What Does Heaven Look Like: Pictures and Meaning

Many people believe in a concept of a resting place they go to as a reward for their struggles or goodness on earth. To Christians, that’s heaven; the New Jerusalem. Many people think of heaven and imagine baby cherubs floating around on clouds. But heaven is very different from that idea. On an opposing parallel actually.

Here on earth, it doesn’t take much to experience beautiful, striking sights. We’ve seen breathtaking ocean bodies, awe-inspiring natural phenomena, and majestic mountains. Even the stars sprinkled on the sky like paint on the canvas at night can be  quite astounding. All of these creations are testaments to God’s boundless wisdom and creative prowess.

However, all these don’t come close to the masterpiece that heaven is! According to 1 Cor. 2:9, the human eyes have not seen, nor have our ears heard anything like it. Neither can our minds begin to imagine its beauty. Let’s try using the Word to help our minds comprehend. According to Scripture, what does heaven look like?

What Does Heaven Look Like According to the Bible

Revelation 21 and some parts of chapter 22 have the most detailed description of what heaven looks like in the Bible. 

First off, you must know that heaven is certainly not a myth or a product of fantasy. It is more real than a human being standing right next to you! Heaven is described as the most beautiful place in existence. The light that comes from within its walls is enough to light up a whole city, and even nations put together. The mere streets are made of pure gold that can reflect your face when you look upon it. It contains water fountains that gush out living waters and this water possesses healing properties for all the saints who live in the city. Heaven embodies the true essence of what it means to be called the home of God. 

To give even more detail according to scripture, let us dive into the facets that make up the blocks of this astounding city;

• God’s glory

As earlier explained, heaven is where God lives and His very presence is what makes heaven what it is. Without God in it, there will be nothing called heaven. There is no need for a sun or another source of light because the glory of God is what lights up the entire city. It is never dark there because God’s countenance never dims. He is light in the very entirety of the word.  

• God’s throne

It is the centerpiece of heaven. Revelation 4:3  gives a majestic description of God seated on His throne. It says He shines like precious stones and there’s a rainbow around His throne that looks like an emerald. The throne emits lightning, thundering, and voices. What a sight!

• The city walls

The walls of the city of heaven can be described as gigantic with human words  The bible records from a thickness of over 200 feet. Imagine standing next to that! The city walls are made of jasper and their foundations according to Rev. 21:14, are twelve in number with the names of the twelve apostles of Jesus engraved into them.

The 12 foundations are made of jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, ruby, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, turquoise, jacinth, and amethyst respectively. 

The walls also have twelve gates made of pearls with the twelve tribes of Israel written on them and twelve angels at their entrance.

• The City

In John’s account through the book of Revelation, the Holy City shines with the brilliance of a precious jewel and is as clear as crystal. The streets of the city are made of a kind of gold that is as transparent as glass. You could literally make a mirror out of the golden streets. Not sure you could experience this kind of rarity on earth. If gold is regarded as something that can be stepped on in heaven, it kind of gives you a glimpse as to how much wealth and majesty the owner of heaven is ascribed.

• The river

Revelations 22:2 describes a river, clear as crystal, that flows from the throne of God and of Jesus the Lamb down the middle of the city. On each side of this river grows a tree of life that yields twelve kinds of fruit every month. It is said that this river is the river of life, and contains rare healing properties that will heal the nations.

How Big Is Heaven In The Bible?

You can’t even begin to imagine how huge the city of heaven must be. To get an estimate, look at Revelations 21:15-16. It says that the city is square-shaped with equal length and breadth. In NLT versions, the angel’s measurement of the base’s length is 12,000 stadia or 1,400 miles. KJV and some versions say 12,000 furlongs, which translates to 1,500 miles. That makes it wider than a country like Argentina.

What’s even more amazing is that it is also as high as 1,400 miles. Using the earth to illustrate the height, the City’s height goes beyond the earth’s atmosphere and far into space. Experts say a structure like that could probably fit more than 600,000 stories.

The Heavenly Experience

Apart from aesthetics and rare beauty, the quality of life in heaven also makes it a marvel. From Jesus’ words and John’s revelation, let’s look at some of them;

• We will live in Mansions in Heaven

Jesus says in John 14:2-3 that there are many mansions in the Father’s house and He left to prepare a place for us in those mansions. Considering God’s level of excellence, shabby homes certainly don’t exist there.

• It will be a place of joy, and a gathering of God’s people

Looking at Hebrews 12:22-23, we can also deduce that it will be a place where we will be united with God and fellow believers including the Generals of the faith, the apostles, and even our loved ones who died as believers. It will be so amazing to meet in person the apostles of old and other people that we’ve only read about. What joy!

• Everyone will worship Jesus

Unlike the world today where there’s confusion and religious strife, from Revelation 7:9-12, we can see that it will be a place where everyone will worship the only one and supreme God. If you think mass choirs are great, you’re in for something even more amazing when multitudes of people will sing worship with one voice and one tongue to Jesus. No tribal or racial barriers, just people united by one Savior. People from all the races and tribes of the world, in one accord. All who have been saved and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

• All sorrows will cease in heaven

After a life of labor for God’s cause and hardships, Revelation 7:15-17 shows us that God will wipe tears from our eyes. There will be no hunger or lack but we will joyfully serve our Creator in unimaginable abundance and prosperity.

• We will leave our mortal bodies behind

According to Philippians 3:21, we will not take our mortal bodies with us to heaven, but will be given new ones similar to Jesus Christ’s. This new body will never age or die.

Does Everyone Get Into Heaven?

Revelations 21: 27 says that nothing impure will ever enter heaven.

That simply means that not everyone will get to make God’s kingdom. This is not because God wants it to be that way. 1 Timothy 2:4 says that He desires for everyone to know Him and to be saved. But He gave humans will power, and we decide if we want Him or not.

However, those who reject Jesus and His salvation can not enter His home. The Bible also says that those who do evil and whose names are not written in the Book of Life cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Final Thoughts

Heaven is no myth. It is an amazing place that is the ultimate goal of every Christian to get to. The greatest joy will be to be welcomed by Jesus Himself into our places in the mansions He has prepared for us and hear Him say ‘well-done!’

Therefore as believers, with the image of what heaven looks like, let us live our lives in service and obedience to God so that we can take as many people as we can with us to this place of rest. We will finally be with the One whom our souls have known and loved before the beginning of time.