2003-11-21
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Not long ago, I got a note from a lady who is dealing with the possible impending loss of a relative she loves very much. This lady and her mother were crying and feeling very frustrated that medical science might not be able to save their ailing relative. I thought and prayed a lot about what I might say in response to her request for advice on how to handle her situation. Then, it occurred to me that God was giving me an important reason for spending so much time writing about the Kingdom of Heaven. He wants us to accept physical death as a part of the eternal life He gives those who endure in faith. I testify to the fact that God never makes any decision without having a righteous reason for it, including taking a loved one home to Him. I’ve often cited COL 1: 19-20 and don’t apologize for doing so again here. “For it was by God’s own decision that the Son has in Himself the full nature of God. Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to Himself. God made peace through His Son’s death on the cross and so brought back to Himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.” First, He tells us the reason for Christ’s earthly ministry, and then, He gives us a magnificent description of the new Jerusalem, His city to replace all human cities, so that we will understand that the physical death of a believer is not a one-way ticket to torment or nothingness. Instead, it is something for which we can be eager, as it is the end of all the battles against evil in our lives, not the end of life itself.
I shared that thought with the lady who corresponded with me and asked for our prayer chain to pray for her. I sent her a copy of the request for our chain I had written for her. Then, I urged her to read the description of the Kingdom of Heaven in the Scriptures, explaining that it is how God reveals Himself to us. I wanted her to have the same solace and sense of direction that doing this has done for me. Today, I am led to finish writing about the description of heaven found in REV 21: 1-22: 5, with REV 22: 1-5. “The angels also showed me [John] the river of the water of life, sparkling like crystal, and coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing down the middle of the city’s street. On each side of the river was the tree of life, which bears fruit twelve times a year, once each month; and its leaves are for the healing of the nations. Nothing that is under God’s curse will be found in the city. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. There shall be no more night, and they will not need lamps of sunlight, because the Lord God will be their light, and they will rule as kings forever and ever.”
The issue of living water, the kind that flows in that river, is beautifully described in JN 7: 37b –38, [Christ’s own words] “Whoever is thirsty should come to Me and drink. As the Scriptures [EZK 47:1; ZECH 14:8] say, ‘Whoever believes in Me, streams of life-giving water will pour out from his heart.’” The idea of water that brings life is not first mentioned in John. David understood this long ago when he sang PS 42: 1-2, “As the deer longs for a stream of cool water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for You, the living God. When can I go and worship in Your presence?” Those of us who read the Scriptures daily know that God sets a goal in the believer’s mind and then, will make its fulfillment so when physical death occurs and He takes the believer to live with Him in the city with streets of transparent gold [REV 21: 21]. As for all the rest of us who believe, He will bring us all to His city at the time He appoints. No one can bring this eternal blessing for himself; God alone can do it. The fruit of those trees that line the river will nourish all the faithful inhabitants of God’s “city on the hill.” [MT 5: 14] The nations scarred by war and the buffeting of Satan’s fiery arrows will be healed by the leaves of these trees. No evil will be found in the city, for the prophecy of Daniel’s vision of the Seventy Weeks found in DN 9: 24-27 will have come true. God can be counted on for that. Evil will come to an end. All those who endure in faith will, indeed, be allowed to gaze upon God’s beautiful face without fear of death and will be honored to spend their time worshipping Him and wearing His name on their foreheads. As for ruling as kings, we will see the consummation of Paul’s God-breathed words in RO 8: 17-18. “Since we are His children, we will possess the blessings He keeps for His people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for Him; for if we share Christ’s suffering, we will also share His glory. I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.” Yes, Dear Ones, we will rule, as joint-heirs with Christ, the Kingdom which God has given Him. So, we can move on to next week’s subject with a mental picture of two things that matter greatly to each of us: 1) a sweet reunion at the wedding feast of the Lamb [REV 19: 5-10] with all other believers and our Lord Jesus Christ, and 2) the vision of walking hand and hand with Him in eternal and joyful fellowship in heaven.
PRAYER: O Lord, our prayer today is for understanding, through the Holy Spirit, of Christ’s wonderful part in bringing us back to You and why we should not fear physical death when we are faithful. You are a God of compassion and love. You know the suffering Your people must endure in order to become sanctified. You are patient, kind, and good. You never abandoned us, even when we slip temporarily from complete obedience. PS 37: 23-24, “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Through they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” We pray, using the words of PS 25: 45, “Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day.” And we continue in prayer with PS 119: 33-35, which reveals what is in our hearts. “Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I will wholeheartedly obey. Make me walk along the right paths for I know how delightful they really are.” We are eager to spend eternity worshipping You, Dearest Abba, because of all the wonderful attributes You have and things You do for us. You have told us in IS 49: 16 that You will never abandon us or forget us, because our names are written on the palms of Your hands. Even at our most tender and painful times of sorrow, You are there for us ready to be our Help in times of trouble. PS 46: 1, “God is our Shelter and Strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Your description of the Kingdom of Heaven allows us to know something about what You plan for us. We believe with all our hearts that You sent Your Son to die for us, so that He could bring us, through our faith in Him, back to You. We also believe that You reward those who endure in faith in Him against Satan’s challenges. So, we no longer have reason to feel hopelessness when physical death occurs, just as long as we remain obedient to You and continue to trust You. We come before Your throne as imperfect sinners to express our gratitude for the grace You extend to us and to pledge our willingness to stop sinning, allowing Christ His right to leadership of our lives. We offer You our utmost, heartfelt praise and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
Next week, I will wrap up this long segment on the Kingdom of Heaven with some warnings that we find in the Scriptures. Then, I am led to begin a new segment of this True Faith series on the Coming Glory. What delicious promises our Lord makes in the Scriptures! These are ones that we can be assured He will keep. We need only look at His past record to know that we can trust God to keep His promises to us. The question arises: Are we willing to keep our promises to Him? Each of us must examine his faith life against the template for righteousness that God gives us in the Bible. If we are found wanting, then we have both the authorization and the power from Christ to do something about it. What a blessing that is when one considers what our lives would have been like without Him in them! Our Abba and the Son love us very much, so much that we are allowed to see this amazing description of heaven in the Scriptures. Consider that this is simply a foretaste of something so grand and glorious that we can’t even conceive of how wonderful it really is. Think of Paul’s God-inspired words in PHIL 3: 14,20, “So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above…We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven.” Listen carefully, Dearest Readers; be ready, for the sound of the last trumpet will be heard at any time. Be comforted, for Christ’s loving hands are soon to be outstretched in eagerness to receive each of us to an eternal life of joy and bliss with Him.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn