The Gold of Heaven

by Glenn Pease

There are at least 367 references to gold in God’s Word. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states, “No metal has been more frequently mentioned in Old Testament writings than gold, and none with more terms applied to it.” In the New Testament gold is mentioned 41 times, with 21 of them in the book of Revelation. 16 of the 21 are very positive, with only 2 negative and 3 neutral.

The first reference to gold is in Gen. 2:11-12, The first river that flowed from Eden wound its way through “the land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good.” The first reference to gold in the Bible, and the last, Rev. 21:21, refer to it as a good thing. It is the first and last precious metal mentioned in the Bible, and all through the Bible gold is a symbol of glory and wealth.

Every major kingdom in history, in an out of the Bible, was noted for its abundance of gold. This is why the final kingdom of God’s people is pictured as one of pure gold, for that has been the test of the glory of all the kingdoms in history. If God’s people are to have the best in the end, then gold streets are a necessity to make their city the greatest ever.

The Bible always pictured Babylon as a city full of gold, but where it was greatly abused, and worshipped as an idol. Gold was the god of Babylon. The great image that Nebuchadnezzar sit up was a gold image 90 foot high and 9 foot wide, according to Dan. 3:1. The only negative references to gold in the book of Revelation are those dealing with the idolatry of Babylon.

The world of the early Christians was full of public gold. If John would have had a vision of the eternal city that was less impressive than that created by world empires, then the Christian message would have lost its credibility. If God cannot create a richer, more beautiful environment than emperors, why should people give up emperor worship to follow Jesus?

We need to see the golden city of Revelation as a legitimate appeal to the materialistic heart of man. Man is a gold hungry creature. He desires wealth and luxury, and all the beauty and glory that comes with gold. This is why God reassures believers by giving us this description of beauty beyond our imagination. The gold, the jewels, the beautiful garden fruit trees, and the clear flowing stream from the throne of God, are all a part of the final paradise. Peace and prosperity forever is just what man most craves. That is what the search for gold has always meant to people. To get enough gold, so as to have complete security in a fallen world, is the hunger of every human being. That is why gambling, the lottery, etc. is so popular.

The Gospel is the good news that this hunger can be satisfied through Jesus Christ. He is God’s gold that will make you rich forever, and guarantee you a place in the eternal city of gold. This Gospel in gold comes from the very lips of the Lord to the church in Laodicea. In Rev. 3:17 Jesus rebukes these Christians by saying, “You say, I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Jesus is saying even good Christians can be blinded by the wrong kind of wealth. My godly grandmother had a plaque on her wall for years that impressed me as a child. It said, “all is not gold that glitters.” She was never wealthy in this world’s gold, but grandma had the riches of Christ.

A man once said his father made a statement that he never forgot. He said, “I’m so glad I didn’t waste my life making money.” He did, as we all do, spend a lot of his life making money, but that was not the primary value for which he lived. There is greater treasure in life and the Laodiceans were missing it. Listen to what Jesus says to them in verse 18, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich.” Gold refined in the fire is pure gold. All the impurities are removed by the fire. Jesus Christ is the greatest gold dealer in the world, and he has absolutely pure gold that makes a born-again believer rich forever.

Jesus was saying these Christians have riches, but they were not the real thing. They had fools gold. It glitters and shines and is attractive, but it was of no value. Early gold miners were fooled into filling ships with this stuff, and sailing back to Europe only to be told they were not rich, but poorer than ever, for all they had to pay to transport this worthless rock. Jesus is saying, all the wealth of the world is fools gold. It is not the way to true riches. Only the gold He can give will make you rich forever.

This text should create a Christian gold rush, for Jesus is telling His church the way to get gold that will provide for eternal luxury. We need to get as excited about this gold as men get about the gold of earth. The gold rushes of history have made people willing to risk everything for what gold could provide.

It is of interest that Jesus says I command you to buy gold from me. His salvation is free, but for his gold there is a fee. Jesus not only wants you saved, He wants you rich. But there is a price to pay to be rich. He paid it all for you to be saved, but you have to pay to be rich. The cost is obviously not money, or only those already rich could afford it. This text is like Is. 55:1-2, which says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters: And you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” This is a parallel to our text. Buy the best and be rich. The best is to listen to God, and eat His Word. That is just what Jesus is saying. In verse 20 He says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.” That is the way we buy His gold-not with money, but with a willingness to listen to His voice and let Him into our lives. The richest people in the world are not those who eat in swanky restaurants, but those who eat with Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The gold of Jesus is communion with Jesus. It is sharing with Him in consuming the Word of Life. Everywhere, God’s Word is considered to be better than gold. It is God’s gold that will last forever, when heaven and earth have passed away. Ps.19:9-10 says “The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; in keeping them there is great reward.”

Love for the Word of God does not just happen. It costs time, effort, and commitment. There is a price to pay to buy this gold, but the payoff is you build what will be lasting riches. Ps. 119:72 says, “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” The real gold with eternal and infinite value is found in the wisdom of God’s Word. In Prov. 8:10-11 wisdom says, “Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” Then, in verses 17 and 18 she says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.”

This is what Jesus is urging us to do – get rich forever by paying the price to enrich your life by consuming the wisdom of God. All the wisdom you gather from the Word will be the gold you take into eternity, and this will determine the role you play in God’s eternal kingdom. This gold will be your reward. May God motivate us to get involved in the gold rush to obtain the gold of heaven.