What the Bible Actually Says about. . .Heaven
By Don Raines
Many people are genuinely curious about what the Bible actually says about certain topics. Clearly, what people think about a certain topic, and what the Bible actually says about it, is not always the same. Among some of the topics that people are curious about are: heaven, hell, resurrection, judgment, and where the soul goes immediately after death. So what does the Bible actually say about heaven?
First of all, it says that it exists! The word heaven, in some form or another, appears over 700 times in the Bible. The fact that heaven exists is confirmed by our Lord many times, references about heaven were made by Jesus himself. Jesus is passed into the heavens. He is reigning in heaven.If we accept the existence of Jesus Christ by faith, we must also accept the existence of heaven, for it is by the same word we know about heaven. Jesus said , "…..man must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)
Secondly, we can know that heaven is eternal. Unlike the physical heaven of creation, which will perish at the coming of the Lord Jesus, heaven above is eternal. It is eternal because it is not of this world! (John 14:1-4) Jesus prepared a place in the presence of God. A place not of this world. All things in and of this world will perish! (1 John 2:17)
It is also eternal because we live there eternally. There will be no more death. It must be eternal in order to support eternal life (Revelation 21: 1-5). The Lord said of heaven in Matthew 25:34,
Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.From the beginning of the creation, heaven was eternal!
We can also know who is going to heaven. The Bible is very clear and specific as to who will go to heaven. Who are they? Those, whose names are written in the book of life, will go to heaven. When Moses interceded for Israel, because of their sin (golden calf), he offered to have his own name removed from the book on behalf of them. Exodus 32:30-33. God’s people are in the book of life: the record of all the faithful. Paul said in Philippians 4:3,