I have dedicated myself to study the Word of God until I know the theology of Heaven. The Bible is actually filled with this truth. The word "Heaven" appears in the Scripture over six hundred times. Heaven is our "Treasure Trove" and our "Homeland." Everything connected to our past and future – but also our present – originated in Heaven. This earth is a product of Heaven. The great temple of Solomon was created from the prototype of "the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Hebrews 8:2b).

The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, came down from Heaven. "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven" (John 3:13). The trinity of our Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit are so perfectly united that Jesus Christ could claim presence both on earth and in Heaven simultaneously. Only divinity could make such a statement without sounding ridiculous. But He could and He did. He was both with men as the Son of Man and with God as the Son of God. Heaven and earth met in the only begotten Son and neither of the two will ever be the same.

Heaven is where we send our treasures. Everything you possess of any value is either on earth to be left when you depart or in Heaven awaiting you when you reach your final home. Jesus Himself gave us this great principle. He told the rich young ruler, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me" (Matthew 19:21). No Bible-believing saint should consider giving God less than fifty percent of all that they acquire. It will not take anyone long to become financially sufficient who starts living by the Lord’s instruction.

Do you think that the "rich young ruler" was going to quit earning income when he turned all of his accumulated wealth over to the Lord’s use? Oh, no! His income was going to explode in treasures to be used for the kingdom. But, he walked away from the promises of the divine Son of God even though Jesus Christ possessed complete authority to speak worlds into existence. Why did he leave? He left because he did not believe in Him or what He taught. But, neither do most professing believers in the present church world. The banks and companies that sell stocks have all the treasures of multitudes of professing believers because they trust in them more than in Christ.

This theology of Heaven does not end with your acquired wealth. That’s only a small portion of truth about that awesome world up above us. The Son of God came from Heaven to redeem us. The Holy Ghost was sent from Heaven to teach us and protect us. The resurrected Son is coming from Heaven to get us. We will soon join the saints that are already there for the "star-studded banquet" of all eternity. Jesus Himself said He was preparing the city for the bride’s treasure house. "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2b-3).

As I have tried to imagine how big "the Heavenly Jerusalem" must be, I could only find one small idea. The Father said four times in the Holy Scripture, "Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool" (Matthew 5:35, I Chronicles 28:2, Isaiah 66:1, and Acts 7:49). The footstool is twenty-four thousand and nine hundred miles around so Heaven must be a big place. But, we do not worry because we will have eternity to visit every mile. Probably, dimensions do not even exist in His eternal home. Do not think for one moment that Heaven is not real. It is just as real as a Son born to a virgin, conceived by the Holy Ghost.

The saints will soon be home. But home will not be some place of strumming harps and sipping kool-aid. It’s going to explode into a breathtaking future. After the great banquet, the saints will return to end the reign of the Antichrist and establish a kingdom as Christ’s king and priest for one thousand years. Our Father already has a plan to prepare us for a New Heaven and a New Earth with a New Jerusalem uniting the two together. If it was not in the Bible, this idea would blow your mind.

John the beloved saw it by the revelation of the Son of God, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:1-4).

Some people, like the rich young ruler, walk away from these untold treasures. They refuse to take the Book of Revelation literally. I admit that — humanly speaking — it all sounds impossible. But you know, since I was "born again," I just believe He means everything He says. Heaven is up there and I want you to go, too.

Jesus Christ left the celestial city of Heavenly Jerusalem to defeat Satan in his own domain. Holy Scripture leaves no doubt but that this world lieth in the wicked one. "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness" (I John 5:19). Satan is called "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2b) and "the god of this world" (II Corinthians 4:4a). His footsteps are everywhere and the majority of the world is blinded to his control. His native language is one of lying. A facade has always hid his appearance and his end is the Lake of Fire. All that obey him become like him; he turns beauty into ashes.

The Son of Man chose to meet Satan on his own turf under Satan’s own advantage. Jesus Christ even laid aside His right to His divine nature, so He could meet the devil as fair and square as possible. Born an infant, His parents had to flee into Egypt or else their precious Son would have had to use His divine powers to protect them. But those powers had been subjugated for this brief period. "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:6-7). The victory that Jesus Christ would earn would never be questioned in Heaven and could not be questioned in hell. It was a legal triumph based on Heaven’s jurisprudence.

First, this deliverer had to meet the legal matter of a "Kinsman Redeemer." The human family had been sold as slaves and belonged to a usurper. No one could claim them as God’s possessions unless that person was first of kin to God Himself. No angel – even the archangels, seraphim, or cherubim – were divine in nature, but they were created beings. God had a Son and His eternal Son was the next of kin. There was no second choice. The Father first said, "Yes." Then, the Son said, "Yes." Redemption was born in God’s great temple in the realm that mortals, unchanged and unredeemed, could never venture.

An innocent appearing baby was born in a cow’s stall in Bethlehem. Angels sang and wise men visited as evil plotted. Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the Messiah in His baby wrappings. When the coast was clear, they returned to Nazereth and Mary hid these things in her heart. The Bible says, "Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). That very statement was protection until the time would come for Jesus to begin His role. Baptized by John, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness while Satan sought His whereabouts.

After forty days without food – fasting and having fellowship with His Father – Satan found Him and began his evil design. Weakened to the point of complete exhaustion, He was badgered by the enemy. But, with perfect victory over Satan’s incredible efforts, angels came to strengthen Him. Satan had been allowed to remove Him to a mountain — even to the temple complex — and to offer Jesus Christ a compromising route to be the King of Kings. It was a powerful victory for the Son of God. The victory of His entire earthly ministry flowed out of this miracle. His ministry was one crisis after another with Satan’s defeat in every experience.

A night in the Garden of Gethsemane brought the Son of God face to face with the dark powers of sin. This God/man had to take every expression of the powers of sin into His own body and soul and atone them to the Father. Broken and consumed with the task, "… he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44). Sinless flesh suddenly became a substitute for sinful flesh and even then it must be defeated without reaching back to His divine possessions. That Heavenly nature of His Divine Sonship must wait past the cross and the tomb for the sunburst on the morning of triumph.

In the courtyard of His enemies, His body became a substitute for disease and destruction. They made Him a whipping post, but they could not break Him. The Roman soldiers came close to a total destruction of the temple in which He had chosen to dwell. He never spoke an unkind word because this was another defeat for Satan. All sickness is but death fulfilling the forbidden fruits of human sin. The Son of God was unleashing the virtue of a perfect resurrection and a secondary provision of divine healing.

Jesus said, "the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John 14:30). If Satan could have known what Calvary was all about, he would never have challenged the Son of God to this epic battle. Paul clearly stated this truth, "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (I Corinthians 2:8). Three hours on the cross were given for Christ to bear this Hellish death in absolute darkness. As it ended, He cried, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). Then, He declared the victory by saying, "It is finished." Quickly, He slipped down to Upper Hell where the righteous dead were held in death’s prison.

Before He arose, He had to level the last great stronghold of sin and Satan. He preached for three days and three nights. He was close enough to hell fire that the damned could hear the shouting in Abraham’s bosom. Then, He led a march right by a borrowed tomb where a body that could not decay was awaiting its Divine occupant. He arose the victor over every dominion of His vanquished foe. Now, He awaits the last battle of His saints. He will be back shortly to finish the task of Satan’s well-won defeat.

Apostle Paul penned these exact words of the Spirit to the church at Thessalonica. The apostle visited this city almost immediately after Paul and Silas’ miracle – their deliverance out of jail at Philippi. A great multitude of devout Greeks and a large group of the chief Jewish women were converted to Christ in this ancient city and a strong church was immediately established. "The Jews which believed not, moved with envyÂ…" (Acts 17:5a) and used deceptive methods to create uproar against Paul. They said, "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also" (Acts 17:6b). The Apostle either had to leave town to protect the new converts or maybe they might have asked him to leave to protect him from the mob.

His two great letters to Thessalonica are evidence that the Apostle Paul was careful to teach them of the impending "Day of the Lord." Everywhere converts were made, they immediately began to look for Jesus Christ to return. The love for the crucified and risen Messiah was captivating. No one among the saints considered Jesus Christ casually. He was their life, their hope, their joy, and their soon coming King. They were told that He was coming for those that "looked for Him." If they planned an activity, a visit, or a responsibility of labor along with their plans they would say, "If the Lord will" (James 4:15). No wonder they were accused of turning the world upside down. We would do the same if w e were equally captivated with Jesus Christ.

Now we see why the words, "Gathering together unto Him," were so majestic. To be in His actual presence made these saints consider death a grand celebration. They lived to be in the immediate company of their Savior and Lord. This gives us a beautiful picture of the "Rapture of the Saints." The debates and arguments about His soon coming have clouded our hope. It’s all more theological than our immediate expectation. Most people that say that they believe He is coming live the absolute opposite. "Yes, He is coming," they loosely say, "But, oh, it could be hundreds of years from now."

The Biblical concept of the Rapture is best felt when you consider it with these fabulous words, "Gathering Together Unto Him." He is coming for us – His Saints – and it is one of His greatest promises. He spoke to the twelve before Judas sold Him for thirty pieces of silver. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:1-3). He went to Heavenly Jerusalem and, somewhere on the outskirts; He erected a second city called "New Jerusalem." It’s finished and will descend after the millennial reign. John saw the city (for further reference see Revelation 21 and 22).

The Rapture is not just a trip into the future. It is a personal event of the Lord Jesus Christ coming for His "jewels" (Malachi 3:17). We are His bride-in-waiting, along with the sainted dead. He is the happy Bridegroom that sent His representation (the Holy Ghost) to call and prepare His chosen company. Heaven, where the Father and the Son, along with the Host of Angels abide, is filled with joy for this future moment. You can believe that the Heavenly Hosts are busy in preparation. No doubt the great banquet hall of the wedding is being prepared. The lights are on in the great hall and "Living Creatures" are taking turns at the "Gates of Pearl."

If the saints will learn "to glory only in His cross" and live in the power of His resurrection, our very souls will be full of expectations. Any moment, without a notice, it will all begin. First, the Son of God Himself descends into the mid-air in sight of the transfixed multitudes. He will come shouting with such "creative words" that the earth and the natural world will shake and tremble. The second heavens will roll up like a scroll and disappear. Graves will burst open and Saints will begin to rise from the dust. The Bible says, "Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust" (Isaiah 26:19b). All over the earth, dead bodies will leave the evidence of an empty grave.

The living saints will join the risen saints as their bodies are glorified and they become partakers of His glorious resurrection. Everything about this event is Biblical and supernatural, but most of all personal. He comes for us because He loves all of us with divine love. We will soon, at any moment, be gathered up into the mid-air to proceed to the Heavenly City of ivory palaces and jasper walls. The golden streets could be beneath our feet before sunset today.