“Is Heaven Perfect?” It’s a question asked by men and women throughout history. Even in the 21st century, no one knows for sure.
But believers in Jesus Christ are convinced the Bible gives us a glimpse of heaven. And Dr. Tony Evans shares his thoughts on heaven in a sermon preached at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas. Evans is founder and senior pastor there. He is also the first African-American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary.
According to Dr. Tony Evans, heaven is fundamentally the eternal experience of God’s perfection, including perfect beauty, perfect worship, perfect pleasure, perfect knowledge, perfect life and perfect service.
Paul’s Journey to Heaven
Evans begins his sermon by sharing the Apostle Paul’s journey to heaven described in 2 Corinthians 12:4. According to the verse, Paul was “caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.”
Paul is one of three people who went to heaven, came back and talked about it. Those three men are Jesus, and two of his apostles, Paul and John.
“Paul said that the things he heard and saw there were inexpressible,” Evans says. “God had heaven in mind when he created the world. And he created the earth heavenly. But sin interrupted that, and that is why every time you get to enjoy something, something goes wrong with it.
“But in heaven there will be no more curse, because there will be no more sin, nor its effect, and because there is no more curse, there is no sin,” says Evans. “We read in Revelation 21:5, ‘and he who sits on the throne said behold I am making all things new.’”
The Curse
According to Evans, by making all things new, God will lift the curse.
The Bible teaches that at the beginning of humanity, Adam disobeyed God. It was an act of rebellion against God.
In Genesis 3:16-17, God explains why the curse on mankind is a result of Adam and Eve’s sin.
“To the woman he said, ‘I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’
“To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, “You must not eat of it,” cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life’”
But Jesus Christ is the solution to sin and the curse. And in heaven, there will be no more sin.
What Will Heaven Be Like?
Perfect Beauty
According the Evans, “In heaven you will eternally enjoy perfect beauty.”
In Revelation 21:1-2, “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. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
The Bible describes the New Jerusalem as the capital city of the new earth. Paul does not describe all of heaven, but, Evans says, “he describes the capital city.”
“It is the place to be,” Evans says. “It is the key city of heaven, but it will be located on earth. Because he (Paul) saw heaven coming down and situating itself as the capital of the new earth.”
New Jerusalem: The New City
According to Evans, the new city will be spacious.
In Revelation 21:17 “The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.”
According to Evans, this verse describes the city being 1,500 miles its length, width and height.
“The city is as tall as it is wide,” he says. “So we have a city now that is half the size of America long and half the size of America high. So this is the high rise like you’ve never seen before. We’re talking about one city, the capital city. And around this city is a wall.”
Revelation 21:12 describes a great wall. “It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Revelation 21:19 further describes the city. “The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald.”
Then Revelation 21:21 describes the gates. “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.”
Evans explains what the 12 gates represent.
“Jesus had twelve tribes in the Old Testament. He had twelve apostles in the New Testament.”
According to Evans, when Jesus said that he would “go to prepare a place for you,” Jesus meant heaven. “This is where you and I live,” says Evans.
Evans claims we will live in an apartment in the heavenly city.”
“This is where you live. This is where your housing arrangements are and it will be nothing short of spectacular, as well as spacious,” Evans says.
Evans believes the new city will be able to house billions of people.
“Because it’s not just fifteen hundred miles wide, it’s 1,500 miles high,” says Evans. “So you’re dealing with a city that can house billions of people. One city.”
Evans describes the walls being 216 feet high. “Huge walls, huge gates,” he says.
The city will be one gigantic jewel.
“The whole city is a jewel,” says Evans. “But not only is the whole city made up of jewels, it’s made up of a transparent jewels. So they’re unlike jewels you’ve ever seen.”
Evans points to Revelation 21:11. “It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”
Then Evans quotes Revelation 21:18. “And the material of the wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold, like crystal glass.”
“Now there is no such thing as transparent gold,” he says. “It does not exist. But in that city, on that day, there will be a city that is made of gold that you can see through. So it is a transparent city. If I’m at one level and you are living at another level, I can see through to the various levels, because it not only is costly and precious, it’s transparent. So this is a multi-tiered high-rise as big as half of the United States just as high with multi-tiered streets that is transparent gold.”
Next, Evans says the Lord will illuminate heaven.
In Revelation 23:21, “And the city had no need of the Sun or the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of the Lord illuminates the city, and the lamb is its light.”
“The lamb is Jesus Christ,” says Evans, and there will never be any time when the beauty of heaven will not be able to be seen and enjoyed because it’s always daytime. So you have no night time. There’s no time sleeping. There’s no need for electricity, because God’s glory will be unencumbered. The Sun and Moon may be there.”
“Heaven not only will be a place of perfect beauty,” says Evans, “it will be a place of perfect worship.”
Perfect Worship
Heaven will be a place of perfect worship.
Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold the tabernacle.”
“The tabernacle is where they worship God,” says Evans. “God is among men and he shall dwell among them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be among them. Because the tabernacle is the city. So there will never be a time where God’s presence won’t impact you, because you will be walking in his reflected glory all the time. There will never be a time when he’s distant. or he’s far off. or you’re alone. or feel lonely or disconnected. You will be high on God all the time.”
And by being so close to God all the time, your opportunity to worship will be perfect.
Perfect Pleasure
Heaven will be a place of perfect pleasure.
Revelation 12:4 “And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no longer any death, no longer any mourning, or crying, or pain, for the first things have passed away.”
“You don’t even get to to get sad enough to cry,” Evans says.
Evens then quotes from several other scriptures.
Psalm 16:11 “In thy presence is joy evermore.”
Ephesians 2:7 “God wants to shower us with His grace.”
James 1:16-17 “Every good and perfect gift cometh from above, from the Father of lights in whom there is no shifting shadow.”
Heaven will be a perfect place, with perfect pleasure, and according the Evans, “Everything you enjoy in life comes from God.”
Perfect Knowledge
There will be perfect knowledge in heaven.
Revelation 22:4 “And they shall see his face and his name shall be on their forehead.”
According to Evans, “Heaven will be the uninterrupted knowledge of God. The secrets of God will become unveiled to me and I will know as I am known. God knows me completely. How will I know? I will through all eternity have the capacity of knowing completely. There will be perfect knowledge.”
Perfect Life
According to Evans, we will enjoy a perfect life in heaven.
Revelation 22:1-2 says, “He showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit ,yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation’s.”
Evans continues by saying that following our resurrection, “there is no marriage, but you shall be like the angels. You won’t be angels, but you’ll be like the angels. But you’ll be different than the angels, because you’ll have a glorified body, a spiritual body but you’ll be like the angels in that you will not continue with the same human relationships, because there will be no need for the things that the relationships give us.”
Evans references 1 John and Corinthians to show how we will be like Christ.
1 John 3:2 “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
Corinthians 15:36 “We’re going to be like Christ.”
“Now this tells you what your body is going to be like,” says Evans.
And because Christ did remarkable things after He rose from the dead, we will be able to do those things as well.
“Number one,” says Evans, “he walked through doors when they were closed. So you will have the ability, in your glorified body, a body that looks like your body now, you’ll be the same race you are now, but it will be constructed differently, it will be flawless, and you’ll be able to walk right straight through that back wall or back door without an opening.”
Jesus Christ also walked on a cloud.
“You and I will be able to transport ourselves from one dimension to another dimension of height or breadth, simply by deciding to do it,” says Evans.
Jesus Christ could eat.
“He didn’t need to eat, but he could,” says Evans. “He could still enjoy the benefits of physical life. So Jesus Christ had all of these abilities that he could do with his new body and the Bible says we will be like him.”
According to Evans, we’ll recognize one another in heaven.
“Mary recognized Jesus when she got a close look at Him,” says Evans. “Peter recognized Moses and Elijah when Jesus brought them back to the Mount of Transfiguration. So you’ll be able to know that I was who I was on earth, and that you were who you were on earth. “Why? Because we’re going to look the same way, apart from any flaws.”
Secondly, Evans says our knowledge base will be so great, we’ll know everybody.
Thirdly, we’ll recognize one another because we’re going to be the same people in heaven that we are here on earth.
According to Evans, the city of New Jerusalem described in Revelation is the only the place the Old Testament and New Testament saints will live. But there will also be many visitors to the city.
“Who are the visitors in this city?” Evans asks. “Well there’s only one group of people left. That’s the group of people who are in the Millennium. When the tribulation is over there will be the 1000 year rule of Christ in which you and I will be living in this city, but it won’t be on earth yet. It will be up there it’s still up there. Then during the 1,000 year rule of Christ, there will be human beings on earth.
“At the end of the millennium everybody, who didn’t follow Jesus Christ will be placed in hell with the devil. Everybody who did accept Christ in the Millennium now marches into eternity. But they march into eternity with human glorified bodies, not spiritual glorified bodies.”
Evans explains that everyone living during the Millennium who accepts Christ will “march into eternity like Adam and Eve.” They will be like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, although without Satan anymore, there is no sin.
“So now you’ve got people out of the Millennium to now fill the rest of the earth,” says Evans. “But the question is, how will that happen?”
How does God’s plan allow earth to be re-populated?
“Answer. Procreation,” says Evans. “You and I can’t have kids, because there is no marriage for Old Testament saints or New Testament believers, because our status will be much higher. That doesn’t mean no one can have kids. There will be a whole generation of people who come out of the Millennium in human bodies that will make up the nations of the world who do not get to live in the city, but will have access to the city. Why? Because they will need the branches and they will need the fruit that comes from the Tree of Life and the branches that provide healing.”
According to Evans, the people who come out of the Millennium will have physically gloried bodies, while you and I will have spiritually glorified bodies. Those surviving the Millennium will be able to visit New Jerusalem in order to have access to the healing powers of the Tree of Life.
“So what you have now is a group of people on earth who are conducting family business, as you and I know it today, but without sin,” says Evans.
Heaven offers a perfect life, which leads to perfect service.
Perfect Service
In heaven, according to Evans, you and I will enjoy the benefits of perfect service to God.
Revelation 22:3 “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.”
“That’s you and me,” says Evans. “We will serve him. “We will be his priests.”
JESUS AND THE CINDERELLA STORY
Evans ends his message with “The Cinderella Story.”
He reminds us of how Cinderella lived with her wicked step-mother and wicked sisters. They were all going to the ball. Well, Cinderella wasn’t invited. But through a miracle, her fairy godmother clothed Cinderella in the finest dress, covered her feet in a pair of glass slippers, and carried her to the ball in a coach created from a pumpkin.
“And while she was at the ball, guess who she met?” Evans asks. “She met the prince. And when she met the prince, there was love at first sight. The only problem was midnight. And when midnight came, her past caught up with her. And she had to be translated back to the real world that she knew. But she never forgot that prince. And the prince never forgot her.”
As the story continues, the prince went looking for Cinderella. He searched the kingdom to find the beautiful princess he danced with at the ball and who disappeared so suddenly. The only way he knew to find her was to find the foot that fit the glass slipper she left behind.
“But while she was back at the house with the old stepmother and wicked sisters, they were trying to make her feel less than what she knew she was,” Evans says, “because once she met the prince, she knew she was a princess. And even though she was scrubbing the floor, she was scrubbing the floor as a princess. Even though she was ironing, she was ironing as a princess, because she met the prince. And she’s doing all this stuff now as a princess. Now she says, but look, I’m a princess, but they belittle her. But she knew better, cuz she had met the prince.”
While concluding his message, Evans explains how the Cinderella story illustrates your relationship with Jesus.
“One day, when you accepted Jesus Christ, you met the prince. But now, right now, you’re having to live with the wicked stepmother, named the devil, and his wicked sisters called demons. And they keep telling you, ‘You know you’re nobody.’ But God wants you to remember why you’re ironing your clothes. You’re a princess. He wants you to know that you’re a princess. Because one day the prince is going to find you. He’s going to break heaven open and then call us home and forever we will be with the Lord.
“When he comes, guess what? We’re going to live happily ever after. So you just remember that that Prince you met at the ball on the day you were saved, even though you still may be scrubbing right now, he’s going to track you down, find you and whisk you off. And you’ll never have to deal with that wicked stepmother ever again.
“That’s heaven,” explains Evans. “It’s living with the Prince.”