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And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:3
Christians believe they will go to heaven when they die. They have a hope that
is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. It is a surety
that has been fostered by the reassuring words of Christ Himself. What do you
think heaven will be like? It’s really too wonderful and magnificent for anyone
to comprehend, but God has given us glimpses of its glory. L.B. Hicks once
wrote a sermon entitled “There Must Be a Heaven Somewhere.” God gave Pastor
Hicks this message just before church one Sunday morning and he jotted it down
on the back of an envelope. He went on to preach a glorious message.
Christopher Hilling has also preached on the same subject. Much of this
devotional is taken from their sermons.
First of all, heaven is going to be ready for us. It was prepared before the
foundations of the world were laid. There won’t be any waiting in line for St.
Peter to open the gate and there will be no shortage of living water cascading
from the throne of God. The tree of life will have plenty of fruit. Mansions
will have been prepared for each of us and, in fact, are ready now if God should
call. There will be no scurrying around at the last minute because we have
arrived unexpectedly.
Heaven will be resplendent with beauty. Look at the beauty which surrounds us
in this world. God must love it or He wouldn’t have given us so much of it.
From the snow-capped mountains to the blue lagoons to the evening sun draped in
a thousand colors, beauty shines. The gorgeous hues of the butterfly’s wing and
the robin’s red breast have been painted by God. He has touched the lily with
its dreamy white and given the rose its blushing charm. It’s God who has taught
the raindrop how to take a ray of light from the sun and pencil it across the
sky as a rainbow. God has made everything beautiful and we’ll find beauty at
its best in heaven.
We will know rapture in heaven. We will experience the fullness of joy as we
are surrounded by nothing but good. Sorrow, as a product of evil, will be
missing because God will tolerate no evil in heaven. The city will reverberate
with the songs of angels and the praise of the redeemed. Together, with the
saints of old, we shall reign as kings throughout eternity.
Restoration will be accomplished in heaven. Blinded eyes will see, deaf ears
shall hear, the muted mouth will speak, and crippled feet shall run. Our health
will never be impaired nor shall we ever taste of death.
Heaven will be very real, not simply a state of mind. Christ tells us that
He has gone to prepare a place for us. It is spoken of as a city, a country,
and our home - a place with mansions, streets of gold, a river of living water,
and a tree of life. It occupies a specific location and is not a product of
make-believe for those who are weak-minded.
There will be reunion in heaven. Just imagine the sheer joy as husbands and
wives, mothers and babies, brothers and sisters, and fathers and sons are all
brought together. Arms will once again intertwine, foreheads will again be
caressed and loving words will be exchanged once more. We will meet and greet
old friends. Some people in heaven will even thank you for introducing them to
Christ. There will be a never-ending celebration.
Finally, heaven is going to be right. Every wrong will be righted and all
deception replaced with truth. Everything will have worked out for the best –
really!
D.L. Moody gave a vivid description of heaven when he wrote, “A city without
pain, a city without sorrow, without sickness, without death. There is no
darkness there. The Lamb is the light thereof. It needs not sun, it needs no
moon. The paradise of Eden was as nothing compared with this one. The tempter
came into Eden and triumphed, but in that city, nothing that defileth shall ever
enter. There will be no tempter there. Think of a place where temptation
cannot come. Think of a place where we will be free from sin; where pollution
cannot enter, and where the righteous shall reign forever. Think of a city that
is not built with hands, where the buildings do not grow old with time; a city
whose inhabitants no census has numbered except the Book of Life, which is a
heavenly directory. Think of a city through whose streets runs no tide of
business, where no nodding hearses creep slowly with their burdens to the tomb;
a city without griefs or graves, without sins or sorrows, without marriages or
mournings, without births or burials; a city which glories in having Jesus for
its king, angels for its guards, and whose citizens are saints!”
Christians will lay down their heavy loads in heaven and God will never turn
any of them out. Heaven will never decline for them, every need shall be met
and every concern relieved. The journey will be ended and we will truly,
finally, be home.
Are you ready for heaven?
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