Randy Alcorn: Is Heaven a real place?

**Will Heaven (the New Earth) Be an Actual Place?** Randy Alcorn Jesus told his disciples, “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). He uses spatial terms to describe Heaven. The word where refers to a location. Likewise, the phrase “come back and take you” indicates movement and a physical destination. 

 If Heaven isn’t a place, in the full sense of the word, would Jesus have said it was? If we reduce Heaven to something less than or other than a place, we strip Christ’s words of their meaning. 

 We do not long for a non-body, non-Earth and non-culture, but for a new body, New Earth, and new culture, without sin and death. This is all part of longing for the resur- rection of the dead, which is at the heart and soul of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15). 

 Jesus said to his disciples, “At the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). He could have said “at the destruction of all things,” but he said “renewal” instead. “All things” means that this present earth is bursting with suggestions of what the New Earth will be like. What will be gone is not Earth and our bodies, but sin and death and the Curse! 

 Peter preached, “[Christ] must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21). 

 In Heaven, the full-length book, I cite dozens of passages where the prophets spoke of the coming restoration of the earth. This is why Peter said, “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

#Heaven

What Will Heaven Be Like? Randy Alcorn

 [Where are you going on vacation this year?  How long have you researche and planned for it? Are you excited?  Already mentally packing?  What about our ultimate destination?  What about Heaven?  Shouldn’t we have some cool thoughts and excitment about our eternal home?  Randy Alcorn wrote a book about it.  It’s a good book you might want to check out.  It’s named, “Heaven.”]  

What Will Heaven Be Like? By Randy Alcorn

Scripture gives us many images that are full of implications about Heaven. Put them together, and these jigsaw pieces form a beautiful picture. For example, we’re told that Heaven is a city (Hebrews 11:10; 13:14). When we hear the word city, we shouldn’t scratch our heads and think, I wonder what that means? We understand cit- ies. Cities have people, buildings, activities, gatherings, art, music, athletics, events of all kinds, and goods and services.

Heaven is also described as a country (Hebrews 11:16). We know about coun- tries. We also know what Earth is like, and thus we know much of what the New Earth will be like. If we can’t imagine our present Earth without rivers, mountains, trees, and flowers, then why would we try to imagine the New Earth without these features?

If the word Earth means anything, it means that we can expect to find earthly things there—including atmosphere, mountains, water, trees, people, houses—and even cities, buildings, and streets (which are specifically mentioned in Revelation 21–22).

Just as a new car is a better version of an old car—but with all the same essential components (four wheels, an engine, trans- mission, steering wheel, etc.), so too will the New Earth be a far better version of the old Earth, but with the same essential physi- cal components.

The New Earth will be God’s dwelling place, but it will also be fashioned by God for resurrected people to live there. We’ll love our eternal home, and we’ll love being with Jesus and his family—which will be our family forever.