Heaven part 2

July 10, 2020 (Friday)

 

“But this is precisely what is written: God has prepared things for those who love him that no eye has seen, or ear has heard, or that haven’t crossed the mind of any human being.” [1 Corinthians 2:9 CEB] Heaven is beyond our understanding, Hell is closer to home.

 

How will we transition to eternal life in Heaven? Paul hints, “Listen, I’m telling you a secret: All of us won’t die, but we will all be changed in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the final trumpet. The trumpet will blast, and the dead will be raised with bodies that won’t decay, and we will be changed.” [1 Corinthians 15:51 – 52 CEB] Please notice, this is a literal, physical body. The Greek word translated “instant” means the smallest fraction of time that cannot be divided again. Paul reinforced it with another image “blink of an eye.” The Greeks used this to mean “a beat” such as the flap of wings, the buzz of a gnat, the slightest quiver of a harp, and the twinkling of the stars. This transition will be so rapid, it will be unmeasurable.

 

Imagine the power this will take! Paul describes it, “He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” [Philippians 3:21 NLT] The “He” in the verse is Jesus. Jesus was the template for humanity’s creation. Jesus is the pattern for the Christian life. Jesus is the model for our eternal bodies.

 

So how to describe what cannot be described? John gave it a try, “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” [Revelation 21:10 – 11 ESV] Jasper is a type of quartz. It is silicon dioxide that is translucent. The color(s) comes from whatever mineral that contaminates it. Technically it can be brown, yellow, orange, red, green, blue, some or all of those colors (if banded). What John is describing is a brilliant, multi-colored, clear “radiance” (light).

 

This is a walled city. In Roman times, walls and gates were a show of the city’s military strength. John describes the walls and gates, “It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.” [Revelation 21:12 ESV] The twelve gates are monuments to the tribes of Israel. They are manned by twelve angels. They may be guards, but this seems unlikely since every enemy has been defeated. Most likely they are the official attendants/greeters of sorts.

 

Continuing the visual tour of the city, John observes the foundations, “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” [Revelation 21:14 ESV] Once again we see the connection between Israel and the church.

Next, the city is measured, “Now the city was laid out as a square. Its length was the same as its width. He measured the city with the rod, and it was fifteen hundred miles. Its length and width and height were equal.” [Revelation 21:16 CEB] After measuring the walls at 216 feet, the wall is described as jasper, the foundations as various precious stones, the gates of the city are from a single pearl, and the city streets are pure gold “clear as glass.” Glass in the ancient world generally was NOT transparent.

 

This adds up to a very impressive visual image. Maybe another lesson we find here is the things we value in this world are not much more than pavement in Heaven. If the things we value and hope for on earth are so common they are not worth thinking about in Heaven, imagine what the rest of the experience is going to be…