Psalms 73:25 "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee."
Out there beyond the stars is a place called heaven. It is as real and tangible as if I said out there near the Atlantic Ocean is a place called North Carolina. There is a city whose builder and maker is God. There are real people living there. It is the most unusual place in all of God’s creation. Twice Jesus calls heaven a (topos) meaning a place.
In John gospel chapter fourteen and verses 2 and 3 he writes; “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also.”
Never question the fact of the place, but realize, please, that which makes heaven so special is the presences of our Lord Jesus. I know that many of you, like I, have family and friends in heaven that you miss very much, and long to see them again. If we should arrive in heaven today, our first objective would not be to see our family or friends, but to first of all meet face to face with Jesus. He knowing our hearts for so long, will know the need to direct us to our family, after we have enjoyed being with Him. No need to worry about time, for time is no more. In eternity we are no longer in the dimension of time, and never a need to hurry.
I have a friend who had lost his father, and he was so worried about his father missing him. I explained that missing is absence, times, time, and since there is no time in heaven, those there cannot miss us here on earth. Also in John chapter fourteen is the word “oikos” which means a house or a dwelling place. There is for every believer a prepared place, a custom built, especially designed place, ordered by the Master, just for you.
Taking this thought a little further: In Acts 1:11 Two Angles spoke to the Lord’s disciples while Jesus was ascending into heaven, and said: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.” Please note: Jesus did not go into a state of mind. He was not dreaming. He was not experiencing an abstraction, or an idea, or a figure of speech. Nor did He teach us to pray, “Our Father which art in a state of mind.” Jesus went to a place, a real place, and will come back in the clouds of glory to call us who have committed our life to Him, to come and be with Him in heaven for ever. Our names are written in heaven; Luke 10:20 “Not withstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” What a joy to know our names are recorded there with the redeemed.
Our treasures are there; Matthew 6:20 “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” It isn’t what we have in the bank that matters most; it is what we have on deposit in heaven. In heaven we will have a new name; Revelation 2:17, we will sing a new song; Revelation 5:9, we will live in a New Jerusalem; Revelation 3:12, we posses and enjoy new things; Revelations 21:5 and we will dwell in a new earth with a new heaven; Revelations 21:1. You can see Paris in the spring, Paris is France. You can feel the breeze of Rome, Rome is Italy, London is England, and Jerusalem (a favorite) is Israel, but the New Jerusalem is heaven, and there is no place to compare.
One thing more I must add; heaven will not be the same for me, if you are not there my friend. Heaven was meant to include you.