"Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you."
Their world has been rocked. Jesus said one of them would betray Him. Peter declared he'd never deny Him, and Jesus looked him in the eye and said, "Before the rooster crows, you'll deny Me three times." And now He's telling them He's going to die.
Scripture Focus: John 14:1-3; Revelation 21:2, 18-21, 23
The disciples are devastated. And although Jesus Himself is heading towards the cross, in these final hours, He's not receiving comfort, He's dispensing it.
He says, "Do not let your heart be troubled."
What is heaven? Jesus calls it His Father's house. That word for "place"—it's the Greek word topos. It's where we get the word topography. It refers to an actual place. Not a state of mind. Heaven is as real as Franklin, Tennessee.
Heaven is mentioned over 500 times in Scripture. It's described as a city—Hebrews 11:10 says Abraham was looking for a city whose designer and builder is God. It's described as a kingdom. It's described as a country—Hebrews 11 says they were looking forward to a better country, conveying vastness, pilgrimage, homegoing.
And what is it like? John gives us a glimpse in Revelation 4—a throne, 24 elders in white with golden crowns, flashes of lightning and thunder, a sea of glass like crystal. In Revelation 21, the walls built of jasper, the city pure gold like clear glass, the foundations adorned with every kind of jewel. Twelve gates—each one a single massive pearl. Streets of pure gold like transparent glass.
The city has no need of the sun or the moon. Why? Because the glory of God gives it light and its lamp is the Lamb.
I love what Jesus says about heaven: "If it were not so, I would have told you." You know why I love that line? Because God understands the human tendency to say this is too good to be true. Karl Marx used to say religion was the opiate of the masses—a crutch to help them endure the difficulty of this life. No. Jesus says, "I'm a God who does not lie. I cannot lie. And if this were not so, I would not have told you."
God doesn't lie. He doesn't exaggerate. He doesn't embellish. He doesn't stretch the truth.
And yet—here's the thing about all of those pearls and gold and jewels. You might feel like you need white gloves when you walk in. But so you don't miss the best part about it, Jesus also reminds us: it's your Father's house. To this day, wherever my parents live, I can fall asleep on the couch in about two minutes flat. Why? Because I'm home. That's my dad's house.
The Bible wants you to know that when you walk into heaven, you're home.
1. Do you think of heaven as a real place—as real as where you live right now—or as something vague and distant?
2. God says, "If it were not so, I would have told you." Does that strengthen your confidence in His promises?
3. Have you ever felt in your best moments on earth that something is still missing? What does that tell you about where your heart is made for?
Stay dialed in.