Heaven in Christian preaching represents the eternal home prepared by Christ for believers, embodying ultimate joy, peace, and the presence of God beyond earthly life (John 14:2-3). Illustrations often contrast transient earthly treasures with eternal heavenly rewards, portraying heaven as both a present spiritual reality and a future hope that inspires holy living and evangelism (Philippians 3:20).
In heaven, all is eternal praise and worship, expressing joy and glory to God and the Lamb.
The worship there shall be all praise. No prayer shall be there, for there shall be no sense of want. All is praise, for all is manifestation and light; all is praise, for all is triumph; all is praise, for all is blessedness and enjoyment. Whatever the feeling, praise, eternal praise, is the expression of it; from the breathing whisper of adoring love which flits through the prostrate ranks of the redeemed, to the full chorus of praise, — the high, the universal shout of glory and honor and blessing to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb forever. R. Watson.
Rejecting God's royal gift leads to loss, illustrating the need to prepare properly for heaven.
We have the example of a vizier having lost his life through failing to wear a garment of honor sent to him by the king. Chardin mentions the circumstance. The officer through whose hands the royal robe was to be forwarded, out of spite, sent in its stead a plain habit. The vizier would not appear in the city arrayed in this, lest it should be taken as an evidence that he was in disgrace at court; and put on, in its stead, a royal habit, the gift of the late king; and in that made his public entry into the city. When this was known at court, they declared the vizier a dog, that he had disdainfully thrown away the royal apparel, saying, "I have no need of Sha Sefi's habits!" Their account incensed the king, who severely felt the affront; and it cost the vizier his life. Trench.
Focusing on distant heaven can blind us to present blessings and joy in Christ's goodness now.
He whose mind is here absorbed in the desire for the distant heaven is like a man walking through scenes of exquisite loveliness, and fields of delicious fruit, with his eyes so fixed upon a mirage-scene in the distance, that he sees no beauty on his way, starves amid the exuberant provisions which lie about his path, and reaches what he sees, an exhausted pilgrim, to find the object of his search vanish into air. Infuse, then, the spirit of heaven into thy present life. Moral goodness of soul, springing from faith in Christ, is your way into the present and all the future heavens of your being.
— Dr. Thomas
Christ's purchase of heaven calls us to courageously strive to claim and enjoy our eternal home.
Like as if a man were assured that there were made for him a great purchase in Spain or Turkey, so that, if he would but come thither, he might enjoy it, he would adventure the dangers of the sea, and of enemies also, if need were, that he might come to his own; even so, seeing that Christ Jesus hath made a purchase for us in heaven, and there is nothing required of us but that we will come and enjoy it, we ought to refuse no pains or fear in the way, but carefully strive to get it. Caedray.
Recognizing familiar saints in heaven brings joy and fellowship, enriching eternal happiness.
Heaven is presented to us under the idea of a banquet, and much of its comfort must flow from a knowledge of the guests. Imagine yourselves at a feast, where, though you may have known many who surround the table, you are, by some obliviousness of mind, ignorant of them all: the incertitude in which you are placed robs you of much of your joy; for you are alone. But suppose that the mist rolls away, and that you recognize in the countenances before you the old familiar faces of beloved friends: at once you become conscious of a felicity of which you otherwise would have been deprived. So it will be in eternity. Sitting down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, you will intuitively recognize as your companions those who were the excellent of the earth, and be re-united to those who divided your cares or doubled your joys in this world of mingled sorrows and delights.
Reaching heaven requires faith combining God's law and gospel, symbolized by Mount Sinai and Mount Zion.
The poets fabulously fancied that the giants scaled heaven by heaping mountain upon mountain. What was their fancy is the gospel-truth. If you would get to heaven, you must climb thither by putting Mount Zion upon Mount Sinai.
— Bp. Hopkins
Heaven's worship is joyful service where work is rest and praise is eternal delight.
Adoration at the throne, activity in the temple,—the worship of the heart, the worship of the voice, the worship of the hands,—the whole being consecrated and devoted to God,—those are the service of the upper sanctuary. Here the flesh is often wearied with an hour of worship: there "they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was and is, and is to come." Here a week will often see us weary in well-doing: there they are drawn on by its own deliciousness to larger and larger fulfilments of Jehovah's will. Here we must lure ourselves to work by the prospect of rest hereafter: there the toil is luxury, and the labor recreation; and nothing but jubilees of praise, and holidays of higher service, are wanted to diversify the long and industrious sabbath of the skies. And it matters not though sometimes the celestial citizens are represented as always singing, and sometimes as always flying; sometimes as always working, and sometimes as always resting: for there the work is rest, and every movement song; and the "many mansions" make one temple, and the whole being of its worshippers one tune, — one mighty anthem, long as eternity, and large as its burden, the praise of the great Three-One, — the self-renewing and ever-sounding hymn, in which the flight of every seraph, and the harp of every saint, and the smile of every raptured spirit, is a several note, and repeats ever over again, "Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
— Dr. J. Hamilton
Heaven excludes all defilement, unlike earthly places that admit both clean and unclean.
"There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth." Heaven is not like Noah's ark, that received clean and unclean. A sinner is compared to swine; and shall a swinish creature tread upon the golden pavement of heaven? Indeed, the frogs came into King Pharaoh's court, but in heaven there is no entertainment for such vermin. T. Watson.
Heaven is a joyful society of perfected spirits sharing divine light, love, and knowledge.
When death shall have disencumbered and set us free from all sorts of distempers, and brought us into the state of perfect and perfected spirits, how delectable will that society be when all shall be full of divine light, life, love, and joy, and freely communicate as they have received freely! How pleasant it will be to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God; to converse with angels, those wise, kind creatures, so full of profound knowledge and benignity, instructed by long uninterrupted experience and observation of the methods of the divine government and dispensation; highly pleased with our accession to the general assembly; that rejoiced in the conversion of a sinner, whereby but one was hereafter in due time to be added, much more in the glorification of so many that are now actually added to them! John Howe.
Heaven offers ultimate safety beyond any earthly power or threat.
Valens the emperor threatened St. Basil, that let him go whither he would, yet he should neither by sea nor land be safe from his power. "Well," said the good man, "be it so: for all the emperor's rage, I shall be either in heaven or under heaven." And, in the like manner, there was a cardinal threatened Luther, that there shall not be a place left for him in all the empire of Germany wherein he should be free from danger. "Oh!" saith Luther smilingly, "if earth cannot keep me safe, heaven shall."
— Spencer
The path to heaven involves leaving self, trusting Christ, and entering glory.
A poor man told Rowland Hill, that the way to heaven was short, easy, and simple; comprising only three steps.—"out of self, unto Christ, into glory."
Earthly excess hinders spiritual progress; build eternal, imperishable tabernacles in heaven.
Let us build houses to dwell in, not to make of them a vain display. That which exceedeth our necessities is superfluous and useless. Bind on a sandal larger than thy foot, and thou wilt not be able to endure it: it will impede thy walking. Thus, also, a house greater than is necessary impedeth thy passage to heaven. Wouldst thou raise vast and splendid habitations? I forbid them not; but let them not be on earth: build tabernacles in heaven.—tabernacles imperishable. Chrysostom.
Entrance to heaven is granted only through Jesus' blood, not wealth, works, or zeal.
A man dreamed that he stood beside the guarded gate of heaven, when the spirit of a rich man came and sought admittance on the ground of his wealth and local fame. He was reminded that those things belong to time only, and turned away in despair. Another sought entrance on the ground of his integrity, but was repulsed by the angel, saying, "By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." A third pleaded his denominational zeal, fervent prayers, and deep feeling, but was refused with the remark, "There is no name given under heaven, or among men, whereby we must be saved, but the name of Jesus." At length, a spirit was seen winging its way through the air, all the while crying, "The blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin." To it the gates of heaven flew wide open; and the angel said, "An abundant entrance is ministered to you into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
Heaven is the place of ultimate victory over death, sin, and Satan through Christ.
Heaven is a place of complete victory and glorious triumph. This is the battle-field: there is the triumphal procession. This is the land of the sword and the spear: that is the land of the wreath and the crown. This is the land of the garment rolled in blood, and of the dust of the figs: that is the land of the trumpet's joyful sound; that is the place of the white robe, and of the shout of conquest. Oh, what a thrill of joy shall shoot through the hearts of all the blessed when their conquests shall be complete in heaven; when death itself, the last of foes, shall be slain; when Satan shall be dragged captive at the chariot-wheels of Christ; when he shall have overthrown sin, and trampled corruption as the mire of the streets; when the great shout of universal victory shall rise from the hearts of all the redeemed!
— Spurgeon
Heaven's city has eternal, undecaying foundations unlike all earthly kingdoms and ruins.
We ask for Nineveh, and only its ruins are found; for Babylon, and we only find the literal accomplishment of the prophetic description, "heaps, and a dwelling-place for dragons, without an inhabitant;" for ancient Rome, and we see the civilized world going to wonder at its ruins, and read the plain inscription of grandeur and vanity: but this city hath undecaying foundations: God is the builder and maker; and her glory shall never fade.
— R. Watson
Heaven becomes familiar as loved ones arrive, changing our view from distant city to home.
HEAVEN, Views of A living divine says, "When I was a boy, I thought of heaven as a great, shining city, with vast walls and domes and spires, and with nobody in it except white tenuous angels, who were strangers to me. By and by my little brother died; and I thought of a great city with walls and domes and spires, and a flock of cold, unknown angels, and one little fellow that I was acquainted with. He was the only one I knew in that time. Then another brother died; and there were two that I knew. Then my acquaintances began to die; and the flock continually grew. But it was not till I had sent one of my little children to his Grandparent.—God,—that I began to think I had got a little in myself. A second went, a third went, a fourth went; and by that time I had so many acquaintances in heaven, that I did not see any more walls and domes and spires. I began to think of the residents of the celestial city. And now there have so many of my acquaintances gone there, that it sometimes seems to me that I know more in heaven than I do on earth."
Earthly voices singing hymns echo the hope and reality of heaven for pilgrims and strangers.
I was reading the other day, that, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, the wives of fishermen whose husbands have gone far out upon the deep are in the habit, at eventide, of going down to the seashore, and singing, as female voices only can, the first stanza of a beautiful hymn. After they have sung it, they listen till they hear, borne by the wind across the desert-sea, the second stanza, sung by their gallant husbands as they are tossed by the gale upon the waves; and both are happy. Perhaps, if we could listen, we, too, might hear on this desert-world of ours some sound, some whisper, borne from afar, to remind us that there is a heaven and a home; and, when we sing the hymn upon the shores of earth, perhaps we shall hear its sweet echo breaking in music upon the sands of time, and cheering the hearts of them that are pilgrims and strangers and look for a city that hath foundations.
— Dr. Cummings
The way to heaven is to keep going upward without turning back, symbolizing perseverance in faith.
"I know the way to heaven," said little Minnie to little Johnny, who stood by her side, looking on a picture-book that Minnie had in her hand. "You do?" said little John. "Well, won't you tell me how to get there?"—"Oh, yes! I'll tell you. Just commence going up, and keep on going up all the time, and you'll get there. But, Johnny, you must not turn back."
Heaven welcomes the Christian pilgrim with loving care like a father receiving his returning son.
When a father sends his son abroad, and he meets with difficulty in the way, and comes home in tempestuous weather, how gladly does he entertain him! The whole family are ready to wait upon him: one makes a fire; another brings dry clothes; another prepares him comforts. What, then, shall be the welcome of the Christian pilgrim as he comes up to the Father's house!
Heaven is won by Christ’s sacrifice, inspiring worshipers to cast crowns at His feet in gratitude.
Won by other arms than theirs, it presents the strongest imaginable contrast to the spectacle seen in England's palace on that day when the king demanded of his assembled nobles by what title they held their lands. "What title?" At the rash question, a hundred swords leaped from their scabbards. Advancing on the alarmed monarch, "By these," they replied, "we won, and by these we will keep them!" How different the scene which heaven presents! All eyes are fixed on Jesus: every look is love; gratitude glows in every bosom, and swells in every song. Now with golden harps they sound the Saviour's praises; and now, descending from their thrones to do him homage, they cast their crowns in one glittering heap at the feet which were nailed on Calvary. Dr. Guthrie.
Heaven surprises us with unexpected residents and the greatest wonder: finding ourselves there.
There will be three things which will surprise us when we get to heaven,—one, to find many there that we did not expect to find there; another, to find some not there whom we had expected; a third, and perhaps the greatest wonder, will be to find ourselves there. Bowes.
Earthly pleasures fail to satisfy; only God and heaven bring true rest and contentment.
Beat on, O heart! and yearn for dying. I have drunk at many a fountain, but thirst came again; I have fed at many a bounteous table, but hunger returned; I have seen many bright and lovely things, but, while I gazed, their lustre faded. There is nothing here that can give me rest; but when I behold thee, O God! I shall be satisfied! Beecher.
Heaven is a place of perfect kindness, love, and freedom from fear.
A little child's idea of heaven was very beautiful. Her mother was of a gentle, meek, retiring spirit; but her father was pompous, proud, and officious, a tyrant in his own domain. The mother died; and poor Essie was left to the care of others, and to her father's rough words, unshielded by a mother's aid. One day, Essie said to her nurse, "In heaven, where my mother lives, every one is kind. No one ever gets angry, or speaks loud there. Everybody loves everybody: mustn't that be beautiful? Oh, how much I should love to be there, and never be afraid any more!"
Believers will recognize each other in heaven, continuing relationships beyond this life.
The wife of the Welsh minister, John Evans, asked her husband, "Do you think we shall be known to each other in heaven?" He replied, "To be sure we shall: do you think we shall be greater fools there than we are here?"
A child fears heaven because of a grandparent's scolding, showing family influence on faith.
There was a clergyman, who was of nervous temperament, and often became quite vexed, by fitting his little grandchildren in his study. One day, one of these little children was standing by his mother's side, and she was speaking to him of heaven.
"Ma," said he, "I don't want to go to heaven."
"Do not want to go to heaven, my son?"
"No, Ma, I'm sure I don't."
"Why not, my son?"
"Why, grandpa will be there, won't he?"
"Why, yes, I hope he will."
"Well, as soon as he sees us, he will come scolding along, and say, 'Whew, whew, what are these boys here for?' I don't want to go to heaven if grandpa is going there."
Heaven will surprise us by who is there and that we ourselves are there.
John Newton said, "When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there;—the first wonder will be to see many people there whom I did not expect to see—the second wonder will be to miss many people whom I did expect to see—and the third, and greatest wonder of all, will be to find myself there."
A dying believer finds comfort in finishing the race and receiving a crown of righteousness.
A consumptive disease seized the eldest son and heir of the Duke of Hamilton, which ended in his death. A little before his departure from the world, he lay ill at the family seat near Glasgow. Two ministers came to see him, one of whom at his request prayed with him. After the minister had prayed, the dying youth put his hand back, and took his Bible from under his pillow, and opened it at the passage, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearing." "This, sirs," said he, "is all my comfort." As he was lying one day on the sofa, his tutor was conversing with him on some astronomical subject, and about the nature of the fixed stars. "Ah," said he, "in a little while I shall know more of this than all of you together." When his death approached, he called his brother to his bed-side, and, addressing him with the greatest affection and seriousness, he closed with these remarkable words: "And now Douglas, in a little time you will be a duke, but I shall be a king."
A child's desire for heaven is because Christ is there, and she would follow Him anywhere.
A little child, when dying, was asked where it was going; "To heaven," said the child. "And what makes you wish to be there?" "Because Christ is there." "But," said a friend, "what if Christ should leave heaven?" "Well," said the child, "I will go with him."
A young believer experiences heaven's joy and peace before death, praising God.
A little before his death, when his brother said to him, “You seem to enjoy foretastes of heaven,” he replied, “Oh, this is no longer a foretaste; this is heaven! I not only feel the climate, but I breathe the fine ambrosial air of heaven, and soon shall enjoy the company!" The last words which he was heard to utter, were, "Glory, glory, glory." He died in the twenty-fourth year of his age.
A dying man longs for heaven and freedom from sin, though he cannot fully understand.
An old Hottentot having been taken ill, was visited by Mr. Reid, a missionary. He said, "This is the message of death! I shall now go and see the other country, where I have never been, but which I long to see! I am weary of every thing here! I commit too much sin here. I wish to be free from it; I cannot understand things well here, and you cannot understand me. The Lord has spoken much to me, though I cannot explain it."
# 195. HOLY SPIRIT, AGENCY
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In heaven, Christ will captivate our attention more than relationships with others.
An old minister, while one day pursuing his studies, his wife being in the room, was suddenly interrupted by her asking him a question, which has not always been so satisfactorily answered. "Do you think we shall know each other in heaven?" Without hesitation, he replied, "To be sure we shall; do you think we shall be greater fools there than we are here?" After a momentary pause, he again proceeded; "But I may be a thousand years by your side in heaven without having seen you; for the first thing which will attract my notice when I arrive there, will be my dear Savior; and I cannot tell when I shall be for a moment induced to look at any other object."
Melanethon's last words express his sole desire for heaven at death.
Just before Melanethon died, he expressed a wish to hear some choice passages of Scripture read; and, this desire having been met, he was asked by his son-in-law, Sabinus, whether he would have any thing else: to which he replied in those emphatic words, "Aliud nihil, nisi cælum!" "nothing else but heaven." And, shortly after this, he gently breathed his last.
