Heavenly Home-

        Citizens of where exactly?

It was a good saying of one to a great lord, upon his showing his stately house, and pleasant gardens,: ‘Sir, you had need  make sure of heaven, or else, when you die, you will be a very great loser.’
       Thomas Brooks, English Puritan

     Perhaps you are wondering why, in a series about heaven, I haven’t yet broached the subject of where- or even what- heaven actually is. It is a tad strange, I agree. However when I sat down with my bible, a concordance, a notebook and my favourite ink pen, and delved into the scriptures, I found that the biblical emphasis on heaven is not so much the where as the who. The ‘who’, of course, is our Heavenly King- Jesus Christ.
    To a Christian, Heaven is all about Jesus. That’s why my two earlier posts- Heavenly Citizenship and Heavenly Throne-   focused on the who.  But who can but be a tad inquisitive as to the where factor?!
    The Bible talks about Heaven in a few ways. The overwhelmingly most used way can be seen in Hebrews, where we learn that Abraham was ‘looking forward’ to a city that has foundations, with a designer and a builder (God).  In another passage in Hebrews, Heaven is also described as a city, but also as a country in its own right:‘ …they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.’
    Hebrews (a treasure trove of Heaven related information!) doesn’t just stop there! The author actually lets us know which city Heaven is!

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable ages in festal gathering…

    Heaven is pictured as Jerusalem (or ‘the City of David’). Jerusalem was conquered by the Shepherd King David and claimed as the Capital City of his Kingdom and, more importantly, as his home.

• Jerusalem had a naturally defensible position- high upon a hill, and with access to a nearby spring.
• It was situated between the northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin- a politically strong location.
• The Holy of Holies, inside the Temple walls- the hub of Zion- was where the Shekinah glory of God dwelt.
• Sacrifices and offerings to the Lord were made in Jerusalem by the Priesthood of Aaron.  

   The ‘Heavenly Jerusalem’, like the earthly city, will unite all nations and peoples. It is there that man will dwell in the presence of God, filled with love and praise for his majesty and grace. Twice in scriptures believers are described as a ‘Holy Priesthood’ offering sacrifices of worship to their God.
   Heaven will not be an exact resemblance of the earthly city, however. For one thing….

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

   There is not longer need for a Temple- God will live with us in Heaven, without need for sacrifices or veils and curtains!  And whereas the Capital of Israel could be (and indeed was) captured and destroyed, Heaven and the safety of it’s inhabitants is certain. The Lord promises that in Heaven no death, pain, mourning or crying will exist.
     Quite wonderfully the scriptures refer to the New Jerusalem as the home of Christ’s bride: the Church. Heaven has been prepared for us! That is quite an amazing thought! Heaven is where the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, will spend eternity with his bride, the Church. 
   Having designed and built Heaven for his bride, it is no surprise therefore to see that Christ is at the centre of the New Jerusalem. John the Divine describes the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of the lamb, watering the tree of life (remember Eden!) and thus bearing delightful fruits. It is unmistakable that the grace and blessings flowing from the throne of Jesus are bought to us through the Holy Spirit today on earth, but in Heaven we will drink them in their fullness!
   Perhaps I had better pause and recap what we have learnt about the where (I do tend to ramble away unless stopped!). Either symbolically or literally, Heaven is a city- the ‘New Jerusalem’ or ‘Mount Zion’. This city is better than any city now because no evil will be in it, it is permanent, and because, most importantly, the Lord God dwells in it (therefore no temple is needed). Both Ezekial and Revelation talk about a river of water flowing through Heaven to heal the nations. This city will be inhabited by many people- God’s people- and they shall worship him.
 
    Heaven- the New Jerusalem- will be a glorious place, filled with ‘unending stream of abundant blessings and joy’. God’s people will rejoice in the company of their Lord and Saviour: King Jesus.
   Heaven- as I never bore of saying- is a Gospel place; God will not allow sinful men to live there, only those who have been washed clean by his perfect son.
   I ask you, has the Lord written his name, and the name of Zion upon your heart?

              To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God…. [he] will be clothed in white garments.