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Because of God’s mercy (Psalm 136, Titus 3:5 Hebrews 4:16), we are spared from the punishment sinners deserve and will suffer throughout eternity (Luke 16:19-31), apart from the righteousness of Jesus Christ..All our sins, past, present and future, are forgiven (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). We will not have to account for our sins at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), for Christ was the perfect sacrifice Who has already paid our sin debt in full. We are not doomed to eternity in hell (Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5; Matthew 23:27-32; Acts 2:25-32; 1 Peter 1:3; Jude 1:21).
Because of God’s grace, we have eternal life. Whether we die physically, or if we are still living when Jesus returns and we are Raptured (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16), we will ultimately live forever in a glorified body (1 Peter 1:3,4,23; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26) that will never sin, age, get sick, or feel pain or sorrow (1 Corinthians 15:41-49; Revelation 21:4).
We will live forever with Christ in Heaven, in a special mansion that Jesus is preparing specifically for each believer (John 14:2-3). We can’t begin to imagine the delights of the New Jerusalem, with gates of pearl, walls of precious stones, and streets paved in gold. The river of life and the tree of life provide complete healing. But by far the most exquisite delight of Heaven will be experiencing the love, the glory, and the physical presence of Christ Himself, His brilliance alone illuminating the city (Revelation 20:10-23; 22:1-5).
We will be forever reunited with our loved ones in Christ. Heaven means never having to say goodbye. We will have all eternity to spend with our family and friends who trusted Christ as their Savior. All the saints of all time – Abraham. Mary, Paul, Peter, John, just to name a few – will be there for us to share in their experiences and learn from them (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Can you imagine what it will be like to see those saints whom we helped know the Lord – whether we led them through the sinner’s prayer and watched them trust Christ, or even if we didn’t know while on earth that our witness had any effect? People saved through missionaries we helped support financially or in prayer, or people who read a tract we left on a restaurant table, may all run up to us and thank us! Even better, we’ll realize the impact others had in leading us to Christ or encouraging us our Christian walk, and we’ll get to thank them in person!
We will know Christ as He is. No longer will we look at Him through a glass darkly; we will see Him face to face and comprehend His majesty, glory and wisdom (1 Corinthians 13: 9-12). Mysteries will be revealed and truths known. We will no longer have to accept only by faith that He works all things together for our good, for He will show us how He orchestrated every detail and apparent mishap in our lives not only for our good, but for His glory (Romans 8:28).
We will receive eternal rewards at the judgment seat for believers. We will not have to give an account of our sins, for they are already forgiven and paid for by His shed blood. But He will review everything we did with our life since we were saved, as well as opportunities He gave us but that we did not use to tell others about Jesus, to encourage and teach other believers, and to glorify God. For every good thing we did with the right motive, we will be rewarded (1 Corinthians 3: 11-14).
Based on this judgment, some believers will receive crowns, which we will give back to Him because of our awe and love for Him (Revelation 4: 4,10). These rewards and crowns will determine positions of responsibility in His Kingdom when He returns to earth to rule in perfect justice and peace for 1000 years (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 20:6).
Throughout all eternity, we will pursue meaningful and enjoyable projects and fields of study to challenge and delight us, and we will have the joy of worshipping Him with all our talents and all our being (Revelation 5:8-14). What could be better than the unending joy of being in Heaven, in His presence, with all that He has lovingly designed especially for us?
© 2013 Laurie Collett
Edited and reposted from the archives
4 comments:
Hi Laurie, nice post.
I have loved my time in the Lord and what He has given me to do, or share. No credit goes to me, but to the Holy Spirit Who was sent to guide me and teach me. The scriptures became a living Word and I had access to the mind of Christ once I was born again of the Holy Spirit. The enemy can only re direct us if we act upon what he says through the carnal mind. Every day in my life is still a learning day, and God holds our future in our lovely Saviour His Son Jesus. God bless you as we celebrate the true meaning of Easter.
Hi Brenda,
Praise God for your compelling testimony. Only what He does through us has any meaning or eternal value and can bring us any sense of satisfaction. Praise God that He controls our future and that all who trust His Son will spend eternity with Him. May God bless you and yours as we celebrate our Lord's resurrection and our new life in Him.
Dear Laurie,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about what Heaven may be like. Although no one knows exactly, some clues are found in the Bible, especially in Revelation 21 and 22.
Oh, what joy to see my beloved free from all illness and immobility for all eternity. She would no longer need a wheelchair, as she will fly!
Indeed, you and your husband will dance with sheer joy at your redemption, with thousands of thousands rejoicing.
I wish you and Richard a blessed Easter.
Dear Frank,
I'm blessed to hear that you enjoyed the post. What a blessing indeed it will be to see our loved ones free of pain and disability of any kind. And we can only imagine what it will feel like to dance and even fly without the limitations of aging and gravity!
May you and Alex have a blessed Easter also!
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