Stairway to Heaven
9/24/2009 9:57:34 PM
Scripture Reading: please print this out--look up the Scripture references contained within.  Highlight or underline them in your Bibles.  Read. . . grow.  Be filled. Good Morning. When I used to go home to see my mom and dad, my mom often made a fried chicken dinner, complete with mashed potatoes and gravy; she baked a cherry pie because she knew it was my favorite.


Scripture Reading: please print this out--look up the Scripture references contained within. Highlight or

underline them in your Bibles. Read. . . grow. Be filled.


Good Morning.


When I used to go home to see my mom and dad, my mom often made a fried chicken dinner, complete with mashed potatoes and gravy; she baked a cherry pie because she knew it was my favorite. She knew the things to make me feel loved and expected by preparing for my arrival. Jesus told the disciples that He would go ahead of them and prepare their heavenly home for them. Don't you love thinking about Heaven? Can you picture your loved ones there? Does it encourage your heart to think about living there forever? It should. I've given you some of the physical description of Heaven's size and beauty. . . is there anything else we can know about Heaven?


I remember an old hymn I sung as a child--"All nature sings and around me rings the music of the spheres"--in Heaven, that is true. The mountains are alive praising God with great joy, just like Psalm 65 describes because Heaven is a place of complete and utter joy. Imagine joy-filled moments you've experienced here. . . they will pale in comparison to the joy of Heaven. We will be reunited with loved ones, and also meet the saints of old. I'd like to have a cup of Peet's Italian Roast with Esther, the beauty queen, whose dedication to God and her people, saved the Jews from annihilation. I'd like to meet Peter because he reminds me of me--sometimes too outspoken, sometimes lacking faith, but passionate about His Lord. It will be so incredible to see how he interacts with Jesus. . . will they mention experiences they shared? Who would you like to meet, friends?


Those who have spent their lives in wheelchairs will know what it means to run and dance because in Heaven we will be perfection. We will have spiritual, glorified bodies, perfectly adapted to our new environment but incorruptible and powerful, yet we will still be recognizable. (2 Corinthians 5.1) We will cast off any sign of decay or aging. (That's good for me because my laugh lines will go back to the dimples I used to have!) Just think--no pain in our joints, no weakness, no deformities either. . . We will never feel so alive as then.


Heaven is the fulfilled kingdom of God, so surely the best thing about Heaven will be seeing Jesus face-to-face. 1 Corinthians 13.12 So many questions will fall away, as everything becomes clear then. We know that when He appears, "we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3.2 How will you react when you see Him? The song "I Can Only Imagine" (Mercy Me), has given us glimpses of our possible reactions--will we dance? will we fall to our knees? Since we won't be limited by our bodies, maybe we'll do both at the same time! What will you do when you meet your Savior? Will we be able to touch nail-scarred hands and feet? I can't wait to look into His eyes. . . those eyes which missed nothing while He was here on earth. . . those eyes which still miss nothing here on earth. Earlier I mentioned there will be no crying in Heaven--but it is more than that--Jesus Himself will wipe away the tears you have cried. . . Not a single tear you have cried has fallen to the ground without His notice, my friends. You will experience His immense compassion ~ you will experience His great delight in you, and you're definitely going to know it as He 'sings over you'. Zephaniah 3.17


The 'New Jerusalem' as John calls Heaven in Revelation 21, is made of pure gold, like liquid glass; even the streets we will walk on will be made of glistening gold. The river of life, which flows from the throne of God, is as clear as crystal, with the Tree of Life on either side of it, bearing 12 different fruits continuously. Twelve gates made of pearl, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Twelve foundations to the walls (which are more than 200 feet thick), each bearing the name of one of the 12 apostles. Finally, we will reign in Heaven with God, in this beautiful place He has prepared. Ah. . . a princess at last!


Let me take you back to my childhood home in Alameda, California. When I would drive into the long driveway, attached to the big, old Colonial Revival house, I entered through the back door--the kitchen door. "Mom, I'm ho-ome!" If she wasn't standing in the kitchen, clad in her apron, cooking or ironing, she'd comes around the corner with a big smile on her face and say, 'Hi, Hon--oh, I'm so glad you're here." Couple things to note--I was welcome there, I belonged there, my mom wanted me there, and I felt 'at home' there. Will we feel the same way when we arrive in Heaven? Will it feel like Home--and by the way, how do you know you'll be welcome there? Revelation 21.27--your name must be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, because nothing impure may ever enter Heaven. You must r.s.v.p. to Christ's offer of salvation, then He will have prepared your home just for you, and your name will be in 'the book'. The stairway to Heaven, starts at the Cross, and what Jesus did there. . . the next stair is our recognition of our need for His payment for our sin, and asking Him to be the Leader of our life. Then, we walk through life in relationship with Him, and when the final curtain drops, we'll be Home. Have you r.s.v.p.'d?


Because forever is a long time,

Christine