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Heaven is a place of Life! Each of us who has a relationship with Jesus will again be able to reach out and eat of the Tree of Life. There we will live forever in the presence of our Creator. Eden will return, renewed and incorruptible (Revelations 22:1-5). The curse will be overturned and heaven will never be marred by: Death Crying Sorrow Pain The effects of sin and the curse will pass away forever (Revelation 21:3-4) because... Heaven will bring God and man back into perfect relationship! There will be no temple, because we will see God face to face and have no need for a place of worship or sacrifice. The sacrifice for sins is forever complete in Christ (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, and 10:10). And worship will now encompass all of our lives. We will live life the way we were designed to, worshiping God in every thought, word, action, attitude, and hidden motive of the heart (Revelation 21:3-4 and 22). There will be no sun, because God's glory will more than suffice and the Lamb will be our light forever (Revelation 21:23). There will be no moon, because light has conquered darkness -- and all it hides -- forever (Revelation 21:23-27).  If we just take the basics about God, that would be enough to infer that heaven will be: Perfect Beautiful Creative Relational Joyful But God is so gracious He has also described heaven... It is a place of celebration and feasting! After a prolonged betrothal, the time has finally come to celebrate the Son's marriage to His bride, the Church. Here their relationship will be fully realized and include a "marriage supper" (Isaiah 62:5 and Revelation 19:6-9). As a Bridegroom, Christ has gone to prepare this home for us, and its sheer grandeur defies human language! This is why John and Ezekiel both use the word "like" so many times. They are trying to describe beings and things that don't have an equivalent in our world (Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4:2-3). This is why Paul tells us it is not humanly possible to even imagine what good things God has waiting for us (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Don't tell anyone: But I've thought that. Maybe you have too. My visions of heaven don't have the stereotypical pink, puffy clouds, and harps, but they are mostly...blank and a little blasé. Like a child convinced that going on vacation to Yellowstone will be boring. But the child needn't worry because they know their parents and can trust them. Similarly, we needn't worry because we know God: 1. He is the Creator -- without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:1). Are you bored with the creation you can see now? No? Well, you won't be in heaven either. 2. God is our Father and He desires to give us good things (Matthew 7:11) beyond what we can think or imagine. But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” -- 1 Corinthians 2:9 3. Christ came to gives us abundant life (John 10:10). And since He is eternal, life is not confined to the here and now. If we are trusting God for earthly satisfaction, trusting Him for heavenly satisfaction naturally follows. But if we are not really trusting God for temporal joy, trusting Him for eternal joy is next to impossible.   Jesus comes back for the one...dear :0) I almost threw it away -- the last cheerio in the bag. It was surrounded by oat dust and I actually had to dip my arm into the bag to extract it. As I did, I thought of Christ, the Good Shepherd, going back for the 100th sheep.
Whether that sheep was surrounded by wolves, teetering on the edge of canyon, or trapped in a thicket -- Jesus goes the distance to go back for the one. Jesus came back for me. You. Pastors. Teenagers at Sunday School. The sick and the broken. The drug addict, sex addict, work addict. The atheist, narcissist, philosopher, He goes back for each us. That's worth remembering and pausing in worship. |
The AuthorCome with me as we grow in fellowship with each other and our Savior to whom belongs the Amazing Escape from sin and death and the Amazing Journey into glorious life. Archives
February 2025
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