Last updated on September 21, 2023
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes…”
Revelation 21:4
Today, I am reminding myself of the Heavenly home that awaits me. While I can’t change the world I face, I can renew my thoughts and how I view the sometimes unexplained darkness each day. By allowing God to work in my heart through His Word, I can gain a Heavenly perspective, lifting me out of the gutter that often robs me of my joy.
Take a few moments and see what God is preparing. Our negative thoughts can be redeemed, helping us to live each day with renewed hope for a brighter future.
Revelation 21:4 says. “…there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
This New World Order will follow the greatest battle in the history of humankind. God and His angelic warriors will battle Satan and his fallen angels. Jerusalem will be the battleground, and our Redeemer’s swift victory over Satan will usher in His rule as King of kings and Lord of Lords.
While we wait for Christ’s return, God gives us glimpses of His Heavenly abode. It’s a real, physical place outside of time inhabited by millions of angelic beings and living creatures. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, paid the extraordinary cost of our ticket. Only through His death on the cross can we enter. How great that cost—and Jesus did it for you and me.
Our King will reward His faithful servants. The most faithful ones will shine the brightest in Heaven, just like some stars are more brilliant in the night sky than others.
Heaven has no competition for food or toll for survival—even in the animal kingdom. Romans 8:22 says, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.”
Isaiah 11:6.
…old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
II Corinthians 5:17
Darkness can’t penetrate the holy city because the glory of God gives it light (Revelation 21:11). After the New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven following the Battle of Armageddon. Jesus will reign and “tabernacle” with His family of believers in Jerusalem (Revelation 21:3). Leviticus 26:12 prophesizes, “I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”
The New Jerusalem, constructed of precious gold, will radiate with the majesty of God’s splendor (Revelation 21:23). Precious gems will adorn the wall’s foundations, and single pearls will make up each of the twelve gates (Revelation 21:21). Nothing impure will ever enter the city (Revelation 21:27).
A crystal clear river, the River of Life, will flow from God’s throne (Revelation 22:1). The Tree of Life will be inside the city, bearing a different fruit each month. Its leaves will be for the healing of nations (Revelation 22:1-2).
As portrayed in Revelation, Heaven also has many mysteries. For example, the four winds that obey God and the four living creatures who unceasingly praise our Heavenly Father (Revelation 4:6).
The Bible does not reveal Heaven’s exact location, but Genesis 28:12 gives a hint: “Then he [Jacob] dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to Heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”
In Revelation 4:1, John sees an open door to Heaven, and in Acts 7:56, Stephen says, “Look! I see the Heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
Because nothing defiled or sinful can enter Heaven, it would have been impossible for anyone to go there if God had not provided a way.
Long ago, God cast Satan and his minions out of Heaven, and today, we battle against these unseen powers of darkness. But through the Holy Spirit, we can taste Heaven here. The Spirit whispers to us in our sleep, comforts us in our pain, and implores us never to give up. The Bible reminds us of the unwavering truth that even the rocks would cry out in praise to our Heavenly Father if it were possible (Luke 19:40).
“When Jesus hung on the cross, He said to one of the two thieves beside Him, “‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise’” (Luke 23:43).
Jesus has been preparing a place for those who believe in Him for the last two thousand years (John 14:3). I Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I also am fully known.”
My translation of this passage in today’s jargon is that now we see through a glass darkly, but someday Heaven will be fully known to us, even as we are known to God.
I look forward to hearing the Heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), drinking from the living fountains of waters (Revelation 7:17), and walking with Jesus in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:3).
I recently traveled to Israel, and toward the end of the trip, I felt this longing I couldn’t explain. As I thought about it, I realized what I wanted was Jesus. While visiting the Holy Land is an incredible experience, Jesus isn’t there physically. His presence is through the Holy Spirit. I contemplated seeing Jesus seated on His throne, reigning from Jerusalem, as He will do when He establishes His millennial kingdom.
I look forward to meeting believers who have gone before us and feasting at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Everyone’s name, written in the Book of Life, will see the face of God (Revelation 22:4).
A glorious eternity awaits us. Let not the heartaches of this world discourage us from remembering the richness of God’s grace even now—found in Jesus Christ. God sent His only Son to die on the cross for us so we might have eternal life. As Jesus said in John 16:33, “…in the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
PRAYER: Help me, Heavenly Father, to keep my eyes focused on you. Despite trials, hardships, difficulties, and distractions, may I remember that these afflictions are only temporary, and a Heavenly home awaits me where there will be no more tears, crying, or sorrow.
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