The Apostle's Creed Series #9

"...I Believe in the Life Everlasting, Amen!"
Revelation 21 - 22

We have come a long way in our look these past few months at the Apostle’s Creed. I hope that this series has helped you understand more clearly what we consider to be the core teachings of the Christian faith. We have looked at the base of our faith, our belief in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have come to better understand what God has done about our past through the forgiveness of sins. We have a better appreciation for what God is doing right now through the church and the fellowship of the saints. Now, at the end, we turn to the future and see that what awaits us is everlasting life in a place called heaven.

Do you believe heaven exists? If so, what do you think it will be like? Who will get to go there, and why? According to a Gallup poll, 78 percent of Americans believe in the existence of heaven, but there is a great diversity of opinion about what it will be like, and how you get there. In the midst of this speculation, the Apostles’ Creed weighs in by affirming, "I believe in the life everlasting." As we consider this phrase, let’s take time today to think about heaven.

Let’s look first at how the Bible describes heaven. "READ SELECTED PASSAGES FROM REV.21-22) "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" (Rev. 21:1,2). The apostle John had a revelation of heaven when he was exiled on the island of Patmos toward the end of the first century AD. John was given an assurance in his revelation that in spite of a very real presence of evil in the world, history would conclude with God winning the victory, and that the Lord would then create a new heaven and a new earth.

In the New Testament, there are two primary images which describe heaven and give us insight as to what heaven might entail. The first image appears in this passage. It is the figure of a city. In Revelation 21 we read a beautiful description of the streets, walls and gates of that great city which is called the New Jerusalem. In the ancient world a city was a place of security, and therefore, it had walls which protected the people (vs.18). It was also meant to be a place of beauty, and so we read of streets of gold, gates of pearl, and precious stones (vs.21). Most of all, a city was to be a place for community, and that is why we are told that in the city that is heaven we will have fellowship with God (vs.23) and with all those who have gone before us in the faith (vs.27).

The second great image of heaven in the New Testament was given by Jesus himself. It is the picture of a home. Jesus said, "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. 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" (Jn. 14:2,3). Going to heaven will not be like entering some strange place; it will be more like going home. Have you ever been away from home for a long time and missed your family so? Wasn’t it good to get home and hug everyone in the family? That’s what heaven will be like: the greatest family reunion of all time.

In its description of heaven, the Bible uses the security and beauty of a city and the comfort and community of home as pictures of what heaven will be like. As I try to put it all together, ti seems to me that the essence of heaven revolves around three things: God’s presence; God’s protection; and God’s people.

Certainly the essence of heaven is God’s presence. In our passage we read, "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’" (Rev. 21:3). I don’t know about you, but the times in my life when I have experienced God’s presence most clearly have been the most exciting, tender, awesome, and fulfilling moments I can remember. I recall the afternoon when I knelt down and asked God to come into my life. I remember the time in my life when I accepted his call into ministry. There have been so many experiences with God. In each of them the Lord was so real; he was so close, and I could sense his presence and blessing in unique ways.

As wonderful as those moments have been in my life, they are fleeting; they come and go. They are only a foretaste of the how wonderful the presence of God will be in heaven. In this life you and I experience the presence of God intermittently; in heaven it will be uninterrupted. In this life our fellowship with God is marred by the sin of our lives; in heaven our fellowship will be unencumbered.

The essence of heaven is God’s presence. It is also God’s protection. In Revelation 21:24 we read, "God will wipe away 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." In heaven, God will protect us from all those things which limit and harm our lives now here on earth. We look forward to a day when all the things resulting from sin - the evil which surrounds us and the evil within us - will be destroyed, and there will be an end to the things which threaten us.

God’s presence. God’s protection. Finally, the essence of heaven is God’s people. God’s intent has always been to create a people for himself, a covenant community of faith. Heaven will be a rich community of interaction and involvement, not only with God, but with other believers, too. This interaction, this heavenly society, if you will, is what the apostle Peter talks about when he writes, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God."

The most intimate moments with God that we have known on earth, the most powerful ways we have experienced his protection, the most wonderful fellowship we have enjoyed in this life with other people are only shadows of the good things God has in store for us in heaven.

"I believe in the life everlasting." Each time you and I say that, we are reminded that our lives are not limited to this world alone. God has set eternity in our hearts, and it is the promise of heaven which enables us to keep on in the Christian faith. Here, then, is the great hope of God’s children: that someday we will be with Christ in heaven! Alleluja!

I believe in the life everlasting! However, in order to finish, I need to say AMEN! I know that for most people, amen is like the period at the end of a sentence, something to be tacked on the end of a song or prayer to show that it is over. However, the real meaning of "Amen" is "So be it" or "What has been said is true." Whenever we say it, if we mean it, we’re saying, "So be it. I am in complete agreement with what has been said and I am willing to act on it!" In the end, friends, the Apostle’s Creed is not just about words and beliefs; it is about action and deeds. If we truly believe what we have said in the creed, then we say Amen. It is our way of saying, "Lord, I believe that the words that I have spoken are true, and I will commit my life to bring them to pass."

"I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN!"