I believe so, yes.
We know from Rev 21-22 that heaven
will one day be on a new earth, and that there will be a great city as its
capital called the New Jerusalem. This
is clearly seen in the following verses:
Rev 21:1-2 "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from
God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband". God is going to create a new earth (whether
He restores the old one or creates a completely new one, I do not know), onto
which the New Jerusalem will descend. The city is as beautiful as the bride who
will one day live in her.
Rev 21:15 “The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold
to measure the city, its gates and its walls.” The enormous detail given about the actual
physical measurements and appearance of this city cannot be only to impress the
reader with the splendour thereof. John
is not just trying to convey the glorious majesty of this city to us in ways he
thinks we might understand – he actually saw this city and is describing to us
what he saw – a literal city.
The following verses raise a “Why?” in
my heart:
Rev 21:24 “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the
earth will bring their splendor into it.”
Some will live inside this city, some will live outside, meaning that
there is a definite border/wall with no less than twelve gates through which
these kings have to move to bring their splendor into it. It seems as if there
will be a lot of traffic in and out of the city. Also Rev 22:14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have
the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” Why bother with gates, if it is only
spiritual?
Jesus told His disciples in John
14:2-3 “My Father’s house
has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going
there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.´
Why does He talk about a definite place, and why refer to rooms, if it
were not literal? Why does He need to
prepare them, if it is only spiritual?
When Jesus went to heaven, He told his disciples in Matt
26:29 "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine
from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s
kingdom". Why refer to grapes in His Father’s kingdom, if there are
not real vineyards that will produce real grapes in heaven?
Phil 3:20-21 reads “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we
also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Jesus Christ, who will transform our
lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body“. The body of
Jesus after His resurrection was physical (he ate and drank with His disciples)
but yet different – He could move through earthly walls and doors, and He
ascended in clouds to Heaven without needing equipment to protect His body as
He moved through our earthly atmosphere into space. Jesus said in Luke 24:39 "Behold My hands and My feet, that it
is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as
you see I have". Why would we
still need such a physical body, which - even if it has enhanced
characteristics - still has flesh and bones, if everthing after this is only spiritual? “Flesh
and bones”-bodies can walk on streets, sit on chairs, eat fruit from the Tree
of Life, drink water from the river….
We know from what Elisha saw (2 Kings 2:11 “ As they were
walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of
fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a
whirlwind.”) that there is technology in heaven. God’s throne also, moves on wheels within
wheels (Dan 7:9; Ez 1:16). It is
therefore not impossible to imagine that there is a literal city being constructed
there which will one day descend onto the new earth.
Maybe
we need reminding of Matt 18:3-4?
“And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like
little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore,
whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom
of heaven.” We have to sometimes set
our adult analytical minds aside and believe like a child. It is not necessary to understand everything
in the Bible perfectly to be able to believe that it exists. Who can perfectly
understand the love of God for us? Who can perfectly understand the sacrifice
Jesus made on the cross? Who can
perfectly understand our redemption? And
yet we choose to believe that it exists, because the Bible says that it does,
and the Holy Spirit in us confirms it.
We will
do well to remember that Heaven is also the place where our treasure should be stored
up (Matt. 19:21), the place of
our true citizenship (Phil. 3:20), the place of
our inheritance (1 Pet. 1:4-5), and the place
of our stored-up hope (Col. 1:5).
May the
numerous verses in the Bible referring to Heaven inspire us to become homesick
for our future abode!
25/05/2022
©2022 Copyright All rights reserved P. Koegelenberg
