Skip to main content

A Heaven To Hope For

Heaven is of some concern to a few people. Most of us just imagine being happy and do not give it another thought. But a few people have expressed concern with the eternality of it; specifically - what will be there and what will we be doing? This week at listened to a great discussion that involved this very issue and it shed some new light on the subject of heaven, so I thought I would pass a few of these along to you.

First, God’s original and very good design was God on the earth, living and walking amongst his creation and his creatures (Genesis 3:8). Revelation tells us that when all of history comes to a close there will be a new heaven and a new earth and that the Lord will once again live amongst his people (Revelation 21:1-4). We also know that the human body which God has given us will one day die, but the promise that comes to us through Jesus is that these same bodies will one day be raised from the dead to everlasting life, just like Jesus’ was.

These two things combined (a new earth and new body) should give us a good picture of heaven. The earth will return to its pristine state of beautiful rivers, mountains, waterfalls, etc and our bodies will return to their original state of wellness and life. So eternity in heaven will not only be living in the presence of Jesus, but will also include many of the same things we enjoy now – picnics by beautiful waterfalls, horseback riding through open fields, evenings of dinner and laughter with family and friends; all good things and all things to look forward to.

Love in Christ,
Pastor Mitch

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Generation of Mark 13:30

At the beginning of Mark chapter thirteen Jesus is leaving the temple area and one of his disciples points out the grandure of the temple buildings. Jesus' remark to that disciple concerns the fact that these buildings will one day be torn down. The disciples question Him further as to the times of these events, and so begins an extended teaching from Jesus on the end times.As Jesus' remarks are drawing to a close, He makes this comment in Mark 13:30: "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." (NASB) So the reader is left to wonder the meaning of this statement. Either our understanding of generation is wrong, or we are understanding what Jesus meant by "these things" wrong. I think there are at least two solutions. The word for generation (genea: Greek) could mean, as some side column reference Bibles note, "the human race". This is possible, since the events have not all happened and the human race
15 comments
Read more

Taming The Flesh Through Suffering

There are at least a dozen books in my pastoral library that deal with battling lust. It is true that this is a huge issue for men and a great source of stumbling to many men and many pastors for that matter - so on one hand I am glad they are there and I am grateful for the insight they have given to me. But I was really struck by a verse of Scripture this morning from 1 Peter 4:1b-2. "for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions, but for the will of God." Simply put, I believe Peter is telling us that those who are suffering for Christ's sake have their mind on Christ and suffering and not on the passions of the flesh. The reason so many men battle with lust and fleshly temptations (and I include myself in that group) is that our minds are far from the things of Christ. Suffering in the flesh is the direct opposite of indulging the flesh. The man who is getting lashes on his b
2 comments
Read more

Is That A Bible I See Before Me?

The Weakness of Islamic Evangelism Lately I have been struck by the testimony of those who have suffered at the hands of kidnappers in Iraq. One issue that comes to the front of my mind is Islamic evangelism. Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll spoke to ABC News of her captors holding her at gunpoint and forcing her to read the Koran, which she did. After several days they asked why she had not yet converted to their beliefs. Explaining that she needed more time she continued to read. Again the question came to her about conversion. Finally and saddest of all, she told them that she would convert because she feared for her life. But this leaves us with a strange view of the Koran and the way that Islam chooses to do their evangelism. If the Koran were powerful in and of itself, those who seek to convert Christians to Islamic beliefs would not need to use guns in the process. That is, you should automatically appeal to your most powerful source. The fact that they use guns s
2 comments
Read more