Interactive Study: The History of Heaven

1. Heaven is Called a City (Hebrews 11:8-10)

Ask someone to read Hebrews 11:8-10.

Ask: What is your favorite city you've visited and why?

Explain how Abraham obeyed God and moved his family to follow God, “not knowing where he was going” (11:8). However, this passage also makes it clear that Abraham had the faith to look past this great promise he would experience in his earthly life and embrace something else far off in a Heavenly future in an eternal home with God. This is why they Bible says that he was not focused on his new address somewhere in the Middle East—he squinted and looked right past that in anticipation of living in a city (11:9). He was looking forward to Heaven.

Ask: Who is the builder of this city (Hebrews 11:10)? The Bible says that God is the “architect and builder” of Heaven (11:10). In every city on the planet there are roads and buildings, each designed by an architect and built by a construction company. Explain how the same is true of Heaven, but Heaven is unlike any earthly city because God Himself is both the architect and builder. Every earthly city that stands today is also built on a foundation made by human hands, which means it will one day collapse and crumble like all of the civilizations prior have done. But God Himself laid the foundation for the city of Heaven, and it will never crumble. It will stand for all.

Describe that when a builder builds a home that no matter how good a builder he may be, any house “built with human hands” will always be far from perfect. But when the Master Architect and Builder designs and builds something, it is eternal and perfect. Everything works as intended and it stands for eternity! Heaven is as old as time itself, but it will remain as new as the first day God created it a trillion centuries after our sun has cooled and the stars have all been plucked from the sky. Heaven is both faultless and timeless, just like God Himself.

2. Heaven Is Called a Country (Hebrews 11:11-16)

Ask someone to read Hebrews 11:11-16. Describe how God’s covenant with Abraham also included the promise of a male heir. Through this child, Abraham’s descendants would become as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore (Genesis 15:5). Both the stars and the sand are proverbial expressions referring to a multitude of people. The implication is that Abraham’s descendants would be too many to count. God’s blessing is beyond human calculation.

For God’s promise of an heir to be fulfilled, Abraham and Sarah, his ninety-year-old wife, would have to conceive a child. They both believed God would work a miracle. Through faith, Sarah and Abraham were physically rejuvenated by God so Sarah could give birth to Isaac (Genesis 18:14; 21:1-2).   Explain how these events illustrate the truth that consecration begins with trusting God’s Word and choosing to obey Him even in seemingly impossible situations.

Note how these verses in Hebrews show us a picture of heaven as a new and eternal country, showing how God’s work goes beyond human history.

Ask: What is a country outside the U.S. you have visited? What were people like there (how did they dress, what food was popular, etc.)? Say: When I think of a country on Earth, I think about the people who live there. The writer of Hebrews does not just confirm that Heaven is a country; he describes it as a “better” country (11:16). What does he mean by that?