CHAPTER X


THE FINAL HEAVEN
THE ETERNAL ABODE OF THE RIGHTEOUS


From our study in preceding chapters we learned that the departed spirits of the righteous dead are now in the third heaven paradise in the presence of Christ. This is the present heaven. We also learned that they will not always remain there in their disembodied condition, but what they will again become a trinity of spirit, soul, and body when their bodies are resurrected from the grave. We learned that the righteous will receive glorious resurrection bodies, and that all the righteous will receive them at the same time at the second coming of Christ. This will be the perfecting for entrance into the final heaven.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout . . . and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." I Thessalonians 4:15-17. After the righteous dead have received their resurrection bodies, and after the living believers have been changed, they will then be fit for entrance into the Final Heaven. Those who dwell in the Eternal Heaven will be fully redeemed - Spirit, soul, and body.

No saint has yet entered the final heaven; neither has any sinner yet entered the final hell.

We must clearly distinguish between the present heaven and the eternal heaven. Many believers have been confused on this subject. The description of "Heaven" from the fourth chapter to the end of the book of Revelation is future. In the twenty-first chapter, the descrip- tion of the city of precious stones having pearly gates and streets paved with pure gold, cannot be used as a description of the believer's present abode. Remember, all these chapters are future and every description applies to the future habitation of the believers. They cannot be used to describe the present heaven. Yet this is exactly what many have done, and it is this sort of idea that many people have of the Present Heaven. It is surprising, indeed to see the great number of prominent writers and preachers, who, in their descriptions of the Present abode of the righteous, have given the public a false conception. They represent the believer at death as departing at once to the pearly- white city, where the streets are paved with gold, and give many other pictures which they draw from the book of Revelation which apply to the future abode of the believers, and not to their present abode.

Certainly those who give others this false impression of heaven know better than to confuse the present heaven with the final heaven. ' Perhaps many of them hav,e not distinguished between the two, because they wished to avoid a complicated and detailed explanation which would be necessary to make the subject clear.

(For references to the Present Heaven see Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7.)

Here are references to the FINAL HEAVEN. Heaven is spoken of as "a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God." In Hebrews 11:16 we read "He hath prepared for them a city." "Here (on earth) we have no continuing city (no permanent abiding place), but we seek one to come." Hebrews 13:14. The city is described in Revelation 21. It is the New Jerusalem, or city foursquare. This city in itself, is not the entire Heaven. It is but a city of heaven for John the revelator tells us that he saw it "coming down from God out of heaven." Revelation 21:2. The heavenly city is a prepared place for a prepared people. It is the place that Jesus went away to make ready. John 14:2. "I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, there ye may be also."

Heaven is also spoken of as a country. "They seek a country" (R.V.) "a country of their own" (Hebrews 11:14). "They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly" (Hebrews 11:16).

Peter refers to heaven as a place where believers have an inheritance awaiting them. (I Peter 1:3-5). So wonderful is this inheritance that Paul exclaims "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." I Corinthians 2:9. Therefore he exhorts us, "set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Colossians 3:2. And according to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-20, we are to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven rather than here on earth.



HERE IS THE DESCRIPTION OF THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM
AS THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALED IT TO THE APOSTLE JOHN


Revelation 21:1-5, "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. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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. 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. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new." In verse II, John says he saw the holy Jerusalem, "Having the glory of God; and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." (Verses 18-19) "And the buildings of the wall of it was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones." (Verses 21-23.) "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl; And I saw no temple therein; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city-had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."

(Verse 17) "And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 22:3-5) "And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him; And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light; and they shall reign FOR EVER AND EVER."

Dear reader, it will not be the pearly gates, or the jasper walls, or the streets paved with transparent gold, that will make it HEAVEN to us. These would not satisfy us. If this were all, we would not want to stay there forever. But it will be our association with God that will make Heaven attractive. All the joys that we will know will come from the presence of God. These earthly beauties are used to describe heavenly beauties. This is the only way human minds are able to grasp, in part, the beauties of heaven, for I Corinthians 2:9 says "Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

The subject of "Recognizing One Another in Heaven" was discussed in Chapter 7. Since the Bible makes it clear that those in the present paradise recognize one another, it is certain, and only reasonable, that the righteous, when in the final heaven, will then also recognize one another.

In support of this, let us turn to Matthew 8-11. We read the words of Christ. "And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." These men lived hundreds of years before Christ began His earthly ministry, yet, when the time comes when many shall come from ttie east and west, and shall sit down with them in the final heaven, they will not have lost their identity. They will be known as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Christ, after receiving His resurrection body, was recognized. Mary Magdaleneand the disciples recognized Him. John 20:16, 18, 20. On one occasion He appeared to five hundred. Since the believers' resurrec- tion bodies are to have like-attributes of Christ's resurrection body (Chapter IX) they will have the characteristic of recognition.