May 30, 2024

Heaven: Our Eternal Hope

Treasures

Audio length: 9:46
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Sometimes the sorrows, discouragements and disappointments of this life can weigh especially heavy on our hearts. When things just don’t work out, or when we suffer personal challenges or losses, or we see the human suffering in the world around us, the strain of it all can lead us to wonder if what we do makes a difference. Is it possible to bring about change in a world where there is war, poverty, injustice, evil, greed, and corruption?

When we consider the problems of the world, at times the outlook doesn’t seem very bright. But at such times, we can find comfort in God’s Word and His promises of a better world to come. “Weeping may endure for a night,” the Bible says, “but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). The glorious morning of heaven will come after the shadows and the night of this life.

All the disappointments, broken dreams, and dark experiences of this life will soon be forgotten and overcome when that glorious dawn of heaven comes. The Bible promises that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). In the book of Revelation, we read that God “will wipe away every tear from our eyes,” and “neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). There will be no more tears, no more suffering, no more death, no more sorrow.

As Jesus prepared His disciples for His imminent death and departure, He said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2–3). According to the description in Revelation chapters 21 and 22, heaven, the home of Christians of all ages, is breathtakingly beautiful, majestic, and stupendous. The streets of heaven are described as made of gold, and within its shimmering gates of pearl there is no need of a lamp or a sun, because God Himself is the light (Revelation 22: 5).

Can you visualize a world with no more death, pain, fear, sorrow, or sickness—a society where everybody works together in harmony, cooperation, and love? Such a marvelous place is almost beyond our capacity to imagine. The Bible says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of men the wonders that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

According to the Bible, one of the biggest differences between the earth life and heaven is that heaven is a perfect realm, a place filled with God’s presence, where we can enjoy all the beauty and wonders that we have here on earth, but without the sorrow, pain, emptiness, loneliness, and fear that so often grip us, and without the selfishness, greed, hate, and destruction that we see in the world around us.

God’s kingdom will be filled with love, beauty, peace, comfort, understanding, joy, compassion, and most of all, will be enveloped in the love of the one who loves us more than anyone—God Himself. The Bible tells us that God is a God of love. In fact, He is love (1 John 4:8). Therefore His home, the kingdom of heaven, is a home of love, where there will be no more sorrow, rejection, grief, loss, or loneliness (Revelation 21:4).

Contemplating the hope that we have in heaven and visualizing what we have to look forward to helps to remind us that the trials and tribulations of this present life are not worth comparing to the glory that has been promised to us in Christ Jesus in the near future.

This is one reason why Moses could endure all that he did, because “he was looking ahead to the reward. He endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:26–27). He looked past all the troubles he had in Egypt, as if seeing the Lord and seeing His reward in the future. He could endure the present difficulties he faced by keeping his eyes fixed on the glorious future promised by God.

All the great men and women of faith of the Old Testament named in God’s hall of fame in Hebrews 11 counted themselves as pilgrims and strangers in this world because they were looking for a city whose builder and maker is God, which has foundations, and a country that belongs to them. They were able to endure all kinds of tribulation on this earth and suffering and hard work and even persecution and death because they looked forward to that City (Hebrews 11:13–16).

Many people seem to believe that God’s kingdom will only be reached when they die, but Jesus proved this to be a misconception when He said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation. For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20–21). We don’t have to wait till we die to enter the kingdom of God. In fact, if you have received Jesus as your Savior and are indwelt with His Holy Spirit, His kingdom is within you.

We who know and love the Lord and have His Spirit dwelling in us are already experiencing the kingdom of heaven and working to bring His kingdom to others. But this is only a foretaste of our inheritance in heaven. God’s Word tells us, “When you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14).

To enter His spiritual kingdom, Jesus said that you must be born again. Jesus said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We cannot save ourselves by our own works, our own goodness, our own attempts to keep His laws and to love Him, or even our own endeavors to find and follow His truth. Salvation is a gift of God performed by a miraculous transformation of our lives when we accept His truth in the love of His Son Jesus by the work of God’s Spirit. All we have to do is believe in Him and receive Him as our Lord and Savior. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God” (John 1:12).

Jesus opened the door to eternal life in His kingdom for each of us through His death on the cross. You can’t earn it, neither can you be too bad for it, because salvation is a gift of God. Jesus loves you just the way you are. He knows you. He knows your thoughts and everything you’ve ever done, even your deepest secrets. He knows it all, but He loves you anyway, because His love is infinite.

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). You can invite Jesus to come into your life today by sincerely praying and asking Him to come into your heart and to forgive you your sins, and grant you His promised gift of eternal life (John 10:28).

His love is so far beyond anything that we can understand or see with our eyes here on earth. His love can fill any emptiness and heal any pain or hurt. His love can bring joy where there was sorrow, laughter where there was pain, and fulfillment where there was a lack of purpose or meaning.

Although salvation is a free gift, once you have received Jesus in your heart, He commissions you to love others and tell them the good news about God’s heavenly kingdom. Share with others the truth about Jesus and the love He has given you so that they can also experience His joy in their lives—both in this life and in the next one!

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished May 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

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