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One evening I saw a most beautiful sunset. Bright orange shot up from
the setting sun, while little pink clouds floated overhead. The western
sky was a mosaic of reds and blues. I hurried to get my digital camera,
but by the time I made it back outside the sky had mostly turned to gray
and faded blue. It had faded away only to be replaced by a dark autumn
night.
Is heaven a little like that? Is it just a parting image in the sky to
give us a temporary lift in dark places? Is it like a fairy tale that
helps us get our mind off our troubles?
While some people believe that heaven is simply a great melting pot of
departed spirits, the Bible tells us that heaven is a real place. Jesus
said, “I go and prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you
to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)
So what will heaven be like? The Bible tells of golden streets, endless
light, tearless days, and beautiful sights. But heaven is more. The
Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1st Corinthians 2:9)
A little girl was walking with her mother when a beautiful sunset
appeared. Perhaps it was like the one I saw last week. “Mother, if it
is this beautiful on this side of heaven, think what it must be like on
the other side,” the little girl wisely remarked.
I have seen many beautiful sights here on earth. Niagara Falls, the
high Rocky Mountains, tropical island paradises, the Grand Canyon, and
more – but none of them come close to the beauty of heaven.
Some people would like us to believe that any good person will go to
heaven. One problem with such a belief is that it lessens heaven to
something that we can achieve. If heaven is something we can earn by
being good, than it cannot be nearly as wonderful as the Bible describes
it.
Some years ago I participated in the funerals of two great men. Both of
them have beautiful families. Both of them were well respected in
life. And both of them lived most of their lives believing that through
their own efforts they could face whatever might lie beyond the grave.
Fortunately, both of these men had something else in common. They both
had families who never stopped praying for them. A few years before
they died, both men came to the realization that the gap between earth
and heaven is just too big for even the best of men to span. One of
them invited Jesus into his life at the church I pastor in Piqua; the
other turned his life over to God in Florida. They passed their last
years rejoicing and resting in the Lord. Whereas for years they had
rejected their families’ faith and prayers, in the end they rejoiced and
trusted God for their eternal salvation.
A skeptical person might say, “So what? They both died anyway.” Such a
person misses the whole point of trusting in God. Although God may work
miracles for people here on earth, His greater purpose is to walk with
us through death and to give us an eternal home in heaven.
Those who think they can walk through death by themselves have their
goals set too low. If eternity is something we can achieve on our own,
how can it be better than what we have here on earth?
All our wealth, good deeds, and wisdom cannot give us assurance in
death. Confidence in death only comes through faith in God.
Paul Jetter, Upper Valley Community Church |
