Heaven is a Wonderful Place...or is it?: A Look at the Description of Eternity

Revelation 21:21
The twelve gates were twelve pearls,  each gate made of a single pearl.  The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. 

I don’t know about you, but when I think of heaven, the description of pearly gates and golden streets doesn’t really move me.  Besides the fact that I’m more of a silver girl, the idea of jewels, gems, glitter and glamor does little to excite me when it comes to the prospect of eternity.  I don’t believe I’m alone in this idea, either.  Just the other day I was speaking to a young girl, completely turned off by the idea of leaving her loved ones here on earth to enter into a mere amusement park made of precious metals and sparkling gems.  No thanks. 

And you know, I totally agree.  If that’s all that heaven is, who really wants it?  I sure don’t.  There has got to be something more than just the fear of Hell pushing us along the road toward heaven.  I was discussing this perspective with my mom the other day on one of our drives. 

We were contemplating the idea of golden streets and pearly gates when we came to an interesting conclusion: God wants to out-do us.  He really does.  He wants to take the things that have become so glorified in our world, and show us that in His world, those things are really nothing at all.  He wants to take the things we have come to call “valuable” in our paradigms, our gold, our diamonds, our glitter and glamor- and turn them into streets for us to trample on in His world.  Just think about it.  Gold will be what we walk on, not what we hang around our necks and place on our fingers. 

It’s as though God is trying to turn our worlds upside down by reminding us that the things that really seem precious to us are hardly good enough to walk on in His presence.  He is making a value statement, reminding us of His greatness in comparison to the things that we have considered great.  This doesn’t just go for gold and pearls, bur for everything else that we have considered valuable.  In His presence, those things will be of little value and worth. 

He is reminding us that in His world, things will be exceedingly greater than we could ever ask for or even imagine (Ephesians 3:20).  In His world, all the things that have brought us joy, and all the things that have brought us pain will be diminished in the sheer glory of His presence.  A world where every tear will be wiped from our eyes, death will be overcome, mourning will not exist, and our pain will have no existence (Revelation 21:4).  A world where we will experience the fullness of satisfaction, and where our joy will finally be complete.

God wants to out-do us, reminding us that this world is but a morsel of the things that are to come.  So, in that case, to heaven it is…bring on the streets of gold. 

Question for response: What are your thoughts, fears, worries, or perspectives on what Heaven will be like?