5 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Revelation 5:5-6 (CSB): “Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw one like a slaughtered lamb standing in the midst of the throne …”
Reflecting on God’s Word
When we think of Heaven, we think of perfection. But if we believe that Heaven is perfect, we need to define “perfect” to accurately represent it.
The Bible presents Heaven as a place where there will be no sin or its consequences. In that aspect, it will be a completely perfect utopia to enjoy forever. Just read the following assurance!
Revelation 21:3-4 (CSB): “Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.”
But if by “perfect,” we mean that there will be no wounds or scars in Heaven, then we would be wrong. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that Jesus will have at least some of the scars that He obtained during His mock-trial, beating, and crucifixion.
Just listen again to how John described Jesus in Heaven as the Tribulation Period was about to begin…
Revelation 5:6 (CSB): “Then I saw one like a slaughtered lamb standing in the midst of the throne …”
Jesus is described as looking like “a slaughtered lamb.” The original Greek word used in this text is defined as: “to slaughter, either animals or persons; in contexts referring to persons, the implication is of violence and mercilessness” (Louw & Nida, “Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament”).
So, Revelation 5:6 tells us that when John looked at Jesus, He saw Someone who had obvious signs of a violent and merciless killing.
When we go back from the time that Revelation 5:6 takes place in the future (right before the Tribulation begins) to the time when Jesus, after His resurrection, met with His disciples, we read that He specifically identified the wounds He still had in His body. Realize that He was in His resurrection body when this happened.
John 20:24-27 (CSB): “But Thomas (called ‘Twin’), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were telling him, ‘We’ve seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.’ A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.'”
Clearly, Jesus told Thomas to look at the wounds/scars where the spikes went into His hands/wrists and to touch the place in His side where the spear pierced Him and punctured His lungs and heart. Jesus still had those scars in His resurrection body, the body He took to Heaven in Acts 1:9.
When Thomas and the other disciples saw Jesus, it didn’t seem that He was “a slaughtered lamb.” It seems that his wounds/scars were limited to his hands/wrists and side. But, in Heaven, He is described as the One who appeared to be a slaughtered lamb. So, we can’t speak with any certainty about the extent of His scars or how long He will keep them. But it seems safe to say that Jesus will continue to bear the marks of His crucifixion for a while, maybe even for eternity.
Just let that thought sink in. Our perfect God, desiring to bring us into the joy of the Trinity, left His throne in Heaven, came to earth, where He was horribly abused, rejected, beaten, and killed, and will wear the scars He obtained on earth possibly forever.
Why not spend some time meditating on those scars in your mind’s eye and then meditating on how much God must love you in order to do that for you!
Romans 8:38-39 (CSB): “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you come into a greater understanding of just how much He loves you based upon what He did to bring you into the joy of the Trinity.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into whether Jesus will maintain His scars in Heaven, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
“Will Jesus still have the scars of crucifixion in heaven?”
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)
Matt’s Musings 