What does my heaven look like?

"The Jews looked up on Jerusalem as their heaven, and they were actually jealous lest the Lord should show mercy to the Gentiles" (White, Ellen G. The Desire of Ages, page 29).

This is pretty amazing to me. It seems like all that people had to do was compare Jerusalem in Jesus' day to the Jerusalem of Solomon's time. There's no way, from what I can gather, that the newer Jerusalem compared in terms of architecture, standard-of-living, or even the political power that so many Israelites wanted. So why would they look at Jerusalem as "their heaven"?

If I'm reading things correctly, and if my history's in some semblance of order, Hebrews returned from exile with the expectations that things would return to normal for them. They would again be the prosperous nation that they had been in centuries past. Isaiah seems to foretell that God's people would prosper upon their return from the exile. While in exile, the Holy of Israel would woo His people back to Him, much as He did in the desert of Sinai. They would return as a people worshiping God and leading the nations to acknowledge God as creator and worthy of worship.

But they were jealous lest the Lord should show mercy to the Gentiles. They tried so hard to "get it right," it seems, to foolproof themselves from returning to exile ever again, that they forgot to worship! "With all their minute and burdensome injunctions, it was an impossibility to keep the law... They could find no rest from the accusings of a troubled conscience. Thus Satan worked to discourage the people, to lower their conception of the character of God, and to bring the faith of Israel into contempt" (ibid, 29).

I wonder what I might do in my life that makes it impossible for me to love God? What might I do that makes it hard for others to do likewise?

Lord, forbid that I should bring Your Name into contempt! Please, make me to rejoice with passion when You show Your love, mercy, and prosperity to others, especially when a lost child comes into Your family! Rearrange my priorities so that, even though the Kingdom of God is near, nothing of this world will ever be heaven.