Can You See It?

“In the truest sense, Christian pilgrims have the best of both worlds. We have joy whenever this world reminds us of the next, and we take solace whenever it does not.” – C.S. Lewis

Have you ever just sat back and wondered what the New Heaven & New Earth will be like? Walking in the New Jerusalem, seeing familiar faces, new faces and the face of our Savior, Jesus Christ; seeing the buildings, the trees, the landscape, and all of God’s perfected Glory. What an amazing place this is going to be for those who are followers of Christ!

Sometimes I think we put too much of our efforts on this life instead of the next one. We forget that this life is just a “vapor in the wind,” where the next life is for eternity. Many times I find myself spending too much energy on the worries of the world, or desiring too much of the world. It is at these times I have lost my focus of Heaven, aiming high. I have taken my eyes off the prize for the temporary fix. Of course, it does not mean that we neglect our responsibilities on earth by focusing on Heaven, but it does mean that we do not give them more credence then they deserve.

Some will say that it is so easy to become wrapped up in this world because we do not know what Heaven will be like. But this is not true. The Bible is filled with visuals of what Heaven will be like. Revelation 21 gives us a glimpse of what the New Jerusalem will look like in Heaven. It is going to be a mammoth city! The ground floor would be two million square miles alone, and if there were a story for how high the Bible reports the walls to be then there would be 600,000 floors if we gave 12 feet for every story. This is just the city. Can you see it?

Tolkien and Lewis have both said that, “Pagan fables of paradise were dim and distorted recollections of Eden.” Meaning that the good things we have today are reflections or shadows of what it will be like in Heaven. Everything here currently is tainted by sin, but in Heaven nothing will be tainted by sin. I believe there will be educational buildings, arts, entertainment, and everything else “good” that a city offers, and none of them will be sinful in anyway, as sin is gone and Satan and the rest of Hell is cast into the Lake of Fire. Can you see it?

For those of you who are not city folk, not to worry, because Heaven is talked about as a country (Luke 19:12; Hebrews 11:14-16) as well. Heaven is going to be a glorious place that will forever be filled with the Eternal God; giving us an eternity of beauty, majesty, and glory to fill our time.

Just take a moment to think about it for a minute. Since all our senses are corrupted by sin, maybe they will be enhanced by perfection. Maybe we will see new colors, like infrared or ultraviolet. Maybe we will taste everything better and there will be new kinds of chocolate. Maybe we will hear new sounds. I believe all those maybes, and I am sure I am not even coming close to imagining what Heaven will be like. Can you see it?

Then all the people we will meet. Relatives you have not seen in a long time. I for one cannot wait to see my grandpa. Maybe you will meet people that accepted Christ because of your witness to them directly or because of someone you witnessed to witnessed to them. How about meeting with the Apostles? The church fathers? Martyr’s from all over the world? Listening to their stories and enjoying rich, sinless fellowship.

Saving the best for last. You will be with Jesus Christ forever. If that does not excite you then I am not sure why you want to go to Heaven in the first place. In reality, we should not care about all the other stuff, though fun to think about, if we know Jesus is going to be there. We will be able to sit at His feet, be in His presence completely. That should just blow your mind. We have the privilege of being with God incarnate, our Savior, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I for one cannot wait!!

Part of what makes Heaven so wonderful to think about is we can use our imaginations to think about what it will be like. It gives hope, dreams, and a longing for the better place than are current location and there is a place infinitely better yet to come. We live in a tainted shadow of what was suppose to be and will one day become, but we can imagine and then live for that day when we will walk into eternity and be face to face with Christ. O’ what a glorious day that will be. Till then reflect on His wonders here and think how much better they will be on the New Earth. I pray that it comes soon.

Can You See It???

In the words of Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).