Heaven

Author: Pastor Thomas G. Wilson
March 31, 2020

Revelation 21:1-4 KJV [1] And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. [2] And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. [4] And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

The Apostle John saw into the future by the Spirit of God.  What he saw is still ahead of us.  God is creating a new heaven and a new earth and they will be perfect just as the originals were before man fell.  This new creation will feature a lot more real estate since there will be no more seas and most of the planet is covered with water.  God will live with us and we will be His people and He will be supreme in everything to us.  What is most striking is what will not be there.  Things like death, sorrow, crying, and pain will pass away.  Now pain particularly covers everything from a toothache to a terminal disease.  This glimpse of what heaven will be offers revelation of what the will of God has always been for mankind. 

It would be very difficult to find anyone who believes in heaven who would also say that there would be blind people in heaven, or sick people, or lame people.  That concept is foreign to us.  Heaven is recognized, as God’s restoration of paradise and paradise does not include sickness and disease.  Well, it should also follow that; it is the will of God for men to be healed.  Some would argue, “It must be His will for people to be sick and there be suffering in the earth.”  Yet others would say, “Obvious, sometimes it is His will and other times it is not.”  But holding either of these opinions would be saying that God has a different will for heaven than He does for earth.  However, we all learned better than that in Sunday school:

Matthew 6:9-10 KJV [9] After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Jesus instructed His disciples to pray that the Heavenly Father’s will be done in earth, the same way it was in heaven.  If, as is believed, it is God’s will for some to be sick to teach them something or to glorify himself here on earth through sickness, then the residents in heaven, where His will is perfected, are in big trouble!

No, God doesn’t change and His will doesn’t change.  In the beginning His will was wholeness, health, life and no death.  At the end His will is wholeness, health, life and no death.  What happened in the middle?  Did He change?  Not at all, it’s impossible for God to change.  His will now is the same as it always has been, and always will be.  There are many things going on in the earth that are not His will and Jesus revealed what our response should be.  Pray.  Our primary purpose in prayer is to call for God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, where His will is unchallenged and perfected.  

For further reading: Rev. 21 & 22  

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