Narrator: Peter
Primary Scriptures: Revelation 4, 21, 22; 2 Peter 3:10-13
Story Summary: Two heavens described in Revelation
Location: Roman Empire, Island of Patmos
Time:
AD 30 Jesus crucified and resurrected; Pentecost; Holy Spirit arrives
AD 48 Paul’s “famine visit” to Jerusalem; First Missionary Journey starts Council at Jerusalem
AD 50 Start of Second Missionary Journey.
AD 53 Start of Third Missionary Journey
AD 67/68 Paul probably killed in Rome
AD 85-95 John writes Revelation
Suggested Memory Scriptures: Revelation 4:8-11; 21:1-2, 21:3-4, 21:7, 21:27; 22:3-5, 22:12, 22:18-19
A great challenge in interpreting Revelation is deciding what is meant to be literal, what is meant to be symbolic, and what is both. This episode is based on a literal interpretation of Revelation 21:1 to the extent that one heaven exists, and that it will pass away and be replaced with another heaven.
The heaven described in Revelation 4 is the first of those two heavens. God resides in this heaven, and it appears to be the same heaven described in the Old Testament by people such as Isaiah and Ezekiel. Everything in this heaven is centered around worshiping God.
The second heaven is described in Revelation 21 and 22. It seems as if this second heaven is the one people often imagine when they think about the afterlife.
With these assumptions in place, it is not always clear to which of the two (or both?) heavens Jesus refers in His messages, or to which the prophets refer.
There is no doubt that going to heaven is the primary goal of many Christians. So it comes as a startling reality that the Bible doesn’t say all that much about heaven, and what it does say is often couched in terms that are challenging to comprehend.
No matter the difficulty in understanding, one thing is absolutely clear from the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament writers: you should be willing to do whatever it takes to go to heaven. The rewards of being with God for eternity are invaluable. Some of these rewards are shown in Revelation 21 and 22. Imagine: being with God every moment, forever!
Here is a little teaser to think about: who gets to be in heaven? According to one authority, this answer is revealed in the last chapter of Revelation. Three times it is shown who gets to be in the second heaven.
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