I can’t wait!” And as you do, little by little, let hope arise in your heart for the most glorious reunion with your soon-coming King.

The Hope of Heaven: Our Mansions

by David Chadwick

Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” The hope of heaven is the ultimate fulfilled desire for followers of Jesus.

John 14:2 says, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you.”

Jesus went to heaven before us to build a place for us. This will be the place where you and I, his bride, his church will live forever.

The earliest biblical translations have “mansions” to describe what Jesus will prepare for us. And the later translations have “dwelling places.” No one is completely certain what a dwelling place is. Some have suggested it may be like an apartment. We really do not know for sure.

But if you don’t mind, I’m going to stick with the older translations of “mansions,” as I’d like to think that my loving heavenly Father has prepared a magnificent dwelling place for me in which I’ll live forever that closely resembles a mansion here.

This is not to say that it has to be luxurious or lavish, but it will be marked with excellence and perfection. A permanent home where we all dwell together. A smaller dwelling place or a huge estate? Or something in between? None of us will know until we get there.

All I know is that it will be wonderful. Magnificent. Glorious. And I think it will be something close to all my loved ones and friends. A place to spend time together.

My Jesus is gracious and good. He is kind and generous. He loves to give good gifts to his children. That’s why I lean toward a mansion. Either way, it’ll be beyond anything we can imagine. Another reason to look forward to heaven!

Just do me one favor: Make sure you belong to Jesus. Be sure that you have given your life to him and accepted his gift of salvation by his grace.

And you are completely assured of this precious promise.

The Hope of Heaven: Seeing our Loved Ones

by David Chadwick

Heaven brings an undeniable hope to followers of Jesus Christ.

For those of us who put our faith in Jesus, we will one day, once again, see all of our loved ones who also put their faith in Jesus. For me, this will be my mom and dad, my big brother Howard, and many of my friends who have gone on before me.

For some of you, it may be babies who were miscarried or died in infancy. Children or grandchildren. Aunts or uncles. All there. Reunited with Jesus and with one another.

1 Corinthians 13:12 says that right now we look through a mirror dimly. But soon we will see face to face. We will soon see both our Savior and our loved ones again—face to face!

College football teams have homecoming games. Have you ever been to one? They are the highlight of the football season. Lots of gatherings. Parties. Food. Fun. Decorations. People who have not seen one another for a while come together. This is such a great picture of heaven. One grand reunion.

Now imagine those times when you’ve been away from home for a while. I remember living overseas for a year, not having seen Mom or Dad for a while. Finally, it was time to return home. I remember vividly how exciting those days were leading up to my homecoming! Getting to see loved ones and friends again, getting caught up, eating scrumptious meals, and laughing in fellowship with one another.

Heaven will be even better than that! After being separated from family and loved ones for a season, we will finally be reunited with them in heaven. Just imagine the joy! The hugs! The conversations that will ensue after finally being reunited.

Remember this: This world, in its present broken and sinful condition, is not our eternal home. The new heaven and the new earth, remade by God to its original intent, will be our home forever.

Heaven will be the ultimate homecoming! Get ready!