"How beautiful heaven must be, Sweet home of the happy and free; Fair haven of rest for the weary, how beautiful heaven must be," reads the chorus to How Beautiful Heaven Must Be, by A. S. Bridgewater (song #357 in Sacred Selections For The Church, songbook). Have you wondered the same?
The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:9: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. It is impossible for us to know about the riches of heaven without the Bible telling us. Only God can describe it to us.
The Bible describes heaven in terms that we, mere mortals, can relate to. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Rev. 21:3-4). Contrast this to what Job says in Job 14:1. Even the most optimistic in this life experience sorrow and pain in this life. The above passage (Rev. 21:3-4) tells us that in heaven, the sorrows of life on this earth will be ‘a thing of the past.’
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. (Rev. 21:19-21). The Lord describes to us heaven by using descriptions of items that we treasure. The Lord notes that even the foundation of the city (heaven) is built with these precious stones. One can only imagine the beauty of the structure if these items are simply the foundation.
Have you considered the physical beauty of this world? I suppose we have somewhat of an advantage of living in east Tennessee. We can look out of our own front door and witness the beauty of God’s creation; the Smoky Mountains; the dogwoods in April; the waterways. We can look around the world and see the Lord’s ‘handiwork.’ The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork (Psa. 19:1). Some say that the earth came about by chance?! The continents collided creating mountains (theory of Pangea)?! It is true when the psalmist said The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God (Psa. 14:1).
We must conclude that if God created this beautiful earth (Gen. 1) that we can see, then "How Beautiful Heaven Must Be." Indeed!
