You
may have seen the video of the blind man sitting by the wayside with a
sign that said, "I'M BLIND PLEASE HELP." He received very few coins. A
lady walked by and, when passing, glanced at the blind man's sign.
After taking a few steps, she turned back and re-wrote the man's sign
without saying a word and went on her way. Soon endless passerby
people were donating coins. When returning, the lady who re-wrote the
sign stopped to see how the blind man was faring. He asked
enquiringly, "What did you write on my sign?" She simply said, "I
wrote the same but in different words." She had written, "IT'S A
BEAUTIFUL DAY AND I CAN'T SEE IT." Her "vision" changed this man's
world and life.
This brings to mind how many people we
pass by every day that are totally blind spiritually and cannot "see"
Heaven, most of whom don't wear a sign to ask for help, let alone
having a sign that says: "Heaven is beautiful and I can't see
it."
So let me share with you how God in his Word, the
Bible, has painted a beautiful picture of Heaven that the mind's eye,
when opened, can clearly see.
No more hunger or
sadness: "Never again will they hunger; never again will they
thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching
heat…. And God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes."1
No more death, grieving,
crying or pain: "Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new
earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the
throne saying, 'Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people,
and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself
will be with them and be their God.' He will wipe every tear from
their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed
away."2
Beauty beyond
compare: "The wall [of Heaven] was made of jasper, and the
city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls
were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation
was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth
beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and
the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate
made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as
pure as transparent glass.
"I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to
shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its
lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth
will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be
shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the
nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it,
nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those
whose names are written in the Lamb's [Jesus Christ's] book of
life."3
Jesus himself made many references about heaven. The Apostle Paul and
several of Jesus' disciples also wrote about heaven. In fact, in the
New Testament section of God's Word, the Bible, there are 237
references relating to Heaven. There are many more in the Old
Testament section of the Bible. Rest assured, God himself
repeatedly validates Heaven.
The critical issue is, are you ready to literally see Heaven
from within when your life's journey on earth is finished? God's Word
makes it plain that there are only two places where we will spend
eternity after death—either with God in Heaven or in Hell with
Satan and his evil demons. We need to make sure we make our choice
today as to where we want to spend eternity. Heaven is beautiful so
make absolute sure you get to see it. To make absolutely sure that you
do, be sure to make peace with God today. For help go to: http://tinyurl.com/find-peace.
Suggested
prayer: "Dear God, Thank you for the promise in your Word that assures
all your true followers that there is a Heaven that is beyond all
beauty we can ever imagine, and that because of your free pardon for
all my sins you have guaranteed me a home in Heaven to be with you for
all eternity. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.
Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Revelation 7:16-17 (NIV).
2. Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV).
3. Revelation 21:18-27 (NIV).
<:))))><
Daily Encounter by
Richard (Dick) Innes of ACTS International
No comments:
Post a Comment