Heaven Isn’t Too Far Away

Being a child of the 80s, I was definitely a fan of hair metal music, and the power ballad was always the king of those bands. Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home”, Bon Jovi’s “Never Say Goodbye”, and “Open Arms” by Journey were some of the greatest songs of the decade,  but it was a song released in 1989 that roared up the charts and cemented the legacy of a band called Warrant. That song was titled “Heaven”, and the chorus was simply, “Heaven isn’t too far away. We’re closer to it every day. No matter what your friends might say, we’ll find our way.” I still remember all the slow dances in High School during Homecoming, Prom, and random parties. This one was a tear-jerker, and the ladies loved it. 

The song was all about a relationship that meant more than anything to this man. He’s reliving old memories and simply sharing his love throughout the song. There’s a sense in it that times may have gotten hard, but he’ll never give up on their relationship. Their love can stand the test of time. For them, Heaven is almost attainable here on Earth. How awesome is that?

If that’s all that Heaven is, I’m not really all that excited about it. Unfortunately, the picture that most people have painted of Heaven couldn’t be further from what it actually is. For many, Heaven is this place where we’re all wearing white dresses or togas, and we all have halos. We hang out in clouds, and we get wings. In Heaven, we all speak King James English as we walk down streets of gold. All of this is really just kind of funny when you look at what Heaven really is in the Bible.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
Revelation 21:1–3

Starting in the 21st chapter of Revelation, we read John’s account of what Heaven will look like. We see that something completely different from what we all think Heaven will be happens. A new heaven and new earth come down to us. Things are being remade the way they always should have been. For me, the word that comes to mind here is “shalom”. For many of us, that word simply means “peace” or “Peace be to you.” The true meaning of shalom is much deeper, though. 

In simple English, shalom means, “peace.” In Hebrew, the meaning is more along the lines of “to make something whole”, “restore”, or “make full restitution”. Throughout the Bible, we read the word Shalom, and we just assume that we’re reading the word “peace.” However, when we understand what shalom really means, Jesus’s words take on a whole new meaning when He speaks to the disciples.

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”
Jn 14:25–27

 The Greek translation here uses the word “eirene”, which is the Greek equivalent of the word “Shalom”.  He is saying, “I’m leaving you with My completeness” or “I give you my reconciliation”. In other words, Jesus came to reconcile the world so that God could bring it back to where it should have been all along. Heaven was never meant to be in the clouds. It was always meant to be here on Earth. That’s not the most amazing part of it, though. God will literally dwell with us.

God designed the Garden of Eden for man to walk with Him physically. We read in Genesis that Adam walked with God in the garden, and they talked. They hung out. This was God’s intention all along. We were never to be separated from him, but sin ruined that. It put a chasm between us and God. So how will Heaven not fall into that same trap?

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:4

Evil will have no place in eternity. Once true shalom happens and all things are made right, Sin will not be present. Instead, there will be none of the things that sin causes; pain, suffering, sadness, defeat, depression, or anxiety. There will be no more loss or death. Instead, there will be all the things that come from God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We get all of these and a beautiful backdrop with streets made of gold, but none of that compares to the true gift of Heaven.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 21:22–27

At the center of it all are the Father and the Son. They are the glory that we will one day see. They will be the light that shines on eternity and brings everything into shalom. Heaven really isn’t too far away. We’re getting closer to it every day.