There is a great deal of difference between the desires of heaven in a sanctified man and an unsanctified. The believer prizes it above earth, and had rather be with God than here… but to the ungodly there [seems] nothing more desirable than this world; and therefore he only chooses heaven before hell, but not before earth.
Heaven excludes nothing more directly than sin; whether original and of nature, or actual and of behavior. For there enters nothing that defiles, nor that works abomination, nor that makes a lie. When they are there, the saints are saints indeed. He that will wash them with His heart-blood, rather than suffer them to enter unclean, will now perfectly see to that; He who has undertaken to present them to His Father, “not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but perfectly holy, and without blemish,” will now most certainly perform His undertaking.
Excerpts from The Saints’ Everlasting Rest, a classic work first published in 1650.
Much faith will yield unto us here our heaven, but any faith, if true, will yield us heaven hereafter.
We lost a paradise by sin, and have gained a heaven by the cross.
Christ Crucified, Chapter 1.
No matter what you profess, if you show disregard for Christ by giving yourself over to sin – impenitently and habitually – then heaven is not your home.
Mind the Gap by Kevin DeYoung taken from The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung, copyright 2012, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, p. 14.
If the Lord should bring a wicked man to heaven, heaven would be hell to him; for he who loves not grace upon earth will never love it in heaven.
Let not men deceive themselves, sanctification is a qualification indispensably necessary unto those who will be under the conduct of the Lord Christ unto salvation. He leads none to heaven but whom He sanctifies on the earth. This living Head will not admit of dead members.
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 101.
Without holiness on earth we shall never be prepared to enjoy heaven. Heaven is a holy place. The Lord of heaven is a holy Being. The angels are holy creatures. Holiness is written on everything in heaven …How shall we ever be at home and happy in heaven if we die unholy?
If you dislike a holy God now, why would you want to be with Him forever? If worship does not capture your attention at present, what makes you think it will thrill you in some heavenly future? If ungodliness is your delight here on earth, what will please you in heaven, where all is clean and pure? You would not be happy there if you are not holy here.
Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots, Charles Nolan, 2011, p. 53.
When an eagle is happy in an iron cage, when a sheep is happy in water, when an owl is happy in the blaze of the noonday sun, when a fish is happy on dry land – then, and not till then, will I admit that the unsanctified man could be happy in heaven.
The beginning of the way to heaven, is to feel that we are on the way to hell.
Matthew Commentary, Chapter 11.
If you cannot give your heart to God now, how is it possible you could enjoy God’s heaven hereafter? Heaven is unceasing godliness; it is to be in the presence of God and His Christ for evermore. God is the light, the food, the air of heaven. It is an eternal Sabbath. To serve God is heaven’s employment, to talk with God is heaven’s occupation. Oh, sinners, sinners, could you be happy there? To which of all the saints would you join yourselves? By whose side would you go and sit down, with whom of all the prophets and apostles would you love to converse? Surely it would be a wearisome thing to you; surely you would soon want to go forth and join your friends outside.
Home at Last!
I know not what others may think, but to me it does seem clear that heaven would be a miserable place to an unholy man. It cannot be otherwise. People may say, in a vague way, they “hope to go to heaven,” but they do not consider what they say… We must be heavenly-minded, and have heavenly tastes, in the life that now is, or else we shall never find ourselves in heaven, in the life to come.
Suppose An Unholy Man Went To Heaven.
Suppose for a moment that you were allowed to enter heaven without holiness. What would you do? What possible enjoyment could you feel there? To which of all the saints would you join yourself, and by whose side would you sit down? Their pleasures are not your pleasures, their tastes not your tastes, their character not your character. How could you possibly be happy, if you had not been holy on earth?
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 96.
We must not merely have a Christian name, and Christian knowledge, we must have a Christian character also. We must be saints on earth, if ever we mean to be saints in heaven.
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 101.
He that dies without love to Christ could never be happy in that heaven where Christ is all, and in all.
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 243.
It is common to hear people saying on their deathbeds, “I only want the Lord to forgive me my sins, and take me to rest.” But those who say such things forget that the rest of heaven would be utterly useless if we had no heart to enjoy it! What could an unsanctified man do in heaven, if by any chance he got there? Let that question be fairly looked in the face, and fairly answered. No man can possibly be happy in a place where he is not in his element, and where all around him is not congenial to his tastes, habits, and character. When an eagle is happy in an iron cage, when a sheep is happy in the water, when an owl is happy in the blaze of noonday sun, when a fish is happy on the dry land – then, and not till then, will I admit that the unsanctified man could be happy in heaven.
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 59.
Heaven is the home for those who want to see and experience the greatness of their God in a way their heart has always desired, but has never been able to achieve fully here on earth.
Sermon, The Triumphant Lamb, Revelation 5:1-14, October 11, 2015.
Hell or Heaven? Do we plead for God’s reward as a result of our actions or do we plead for God’s mercy as a result of his actions?
Relationship Over Religion, Luke 18:9-14, March 8, 2020.
If heaven were by merit, it would never be heaven to me, for if I were in it I should say, “I am sure I am here by mistake; I am sure this is not my place; I have no claim to it.” But if it be of grace and not of works, then we may walk into heaven with boldness.
Sermons, 6.354.
Three texts in Revelation tell us who and what will be absent in heaven. In 21:4 we see that no tears of grief, no death or sorrow or pain will be present. In 21:8 we are assured that no one who is cowardly, lying, or unbelieving will be present, or murderers, or anything abominable, immoral, or idolatrous. And, as if to sum up, we are told in 21:27 that nothing unclean will be allowed to enter.
One Thing, Christian Focus, © Enjoying God Ministries, 2004, p.178. www.enjoyinggodministries.com. Used by Permission.
