Earth: a place where evil storms in on good; a place where no one wants to stay for long. This place is not our home by any means; we are just pilgrims passing through. “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16). As Christians, we live our lives desiring to go to our true home, heaven.
David Shannon once said, “There’s a home waiting for you and I and if we miss it, we’re going to spend an eternity wanting to go home. To not be in the presence of our Father forever, we’re gonna find ourselves over and over and over wanting to go home. Live your life with your heart set on home. Nobody that’s fake is going to make it home, it’s only those who are real; those who wanted to go home so much that they were willing to suffer anything. The longer I live in the faith, the less there is that holds me here, the more I can say that I wanna go home.”
Revelation 21 and 22 gives us a picture of heaven. In heaven, we will no longer be separated from our steadfast Heavenly Father (Revelation 21:3). We want to be with God (2 Corinthians 5:6-10). There will be no sun because the Lamb is the sun. There will be no night there (Revelation 21:23-27, 22:1-5). Evil people do not like light because the light shines on their sins which darkness hides (John 3:17-21). In heaven, there will be no sin or wickedness. “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” (Revelation 21:4). Isn’t that verse just wonderful?!? It gives us the hope that things will get better eventually. They may not get better while we’re on earth, but if we stand strong in our faith through trials and tribulations, things will be better in our spiritual home. In heaven, we will no longer have to suffer the things that we might suffer here on earth. Someday, temptation will be gone. While we are here on earth, we constantly have to battle Satan and his temptations, but in heaven, there is no temptation. Isn’t that wonderful?!? We will be in heaven with God where Satan can’t reach us if we hear (Acts 18:8), believe (Mark 16:16), repent (Acts 2:38), confess (Acts 8:37), be baptized (Acts 2:28), and live faithfully unto death (Revelation 2:10).
Someday we will have to stand before God on judgement day. Someday we will go home to see Jesus if we have followed the plan of salvation. Someday there will be peace, joy, happiness, and no more sorrow. And I can’t wait for that someday.
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