THREE HEAVENS

The Bible speaks about more than one heaven. We find that the Bible refers to three different heavens.

The first heaven we can read of in Genesis 1:8, 20. “And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. . . . And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.” The first heaven is a very real thing. The air above our earth is the first heaven. It is where the birds fly. The Bible calls it the firmament. In 2 Peter 3:10–13 it speaks of a time when this heaven will be destroyed and be made new. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise. . . . Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

The second heaven is far above us. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1. It is where the sun, moon, and stars are. Or, perhaps we could say it is the whole universe.

The third heaven is above the other two heavens. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:10, “He that descended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.” Paul calls the third heaven “paradise” in 2 Corinthians 12:4. He could not describe the third heaven because human words are inadequate.

When the thief on the cross talked with Jesus, he was assured of a place in paradise with Christ. So, paradise, or the third heaven, is where Jesus is now and it is there where Christ will take the righteous when He returns. It is also where the tree of life and God’s throne are located. Paradise, or as we call it is the “heaven”  where God is.

It is my wish and prayer that we all will be in “paradise” or the “third heaven” together very soon. Amen.

James Bessec

 

Heaven—Where the Righteous Will Spend Eternity

Have you ever thought about where the righteous will spend eternity?

We all know that in the beginning, God created the earth as a paradise, the beautiful Garden of Eden. But, unfortunately, when our first parents sinned by eating of the forbidden tree, God had to take away the Garden of Eden from them. But, God reveals to us in His word that in the future He will restore the Garden of Eden where not only our first parents, Adam and Eve will live, but all the saints will live there.

We read in Titus 2:14 that when man sinned God had a plan to redeem us. It was God’s purpose to redeem the earth also, which suffered the effects of sin. God says, “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.” Numbers 14:21

John saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. It also mentions that there was no more sea. He saw the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God and this will be the home of the saved, forever and ever.

Have you ever wondered what we will be doing in heaven? Of course we will sing hymns and praise God like we do in our earthly church, but how else will we be passing our time? The Bible tells us that the redeemed will build houses and live in them. Ellen White also mentions that we will travel the universe and discover the mysteries of God. We will also have the privilege to visit other planets where unfallen beings are living. Isn’t that exciting?

The Sabbath will be kept in heaven. God tells us in His word that everyone will come and worship before Him from every new moon and every Sabbath, which we all know is the seventh day of the week. God Himself will live with us. The Bible tells us that the tabernacle of God will be with men, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be their God. There will be a tree of life, which bares a new fruit every month. There is probably even going to be some fruits which this earth never had.

In the earth made new there will be no more death, neither sorrow or crying, neither shall there be any more pain. There will not be anything to disturb us for we know that the Satan, the prince of evil and sin, will forever be destroyed when Jesus comes.

We know that time is short and Jesus will soon come back to take us home, and it is my wish and prayer that we will all have a place in that future glorious home, which is the New Jerusalem. Amen.

Bellinda Mompoint

 

THE NEW JERUSALEM

When Jesus was about to leave this world, He said there were going to be mansions in His Father’s house, and He assured the disciples that He was going there to prepare a place for all the righteous before returning to take them to be with Him.

This city is called the New Jerusalem. In Revelation, John describes this city coming down from God out of heaven, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Let us look what this New Jerusalem looks like:

The city is 12,000 furlongs or about 1,500 miles (2414 km) around or 375 miles (603 km) on each side. The walls are measured 144 cubits or about 216 feet (66 meters) high. The sides and the height are equal so the height is in proportion to the other measurements.

The materials in this city are amazing! The walls are jasper and the city itself is mainly made out of gold. The foundations of the city are made out of all kinds of precious stones. If you were to analyze the colour of those stones, you will find that they are basically the colours of the rainbow. So this city looks like it is sitting on a magnificent rainbow.

There are 12 gates to the city and each is guarded by an angel, the Bible says. The names of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel are written on the gates. These huge gates are made out of a single pearl. We are not told how big the gates are, but they will be big enough to let everyone in that is going to be saved.

In Revelation we read that there is no night there. But that doesn’t mean that the the sun and moon will no longer exist. In Genesis 8:22, we read that day and night will not cease, but the splendor and glory of God outshines the sun, so that they are not seen.

The New Jerusalem will be our capital city back on the new earth. Matthew 5:5 tells us that, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Just think of how beautiful heaven and the New Jerusalem is. Will it be not be worth it just to be there with Jesus and see how amazing it really is?

It is my wish and prayer that we will be saved one day and be able to live in a mansion in the New Jerusalem. Amen.

Tiffany Bessec