“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
make the way of the Lord ready!
Make his paths straight!”
4Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.Heaven (Gk. οὐρανός, ouranos). (10:21; Matt 3:2, Acts 2:34; 4:2, Rom 1:18; Col 1:16; 1 Thess 4:16; Heb 1:10, Rev 5:13) Strong’s 3772
The term “heaven” in the NT is used in a variety of ways, referring to the sky or the part of creation above the earth, the dwelling place of God and the angels, the destiny of believers and it is even used as a circumlocution or substitute term for God. To speak of a reward in heaven, as in Mark 10:21, is to set attention on the spiritual realm, the afterlife, one’s eternal destiny and the presence of God. In this verse, “heaven” refers to the dwelling place of God and the destiny of believers. This rich man claimed to be a perfect follower of the law, but misses Jesus’ point when He says, “no one is good except God.” By asking him to sell all his property, Jesus is attempting to help him see that he is not quite as good or impressive as he might think. The rich man should not have evaluated and defined himself by his earthly existence, but by heaven. As much as he might consider himself a success in earthly terms, the better questions for the rich man are: How successful am I now in the eyes of heaven? How successful will I prove to be upon receiving my heavenly reward? Will I enjoy a heavenly arrival at all?