4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
With what unit of measure can we use to describe forever? When time is no more in place, then forever is the past, present, and the future. And even that description falls completely short. Think about forever. Men attempt to extend their earthly lives a few years. But those who have believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ have been given eternal life. Eternal life. Forever. It is mind boggling and yet why does the church act so distracted and so disinterested?
We have lost the wonder of it all. We no longer walk with a sense of eternity. The church is consumed with the temporal and the here and now. And this kind of existence has captured the church for many decades until the temporal is almost the science of the church. Everything from the economy to politics to Hollywood to sports and a long, long list of things is what interests the church. Rarely do we speak of eternity, and even less rarely do we walk in the arresting excitement of its glory.
Mimicking the complaining that used to be the world’s domain, the church recoils at suffering. And not just serious illnesses or physical persecution, but the church complains about circumstances including financial setbacks, gas prices, earthly political policies, and even the weather. Complaining has become so rampant and so acceptable that it isn’t even noticed. It has become a part of religious life. But complaining is an obvious sign that we have lost the eternal perspective.
Who complains about losing a five dollar bill if he is a billionaire? That is in effect what it means when we as receivers of eternal life complain about our circumstances here on earth. Instead of complaining they should create in us a greater hunger for eternity and Christ Himself. Like Paul, going to be with Christ is far greater than anything here on earth.
But eternity is such a lofty concept for earth bound pilgrims, but it should be, it must be our consuming hope. Paul said that if there is no resurrection then we are of all men most miserable. So in essence, when we are bound to this world and imprisoned by its wranglings then we are denying the resurrection and life everlasting. Please, let us be painfully honest here. We need a rebirth and an awakening to all things eternal.
Col.3: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
There is so much soaring truth in those few verses. How often do we realize that our lives essentially are not in this world? This is no Christian Science mind games, this is spiritual truth at its zenith. Where is the wonder; where is the astonishment? I am speaking about forever. I admit, this is no easy concept to grasp. But we have long since left seeking it. Everything now is practical and utilitarian. Whatever benefits me on earth is always from God, and whatever makes me suffer is from Satan. How utterly self serving. That kind of mindset is walking in the ways of this world.
But before us lies eternity. Forever. Secured by His crimson wounds the Redeemer awaits our arrival. Fairy tale? Not on your life! It is our inheritance. In Israel the tribes were given a parcel of the promised land, all except for the Levites. Their inheritance was the Lord Himself. So who are the modern Levites? Who are the priests within the body of Christ? We are, with Christ our High Priest. And so our inheritance is not of this world.
Eph.1: 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
The Spirit Himself has marked us, inhabited us, and sealed us until the day we receive in reality our inheritance which is eternal. And just to think that when we receive our inheritance in eternity, even that will be to the praise of His glory! So even my reward glorifies Him who deserves all glory. Halleluiah, what a Savior!
Heb.9: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
The promise of eternity was not something God gave out like free tickets. Yes, we receive it by grace through faith without one shred of human achievement. It is a gift of God. But let us never, never forget the high cost. To purchase eternity for us God Himself had to shed His blood. Oh the caverns of unending mystery that swirl through the truth, but it is only through His blood that we can receive this unspeakable gift.
I Pet.1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Our inheritance is not of this present world where it could be tarnished and diluted. Men have tried to tie God’s eternal promise to wealth, power, and even bodily health, but they are all damnable lies which subtly rob Christ of His glory. Do you think Christ died for cars and houses and clothes? How pitiful. What heresy. Even unbelievers have those things. And as Spurgeon once observed, “Upon our first glimpse of the Risen Christ we will consider ourselves a thousand fools to have ever been attracted to anything on earth”.
Phil.1: 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Let us suppose the Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh, lived a sinless life, and died for our sins. Yes, He did. And on the third day He arose victorious from the dead. But let us suppose that He had prepared a place in eternity where we could dwell free from the power and presence of sin. We would be given new bodies that could not suffer an ounce of decay, and we would experience sublime ecstasy. And there we would dwell forevermore. Wonderful? Yes, and amen! However Jesus would not be in that place. We would not really miss Him since the place would be perfect and we would be perfect as well. That would be something glorious beyond human comprehension. A glorious inheritance to be sure.
But that is not what Christ has purchased for us. Our inheritance is infinitely greater than what I have suggested. You see, all the things I mentioned will be ours, with one unspeakable addition. JESUS WILL BE THERE!! Oh please remove the sandals from off your heart since this is holy ground upon which we walk. It is almost too wonderful to even imagine, but through a few glimpses of His Word we are invited to imagine. Dwelling in the open expanse of the place called heaven, we are completely free from any sickness or bondage or sin that used to torture us here on earth. Perfect bodies will allow unending and unbridled worship that is not a prisoner to time and the dictates of a mortal body. Immortal and incorruptible, we will be like Him.
Clothed in the fine linen of His righteousness, our experience cannot be adequately described. We will bask in the inheritance that was purchased for us on a little hill just outside of Jerusalem. Oh yes, the simple little vacation Bible school story about Jesus has borne eternal fruit that exceeds human understanding. Even our earthly vacations had to end, and we enjoined them with the ever present whisper that it would quickly come to an end. And even that so called rest and relaxation ended with us being as tired as when we began. But that will not be so in eternity. It will never end, and every “moment” will be as fresh as the previous which was as fresh as the first. Such glory.
But as we can barely gather all that glory, we lift up our spirit eyes and see Him. Oh my, oh my. Even the Seraphim cover their faces, but we behold Him before us. His eyes, His robe, His hands, His hair, His face! We are overwhelmed and yet we cannot take our eyes off of Him. Our earthly eyes would have shriveled up in their sockets, they could never have borne such glory. Suddenly our perfect bodies no longer draw our attention. Suddenly the angelic hosts are complimentary. Suddenly the amazing expanse of this eternal place is consumed with this vision. We are looking at and experiencing the Risen Christ. Can we even utter any words except those that worship Him? We are immobilized in a state of awe and worship.
Where is Moses? Where is Paul? Where are our loved ones? We remain completely unconcerned with such trivia. We have seen Him, and we are undone. How long will we gaze at Him? That question assumes time, which is no more. Our eternal gaze will be the foundation of our inheritance. We have not just been redeemed, but we have found our Redeemer! The throngs of blood washed saints gather before Him. He is beautiful. He is majestic. He is King. There is no small talk or inconsiderate noise. The hosts of heaven bow before Him and receive the brightness of His resurrected victory. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah has conquered death and hell, and He has rescued His own bride and he has drawn us to His throne.
Now I sincerely ask you, how can the leeks and garlic of this life compare with that? Why do we get excited over earthly governments and political structure when we are headed for that? How can material things and thoughts imprison us when we will be with Him forever? Cast off the bondwoman which is this world and all that is in it. Set your affections on Him and His dwelling place. Do not look back to Sodom, but keep looking to Him. We are pilgrims of forever, and as we past through this fallen world we are used by Him to live and share the gospel of redemption.
And as we pass through this temporal world, we do not pitch our tents upon this fallen sod. No, we are pilgrims of forever. Our journey may lead through this world, but our destination is something that this world rejects. In essence, our journey is not to find a place, and it not to find our own perfection, and it is not to be reunited with others. Our journey finds its source and its destination in Him. It always has been, and it must always be so.
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1 comment:
where is paul and moses?. With the lord and we will join them by the grace of GOD. And reign and worship the almighty GOD and the saints say amen!!!
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