"Heaven" OR "No More Night!"
Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope
May 30, 2009
Larry R Evans
Introductory Reflections
One of my favorite songs sung by the National Christian Choir and others is a song written by Walt Harrah, “No More Night.” The song is based on two verses found in the book of Revelation (21:5; 22:4-5). The passage speaks of heaven when it simply says, “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.” “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or th e light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” Such is the experience when the presence of God exists without the threat of sin. The first verse of the song goes like this,
The timeless theme, Earth and Heaven will pass away.
It’s not a dream, God will make all things new that day.
Gone is the curse from which I stumbled and fell.
Evil is banished to eternal hell.
No more night. No more pain.
No more tears. Never crying again.
And praises to the great "I AM."
We will live in the light of the risen Lamb.
In previous weeks we’ve studied love, faith, hope, sin, grace and then last week we studied our rest in Christ called the Sabbath. It is a natural transition to move from that rest to an eternal rest with Jesus. What a joyful study we have before us!
Reflective Quiz
1. Heaven is a state of mind. [Jn. 14:1-3; Rev. 21:1-4; Lk. 17: 20,21] True and False
“During the three rather controversial Wednesday audiences in 1999, Pope John Paul II stated that we should not interpret heaven, hell, or purgatory as places, but rather as states of being of a spirit (angel or demon) or a human soul.” (Reinder Bruinsma in Key Words of the Christian Faith, p.94) This raises an important question: “Where is heaven?”
If God is omnipresent is he confined to a specific “home”? What did Jesus mean when He said,
John 14:1-3
14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (NIV)
We tend to view such spiritual things as heaven from a mental bank of things we can understand. For example, “. . . looking at many medieval paintings of heaven, we see how in the Middle Ages the growth of cities in ancient Europe led increasingly to a portrayal of heaven in more urban terms. The descriptions of the Protestant Reformers seem to center more on God Himself than on the heavenly environment. The Reformers do not spend much time debating what heaven is like, buy often sharply differ on how we get there. Catholics emphasize also the role of Mary and the saints, who, they say, have preceded us to heaven and intercede for us. In more recent Protestantism the concern of meeting family and loved ones who have left us plays a crucial role.” (Ibid. Bruinsma, p. 96)
Was Jesus denying that heaven is a real “place” when He said,
Luke 17:20-21
20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (NIV)
For four years John the Baptist had been preaching that the kingdom of God was at hand. And for two years Jesus had been proclaiming the same. The Pharisees were anxious to know “when” yet Jesus’ reply bypasses the question of “when” and focused on the internal reality. “The kingdom of God is not something that you will expect to see by close observation with your natural eyesight. You will discover it, if at all, within your own hearts.” (SDA Bible Com. Vol. 5, p.840)
2. Not everything Satan said was wrong, such as, “You shall not surely die.” [Gen. 3:4; Ecc. 9:5,6] True but also False
Satan was deceptive because he mixed truth with error. Despite what God had told Adam and Eve, he told them that they would not die. Life, however, came when the dust of the ground was united with the breath of God. Man became a living being or soul. Death is the reverse—the body returns to the earth and the breath of God returns to God. (Gen. 2:7) Does that breath have knowledge? Does it have emotions? Or is it the life force which will be reunited when Christ comes? Note the following:
Job 14:11-12
11 As water disappears from the sea
or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,
12 so man lies down and does not rise;
till the heavens are no more, men will not awake
or be roused from their sleep. (NIV)
Eccl 9:5-6
5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun. (NIV)
1 Cor 15:21-24
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. (NIV)
1 Thess 4:15-18
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. (NIV)
Satan knew he was lying but because death was not immediate it appeared his lie was true. Spiritualism is built around the very concept that death is life in a different form.
3. Heaven is not for everyone. [Jn. 3:16; 5:29; Rev. 21:1-4,8; 2 Pet. 2:6] False
Matt 25:44-46
44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (NIV)
The great anticipation of God’s people is for them to be with Him. That “reward” will put in perspective all that they have endured. Their unanswered questions will be resolved. Though separation from loved ones who chose not to with Jesus (Jn 3:16) is a sad reality it is also understood that all who want to be in heaven are there! Tears will be wiped away not because of a “cover-up” but because God’s work of salvation through the centuries has been revealed and understood.
Rev 21:1-4
21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (NIV)
“As the redeemed have beheld the power and malignity of Satan, they have seen, as never before, that no power but that of Christ could have made them conquerors. In all that shining throng there are none to ascribe salvation to themselves, as if they had prevailed by their own power and goodness. Nothing is said of what they have done or suffered; but the burden of every song, the keynote of every anthem, is: Salvation to our God and unto the Lamb.” (Ellen G White in The Great Controversy, p. 665)
Bible writers seem to be almost at a loss when it comes to describing what heaven will be like. The visions they have are difficult to compare with what they knew or experienced at the time but they tried. So writers at different times, under different circumstances, described heaven differently. During times of want, Isaiah described the new earth as a place where poverty would be unknown and it would be a place of plenty. (Isa. 65,66) Vicious animals will no longer be a threat but will actually be symbols of harmony and peace. (Isa. 65:25) Injustices will not prevail. Home we build will not be taken over by the greedy or unscrupulous. The terrors of night when thieves come to steal and harm will be no more for “there will be no night there.” (Rev. 21:25; 22:5) The apostle John who was exiled to the island of Patmos, separated by the sea from his loved ones exclaimed with great excitement, “And there was no longer any sea!” (Rev. 21:1). Paul, who could hardly contain himself when he described the reunion of those who had died and those who are yet alive when Christ comes, wrote,
1 Thess 4:15-17
15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (NIV)
In a different passage, perhaps he described the joys of heaven even better when he said,
1 Cor 2:6-10
7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"-
10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.(NIV)
Someday worship will not be limited to what we do nor confined to a time when we come to worship. Worship will permeate our very being. Our understanding and capacity for worship, I believe, will be greatly enlarged. Gone will be the hindrances found in our “performances”. We will learn through the ages how to worship, how to unite our hearts with that of God’s. To be one with Him will be the joy of the ages. The Hubble telescope touches only the outer edges of a vast universe God has prepared for us. Macro and micro understandings of God’s creations will be our study and joy throughout eternity. And we will not be alone. We will join the other part of our family. Imagine the welcome home party that is being planned! Nevertheless, there will be one central theme in all of our worship and John the Revelator depicts it well,
Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song: Worthy! Take the scroll, open its seals. Slain! Paying in blood, you bought men and women, Bought them back from all over the earth, Bought them back for God.
Rev 5:10 Then you made them a Kingdom, Priests for our God, Priest-kings to rule over the earth.
Rev 5:11 I looked again. I heard a company of Angels around the Throne, the Animals, and the Elders--ten thousand times ten thousand their number, thousand after thousand after thousand
Rev 5:12 in full song: The slain Lamb is worthy! Take the power, the wealth, the wisdom, the strength! Take the honor, the glory, the blessing!
Rev 5:13 Then I heard every creature in Heaven and earth, in underworld and sea, join in, all voices in all places, singing: To the One on the Throne! To the Lamb! The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength, For age after age after age.
Rev 5:14 The Four Animals called out, "Oh, Yes!" The Elders fell to their knees and worshiped. (Message)
Concluding Reflections
One of best portrayals of both the biblical message and the excitement expressed in Scripture is expressed in the song, “The Midnight Cry”
VERSE 1
I hear the sound
Of a rushing mighty wind
And it's closer
Than it's ever been
I can almost hear the trumpet
As Gabriel sounds the call
And at the midnight cry
We'll be goin' home
CHORUS 1
When Jesus steps out
On a cloud to call His children
The dead in Christ shall rise
To meet Him in the air
Then those that will remain
Oh, oh they’ll be quickly changed
And at the midnight cry
When Jesus comes again
VERSE 2
I look around me
I see prophecies fulfilling
And those Signs of the time
They're appearing everywhere
I can almost hear the Father
Say, “ Son go get Your children”
And at the midnight cry
The Bride of Christ will rise
CHORUS
I can almost hear the Father
As He says “Go get Your children”
And at the midnight cry
The Bride of Christ will rise
And at the midnight cry
The Bride of Christ will rise
I can’t resist sharing one more song one of our readers shared and made popular in Adventist circles by Sunny Liu years ago.
"What Will It Be?"
There are glories untold in that city of gold,
On the brink of the beautiful river.
Its wonderful light will burst on my sight,
But what will it be to see Jesus?
There are some who have died that His name should abide;
There are some who have lived for His glory.
What bliss will it be, their faces to see,
But what will it be to see Jesus?
When in wonder I stand with my hand in His hand,
In the home with the ransomed forever.
The sorrow all pass'd, triumphant at last,
Oh, what will it be to see Jesus?
When the love-light doth shine from His eyes into mine,
While the face that was marred is uplifted.
With rapture complete, His smile I shall meet,
Oh, what will it be to see Jesus?
Chorus:
What will it be to see Jesus?
What will it be to see Him?
There are glories untold in that city of gold,
But what will it be to see Jesus?
[Copyrighted in 1909, "What Will It Be?" is in The Gospel in Song.]
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