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Let's take a look at what it says in Revelation chapter
21 about the heaven that is to come.
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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. And he said unto me, Write:
for these words are true and faithful. And
he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end. I will
give unto him that is athirst of the fountain
of the water of life freely. He that
overcometh shall inherit all things; and I
will be his God, and he shall be my son.
(Revelation 21:1-7)
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Then verse 10 says,
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And he carried me away in the spirit to a
great and high mountain, and shewed me
that great city, the holy Jerusalem,
descending out of heaven from God.
(Revelation 21:10)
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There is a hymn that begins with the lines,
Jerusalem, my happy home!
Name ever dear to me.3
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"Jerusalem, my happy home." What is to be found
in this Jerusalem? The temple of God is there. John
wrote that he saw the new Jerusalem coming down
out of heaven, but we do not have an explanation
of the temple within the city yet.
Revelation chapter 21 describes this perfect heaven
as having inexpressible beauty, being adorned with
every kind of precious stone sapphire, emerald,
and amethyst, amongst others and its streets being
paved with pure gold.
John also wrote that there were no lights in the
city. Does that mean that it was dark? If it had
been dark there, it would not have been heaven.
There were no lights and yet the city was bright.
Come to Christ! Before His throne
We shall stand, robed in white,
In the bright and shining home.
In eternal light.4
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Heaven is a truly bright and shining home.
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And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
of it. (Revelation 21:22)
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Who does it say is the temple? The temple that
had taken 46 years to build was just a shadow of
the true temple. Now, however, in the new Jerusalem,
there are no more shadows, since Jesus Himself
is the temple. For as long as the believers are
on this earth, the Church that is the body of Jesus
Christ is the temple.
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Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
(1 Corinthians 3:16)
What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your
own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)
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This is what the Bible says, isn't it? And this is
what we believe.
I'm rejoicing night and day,
As I walk the pilgrim way,
For the hand of God in all my life I see,
And the reason for my bliss,
Yes, the secret all is this:
That the Comforter abides with me.5
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The Comforter, that is the Spirit of the Lord, abides
with me. When we enter heaven, we will not be
able to see a temple since Jesus Himself is the perfect
temple. It is through the Lamb of God that
we see the temple.
In Revelation chapter 21 it says,
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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. (Revelation 21:23)
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There is no need for any other lights in this city
because Jesus Himself is the light.
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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.
(Revelation 22:5)
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Now we have an idea of what heaven is like.
John looked for a lamp, but there was none, and
he looked for the temple, but could not find it.
But the true temple was there. It is only when
we actually go to heaven that we will really know
what it is like.
3 Joseph Bromehead (1748-1826), Jerusalem, My Happy Home
4 Translated by John T. Underwood, 1988, 'Tis For You and Me
5 Herbert Buffum (1879-1939),I'm Rejoicing Night and Day
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God So Loved (1)