Maybe you have wondered what heaven is really like. “I want to go there, because I don’t want to go to the other place,” one boy said to me.
A girl said, “No, I don’t want to go there because they sing all the time, and I’d be bored!”
“I don’t want heaven; I just want to be gone to nothing,” said another.
I’m afraid those children have never read the Bible. The only One who knows the answer to our question has written a book for you — the Bible. Surely the Lord Jesus knows what heaven is like. He has lived there since farther back than our minds can go, and after He rose from the dead, He went back to heaven. But since He went back, He has a real body with nail wounds in His hands. He didn’t have those before. So with the Lord Jesus in heaven, it is a wonderful place of happiness! He is also called the Lamb of God.
Have you read the Book of Revelation? It will tell you what is NOT found in heaven — no tears, no sorrow and no pain. But how can God tell you what His home is really like? You may read about the street of gold, and we know gold is valuable and beautiful. You might read about the wounded Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, and that sounds a little scary.
Let me tell you a secret. These pictures God gives us are symbols, like a beaver or a star or a bear with a hat on. God wants to tell us something, and instead of saying, “I can’t understand,” let’s listen and learn God’s secret symbols.
In Revelation 5, we have three groups praising the Lord in heaven. The first group is twenty-four elders. Elders are people, and it’s easy to count to twenty-four. There were beasts too, and I can’t imagine what they looked like, but they show the character of God. You’ll find them described in Revelation 4:77And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. (Revelation 4:7).
The elders had seats, and there was not one empty seat. You know what? There will be no empty seats in heaven! If you are saved from your sins, even if you are very little, there’s a place for you in God’s home, and nobody can take that place but YOU! It’s reserved just for you.
The twenty-four elders bow down before the Lamb, and they SING! And more than that, the words are sung to that wonderful Lamb who died to save them. Did you notice that they sing to the Lamb and not just about Him? And they sing about His blood. Those twenty-four elders are from every tribe and language and race and nation, and they are kings and priests! You won’t have to stretch your neck for a peek at them; you’ll be right there singing with them, and you won’t be out of breath or bored! It will be wonderful to be there! And the best part is that Jesus will be there!
The next group is way beyond my mathematical ability. There are so many thousands that I couldn’t count that high. They are angels, and they don’t sing about the blood because Jesus didn’t die for angels. In fact, they don’t sing at all. They talk with a loud voice, like a crowd of cheering people. They don’t speak to the Lamb, but speak about Him. They have seven things to praise Him for, and you’ll find them in verse 12.
Then there’s a third group, and no number is given for them. This group includes creatures in heaven (like the birds) and creatures in the sea (like fish), and the writer (John) heard them saying, “Blessing and honor and glory and power” — just four things. They have praises for God and the Lamb, because they are fitted to live where they are, but they don’t have understanding of the One who created them.
After all these praises, the beasts say, “Amen,” and the elders (that’s the saved people like you and me), worship Him who lives forever and ever.
What does your heart say to all this? Are you in that happy number who sing, “Thou art worthy”? You can’t fit into the second or third group, and if you have no place in the first group, where will you be?
I can’t find anything in God’s Book about “going to nothing” when you die. In fact, I can read the awful truth in Revelation 20:1515And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15) of those not found written in the book of life. Many of you boys and girls have memorized that verse. Do you remember its very sad and serious message? If not, it would be good to look it up.
Is your name written in God’s book of life? I sure hope so!
Think About God’s Word!
1. Where did the Lord Jesus go after He rose from the dead?
Project: It sure is wonderful to think of heaven and what will happen there. What will happen in hell? Matthew 13:4242And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:42) gives part of the answer, but there are other verses that give some of the character of the place as well.