Heaven — something to think about
I believe one of the most important sentences ever written has only 10 words in it. The 10 words are, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
We can see parts of the heavens God created. The sun, moon, stars, clouds, the galaxies, all that is visible above the atmosphere of the earth. We wonder about outer space and if there is an ending to it. We wonder how all of "this" was made and many theories have been analyzed and considered. However, the sentence with only 10 words in it is all God needed to tell us.
I’ve often wondered why heavens were listed before the earth. We know about the earth. We live on it, we don’t understand every aspect of it, but the earth is something that is tangible. However, the Bible tells of a place that no one on this earth can visibly see. It is a special place God created. It is called "heaven."
Heaven certainly isn’t on the minds of most people. If asked, many might say, ”God loves everyone and when we die I believe we will go to a place called ‘heaven’.”
The last book in the Bible is Revelation. It is a prophetical book written by John. It is full of symbolism which is hard for the average person to understand. However, in Revelation we are given a glimpse of what heaven will look like. It is a place that is made for those who love God.
Our infinite minds cannot grasp the images that John describes. However, he does instruct us, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand.” (Revelation 1:3)
What exactly is expected of us? What are we to know about heaven? What are we to "keep"? What does John mean when he says, “the time is at hand?”
Today we look at mankind. Is it what God wanted? When God created male and female, he blessed them and told them they had “dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moved upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28-30) “And God saw everything he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) However, later God realized the wickedness of man and ‘it repented the Lord that he had made man on earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.” (Genesis 6:5-6)
Who saved the earth? Noah. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” (Genesis 6:8) “And God said unto Noah. The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark ... But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives." (Genesis 6:13-22).
As we live in this world that God created and gave to us to "handle with care," He didn’t leave us without instructions. God knew the hearts of men and the evil therein. He didn’t say, “Destroy! Burn! Hate one another! Live to kill! Steal what you want! Don’t obey the rules of civilization!” He knew destruction would happen when one has no direction in life and lives to please oneself.
These instructions, or commandments, direct us to a life that can be fulfilling, loving, and productive. God didn’t give us the "impossible" things to do. The directions He gave are clear to all who read them.
(Exodus 20:3-17) Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, nor bow down to them. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shalt not covet what others have.
If we follow the commandments of God, will this give us a ticket to heaven? Is this how one can stand before God and say, “I followed all the commandments you gave me and now I believe I deserve a place in heaven.”
Whoops! Not quite. First, there is not one human on earth who has followed and obeyed all of these commandments. God gave us only one way to heaven and He makes it quite clear.
There are many church affiliations. Being a member of one does not guarantee you a place in heaven! You may have gone to church for years, you may read God’s Word, you have been “good," and you think, “What more does God want of me?”
The answer is quite simple. He wants you to love Him with all your heart. He wants you to believe in Him. He wants you to know what Jesus did to cleanse you from all sin.
“Oh, but you may say, I’m good, I don’t sin. What does that mean?”
The Bible tells us. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
One does not have to go through extensive rituals to become a believer.
Two thieves were to be crucified with Jesus. While on the cross, one said to Jesus, “If Thou be Christ, save thyself and us!” The other thief rebuked him and said, “Dost not thou fear God — we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” (Luke 23:40-43) And Jesus said unto him, “Verily I say unto thee. Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
It is interesting to hear Jesus say "today." At the moment of our last breath heaven becomes a reality to those who believe.
If one had never seen the earth and someone was trying to describe the things we see and feel, could we? How many would doubt the description of trees, mountains, lakes, rocks, oceans, the sun, the moon, stars, clouds, rainbows, flowers, and all of the things we see and take for granted? In fact, how many could adequately describe any of these?
I was once asked by a blind woman to tell her about "color" and what a rainbow looked like. She loved the song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the movie, "The Wizard of Oz," and wondered if I could help her visualize what a rainbow was. I never felt so inept. So simple for us when we see but so hard to explain to one who can’t.
In the book of Revelation, John sees many things. He is trying, through prophecy, to show us that heaven is a real place, but it is different from the world we live in. He wants us to believe what he says and it is hard for us to comprehend. When he tells us that "the time is at hand," perhaps he is referring to the shortness of life and that one only has a period of time to give their heart to a living God.
What can we learn about heaven? Some things in Revelation we can understand.
There is a definite war of dominion between evil, the Devil, and God. In the end the Devil is cast into a lake of fire and tormented forever and ever.
We will stand before the throne of God and each of us will be judged. If our name isn’t written in the book of life which proclaims those who love God and have lived according to God’s laws, our future is death and hell.
Those who have proclaimed their love for God with all their heart and soul, will serve Him day and night in his temple. God will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. (Revelation 21: 3-4) They shall hunger or thirst no more. There will be no need for sunlight or heat. There shall not be any tears, for God will wipe them away from their eyes. (Revelation 7:15-17)
John describes those who will never enter into heaven — the fearful, and unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, idolaters and all liars. The Bible tells us that they shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. (Revelation 21:8)
So far there is an understanding of the judgment of God. However, what does heaven look like? The description given is rather unbelievable and one could begin to think, “This really isn’t true. It is all made up.”
(Revelation 21) John was shown a great city, a new Jerusalem. It had a wall with twelve gates with twelve angels. The gates were made of pearls. On each gate were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The wall, made of Jasper, had twelve foundations and in them were the names of the twelve apostles of Jesus. The city was pure gold — clear as glass. The foundations of the wall were decorated with precious stones. Exact measurements were given of the walls.
(Revelation 22:14) “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
In the book of John, Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, how to enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus could not understand as Jesus expounded on His purpose on this earth and his relationship to God. He tells Nicodemus, “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?” (John 3:12) He tells Nicodemus that whoever believed in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus tells him, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” He gave us a glimpse of his creation when we look in the sky. We know about the earth, but this special place called heaven is unknown to those who are alive.
God knows your heart. He gives every human being the privilege to be with Him in heaven. It isn’t only for the rich or those He chooses. He longs for all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. (I Timothy 2:4) We have a choice to believe and accept God or to deny. It is up to each individual.
Adele Roberts, a former teacher, is author of the “Sammy the Skunk” books and “Critters Don’t Litter.” She lives in Oliver Springs. Read more about her work at sammytheskunk.com and crittersdontlitter.com.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Heaven — Something to think about
