Heaven, How Amazing Is It? Part 1 of "Heaven and Hell"Sample

Is heaven the final destination of believers?

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more (Revelation 21:1).

Is heaven the final destination for believers? The answer may surprise you: no, it is not. Not heaven, but the new earth is our final destination if we know Jesus Christ as our Savior (Revelation 21:1-4).

When Jesus returns with the clouds, He will judge the living and the dead (Revelation 20:11-13). Those who are in Christ will receive a new body, a resurrection body (1 Corinthians 15:42-55). The present earth and heavens will pass away, a new heaven and earth are coming - we will dwell on the new earth (Revelation 21-22). Later in this reading plan, we will go into more detail about what the new earth will be like.

The 'present' heaven is the ‘temporary’ destination for believers until that Great Day of Christ. Those who die in Christ will be with Him in heaven. Jesus said to the criminal on the cross, "Verily, I say unto you, this day you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43) (Paradise is another name for heaven). Similarly, 2 Corinthians 5:8 implies that believers will immediately be at home with Jesus when they die. In the story of the rich man and the poor Lazarus from Luke 16:19-31, the two main characters were either taken up into glory or descended into hell immediately after their death.

What are your thoughts on the idea that believers will be with Jesus immediately after their death?