And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth swill bring their glory into it, and tits gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 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. (Revelation 21:22-27 ESV).
If you have known me for anytime, you know that the Smoky Mountains are my favorite place to be. We all have those places in our lives. The memories we have made, the experiences we have enjoyed, and the time spent in these places eclipses any other place we have seen or heard about. I’ve chosen just one of the hundreds I’ve taken through the years of Cades Cove in the fall of the year to give you a glimpse of my experience in this wonderful place. It truly is beautiful; however, compared to heaven it is nothing.
Of course, we know that nowhere in the New Testament are we given a clear, precise description of heaven. We get glimpses of what heaven is like, but we don’t see a detailed picture. Most of what we are given is visionary, highly symbolic, figurative, and full of imagery. This is because of the utter newness of heaven. Heaven is like a glorified version of the good things of this world, so we can have some idea of what it will be like. Because of the transcendent newness of heaven, however, we would not be able to understand a literal description of it.
We get one of these visionary glimpses in the last two chapters of Revelation. We are told that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. While some believe that the present heaven and earth will be destroyed, most believe that they will be redeemed and transformed into the new. Just as we get glorified, resurrected bodies, so this old world will be renewed and transfigured. We are also told that there will no longer be any sea. In the Old Testament the sea is often an image of death. The next image is that of a New Jerusalem, replacing the old one that will be destroyed. John saw this city as a bride, an image of God’s people prepared for Him. As she came, John heard a voice saying that God’s tabernacle is with men and He will dwell with them. This is imagery drawn from the Old Testament, where the tabernacle was always pitched at the center of the camp of Israel.
John also sees the shekinah glory that shone in the Old Testament around the person of God Himself. He sees the glory manifesting itself as a precious jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal—symbols that focus on the idea of light radiating through transparent and translucent materials. The city is described as huge, 1,400 miles on each side, and as symmetrically balanced, the perfect edifice built by the Ultimate Architect. This is what God has done for our eternal home. No wonder that this becomes the very foundation for wonder and joy in the believer’s life! I pray you see a glimpse of that in all the beautiful places you cherish!