Things That Will Not be in Heaven.
My husband was laying on a bed in the ER. I drove him there in the middle of the night because he was having severe stomach cramps. The doc just came in and told us that he has a small bowel obstruction. As a result, he needed to be transferred to another hospital for treatment and maybe surgery.
My heart went to my stomach. What? Surgery? After a few minutes he looked at me and said ‘At least there won’t be any hospitals in heaven.’
You see, he has had more surgeries than 10 people put together. Including emergency surgeries. And here he was again…faced with another surgery. Only this time it would be at an unfamiliar hospital with a doctor we knew nothing about.
And I got to thinking about heaven.
- What would it be like? What would I do?
- Would I really ask those questions when I say ‘When I am in heaven I will ask Jesus.’
- What is the difference between the heaven I go to when I die and the new earth?
- What will not be in heaven when I die?
Now, in 1 Corinthians 16:35-54 Paul discusses the differences between our earthly bodies and our resurrected bodies. In contrast to our earthly and heavenly bodies Paul says ‘So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.'
In Philippians 3:20-21, Paul gives us a hint as to what our bodies will be like. He says ‘But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.’
That is why there will no longer be surgeries, cancer, heart failure, or kidney disease.
No more asking ‘why me or how long?'
And Revelation has SO much for us to hang onto.
According to verse 27, nothing unclean will enter the city of God. As I read that verse and think about my husband laying in his hospital bed. In pain and scared. I’m reminded what it says in Revelation 21:4 – ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’
Doesn't that sound wonderful?
The new heaven will be a majestic city, a beautiful place that our minds can hardly conceive, but there are specific things that will not be found in heaven.
According to verse 22, there will be no temple there! Our worship will not center on God – He and Jesus are the temple of heaven.
According to verse 23, there will be no sun or moon to shine into the city, because the glory of God will light the majestic city of God. Jesus will be its lamp.
According to verse 25, there will be no night there. In the new heaven and new earth the presence of God will provide so much light that darkness is perpetually and eternally repelled. There will be no place for those ‘things of the night’ to take hold of your mind.
We find the fulfillment of what was prophesied in Isaiah 35:10-
‘And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
According to Sam Storms: ‘There will no longer be death in the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:4). Not of husbands, wives, aunts, uncles, children, brothers, sisters, grandfathers, grandmothers, cousins, friends, neighbors.
Funeral homes will be put out of business. Cemeteries will be empty, for all will have been raised in glorified bodies that are no longer susceptible to disease and decay. Never again the long meetings at the funeral home deciding on caskets and vaults and limos and flowers. No graveside services. No obituaries to be read, no video tributes of a person’s life. No eulogies. No flowers to be sent or cards of condolence to be written. Never again a long caravan of cars with their headlights on. No police escorts to the cemetery. No headstones or awkward moments when you don’t know what to say.
Neither shall there be any more pain (Rev. 21:4). There will be no physical pain because our bodies will have been glorified and made like unto the body of Jesus. Paul spoke of this in Romans 8 and called it “the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23). Earlier in Romans 8 he made this remarkable promise: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11).
If you are in constant or chronic pain – The day is coming, never to be reversed, when all pain will be gone! And not just physical pain, but emotional pain, marital pain, relational pain, the pain of a wayward child or an unfaithful spouse, the pain of disappointment and loss, indeed, the pain of every sort and from every cause, all will be gone!
If you suffer from depression, anxiety or relentless fear – this will forever be gone. Joy and happiness will be yours immediately and will exceed anything you have ever experienced in this life or hope to have experienced.
This is because “the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). The ‘former things’ refers to whatever may have been the cause of your pain. It will have disappeared, never to re-emerge. Indeed, as God himself declares in v. 5, he is “making all things new.”
Heaven – sounds amazing doesn’t it?
Especially all of the things that will not be in heaven
My husband does not want to leave this earth yet. But when it’s his time to go…he will embrace a life with no more pain. And no more hospitals.
And, if you are unsure how to get to heaven – please read this post: How Do You Get Into Heaven?
Need some additional resources? Check out the following posts about God and Faith.
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