The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass,
Revelation 21:21 NKJV
The 21st chapter of Revelation gives us a beautiful picture of heaven. It begins in verse 4 by describing it as a place of no more worries or sorrow for Jesus will wipe away our tears. There will be no more death, nor will there be mourning.
The world we live in now is filled with evil. Any given day you can just tune into the news and hear all the horrible things some people do to other human beings.
Chapter 21 goes on in verse 7 to say that for those who overcome, they shall inherit all things and God will be their God and the overcomer will be God’s child.
In verse 9, John describes the new Jerusalem. It is described as having the glory of God with Her light being like that of a precious stone like jasper, clear as crystal. It describes the surrounding wall as being high with twelve gates with twelve angels stationed at the gates having the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written on them.
The wall is described as having twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles. The foundation of the wall is adorned with precious stones.
Perhaps one of the most interesting things mentioned in chapter 21 is that John stated that he saw no temple in the city of Jerusalem. There was no temple because the LORD God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The greatest thing about heaven is the Lord’s presence. We will be spending eternity with the LORD God Almighty and the Lamb.
And while most might fear the heat, the fire and the constant torment of hell, the worst thing about hell is we will be forever banished from the Lord’s. When we are banished from the Lord’s presence there is no hope.
As long as we are alive here on earth, we have the hope of one day going before our Lord and Savior and being allowed to spend eternity with Him. Now, we can reject Him enough here on earth that He simply gives us over to our evil desires. You can read all about that in Romans 1:18-24. But we have a choice, we can turn to Him a surrender to Him and be saved.
In hell, we won’t have that option. We are there permanently where we will be tormented night and day forever and ever according to Revelation 20:10.
So, knowing what heaven is like and what hell is like, you would think it’s a no brainer. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy because we tend to believe the devil’s lies. We believe things like we don’t really need to study our Bible and pray daily. We believe things like we don’t need church; we can go it on our own and be just fine.
Our former pastor used to say, however, that church here on earth was our dress rehearsal for life in heaven, because in heaven we will sing and praise the Lord day and night.
Our churches should be a taste of what heaven will be like. There should be a sweet spirit there and we should feel the Lord’s presence. It should be a place of worship and praise and fellowship with like-minded believers. Most importantly, it should be a place where we study the Bible and learn how to be assured of our place in heaven.
My friend, heaven is a beautiful place that I believe is beyond what we can really comprehend because I don’t believe the words that describe it can do justice. I believe there is a peace there like we can never experience here on earth. And I’m excited just know that there is no death, no mourning, and no more tears in heaven.
If you want to go there, prepare for your trip. Pray and study your Bible daily. Get into a close, loving relationship with your Lord and Savior. And find a good, Bible teaching church where you can fellowship with other Christians.
Have a great day!