Heaven is often the answer that’s given. The promise often given to Christians is to leave this place and find our home—our true home—with God in heaven. There, in that place, there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more tears. In heaven, everything will be as it should be—perhaps, as it was meant to be.
Is heaven, though, really the promise that the Bible sets before those who have trusted in Jesus?
In chapter 11 of the Book of Revelation, John writes of the seventh angel sounding his trumpet. Along with this trumpet blast is an announcement from loud voices in heaven. Their announcement is that, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Rev. 11:15b, NIV)
Note that, the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of God. This is the promise. The world will be God’s. He has made it and it will be redeemed in Jesus. This is a not a promise that we will leave this planet to enter heaven somewhere else. This is a promise that heaven will be here on earth and Jesus will rule here forever. This is the unification and redemption of all things. Heaven and earth brought back together as was the design in Genesis 1 and 2 in the garden.
See what John writes in Revelation 21: “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them…God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe 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.”