What is heaven?

I don't know if you've noticed this but there are a lot of misconceptions about heaven. I had my own misconceptions too, and I was basically born in a pew. Growing up as a kid I remember hearing different things about heaven and maybe you did too.

One of the first ideas about heaven that I recall is that heaven is a perpetual worship service. Heaven was like being in some large stadium made out of clouds and packed full of people. And in heaven all we do is stay in the heavenly stadium and sing. And sing. And sing. And sing . . . for all eternity. It is the worship service that never ends. I don’t know if there will be screens so we can all see the words, yet I bet the sound system will be killer. 

I also bet that there will be someone complaining about how loud the music is and another person complaining that they don’t know the words to songs. I love music. I enjoy all kinds of music. Yet the thought of standing around for all eternity in a never-ending worship service just sounds boring. Can we take water breaks? Do we get snacks? I hope nobody is checking attendance because hanging out near the tree of life for a while and taking a nap sounds so much better. 

I think another concept of heaven that I got sold was that of being like a baby (that has wings for some reason). A little baby with wings sitting on a cloud with a little harp or maybe a bow and arrow. So let me get this right . . . in heaven we will all be naked little babies flying around from cloud to cloud either playing a harp or shooting a bow and arrow. I saw a lot of cartoons as a kid that offered up this kind of image. Which is so weird. 

What is going on in heaven that everyone is a baby and either has a harp or a bow and arrow? You don’t give babies a harp and you certainly don't give them a bow and arrow. Is heaven like the worst daycare center ever? What in the world is happening in heaven? This concept of heaven has a lot to do with a popular belief that humans preexisted in heaven before being born on earth. Thus, heaven is full of little baby souls flying around from cloud to cloud who have yet to embody their human form. That is a whole other blog post to be sure. 

Another version of heaven I was told about was one in which we all just souls. As a kid that sounded cool. I like airplanes and so maybe I could fly around like an airplane. Since I would be a ghost like creature, I would be able to pass through walls or maybe whole buildings. So, I could fly and never crash. Yet that sounds creepy too. Like heaven is this place where we all just float around. I hope it is not like the movie Beetlejuice. Would you be able to hug anyone, or would we all just pass right through each other? Probably sounds great for all those people who hate to get hugged. 

If all of the above are misconceptions, then just what will heaven be like? Let's take a look at Revelation 21:1. It is the beginning of a fascinating passage. The chapter describes heaven coming down to earth. 

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. (Rev. 21:1 NIV) 

There are a few different things we need to deal with in this passage. One of the first is how to define the term new? I know that may seem kind of silly. It’s only three letters and since we were kids, we have known what new means. What does new mean? Well, it means new, that is except when it doesn’t. If you Google, the definition of the word new you will find about 13 to 17 definitions for this one three-letter English word. It’s actually a word that brings more ambiguity than it does clarity.

What does new mean in ancient Greek? (which is the language Revelation was originally written in.) The ancient Greeks had more than one word for the word new. One of the Greek words for new is neos. The word neos means not just new but brand new. Brand new like a brand-new baby. This understanding of new is that something never existed until just now. It is brand new. Like a baby. When you buy a brand-new car you are purchasing a vehicle that never existed until the moment it was assembled. It is a brand-new car. That is what the word neos means. 

There is another understanding of new. This Greek word is kainos. It also means new. It is a word that means new but like a newly restored 57 Chevy or a newly remodeled home. This word means new, but something existed before and then it was transformed. It is the kind of new after something has been restored or redeemed. It is new like a new coat of paint on an old home that gives the home a new look. It is like cleaning the carpet so that it looks like new. Something already existed and it was restored or refreshed.  

Kainos is the kind of new like whenever somebody becomes a Christian. They have become a new person in Christ, but they are not a newborn baby. Kainos is new like in the process a person goes through in an Alcoholics Anonymous program. A person becomes new because they put in the work to deal with their addiction and came out of that process a new person. They are a new person because they have found a new life apart from their addiction. 

Why all this linguistic nuance? It is important because of Revelation 21:1. The word for new that is used in “new heaven and new earth” is not the kind of new that means brand new. The word for new that is used is new as in something already exists but then it is restored and refreshed. 

2 Peter 3 is the only other place in the New Testament where the phrases new heaven and new earth are mentioned. 2 Peter 3 uses the exact same Greek word for new as Revelation 21:1. The image used in 2 Peter 3 is that of a fire that is used to purify and thus restore and refresh the earth. The earth in 2 Peter 3 is new not because it was destroyed, and a brand-new earth was created. The earth is new because it was renewed by the removal of impurities.

Revelation 21:1 also talks about the removal of impurities by using the image of no more sea. In ancient Jewish literature and culture talk of the sea is a stock symbol for evil or chaos. The ancient Hebrews were not a seafaring culture. The sea was mysterious and unpredictable. Well Revelation 21:1 tells us that there is no more sea which is the author's way of saying the impurity of evil has been removed. You can find the same understanding for sea in Daniel 7. In Daniel 7 the prophet talks about four beasts. The beasts are described as coming up out of the sea which is where evil and chaos live. In Revelation 13 a beast comes . . . wait for it . . .  out of the sea. 

The sea is a way to talk about evil and chaos and in the new heavens and the new earth we are told specifically that there is no longer any sea. The sea is gone which is the author's way of communicating that evil and chaos have ceased. Evil has been dispelled. God has made all things kainas (new).

A popular notion (see this post) about heaven is that the earth will eventually go away. This popular notion is often called the rapture. One of the things that the rapture emphasizes is that all of the good folks on earth will be taken away to heaven and leave behind all of the evil people. Eventually, according to the rapture, all of the evil and evil people left behind on earth will be destroyed along with the earth itself. The earth and everyone on the earth will be gone. 

What the book of Revelation tells us, along with 2 Peter 3 and the rest of scripture as well, is that evil will be taken away and the good will stay. The earth is not destroyed in a fiery explosion, it is renewed and restored. The earth will remain a physical and familiar place, yet it will be different. Revelation 21:1 describes an earth like that of Genesis 3. Imagine living in a place that God created yet there is no curse or sea. No more death. No more random acts of violence. No more war. The old order of things is gone. All things have been made new (Kainos). What is heaven? It is the world restored, redeemed and made new.