In the New Testament, Jesus speaks a great deal about both hell and heaven. In yesterday’s devotion we discussed why eternal punishment in a literal hell is fair because only an eternal punishment is fitting for sins committed against an eternal God. As Christians we know that the only way to circumvent being eternally separated from God in hell is to have our sins forgiven. And only when we repent and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is this possible.
And the great news is that with our sins now forgiven we gain access, when we die, to the most amazing place in the universe – heaven. In the remainder of this devotion, I would like to give you a sneak peek, from the Scriptures, of five aspects of heaven that will simply leave you breathless.
Intimacy and Fellowship with the Trinity
In heaven our relationship with God will be intimate and direct. We will be able to experience intimate fellowship and the abiding presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, forever. There will be inexpressible joy, limitless peace, and beauty beyond description in our relationship with the Trinity. With sin banished from heaven we will never grieve or quench the Holy Spirit or disappoint Jesus ever again and as a result our fellowship with God will be so awesome that mere words can’t describe it.
Brilliant Light and no Night
We read in (Revelation 21:23-25): “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.” I love how we see in these verses that our light source here on earth, the sun, will not be the light source in heaven because the glory of God will light up the skies with His brilliant radiance. The Lamb (Jesus) will be the lamp – but oh what a special lamp. The light in heaven will be so amazing and everlasting that it will cause all darkness to flee and banish night forever.
No Death, Sorrow, Crying, or Pain
(Revelation 21:4) tells us: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Heaven will be what we have always longed for. Not only will we live forever, but our lives will be filled with no more disease, tears, or disappointments but instead we will experience total bliss, joy, peace, love, and perfection! Not only that but we will be able to complete our ultimate purpose in life which is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. What an awesome thought to worship God for all of eternity free from the shackles of sin.
A Glorified Body
One of the most wonderful set of verses in all of Scripture is (Philippians 3:20-21): “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body…” I love this verse first, because it tells me I have dual citizenship, first as an American but more importantly as an inhabitant of heaven. And second, in heaven I will put off my frail, decaying body and be clothed with a glorified body. The Scriptures don’t tell us exactly what our glorified bodies will look like but I believe it will be more wonderful than our wildest imaginations can conjure up.
Overcomers in Christ
When we obey God’s laws, we become overcomers. In the Book of Revelation, we read about what we can expect to receive as overcomers once we get to heaven. We read in (Revelation 2:7, 3:5, 3:12, 3:21, 21:7) the following awesome words: “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” Wow!!