December 15th - Revelation 21:3-4

Revelation 21:3-4 [John wrote:] “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Here, John gives us a wonderful vision of heaven. If our present world is characterised by the gap between God and humankind, heaven is the place where no such gap exists. God will live with his people with an intimacy that we cannot fully experience here on earth. In consequence, it will be a place where death, sorrow, crying and pain have come to an end. All four have to do with separation, and when we are in the nearer presence of God, there will be no separation. What a joy and relief that will be! Christians have varied enormously in their thinking about heaven. Some have devoted so much time and energy to focusing on heaven that they have been distracted from their responsibilities here on earth. To use the famous expression, they have been ‘so heavenly-minded that they have been no earthly good’! However, I have met far more Christians at the other end of the spectrum. They have been so earthly-minded that they have barely thought about their eternal home. I believe that God wants us to keep our eyes fixed on our eternal home because that will give us confidence and peace as we live our lives here on earth. When Jesus was preparing to leave his disciples, he sought to give them reassurance by pointing out that there was more than enough room in his Father’s home. He told them that he was going ahead of them to prepare the way and, in answer to Thomas’ questioning, replied that he himself was the way, the truth and the life (John 14:1-6). We don’t need to know the details of heaven, and the Bible offers no more than clues about what it will be like, but we do need to know that we are in safe hands and that everything has been prepared for us. That’s precisely the assurance that we have been given. Question What do you think heaven will be like? Prayer Lord God, thank you that my future is totally secure in your hands. Amen