I believe the answer is clear. In heaven, we will not spend time thinking about what happens on earth. Some people believe their loved ones in heaven watch over them from above, protecting them and hearing their prayers. This is not what scripture teaches. No one in heaven knows what is happening on earth. No saint, including Mary, has ever heard a prayer from anyone on earth. Only God hears our prayers. Heaven exists in a completely different realm, separated by a vast divide from our current world.
If people in heaven could see what happens on earth, they would experience sadness and pain. Would Heaven be the place of complete peace that God promises if this were the case? Instead, heaven is filled with pure happiness, perfect peace, total contentment, and endless joy. Those in heaven focus entirely on being in the presence of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This is what brings complete fulfillment.
Understanding this helps us grasp how different heaven truly is our earthly experience. The joy of being with God surpasses everything else.
Some stores that sell Christian books carry stories from people who say they traveled to heaven and came back. These books describe experiences that the authors claim to have had beyond death. However, biblical teaching presents a different picture of what happens when people die.
Scripture tells us that humans die one time, followed by judgment. This means death is not something people experience multiple times. Claims about visiting heaven or hell and returning do not align with this biblical principle. When people make such claims, they are not speaking truthfully about their experiences.
The Bible does mention something called the third heaven. This term refers to where God lives. The first heaven means the air surrounding our planet that we breathe. The second heaven refers to outer space, where the moon and stars exist. The third heaven, then, is simply the place where God dwells.
Paul was the only person in the New Testament who experienced being taken to the third heaven. Even he could not explain how this happened. He stated that he did not know if he was physically present or if his body remained behind. This experience was similar to the visions that prophets received in the Old Testament, like the vision Isaiah had when he saw God’s throne.
Paul described being brought into God’s presence and witnessing things too wonderful for human understanding. He said these things could not be spoken about or described. I believe that if someone genuinely visited heaven, they would have the same experience Paul had. They would find themselves unable to talk about what they witnessed there.
The biblical pattern shows that genuine encounters with heaven leave people without words to describe them, not with books to sell.
In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.
Throughout the book of Acts, we see patterns repeating themselves. The early church faced challenges that believers still encounter today. History moves in cycles and the struggles Christians experienced centuries ago continue in our time.
Apostle Paul, IRS Images, 2025
In Acts chapter 19, Paul performed remarkable miracles in Ephesus. Cloths that touched him brought healing to the sick and drove out evil spirits. Some traveling Jewish exorcists tried to copy this power. Seven sons of a chief priest named Sceva attempted to cast out demons using Jesus’s name. They said they commanded the evil spirit by the Jesus that Paul preached. The demon responded that it knew Jesus and recognized Paul, but asked who they were. The possessed man then attacked them with such strength that they ran away injured and without clothes.
This raises an important question for every believer. Do we truly know Jesus Christ, or do we only know about him? We might know facts about famous people or political leaders without having a personal relationship with them. Similarly, we can serve in church without actually knowing Christ? When our lives end and we stand before God, the critical question will be about our relationship with his Son. We might attend services, sing in worship teams, or teach children, yet still lack a real connection with Jesus. The knowledge of God’s Son brings freedom and allows miracles to work through us. Everyone must consider what Jesus Christ means to them personally.
The book of Daniel provides guidance for believers living in difficult circumstances. Rather than focusing on calculating which nations fit specific prophecies, the message examines practical applications for daily life. The opening chapter emphasizes that God controls history. Empires rise and fall according to his will. The key phrase appears in verse two: “the Lord gave.” God gave Jerusalem’s king and temple articles into Babylonian hands. This was not an accident but part of God’s plan.
Nebuchadnezzar took captives from Judah, including members of royal and noble families. He selected young men without physical defects who were handsome and intelligent. These young men needed to be capable of learning and qualified to serve in the palace. The king assigned them food and wine from his own table. They would study for three years before entering his service. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The Babylonian officials gave them new names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Understanding Babylon requires looking at three appearances of this concept in scripture. Each represents a different stage in humanity’s rebellion against God.
The Tower of Babel, IRS Images, 2025
The first Babylon appears in Genesis as the Tower of Babel. After the flood, all people spoke one language. They settled in a plain and decided to build a city with a tower reaching the heavens. Their stated purpose was to make a name for themselves and avoid being scattered across the earth. This directly opposed God’s command to spread throughout the world. God came down, confused their language, and scattered them anyway. This first Babylon shows human pride and the desire for glory apart from God. People united to create something impressive by their own power. They wanted to build high and become famous. This represents the beginning of civilizations built on human achievement rather than obedience to the Creator.
The second Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar’s empire described in Daniel. Here the desire to build a tower succeeded on a massive scale. This was not just pride but total control over people’s lives. The empire wanted to dominate not only outward actions but inner thoughts. It sought control over both body and soul. Nebuchadnezzar walked on his palace roof and declared that he built great Babylon through his mighty power for the glory of his majesty. This Babylon represents state power that seeks to unite peoples, conquer cultures, and force everyone into one system. God destroyed this kingdom in a single night. The pattern applies to any modern nation that tries to compete with God through its strength, culture, or science. These systems enslave and control people, creating feelings of helplessness. You can fight but cannot win. For believers, this creates even deeper distress because Babylon always fights against the heavenly kingdom.
The third Babylon appears in Revelation as a spiritual force at its peak. An angel showed John a woman called “the great prostitute” who sits by many waters. Kings committed adultery with her, and earth’s inhabitants became drunk on her wine. She wore purple and scarlet, covered in gold, precious stones, and pearls. She held a golden cup filled with terrible things. Her forehead bore the name “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.” The vision showed her drunk with the blood of God’s people who testified about Jesus.
Let’s reflect on this for a moment. The first Babylon wanted fame and power. The second created a great empire with control and forced assimilation. The third combines everything into complete corruption. Babylon always desires the blood of those who follow God. No nation offers a safe escape. Every country represents a form of Babylon. When any of these systems grows powerful enough, it will eventually want to harm God’s people. Believers should prepare for this reality rather than being surprised by it. The first Babylon sought glory. The second wanted empire. The third takes pleasure in bloodshed. Each version becomes worse than the one before. Humanity without God does not improve but degrades over time. This continues until Christ returns.
Every believer lives in Babylon by default. This is not about moving from one country to another. As citizens of heaven, we exist within these fallen systems. We need to understand how to survive in this environment. Any nation that forms a government carries characteristics of Babylon. When people create states, two elements appear. The good part copies God’s kingdom: order, justice, structure, protection of the weak, punishment of wrongdoing, hierarchy, and authority. These things often appear in national constitutions. The bad part comes from sin: pride, subjugation, tyranny, manipulation, control, desire for power, corruption, and violence. When Babylon fully develops, it becomes a beast. On the outside, it appears as a golden statue representing civilization and order. Inside, it devours people.
Daniel lived in Babylon for 70 years, spending his entire life there. He did not fall into depression, complain, or develop hatred. He did not break down, lose faith, or become absorbed into the culture. Instead, he influenced the empire. Nebuchadnezzar came to recognize God. Belshazzar heard prophecy. Darius issued a decree about God. Daniel remained strong throughout. The important question becomes: What is Babylon doing to us? How has it captured us? How is it using our mental capacity without our realizing it?
To survive in Babylon, believers must keep their minds pure, their hearts faithful, and their lives holy. Our true home is in heaven. God keeps our hearts and minds pure so we can stand firm without being absorbed into the culture or falling into despair. Daniel stood firm, and believers today can do the same with God’s help.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
Some people imagine heaven as a place filled with clouds, harps, and endless singing. However, the Bible gives a different picture. In Revelation 21, it describes a “new heaven and a new earth,” and this new earth shares some similarities with the one we live on now.
One key difference is that the new earth will not have seas. Currently, water covers about 75 percent of the planet. The future earth will be different. Nothing in the description mentions a water-based world. This apparent change could reflect a return to how the earth was before the flood described in Genesis. That flood reshaped the world through rain and underground waters, forming oceans and continents as we know them today.
The new earth might resemble the Garden of Eden, a place of beauty, rivers, and balance. Although we can’t know all the details, it’s likely the new earth will be full of life and peace, free from the destruction of past disasters.
and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
When people imagine heaven, they often think of calm, beauty, and safety. These are true ideas. But it may be surprising to hear that the Bible describes the New Jerusalem—a city in heaven—with walls and gates. In Revelation 21, the Apostle John shares a vision of this holy city. It is large and magnificent, surrounded by strong walls and 12 gates. This makes us wonder: why would heaven need such features?
There is no evil or sin in the New Jerusalem, nor anywhere in the new heaven and new earth. Everything is pure and righteous. So, the walls are not for protection from danger, because danger simply doesn’t exist there. Instead, the walls and gates mark the city as something special. They show that this is the central place of God’s glory.
The New Jerusalem is more than just a city—it is where God’s throne is. From there, His glory shines out, lighting the city’s golden streets and sparkling through its jewels and pearl gates. This beauty spreads across the eternal creation. Revelation 21:23 tells us, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light.” This city is the heart of heaven, and from it, God’s glory fills all eternity.
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