Lesson #31: Heaven - Part Two

Following the somber judgments of Satan, his evil angels and all the unredeemed throughout the ages, the apostle John is given a glimpse of the future heaven and earth that God has prepared for all those who love Him [Isa. 64:4; 1 Cor. 2:9]. The last two chapters of Revelation reveals the beauty and wonders of eternity, prepared by a loving God for His redeemed saints. Heaven is mentioned many times in Scripture – more than 500 times, with approximately fifty mentions of heaven just in the book of Revelation. Heaven is a real place, not a state of spiritual unconsciousness nor a figment of man's imagination [John 13:36; 14:2-3]. It is a place of eternal peace and joy –God's plan for mankind to live forever in fulfillment of His promises.
In the first of three visions given to the apostle John in chapter 21, six features are given regarding the final, eternal heaven and earth. Each vision [as we have seen before so often in Revelation] begins with the phrase "And I saw." This phrase has introduced each climatic event in this book and now introduces the glory of all God's creation – the new heaven and new earth.