HEAVEN
Updated: Jan 13
Heaven: Lyrics & Scriptures
Songwriter: Jake Wright
Heaven Lyrics 2021©
There’s a longing in my soul (Psalm 42:1)
For something greater than I know
A place to truly call my home (John 14:1–2)
A place to fully belong (Eph 2:19)
There’s a longing in the world, for something more than hollow shadows (Ecc 6:12)
There’s a song that’s in the wind, theres a hope that will arise (1 Peter 1:3–4)
At the twinkling of an eye, every dream will realize (1 Cor 15:51–52)
There’s a light that’s in the night, as eternity arrives (Matt 4:16–17)
We’ll reach the heavens’ ocean shore, where sin and death will be no more (Rev 21:4)
Skies of glory, the earth restored, colors we’ve never seen before. (Rev 21:1–2, 9–11)
The garden city aglow with light, (Rev 22:1–5)
All that was wrong will be made right (2 Peter 3:13)
Sabbath rest, eternal life, where striving will cease and our souls delight (Heb 4:9–10)
We fought the good fight, we ran the good race (2 Tim 4:6–8)
“Well done my good child,” (Matt 25:21)
The Father’s embrace (Luke 15:20–24)
“You’re not alone, welcome home.” (John 14:1–3)
It's time to step out of our caves (John 11:25, 38–44)
And hear the roaring of the waves (Psalm 93:3–4)
All creation will sing praise (Rom 8:19–25)
As we rise up from the grave (John 5:28–29)
We’ll reach the heavens’ ocean shore, where sin and death will be no more (Rev 21:4)
Skies of glory, the earth restored, colors we’ve never seen before. (Rev 21:1–2, 9–11)
The garden city aglow with light, (Rev 22:1–5)
All that was wrong will be made right (2 Peter 3:13)
Sabbath rest, eternal life, where striving will cease and our souls delight (Heb 4:9–10)
We fought the good fight, we ran the good race (2 Tim 4:6–8)
“Well done my good child,” (Matt 25:21)
The Father’s embrace (Luke 15:20–24)
“You’re not alone, welcome home.” (John 14:1–3)
Come in peace, O Lord my God (2 Thess 3:16)
Come and redeem all that was lost (Rev 21:5)
Come and shine oh bright morning Star (Rev 22:16)
Come with wind, come with fire (Acts 2:1–4)
Come in power, O King of kings (Eph 1:18–23)
Come with healing in thy wings (Malachi 4:2)
Come and wipe away our tears (Isaiah 25:8)
No more pain, no more fears (Rev 21:4)
Come in peace, O Lord my God (2 Thess 3:16)
Come and redeem all that was lost (Rev 21:5)
Come and shine oh bright morning Star (Rev 22:16)
Come with wind, come with fire (Acts 2:1–4)
Come in power, O King of kings (Eph 1:18–23)
Come with healing in thy wings (Malachi 4:2)
Come and wipe away our tears (Isaiah 25:8)
No more pain, no more fears (Rev 21:4)
We’ll reach the heavens’ ocean shore, where sin and death will be no more (Rev 21:4)
Skies of glory, the earth restored, colors we’ve never seen before. (Rev 21:1–2, 9–11)
The garden city aglow with light, (Rev 22:1–5)
All that was wrong will be made right (2 Peter 3:13)
Sabbath rest, eternal life, where striving will cease and our souls delight (Heb 4:9–10)
We fought the good fight, we ran the good race (2 Tim 4:6–8)
“Well done my good child,” (Matt 25:21)
The Father’s embrace (Luke 15:20–24)
“You’re not alone, welcome home.” (John 14:1–3)
"You’re not alone, welcome home."
"Welcome home, welcome home."
Do you remember the summer of 2020? Though it was just over a year ago, it sometimes feels like a lifetime has passed. It was quite a chaotic time in our world: A new pandemic, lockdowns, mandates, political chaos, racial injustice, Western wildfires, etc.
It was also supposed to be the summer of my first sabbatical. As we prepared for my sabbatical during the year prior, we diligently saved up and planned an entire trip to Europe, from Iceland to Italy. Tickets were purchased, hotels booked, cars rented, and passports renewed. As you can guess, those plans got decimated.
Instead, my wife and I spent a few weeks traveling along highway 101 down the majestic Oregon coast, all the way till we hit the Redwoods. We were inundated with the beauty of God and His creation. In the midst of a tumultuous time, we had a moment of reprieve. Night after night of glorious coastal sunsets over the ocean horizon felt like a true foretaste of heaven.
One evening in particular was extraordinarily heavenly. After some delicious fish & chips at Tidal Raves (highly recommend) in Depoe Bay, we wound our way through a beautiful overgrown, sleepy road along the beach till we hit Newport. Just as the sun was setting, we made it to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse (operating since 1873!). On one side of us were sprawling, lush green hills covered with purple flowers; on the other side, giant oceanic rocks covered with birds and sealife, the historic lighthouse, and cotton-candy skies full of pinks, purples, oranges, and reds. Have you ever had one of those moments that truly felt like a glimpse of heaven? This was one of those moments.
When we arrived back in Boise, I sat down at the piano and this song spilled onto the pages. In less than 24 hours, all the music and lyrics had been written. It’s the quickest a song has ever come together for me. Out of the overflow of beauty, rest, and time in God's Word came this song. It is a song of hope. For even in the greatest moments of chaos, confusion, or crisis, God always offers us hope—an unshakeable foundation upon which to stand—the hope of heaven.
One of my absolute most favorite, hope-filled passages on heaven is Revelation 21:1–5,
“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. 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. And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’”
Does that sound hopeful to you? Even when suffering or grief may occur, we have a future that is brimming with hope. We have a future that is full of God’s peaceful and loving presence. We have a future on a new earth with resurrection bodies. We have a future eternally void of death, disease, sin, shame, crying, sadness, or pain.
I pray that as you listen to this song that your hope would be ignited, your heart encouraged, and your soul filled with the wonder and awe of heaven.
Want to learn more about heaven?
If you'd like to learn more about heaven, here is my sermon manuscript from a message that I preached a few years ago:
What will heaven be like?
Growing up, I had a lot of misconceptions about what heaven will be like. What I knew about heaven was mostly from movies or art. I thought it would be utterly boring with nothing to do. I thought we would be disembodied spirits floating on the clouds in an ethereal spirit realm surrounded by babies playing harps (weird).
Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be more excited to be with Jesus; I just wasn't excited to be where He was. I remember thinking, “Jesus – I know you’re coming back, but could you wait a while? There’s a lot that I'd like to do and experience on this earth first.”
It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I finally began to actually learn about heaven. A pastor, Ben Smith, preached on the topic from Revelation 21–22, and it completely flipped my view of heaven upside down. The sermon went for almost an hour, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. For the first time ever, I was excited for heaven.
N. T. Wright, one of the world's leading theologians, says:
"What we have at the moment isn't as the old liturgies used to say, 'The sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead,' but a vague and fuzzy optimism that somehow things may work out in the end.”
Up until the last few centuries, Christians have had a certain and unquestionable hope in heaven because they actually knew about it. But in our Western world today, Christians (and America in general) have been far more, subtly, influenced on the subject of the afterlife by Greek philosophers than the Scriptures themselves. Our lack of biblical understanding on heaven has left us with this vague and fuzzy optimism about it rather than the certain biblical hope of the resurrection of the dead.
So what will heaven be like? There is actually a significant amount of information and clarity that Scripture gives on the matter. But in order to go forward, we must first go back.
Eden: Heaven On Earth
In Genesis 1–2, in the very beginning, we see a glimpse of heaven on earth: Eden. In Eden, we find that people were in perfect relationship with God, one another, and with the earth. The "shalom" of God pervaded the earth, and everything existed in perfect harmony.
And the best part? God walked with man, the Creator with His beloved created humans. God lived and dwelt with humanity on earth.
Now, scholars on heaven say, “Heaven is wherever God and His presence dwells.”
So what does that mean? God dwelt on earth. Thus, heaven was on earth. The realms of heaven and earth were one.
There was no distinction between one and the other. The two realms of heaven and earth were united as one. And listen to the things that were a part of heaven on earth and what God deemed to be good:
“God called the dry land earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called seas. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:9–10).
Earth was GOOD! It wasn’t a place to be escaped. It wasn’t evil because of its physical or material nature. It was what God created and what He called "good."
Now listen to the good things that were part of heaven on earth:
"Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good" (Gen 1:11–12).
"Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.' And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good" (Gen 1:11–12).
"God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good" (Gen 1:16–18).
"And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.' So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good" (Gen 1:20–21).
"And God said, 'Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.' And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good" (Gen 1:24–25).
So what kinds of things were a part of heaven on earth? Plants, fruits, and veggies; sun, moon, and stars; fish, birds, and sea life; animals, insects, and reptiles. And what did God say about all these things He created? They are good.
"Heaven" wasn’t a place of clouds where spirits and weird babies float around playing harps. No! Heaven was on earth. It was physical, gritty, and literally down to earth.
But that’s not even the best part of God’s creation. All of that which God created was leading up to the pinnacle of His creation:
"Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them.... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Gen 1:26–28, 31).
What was the pinnacle of God’s good creation? Humanity! Men and women. You and me. And what did he say about humanity? They are very good. Adam & Eve, people of flesh and bone with a human body, were called very good by God.
What did God tell the first humans to do? First of all, he said: Be fruitful & multiply! Have sex, have children, have a family. Secondly he tells them to rule and reign over the earth, to "subdue" the earth. The birds, fish, animals, and all life on earth are theirs to rule over and take care of. Then he tells them to eat! The plants and fruit of the earth are theirs for food.
As we look at Genesis 1–2, when heaven and earth existed as one, does it sound boring? Does that sound like there was nothing to do? Does that sound like disembodied spirits playing harps on clouds? No, because that’s not what the Bible actually tells us about heaven.
Heaven was on earth, and it was full of life, full of delicious food, full of work and things to do. It had people, with bodies. And most importantly – It had God. People lived and walked in the presence of the living God. Now that is literally heaven on earth.
What On Earth Happened?
Heaven on earth sounds amazing, doesn't it? So what happened? With all the chaos, disease, sin, and death in our world, it sure doesn't seem like "heaven on earth" anymore.
Spoiler alert – If you skip to the next chapter, you’ll see in Genesis 3 that the first humans gave in to sin. They decided to choose their own way of life over God’s way. And at that moment, sin, evil, decay, corruption, disease, and death entered our fallen world. Heaven and earth were no longer one but ripped apart from one another.
How do we logically and experientially know that heaven and earth are no longer one but have been ripped apart? Because of the injustice, broken relationships, broken families, separation from God, loneliness, emptiness, hurt, war, suicide, and death among other sorrows that exist in our world and in our lives today. Each and every one of us has known, felt, and experienced the effects of sin and thus the effects of heaven and earth being ripped apart.
So is that the end of the story? If that’s the current state of heaven and earth, what is our hope, if any?
Reunited And It Feels So Good 🎶
The Bible ends how it starts: The Garden of Eden, heaven and earth being reunited as one.
Message to all earthlings: We are not headed for some ethereal, unearthly spirit realm; we are bound for earth! Check out these Scriptures:
"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" (Revelation 21).
"According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13).
"For look, I am ready to create new heavens and a new earth!" (Isaiah 65:17).
Will this earth be scrapped? I love this earth! So will this earth simply be thrown away and replaced with a new one? Not quite. This word “new” in the Greek does not simply mean “new" as in "never existed before." This isn't like when you get a “new” iPhone and ditch your old one. This word “new” means “renewed,” “remade,” “restored,” “transformed." We will not inhabit a completely new earth but will live with God for eternity on this earth which will get a complete and holistic make-over.
What's the most beautiful sight you've seen on this earth? What’s the most beautiful sunset you’ve ever witnessed? Have you ever looked out over the ocean on a clear night? Have you ever climbed to the top of a mountain and seen vast beauty endlessly ranging for miles? Have you ever looked out on the expanse of a city from a tall building?
What are the most beautiful sites you’ve ever seen? Whatever that is, just know that it is only a fragment, a shadow of God's renewed earth.
Over the summer I got to spend a week in Maui, Hawaii. There is an insane amount of beauty there––Palm trees, lush tropical forests, beautiful sunsets, gorgeous beaches. It really is a taste of heaven on earth. But all the while, I was thinking: “This is just a glimpse of what God has in store for us in heaven on the new earth.”
Randy Alcorn, who literally wrote the book on Heaven, says:
“If earth is still awesome and beautiful now under the curse, how much more awesome will it be on the new earth without the curse?”
As great as that will be, that's not even the best part:
"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 21:3).
The best part of our future in heaven on earth is that God will be there! We will get to be with God face to face, walking with our Creator, living life in His presence, being His people with Him as our God. “Heaven is wherever God dwells,” and God will dwell with us on the renewed earth, as He always intended it to be. Look at what this loving God will do for us:
"'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.' And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new'" (Revelation 21:4–5).
Don’t you long for that? Don’t you long for God to wipe away your tears, take away your grief, your pain, your depression, your heartache, and loneliness? Don't you long for the day when pandemics, shootings, and injustices of all kinds are done away with? The Christian hope is that God Himself will personally rid our lives and the whole earth of all such things; He will set all things right and make all things new. Even more so, he will do away with death all together! Joy, peace, and love will fill our lives and the whole cosmos.
That's the Christian hope. Heaven will be on earth, they will be one, and we will reign on the earth in partnership with God in His loving presence for all of eternity.
The Garden City
Are you more of a city or outdoors person? For me, I love riding my bike out in nature and being outdoors, but I also love the city (which is one of the reasons I love Boise, best of both worlds). I love driving through downtown everyday on my way to work and hanging out in the city.
In this new heavens and new earth, God says that there is a new city awaiting us––A garden city. Take a look at how incredible this city will be:
"And he ... showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal" (Revelation 21:10–11).
"The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass" (Revelation 21:18, 19, 21).
"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:1–2).
What the end of Scripture reveals (along with Hebrews 11:10–16) is not disembodied spirits floating around in the clouds for eternity but an eternal city in which humans will live together with God.
This city will surpass our wildest dreams. It is said to have rivers, trees, and garden-like qualities while also being constructed of precious jewels, pure gold, and magnificent pearls. It is a Garden City, or, "Eden on steroids," as one theologian puts its.
Now, the book of Revelation is highly metaphorical and packed with Old Testament allusions and other figurative imagery. Yet whether or not this imagery of the new city is entirely symbolic or literal, John’s point is that this new city will be made of all the best stuff that this earth has to offer. It will be beyond our wildest dreams.
Have you ever seen the movie Thor? It's by far my favorite Marvel movie. One of the reasons I love it is because of the city of Asgard, Thor’s home. The city is plated in shimmering gold. It has a bridge leading into the city that is lit up with every color of the rainbow. It has an exquisite view of the universe. And it has a beautiful array of precious metals and jewels while also containing many natural, lush, garden-like elements.
Does that spark your imagination? Does that get you dreaming? It's a silly analogy to compare the two places. But the point is that this new city will be utterly amazing.
And again, John leaves the best part for last…
"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...." (Revelation 21:22–24).
"No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever" (Revelation 22:1–5).
The best part about heaven is that God will be there! And he will be at the center of the city, giving light and life to all mankind for all of eternity. The One who satisfies our every longing, our every desire, will be the epicenter of everything in our lives. The presence of Jesus will never be lacking or lost. On the new earth, we will sit back and bask in His glory for eternity. That is heaven.
Bodies or Spirits?
Now, I don’t know about you, but one question still remains for me. Now that we know what heaven will be like, what will we be like? What will happen to us and our bodies? Will we be disembodied floating spirits or will we have bodies like we do now? Check out these Scriptures:
"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control" (Phil 3:20–21).
"But someone may ask, 'How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?' (1 Corinthians 15:35).
"There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies" (1 Corinthians 15:40).
"Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies" (1 Corinthians 15:43–44).
"What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies" (1 Corinthians 15:50–53).
In the Corinthian church (and much of the ancient Greco-Roman world), there was a Greek philosophy from Plato and other philosophers floating around. This philosophy says: 1) Matter is evil; 2) Only soul/spirit is pure and good; 3) We won’t have bodies in the afterlife; 4) We will be spirits existing in a non-physical, non-material world. Has Plato not infiltrated the Western church??
That's what I grew up thinking, and that's what many people assume will happen in the afterlife.
And yet in this passage, Paul tells the Corinthian church the exact opposite! Paul talks about our old (present) body versus our new resurrection body: