The Coming Heavenly Life of Love

Compiled from the writings of David Brandt Berg

-- What Heaven will really be like

The place where all of God's children are going to dwell with Him forever is not some fanciful dreamland way off in outer space somewhere, but an even more amazing dream city that's going to come down from God, out of space, to a new earth. And God is going to come down and live with us, and we with Him (Revelation 21:1-3). It's going to be such a literal down-to-earth Heaven that the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation chapters 21 and 22, describe the heavenly city in detail--its exact measurements, design, colors, and materials.

But before God brings down His heavenly city, He is going to purify the surface of the earth with fire, destroy the atmospheric heavens, and re-create a beautiful new earth and new atmospheric heavens. It will be the same ball, the same planet, but with a beautiful renewed surface, like a beautiful Garden of Eden--the Paradise of God (Psalm 102:25-26; Isaiah 51:6; 2 Peter 3:7, 10, 12).

We don't know exactly how it is going to work or what everything is going to be like there, but we do know that it's going to be a better world than the present one. It will be a world without death, sorrow, pain, or any of the other problems of today (Revelation 21:4).

The inhabitants of Heaven are not going to be entirely different. They're even going to look much like they did in this life, just as Jesus still looked like Himself after His resurrection. In His supernatural body, after He was resurrected from the grave, Jesus could appear and disappear, walk through walls and locked doors, and move from place to place at the speed of thought. Yet He ate and drank, and His disciples could still see Him and touch Him (Luke 24:36-43; John 21:12-13). In Heaven, people are going to have new supernatural bodies like His, incorruptible, immortal. Their old, decaying, natural bodies will go back to the dust, and they will be given new resurrected bodies that will live forever (Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:2).

But if all there is to Heaven is sitting around on clouds and playing harps, it could get awfully boring! I'm convinced Heaven is not going to be like that at all. I believe it's going to include all the joys and beauties and pleasures of this life, but without the drawbacks--all the assets, and none of the liabilities. After all, why would God have created all this to abandon it? Heaven is going to be like the best of this world, only more so!

It's going to be perfect and wonderful, thrilling and exciting, marvelous and beautiful--everything we have now, only in perfection.

Due to the fall of man through sin when he was first placed on earth, we haven't really had a chance to enjoy life as God originally intended, but in Heaven we will--and I think the Scriptures corroborate this. Heaven is going to be an amplification and eternal continuation of what we who know and love Jesus already have in our hearts. It's going to be perfect and wonderful, thrilling and exciting, marvelous and beautiful--everything we have now, only in perfection.

Everyone there is going to be good and honest and loving and kind--the perfect society, in perfect fellowship with the Lord and each other. There'll be no hate or jealousy or selfishness or cruelty. We'll never grow old and decrepit, or be bound by time. It will be absolutely wonderful!

Within the great heavenly city, all of God's saved children will live with Him forever (Revelation 21:24, 27). But outside there will still be others in various situations, some better off than others, according to the lives they lived, how much they received God's truth and were loving to others. And because there will be "no more sea" (Revelation 21:1), unlike our present planet which is four-fifths covered with water, there will be plenty of room for those living outside the heavenly city.

The whole creation will be the way God intended for it to be originally, without sin, war, pollution, or destruction. In a sense, it will be heaven on earth for everybody, even the unregenerated people who don't have the right to enter the city or walk its golden streets.

Inside the city, the River of Life will flow out of the throne of God and of Jesus. The river will be lined on both sides with Trees of Life that bear twelve different kinds of fruit, and the "leaves are for the healing of the nations" outside (Revelation 22:1-2). Perhaps these healing leaves are symbolic of the words of God, His truth. Surely the inhabitants of Heaven will go out and be teachers amongst the nations. They will still have a job to do when they get to Heaven.

We who receive Jesus now are going to be the inner circle and live in the city, the charmed city, living charmed lives as eternal super-beings in supernatural bodies. Are you ready? And are you going to take as many others with you as you can?

God bless you with His love, salvation, and Heaven, now and forever!