Destination
Heaven
Scriptural Text:
Revelation
21:1-8, 22-27
God
is indeed the Alpha and the Omega.
We read in Gen 1:1 that in the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth
and in the last book of the Bible,
in Rev. 21:1, we are told that there
will be “a new heaven and a
new earth”.
There
can be no greater comfort to a Christian
or a child of God than to know that
there is “a new heaven’
awaiting all of us at the end of life’s
journey. When we are sorrowful and
pining for a loved one, when life
seems dreary because it can be hard,
when we experience unbearable pain
due to the breaking down of our irreparable
bodies, we know with confidence that
all
these will end when we are with God
in Heaven. It is wonderful that this
gem of a promise is given in the last
book of the Bible - Rev. 21:5: “I
am making everything new…. for
these words are trustworthy and true”.
Today’s
scriptural passage reveals 3 points
to note in our life journey in this
world and heaven.
1)
A statement about the world –
this place is not good enough. Do
not hope in it!
The
scriptural text tells us that this
world must pass away and a new Heaven
and earth will take its place. The
old earth which is full of pain, sorrow
and problems will pass away. Hence,
we must learn never to cling on to
this life as if it is the only thing
that we have. We must never shortchange
ourselves by trying to re-create Heaven
on earth.
Conversely,
what is Heaven like? Heaven is
perfect bliss. We are told in verse
1 that there will be no sea. This
could mean that there will be no segregation
between nations and there will be
no evil. Verse 4 spells out clearly
that there will be no pain, crying
or sorrow in Heaven. Verse 25 states
that the gates of Heaven will never
be closed as there are no gates or
walls. This is a sign that Heaven
is a place without any threats to
its security at all. Indeed, Heaven
is a place that is peaceful, secure
and with zero suffering – a
place of escape but not escapism!
2)
A promise we can hope in – one
day everything will be okay.
The
scriptural text teaches us that the
promise of a new Heaven is one that
we can hope in. In verses 3 and 22,
we are told that God’s presence
will be with us perpetually and in
our midst as we worship. In verse
5, Jesus says that what is said about
Heaven is true and trustworthy. He
wants to reassure us that one day,
all our current unhappiness will be
no more. In verse 23, it is mentioned
that there will be no more darkness
but an eternal light will be our light.
Another promise that we can hope in
is found in verses 24-26, where we
read that all nations will follow
God and there will be no more division,
wars or persecution. Instead, unity
will always exist and the Truth will
prevail!
We
have so many things to look forward
to – God is really encouraging
us, His children, to hope in this
promise and to find strength to live
life today!
3)
Perseverance of the Saints –
live today, focusing on our final
destination!
Today’s
scriptural text shows us that we need
to live our lives aiming to arrive
at a set destination point. If we
focus on other distractions of this
life, we seek to live for this earth
and not the goal that God has set
for us which is inheriting Heaven.
In verses 7 and 27, we are cautioned
that only the overcomers
and those whose names are written
in the Book of Life
will inherit the Kingdom of God. Hence,
people who merely attend church and
claim to be Christians but are not
true followers of Jesus will not inherit
Heaven as they are unlikely to persevere
to the end. Therefore, we must never
lapse and become Christians only in
name but not in deed. We must live
our lives focused on Heaven and on
God and not live for this world.
Application:
We
must never lose sight of Heaven which
is a sure promise. We must also keep
our focus on our final destination
as only this will encourage us to
persevere on to our journey’s
end.
Prayer
Response:
Dear
Lord,
Thank
you for this hope that you have given
us. Help us to constantly be faithful
to you and to follow you closely so
that at the end of life’s journey,
we can inherit your Kingdom. Thank
you that even as we live our lives
here on earth, you have given us much
encouragement through your promise
of the BEST life to come. It is in
this promise that our life has become
more bearable.
Amen.
Devotional
based on Rev Joel’s message.