Heaven is a wonderful place. The promise of heaven is the most precious promise that we have. This should motivate us to live good lives, serve God consistently, and teach the gospel to the lost at every opportunity.
Why is heaven such a glorious place? Wherein lies the beauty of heaven, and what is the motivating factor behind wanting to get there? There is no one factor. Many things about heaven are attractive.
The best thing about being in heaven will be being in the immediate presence of God. In heaven, we will see God face to face (Revelation 22:4). It is hard to imagine what it will be like the first time we find ourselves in the immediate presence of God and have the opportunity to look upon Him.
Unspeakable beauty is another reason heaven will be such a wonderful place to spend eternity. The Bible figuratively pictures heaven as a place with a street of gold and pearly gates. Remember, the literal is always greater than the figurative, meaning that heaven will be even more beautiful than it is figuratively described in the Bible.
Heaven is the antithesis of hell. If hell is a place of outer darkness, then heaven is a place of continual light (Revelation 21:23). If hell is a place where there is the terrible sound of weeping and gnashing of teeth, heaven is a place where the beautiful voices of multitudes ring together in singing praises to God (Revelation 5:9; 14:3; 15:3).
There is something else that adds attraction to heaven: it is a place of total righteousness.
2 Peter 3:13 (NKJV)
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
This picture of heaven being a place of righteousness suggests several things. Let us look at a few of them:
- Heaven is a place where God is.
We have already said that in heaven we will see God face to face. But there is more. In heaven, we will experience the righteousness of God in an even more powerful way than we do now. The righteousness of God will fill heaven and surround us constantly. The word righteousness sometimes refers to the character of God (Romans 3:25, 26). It points to God’s faithfulness and truthfulness. John simply described God like this:
1 John 1:5 (ESV)
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
This is the reason given for there being no need for a sun in heaven, “…for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” God’s loving patience, justice, and kindness, along with all His other wonderful attributes, are all a part of what makes Him perfectly righteous. Heaven will be a place where righteousness dwells because the presence and influence of God will be everywhere.
- Heaven will be a place without sin.
Revelation 21:27 (ESV)
27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
What makes this world so unattractive is the continual sin that is present. Everywhere one goes there is sin. Sin is a violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4). That is what we are surrounded by today. Think of all the heartache and tears, and all the difficult times that come upon us because of sin.
But the grief that we experience in this world is not simply due to the circumstances of life and the various situations in which we sometimes find ourselves. Problems are most often caused by people. Why is this world filled with sin? It is because it is filled with sinners. People lie, steal, cheat, and sometimes even kill. People are selfish, dishonest, and hypocritical. It is not the birds and the bees, and all of the mountains and trees of this world that make it such a dangerous and depressing place. It is the people—people living by the precepts of the devil and ignoring the ways of the Lord. Sure, there are good, kind people in this world who bring us joy, but there is more than enough ungodliness to make this world a place we look forward to escaping someday. This is why Paul described our existence in this world the way he did.
2 Corinthians 5:2–4 (ESV)
2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
Now, think of a sin-free environment where only righteousness dwells. We will never have to worry about others harming us in any way. We will trust everyone. There will be no lies, hypocrisy, or evil suspicions. There will only be love, kindness, understanding, and generosity. Think of heaven like this and you will have at least a partial picture of what it will be like. Righteousness is whatever is right and just before God. That is what we will be surrounded by in heaven all the time. That sounds like a place I want to be. What about you?
- Heaven is a place where righteousness will be performed.
Righteousness is not only a word that describes character, but also an action word as well. It is sometimes used in the Bible to denote religious duty.
Matthew 6:1 (ESV)
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus is clear on the fact that righteousness is something done by condemning the doing righteousness before men. The NAS translates Matthew 6:1 as follows: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men.” John also spoke of the doing of righteousness.
1 John 2:29 (ESV)
29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
1 John 3:7 (ESV)
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
If righteousness involves doing God’s will, then heaven is going to be a place where everybody is doing the will of God. In heaven, there will be no procrastination, no excuses, no murmuring. There will just be doing. And there is no greater joy than serving God and doing His will. That is why heaven is so attractive. Everyone around you will be involved in acts of righteousness all the time. And you will be too! It is no wonder that Peter said that heaven will be a place “wherein dwells righteous.”