 |
| THE HOLY CITY |
 |
| THE RIVER OF LIFE |
Then the angel showed me the river of the
water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the
Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river
stood the tree of life, bearing fruit every month...The throne of God and the
Lamb will be in the city and his servants will serve him. They will see his
face...There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or
the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light (Revelation 22: 1-5).
People
have many questions about Heaven. Is it a real place? How do we get there? What
will it be like? Will everyone go there when they die? Will we be reunited there
with family members? Will we still be a “family”? Will we eat? Will we work?
Will there be animals, and if so will our pets be there?
In July
of 2012 ABC produced a documentary type news special on Heaven. I was
disappointed after watching this special because it offered no hope for people.
In fact in many ways it led people away from heaven rather than toward it. In
this documentary Barbara Walters interviewed people from all walks of life. The
four main questions posed were:
- Is there really a Heaven?
- Where is Heaven?
- How do we get there?
- Will everyone go there?
Nine out of ten Americans believe that there
is a Heaven and that they will go there (ABC News Poll). After watching this special I was
amazed and astounded at the things people believe about Heaven. I was saddened
by the idea that most people, even members of the clergy feel and believe that
one must be “good” in order to go there. My purpose in this writing is to
proclaim the truth about heaven as stated in Scripture.
 |
| GOD'S WORD TELLS US ABOUT HEAVEN |
The
verses from Revelation quoted above tell us that there indeed is a heaven. Jesus
also tells us about heaven when He says; in
my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am
going there to prepare a place for you. 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: 2)
If you
believe what God says in His Word, that answers the first question; is there really a heaven? God doesn’t
reveal to us everything about heaven, mainly I believe, because it is beyond
our comprehension. He speaks to us figuratively and uses comparisons which we
can relate to. We know that gold and precious gems are beautiful so He uses
those examples to describe it for us and to help us understand that it is an
unbelievably beautiful place.
Will
the street really be paved in gold? It is possible because all things are possible
with God. A city gate made of a single pearl? I can’t imagine a pearl that
size, but it certainly would be beautiful beyond belief. Can you picture in
your mind the river of the water of life,
crystal clear and flowing from the throne
of God? The throne of God will be awesome to see, and all who go to heaven
will see it. It will be much more beautiful than any throne of kings or queens
we have ever seen or imagined.
There
are places here on earth where we can find crystal clear water so we know it is
beautiful and inviting. Trees on either side of a river are quite common, but
the tree of life? I am sure it is
much more magnificent than anything any of us has seen. And it is described as
being one tree, but on either side of the river. Wow! How can that be? Can you
picture the river flowing through or maybe under the trunk of the tree with its
massive branches flowing out and above? The huge Sequoias and Red Woods that grow
in California may be possibly be comparable.
There
are many references in Scripture in which God refers to “Heaven” as being a
special place – a Kingdom if you will, prepared for His believers. I have listed
below just a few.
- Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23: 6)
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
- Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)
- The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. (2 Timothy 4:18)
 |
| HE WAS TAKEN UP |
Scripture
however, does often refer to heaven as being above the earth. We are told in
the book of Luke that Jesus, as He was blessing His disciples was taken up
into heaven (Luke 24:51). The book
of Acts also describes the aftermath of Jesus ascension - he was taken up before their
very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when
two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee’ they said, why do
you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from
you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into
heaven’ (Acts 1: 9-11). Jesus also describes judgment day to his disciples
(and to us) saying; They will see the Son
of Man coming on the clouds of the sky...(Matthew 24:30). We therefore
picture Jesus coming back to us from above.
So in
answer to question number two; where is
heaven? – We simply don’t know because God doesn’t tell us. It is safe to
assume however, that it is another dimension which we cannot see with our human
eyes. It is likely all around us – we just aren’t able to see it in this life.
God has given humans physical bodies and placed us in a three dimensional world
(height, depth, width). He does not give us the ability to see or know anything
beyond that and it doesn’t really matter because it is not something which our
salvation is dependent upon.
 |
| GRACE ALONE - FAITH ALONE |
Moving
on to question number 3 – How do we get
there? As I watched the ABC news special about heaven and listened to
statements made by Catholic Priests, Christian Pastors and Jewish Rabbis I
heard many opinions, but I was disappointed. I was disappointed that of all
these men and women theologians who have supposedly studied Scripture
extensively, none spoke up with the truth. I never heard any of them say we are
saved by God’s grace through faith in His
one and only Son Jesus Christ. It seems that with all their years of study
and time spent in God’s Word, they missed the point completely. The person who
came the closest to the truth was Evangelical, Joel Olsteen who stated that we
are saved through faith in Jesus.
Many
discussed how one must be a good person - reaching out and helping others, be a
good citizen, don’t break the law, go to church etc. But I ask you; how good is
“good”? There is no human who is perfect. If we get there by being "good", how do we know when we have been "good"
enough to attain heaven? God expects perfection. He tells us; be holy because I, the Lord your God, am
holy (Leviticus 19:2). Sin is sin and it doesn’t matter what the sin is, it
condemns us in God’s eyes. We are told in Romans 6:23; the wages of sin is death.
You may
have never murdered anyone or robbed a bank but because of that little lie you
told, the gossip you shared about someone, that evil thought or hatred you felt
in your heart toward another human, or the lust you felt toward someone you
were not married to; you stand condemned in God’s eyes. So if that is the case,
how does anyone get to heaven?
It boils
down to that one little Bible verse we all know so well, but yet take for
granted; for God so loved the world that
he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does
not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of
God’s one and only Son.(John 3:16, 18) It doesn’t get any clearer than
that.
 |
| INHERITED SIN |
We
inherit sin from our parents and their parents before them all the way back to
Adam and Eve the first people God created. Jesus, God’s Son, was without sin.
He lived the perfect life that humans, because of their sinful nature are
unable to live. Out of love for us He chose to suffer and die in our place. He
took the punishment we deserve for our sin upon Himself, and gave us His
holiness. He paid our debt to God. His blood, shed on the cross for us, washed
us clean and made us fit to stand before a holy God. Plainly stated; we attain heaven by believing in Jesus who
made us holy by His blood, shed on the cross for our sins.
Which leads us into question number 4 – will everyone go there? The answer is “no”. Jesus tells us; not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of
heaven. (Matthew 7:21) Jesus died for all people, but only those who love
Him and come to Him in faith with a repentant heart will receive His free gift
of salvation when their life here on earth is over. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who
earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
It doesn’t matter where you come from or who
your parents are. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor. It doesn’t matter
what color your skin is. If you do not have faith you will not go to heaven. If
you deny Jesus and the existence of God, you will not go to heaven.
The
second half of that verse from Romans 6:23 reads; but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Salvation
(heaven) is a gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus, His one and only Son.
The apostle Paul tells us; For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8).
 |
| Have you opened your gift of grace? |
The
word grace means undeserved love. God,
by grace, loves us even though we don’t deserve it. He loves all people, even
those who don’t profess loving Him. He wants all people to receive His free
gift, but those who reject Him will not receive it. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved
and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3,4)
So
there you have it folks – Heaven is a gift rewarded to all who by faith believe
in Jesus, God’s one and only Son, as their Savior from sin. Jesus is God in
human flesh. He came to earth and lived the perfect life we are unable to live
because of our sinful human nature, and He suffered and died in our place so
that we can live forever with Him in heaven.
God’s
gift of faith is not hard to attain. The Holy Spirit puts faith in our hearts
through baptism and also through hearing, reading and studying the Word. Consequently, faith comes from hearing the
message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ (Romans
10:17). Pick up a Bible and begin reading. I recommend the NIV (New
International Version) but others are good also. There is much in Scripture
which may be difficult for you to understand, but what you need to know for
your salvation is clearly written so that even a child can understand it.
 |
| HIS STORY |
The
first books of the Old Testament beginning with Genesis tell us how God created
the world and the first people and how the first people fell into sin. The New
Testament tells us the life giving Gospel message which is the Good News of how
Jesus came to rescue sinners from eternal death.
The
Bible is God’s story of the history of the world. When you separate the word
“History”, it reads; “HI-S-TORY”. It is God’s story from beginning to end. The
end has not yet come, but He tells us what to expect and His word is always
true and it is final. The end will come in His good time. Be ready for it and
you will have nothing to fear.
If you
watched the ABC News Special; Heaven –
Where is it and how do we get there hoping to find answers to your
questions about heaven and life after death, I know that you were disappointed. Rather than listen to man’s ideas about
heaven, I urge you to go to God’s Word for the answers. He tells us everything
we need to know regarding heaven and how to get there.
 |
| DO YOU KNOW JESUS? |
The
last few minutes of the ABC Special were a discussion of Hell. God tells us
about Hell in His Word also. Many people feel that there is no Hell. But I
profess to you that there is. Just as I believe what God tells me about Heaven,
I believe also what He warns about Hell. Hell will be devoid of God’s presence
completely.
God is
the source of all good, light and love. Here on earth He is present for those
who love Him as well as those who don’t. Those in hell will be completely
separated from God and from all that is good. There will be no light – only utter
suffocating darkness. There will be no laughter or love. Jesus warns; If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell,
where the fire never goes out...[where] their worm does not die and the fire is
not quenched. Everyone will be salted with fire.
Don’t
despair thinking you can never be good enough for God. God loves you. Jesus
died for you. You are special. We are all sinners and without Jesus none of us
can ever be good enough for God, but with Him in our hearts and our lives our
sins are covered. The blood of Jesus, his
Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7). If you look for Him, you will be found by Him. Remember; he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Through
the Word, the Holy Spirit will ignite faith in your heart. You will be washed
in the blood of Jesus which brings eternal life. You won’t need to fear death
or judgment day. You will be covered in
the blood of the Lamb and you will be fit to stand before a holy God.
Yes,
heaven is a real place. I
am confident that I will see it for myself when my life here on earth is over
because I believe that Jesus, the perfect Son of God lived and died for me. He
conquered death and Satan when He rose from death 3 days later. He promises all
who believe in Him; because I live you
also will live (John 14:19). It will be a beautiful place as described
above in the verses from Revelation.
I am
confident also that I will be reunited there with family members and friends
who have died in the faith and gone before me and that I will recognize them. We
will all belong to one family – the family of God. We will eat and enjoy many
of the things we have enjoyed in this life, but our lives will no longer be
tainted by sin.
 |
| SERVE THE LORD IN HIS TEMPLE |
God
will have work for us to do, but it will be a joy to serve Him. Therefore, they [believers] are before the throne of God and serve him
day and night in his temple (Revelation 7:15).
Unfortunately,
not all people will be able to go there. Those who reject Jesus in this life
will not be in heaven. Whoever believes
in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for
God’s wrath remains on him (John 3:36). Those who reject Jesus will go to
Hell.
My answers to the three main questions; is
heaven real, how do we get there and who gets to go are rooted in
Scripture. Scripture also reveals to us that there will be food in heaven. He rained down manna for the people to eat;
he gave them the grain of heaven. Men ate the bread of angels; he sent them all
the food they could eat... [And animals]...He rained meat down on them like dust, flying birds like sand on the
seashore (Psalm 78: 24-27). There is also a reference to animals in heaven
in Acts 10:12; He saw heaven opened and
something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained
all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of
the air.
We will
meet God face to face and we will see, and know all those who have died in the
Lord and gone there before us. We will even know those whom we have never met
here in this life – men of the Bible; Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, Elijah,
Paul, Peter etc. as revealed at Jesus Transfiguration. (Matthew 17: 1-4)
 |
| HOLY BECAUSE OF JESUS |
Do we
have to be “good” in order to go to heaven? The answer is “no” because no human
is good enough to stand before a holy God. We get to heaven through faith in
Jesus, God’s Son in human flesh who paid the debt of sin which all humans owe to
God. He went to the cross for us and He conquered death by rising again. Because
of Jesus, death and Satan no longer have power over those who believe and have
faith in Him.
As
believers in Christ we will strive to do His will and be an example of His love.
Rather than being our way to heaven, being “good” will be a “fruit” or the
result of our faith in Him. Out of love for God we will strive to serve Him and
be a reflection of His love to our fellow man. Many times we will fail and sin
against Him, but at the end of each day when we go to Him in prayer with a
repentant heart and ask His forgiveness, He will hear our prayer and forgive us
because He loves us with an everlasting and unconditional love.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:2)
Gloria
Dei! (To God be all glory!) Amen.
By
Kristeen
No comments:
Post a Comment