Does heaven really have pearly gates?

Ever wonder what heaven will be like?  If we were to believe the culture, we’d be wearing bath robes, floating on clouds, and strumming harps.  With lots of chubby babies around – for what reason, I’m not sure.

However, God does give us a description of His holy city.  God reveals this description to the Apostle John, who (fortunately for us) recorded what he saw.  In this part of John’s description, he details what he sees as the angel measures New Jerusalem:

Revelation 21:17-20
Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used.  The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold clear as glass.  The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of jewel:

the first foundation is jasper,
the second sapphire,
the third chalcedony,
the fourth emerald,
the fifth sardonyx,
the sixth carnelian,
the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz,
the tenth chrysoprase,
the eleventh jacinth,
the twelfth amethyst.

Some of these stones we recognize, others we may not.  Remember, John is describing what he sees as best he can – relating his observations to things he is familiar with.  Interestingly enough, many of these precious “foundational” stones listed here were also in the breastplate of Israel’s High Priest. 

What we do know for sure is that the city is prepared like a bride adorned for her husband (21:2), and after unveiling the city, when God said “I am making everything new.” (21:5)…and He means it.  These descriptions of Heaven aren’t like the sleepy, harp-strumming, so-boring-I’m-going-to-gouge-my-eyes-out portrayals we get from modern culture. 

Just imagine seeing this as you walk into New Jerusalem:

Revelation 21:21
The twelve gates are twelve pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl.  The main street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.

The largest pearl found on earth is about 1 foot in diameter and is estimated to be worth about $130 million USD.  What kind of artistry goes into making entire city gates out of individual pearls?  Do they shine, do they glimmer?  How would these gates feel to the touch? 

The magnificence of New Jerusalem certainly overwhelms John.  When I let my imagination play with his descriptions, I can’t help but be filled with awe and wonder at the thought of just being there…

And then I remember what God previously announced to John, that the one who conquers will inherit these things (21:7)…being there, in the New Jerusalem, will be wonderful; however, we are invited to inherit it.  Since inheritance is conditional, our choices now determine if we are an conqueror or not.

What, exactly, can we inherit in the New Jerusalem?  We’re not told “exactly” what that will entail…however, given the overwhelming descriptions of New Jerusalem’s beauty, and God’s promises to those who are conquerors – it would be safe to say that living for Christ now, no matter what cost we pay in this life, has an eternal reward far beyond what we would call “good” or “worth it”.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Owning a slice of Heaven

Throughout the Bible, God continually talks about the general and then gets to specifics.  An example of this is seen in the broad, sweeping creation account in Genesis 1 being further explained with more specific details during creation starting in Genesis 2:4.  Another example can be seen during the Sermon on the Mount, where several times Jesus taught principles and then gave focused examples of how these principles were to be fleshed out in our daily lives.

We see a similar narrowing of focus in this section of Revelation 21 also.  As we saw last time, God begins verse 6 proclaiming that he is both the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  Then He states that a relationship with Him begins with the acceptance of His free gift, and that this gift is available to anyone.  In verse 7, God gets even more specific:

Revelation 21:6-7
Then He said to me, “It is done!  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.  The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

In order to fully understand what God is saying in verse 7, we need to remember the context of both the situation at hand, the book of Revelation as a whole, and the historical context of the original recipients.

Revelation 21:7
The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Exactly what God is referring to by saying inherit these things can be understood from the immediate context.  John has just witnessed the arrival of the New Jerusalem – the Holy City, the city Abraham was looking forward to.  This is the place that will be inherited by the one who conquers.

Let’s consider that statement for a minute. 

God is telling us that it will be possible to obtain actual “ownership” within the New Jerusalem.  With inheritance comes possession, and there is certainly a difference between living in a city and possessing property in a city. 

So what does “inheriting” consist of?
And who is it that “conquers”?

Those are excellent questions.

For the moment, though, it’s pretty exciting to think about inheriting/owning part of this magnificent future God has planned.  God says that He will look at certain believers and say, “This belongs to you.  You own it.”

The New Jerusalem – Heaven on Earth – will obviously be more than just showing up and being happy to be there.

Keep Pressing,
Ken