Heaven is saturated with the manifestations of God’s attributes. His goodness, beauty, power, majesty, are all radiating from him and are clearly visible in all aspects of heaven’s design and construction. The earth and heavens that we know today will pass away (2 Peter 3:1–12) and will be replaced by the eternal heaven. There will be a new heaven and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13). One that will last for eternity. 

A visitor to Westminster Abbey in London will find this inscription on a grave marker: “Brought by faithful hands over land and sea, here rests David Livingstone, missionary, traveler, philanthropist.”

David Livingston was born in Scotland, loyal to the crown, passionate about his heritage, and ardent in his support of his home empire: Britain. His loyalties were never questioned. His sympathies never wavered. He was in every sense of the word, a Brit.

But his heart was not in Britain.

No, I mean, literally, his heart was not in Britain. When he died in 1873, his body was transported from Africa to England, but what was laid in the tomb in London was not his whole body. For, according to the instructions he gave before dying, at his death his heart was removed from his chest and buried in … Africa.

His body belonged to Britain, but his heart was with his pride and joy, the African people. It is possible to belong to a realm in body but have one’s heart somewhere else.

Where is your heart? Where is your hope laid up?

We have looked at other treasures of the Christian life – grace, peace, thankfulness, faith, hope and love. Today we will look at the treasure of heaven.

Colossians 1:1–5 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

The words “in heaven” are not just icing on the top. They change everything. What those two words mean is that the very nature of your hope is modified by the fact that it is being laid up for you in a distant location, a place called heaven. What you think of that place will affect your hope.

5 Faqs About Heaven so That You Will Understand Your Hope

1. What is heaven?

Heaven Is a Place

Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

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