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.

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.