3 Things that Won’t Be in Heaven
We have an opportunity in front of us today that we don’t often get – to forget for a bit the problems and pains of this world and to take a tour of our future heavenly home. So, let’s do that. I’m going to read Revelation 21 to you again, and while I do I want you to allow yourself to be there, to walk through the pearly gates along the streets of gold, to be illuminated by the light of the Lamb and to live in the presence of God face to face without guilt or fear.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives its light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.[1]
We could (and we probably will) spend an eternity touring our future heavenly home. I only have about 20 minutes with you this morning. So, I’m not going to talk about every detail that we see in this passage, like the pearly gates, or the streets of gold. Instead, I want to focus on three things that will not be in heaven. John said:
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.[2]
There was a time when there was only one place on earth that could be called “the house of God.” It was the temple in Jerusalem. When Solomon built it, the Glory of the Lord filled it. A cloud of smoke and fire – brilliantly, blazingly, blindingly bright – entered into the innermost room, the Holy of Holies, and hovered over the ark of the covenant.
Only one person – the High Priest – was ever allowed to enter that room, and he only once a year. And because the High Priesthood was a lifetime position, at any given point in human history, there was only one person alive who had ever seen the inside of that room. Standing in the visible presence of the Lord was one of the most exclusive experiences any human could ever claim.
But not in heaven. In heaven there is no temple. In heaven there is no building we would call the “house of God.” Heaven is the house of God. And when you’re there, you will live in his presence every day. There will be nothing standing between you and your God. You won’t have to make any pilgrimages to far-flung places. You won’t have to ask a priest or pastor to speak to God on your behalf. You’ll be able to speak to him face to face.
In heaven you will never feel like God is far away. If you just want to sit with him, you’ll be able to. If you want to hug him, or be hugged by him, you could do that too. In heaven, nothing will stand between you and your God. You will have an all-access pass to the Lord God Almighty all day everyday forever.
On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.[3]
Let me ask you something: do you lock your front door at night? I do. Do you lock your car doors and make sure your garage door is closed at night? If you don’t, you should, but why?
It may not be because you live in a high-crime neighbourhood. It may not be that you’ve had people try to steal your stuff before. It’s just that there’s always that possibility. You can know all your neighbours and trust them implicitly, but a stranger could still drive by at 2:00am and seize the opportunity afforded them by an open garage door. That’s the kind of world we live in. That’s the kind of stuff that happens under the cover of darkness.
But not in heaven. There won’t even be night there. There will never be a need to shut the gate, because once you’re in heaven, all of God’s enemies will have been finally, utterly defeated. There will be no one to threaten you, no one to make you feel unsafe. There will be no danger for you to avoid or fear. You will live in complete safety in the light of the Lamb all day everyday forever.
And that ties in well with the last thing that will not be in heaven:
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.[4]
Every soul in heaven will be pure. You will not have to guard your words around other people. There won’t be anyone who gives off negative energy or who sucks the air out of a room as soon as they walk in. There won’t be anyone you’ll want to avoid or have to be careful with. No one who does anything shameful or deceitful will ever set foot on the golden streets behind the pearly gates.
Sounds great, right? But did any of you hear alarm bells ringing or see red flags raised when I read the first 6 words of this verse: “Nothing impure will ever enter it”? Are you pure? Have you ever done anything shameful or deceitful?
What makes you think you deserve to live in the light of the Lamb? What makes you think God should ignore your impurities? You’re just like me. We’re sinners. We’ve all done shameful things, and we’ve each engaged in deceitful practices. By every rule and law the pearly gates of heaven should be padlocked to prevent our entry.
But they’re not. And of all the beautiful pictures that God paints of heaven, my favourite isn’t the pearly gates, the golden streets, or the Lamb lamp. It’s these 2 little words from v.27: “but only.” An even better translation would be, “except.”
Let me read this verse to you again, but with my suggested revision:
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, except those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.[5]
Heaven is not reserved for those who have managed to remain pure in everything. Heaven will be populated by impure people – people who have done shameful and deceitful things, just like you have, but people whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, just like yours is.
You didn’t write your name in that book; Jesus did it for you. Our pure, perfect, spotless Lamb sacrificed himself on a cross and poured out his blood to purify you from your unrighteousness and to clothe you in his perfect holiness. That’s why all those pictures of heaven show people in white robes. They didn’t manage to make it through the muck and the mess of this world without getting a speck or spot of sin on them. No, Jesus clothed them in his perfect righteousness so that they could possess a purity that they did not earn, but was given to them – to you – by grace through faith.
Because Jesus wrote your name in his book of life, you will get to stroll through the pearly gates and walk the streets of gold. You will live with God face to face forever. You will live in the light of the Lamb, in a city where there is no darkness or night, where there is nothing to fear or anything impure, because even you have been made pure by the blood of the Lamb.
That’s the picture of heaven that God paints for you. It will be joyous and glorious beyond compare, and at this point I could say, “Amen,” and stop right there, and some of you are looking at your watches and saying, “Yeah, that’d be a good idea, pastor.” There’s just one last thing:
The theme of our worship today is “Joy Marches Victorious Over Circumstance.” The circumstances in heaven will make us very joyful, whenever we get there. But what about now? How can this picture of future glory give me a joy that is victorious over my present circumstances?
The answer to that question is complex, but let me try to simplify it by focusing on the same three things we just looked at:
In heaven, it’ll be great that we won’t have to make pilgrimages to far-flung locations to be with God. The truth is, you don’t have to do that now, either. We don’t get to see God face to face now the way we will then, but we do get to hear his voice every time we open his Word. Especially in our digital, information age, God and his Word are never farther away than our cell phones are. We get to come and refresh ourselves and our faith every week when we gather here. No matter the circumstances, God is not far. He is always near.
In heaven, there will be no night or fear of what might happen under cover of darkness. In heaven, the gates will always be open. Now, we may (and should!) still lock our doors at night, but even in the presence of danger, we have the peace of knowing that the Lord God Almighty is currently sitting on his throne. He promises to work all things for our good, to send his angels to guard and protect us from all evil. The fears and dangers of this world are great, but our God is greater, our Saviour is victorious over sin, death, and the devil, and he gives us the victory too.
And finally, in heaven nothing impure will ever be there, only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. But you don’t have to wait for heaven to know that your sins have been forgiven. That’s what God’s Word tells you today and every day, no matter the circumstance – you are a sinner saved by grace. Your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. You can have joy today and you will have joy in heaven all day everyday forever.
Worthy is Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise. Amen.
[1] Revelation 21:21-27
[2] Revelation 21:22
[3] Revelation 21:25
[4] Revelation 21:27
[5] Ibid