Resurrection: Eternity

This past week was full of sorrow.

earthquake

murders

divorce

bombs

lost children

abuse

Some of it was mainstream, some of it wasn't. 

This world will have its sorrows, its downfalls. We hold on to the hope of a future entirely empty of sorrow and downturns. Even more, we hold on to the hope of an eternity with ever-present joys, never-ending celebration, constant abundance.

Jesus' resurrection has granted us many things. Grace and forgiveness, hope and love, power and paradise.

It's fun to dream about this paradise. In John 14, Jesus says, 

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that 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. And you know the way to where I am going.”

And then in Revelation 19, John writes,

“Hallelujah!For the Lord our God    the Almighty reigns.Let us rejoice and exult    and give him the glory,for the marriage of the Lamb has come,    and his Bride has made herself ready;it was granted her to clothe herself    with fine linen, bright and pure.”

Heaven will be a place in the Father's house with a giant celebration feast.

If you were to design a room for yourself, with no limits, what would be some things you would immediately have to have? From this weekend, some of our 4-5th graders (preteens) said they would want:

solid gold walls inlaid with crystal dragons
a dragon
a lizard*
20 robots who will fight you whenever you want while you use your crystal sword
water beds with fish in them
an unlimited cookie dispenser with unlimited cold milk
a 100-inch flat screen TV on the ceiling above your bed
a puppy room
a secret passage way


What about a celebration feast? What foods would have to be there? Some of the kids wanted:

pizza
steak
steak
pizza
a mile-long cake

a 20-lb. cupcake

a 50-lb. brownie

chicken cordon bleu

BACON

Imagine all these things, imagine your perfect celebration with no limits. Then realize that nothing we can conjure in our minds comes close to the beauty and completion that will be heaven. No food we can here desire or cool feature of a room will compare to this heaven we will see, to the inheritance of our Father's house. Thanks be to our King, Jesus.

Revelation 21 says,

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Therein is our future, should we claim Jesus as our King, should we proclaim him with our hearts, minds, souls, strength, and beyond. Thus, before we do dwell there with our Creator forever, let us dwell with him here as our ever-present King. Make the places you are as close to this heaven as you can. For though we long for the constant community with him, we know that our God is here today. Make heaven a reality for the world of today, whether you are 6, 30, or 97. 

Seek the eternity our God has graced us with. Seek it now and hope for the joy that is to come. 

*just a regular lizard