Heaven

Eternal Perspective

“…we are afraid that heaven is a bribe, and that if we make it our goal we shall no longer be disinterested. It is not so. Heaven offers nothing that a mercenary soul can desire. It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to…But God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it–made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand.”-  C.S Lewis (The Problem of Pain)

What is heaven? This place “upstairs.” Could it truly, possibly, be the greatest place on Earth? Wait, it’s not on Earth, right? Well then where is it? Who’s there? For heaven’s sake, can someone tell me what Heavens like?! Most importantly, how can I get there?

According to an ABC news poll in 2005 (nearly a decade ago), 9 out of 10 people in the U.S believe in heaven. I would imagine that the statistic remains relatively the same today. Most people, even skeptics and agnostics (except atheists) believe in a sort of “Afterlife.” That there is a place of total peace – a reward for having to live through the suffering of a human life. Everyone thinks and imagines heaven differently, according to their fantasies and imagination. When I was a kid, I remember imagining heaven as the place where I could fly around and jump from building to building (somewhere between Spider-Man & the Matrix). I would cry at times though, stressing over the thought of not knowing my parents – of losing them in heaven. As God, the Gospel, and Christian doctrine continue to be under attack in our society, heaven has become an unpreferable, avoidable subject to confront or discuss. Via political correctness, people are hesitant to mention or make a reference to heaven on social media and beyond. We don’t even talk much about heaven anymore in the church at large!

Why? Because as we further fight the existence and authority of God, we must then push out the idea of heaven – the place where He dwells. As a believer, when was the last time you thought about heaven? Our greatest promise as followers of Christ, the eternal access of God, the fulfillment of all that is Good… Have you mediated on this place, this reality?

“It certainly seems like a good idea to talk about Heaven, meditate about Heaven and read about Heaven, because after all, that’s where we’re going to spend eternity.” – David Brandt Berg

Unfortunately, I have been to many funerals in my life, and it’s devastating to see so many people create their own idea of heaven so that they can justify their beloved’s life and render some peace. Heaven is not man’s place, it’s God’s place… So how we can modify its structure?

Let’s try to bring the Christian Doctrine of heaven into simple terms…

If heaven had a door, one single door by which all people enter into paradise – that door is Jesus Christ. If heaven was a building, Jesus is the builder. This is not my opinion on heaven, this is God’s truth. This is why Jesus was sent by the Father; look at what Jesus said to the people…

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:1-6 NKJV)

Heaven is briefly described in Revelation 21:3-4,

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 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.”

As human beings, we all fear death. Every form of fear finds its root in death. For example you are not fearful of snakes, your fearful of being bit by one and dying. Why are we all afraid of dying, why do we all not want to die? Why is it that even atheists who do not believe in an afterlife are afraid of dying? I believe it to be because the Bible says that He (God) placed eternity in human hearts (Ecc. 3:11). This means, inside us all is our spirits telling us “you were created to live forever.” We were never created to understand death; it was never a part of the original plan in Genesis. This is why when someone dies; the reality of it almost seems incomprehensible – it’s the most misunderstood and unaccepted consistent reality in human society. Have you noticed how ‘time always flies’? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that from eighty, nighty year old elders. It’s like we know we are to be born, live, grow, and die – but yet it always comes as a surprise to us, how it all happens so fast. C.S Lewis puts it like this, “it would be as ridiculous as a fish constantly being surprised of the wetness of water, unless of course if it were intended one day to live on dry land.” Hm… Could it be it’s because we were created for eternity?

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9

If we truly believe in the eternal dwelling place called heaven, then why do we live so attached to this world? “Why do we try to please this world? What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul” (Mark 8:36)? We must consider eternity before making decisions; I put it this way…Eternity helps me determine my decisions. I don’t just live my life to reach a destiny, but my destiny helps me live my life. We must realize that our life on this Earth is but a millisecond compared to our time in eternity, so why make a millisecond-bad-decision when it can cost you eternity; this is what it means to have an eternal perspective. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2).

The Bible says, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (read Matthew 6:19-21). What are you doing in this life that is of eternal value? The Bible preaches that love will last forever, so loving God and loving others is a great start. This is why I believe having a venue in your life to serve the Lord is so important. If you are “too busy” to serve somewhere in your church or in the community, you are not walking in the eternal perspective, or in other words – in the Spirit.

“My home is heaven. I’m just traveling through this world.” – Billy Graham

Stephanie and I want you to be encouraged with the reality of Heaven, for all those who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you are going through a difficult time, be reminded of what Paul said when writing to the Corinth Church…

 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,” – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:1-3.

We pray you receive the eternal perspective that the Spirit of God gives to those who ask for it. Mediate on the reality of heaven, the promise land for all believers. Remember to lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven and not just on this Earth. We conclude with this question, God forbid you were to die today, are you confident that you would go to heaven? If you can’t honestly say yes to this question, please email us @ stephyces@gmail.com – we would like to talk further with you. Maybe you have friends and family members who don’t know the builder of heaven (Jesus), we want to encourage you to preach the Gospel to them, pray for them, and never give up on them!

We love you! – Steph y Ces

(Stephanie Febres & Cesar Navarrete)

Until next Wednesday…blessings 🙂

Heaven Is For Real, Movie -> http://youtu.be/mydh4MEo2B0