The Hope of Heaven: No Pain or Suffering

by David Chadwick

Revelation 21:4 says that one day, in heaven, God will wipe every tear from our eyes, “and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Once and for all, pain and suffering go away!

No more crying, mourning, physical pain, suffering, or death. No regrets about the past. No fears about the future. In fact, no fears or anxieties at all! We will live in the perfect presence and care of our Creator forever. Fully healed. Fully present with the Father. Fully aware of the victory of Jesus. Fully alive!

Studies show that death is the number one fear that people experience and that all other fears come from this fear of death. But for people who have surrendered their lives to Jesus, death becomes powerless.

Think about this for a moment: If, because of Jesus, there is no more death, then fear of death holds no power in a Christian’s life. If the greatest fear is eradicated because of the Gospel, then all other fears can evaporate as well!

Imagine living every day without fear of bodily deterioration and pain. Imagine living in eternity, where we remain the same age forever. Imagine being around our loved ones forever. Imagine a reality where you live forever and never die. That is heaven!

Many ask what age we will be in heaven. No one really knows. Some have hypothesized that it will be around 33 years of age, for that is the age Jesus was when he died. Physiologically, this is also the age of peak performance for most athletes. From there on, their careers generally go down. We really don’t know! But what we do know is that we will live in a perfect body in a perfect environment where there is no more pain and suffering.

Praise God! Because of his great love for the world, he sent Jesus to die for all of our sins and to offer us eternal life, the hope of heaven!

The Hope of Heaven: No Sun or Moon

by David Chadwick

In heaven, there will be no need for the sun or the moon. But why? Revelation 21:23 says, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” The glory of the Lord will give us all the light we need!

“And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).

Psalm 27:1 says that the Lord is our light and our salvation. And Jesus said that he was the light of the world in John 8:12. Of course, this means that he guides us and our paths in this world. But could he have also been alluding to the light he will bring for all of eternity? According to these verses in Revelation, describing the Lord and Jesus as our light seems like it is not just a figurative description but a real one! He truly is a light!

This begs the question: Will there be sleep in heaven? If there’s no darkness, why will there be a need for sleep? This will be fun to find out in heaven.

In heaven, there is no need for any natural light, electricity, light bulbs, or flashlights. No one will need anything else but Jesus. He will be our light for all eternity. Living in his presence will give us enough light for every second of every moment for all eternity. There will be a tree of life in the middle of New Jerusalem. When we eat from this tree, it will nourish our new bodies forever. It is hard to even comprehend with our finite minds how wonderful this will be.

In Isaiah 55:9, God says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” God has a perspective that goes so beyond anything we could understand, especially when it comes to eternity.

This very idea of God being our light in eternity should cause all of us to pause and try to imagine the glory of heaven. Yearn to be there! Imagine its glory! Allow your childlike imagination to run wild as you await in full assurance the day when it will become your reality.

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.