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October 30, 2005
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“And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there
was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and
God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed
away. And he that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And
he said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful…and he carried
me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great
city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of
God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper
stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates,
and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names
of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel”. (Revelation 21:1-5, 10-12)
For the most part, this website is dedicated to chronicling
where we are and where we maybe heading in these last days.
One of the places we as Christians will most definitely be heading is
heaven. As joint heirs with Christ
(Romans 8:17) it is the Father’s great pleasure to give us the keys to the
kingdom (Luke 12:32) sharing in the glory of Christ as His adorned bride.
Many have the mistaken idea
that our heavenly bodies will be transparent spiritual bodies that will not be
able to be touched, nor will we walk or eat.
The Bible gives few details about the specific makeup of our heavenly
bodies but there is evidence that they will be a touchable and physical
glorified body.
How do I know this?
In Luke 24:38-43, just after the resurrection of Christ, the disciples
were gathered in one place. Some of
them, when told that Jesus was alive, refused to believe this to be true.
So a few days later, the Lord appeared to them in the room (with the
doors shut). Seeing His image, they
immediately were afraid thinking He was a ghost. After calming them, Jesus challenged them to touch His hands
and feel His side. He also asked
that food be brought before Him and He did eat.
What is my point? At His
appearing, Jesus was in His glorified heavenly body, however, He could be
touched and held, and He could eat. He
was flesh and bone, yet could walk through walls. He had the physical characteristics of a man but had been
glorified.
It should also be pointed out
that following the millennium and the final judgments the present heaven
(atmosphere) and earth will be completely destroyed. This will be replaced with a new heaven (atmosphere) and a
new earth. This will be the perfect
earthly environment God originally planned for us and will be similar to the
Garden of Eden.
But that’s not all!
John was carried away to a great and high mountain and shown the holy
city, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10-12) as it descended.
As the description is read, we find this is a physical city (with streets
and walls), which was made of pure gold (Revelation 21:21).
This was not a mystical city made for spiritual ghosts, but a city for
those who would have physical bodies. We
should also not overlook the fact that this new earth will have mountains.
Although not specifically
mentioned (in the context of the new heaven and earth), I have to believe animal
and plant life will be included (Revelation 19:11) since it was present in the
Garden of Eden. You can bet the
splendor of God’s new creation will be unimaginable.
In Revelation 22:1, 2 we
further discover that there is a crystal clear river flowing through the city
with a tree of life that bares twelve different kinds of fruit every month.
I can’t imagine that we won’t be eating of that tree as we stroll
down the magnificent streets of gold. It
will truly be a sight to see.
When the Lord comes, we will
be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, and yes, we will be just like
Him. Unlike what Hollywood would
have you believe, we will not be some transparent, floating spirit that will
hover in the clouds, darting around from place to place. We will have flesh and bone bodies, be able to be touched and
held, and yes, to eat whatever our heart desires. Yet they will be glorified and magnificently made to bring
honor and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ forever and ever without end.
But the only way you will be granted entrance into this magnificent place is through the blood of Jesus. The Bible says, “I (Jesus) am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John14:6b).”
Friend,
if you were to die tonight where would you spend eternity? If you can't
answer that question chances are you're not prepared, for when death calls there
are no second chances.
Our
only hope is in Christ. You can't get to heaven as you are because your sins
have separated you from God (Romans 3:23). That's why God sent his only Son to
die for the sins of the world, to bridge the gap between God and man (Romans
6:23). If you were good enough to go to heaven on your own merit, Jesus' death,
burial and resurrection would have been unnecessary.
Well
what do you need to do? First, come to the Father, admitting that you are a
sinner. This proclaims your need for a Savior. Second, ask for forgiveness of
your sins. Third, ask Jesus, to come into your heart, and save you, and to help
you live a life for Him (Romans 10:9-10). Dedicate the rest of your life to
serving Him and mean it. Only a truly repentant heart can Christ come in and
forgive. Jesus died for you, He ask that you live for Him (Romans 10:13).
If
you would like to accept Jesus as Lord pray with me right now:
Father,
I know that I am a sinner and cannot obtain salvation in and of myself. I come
to you in the name of Jesus asking that you forgive me of my sins (name them),
and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness and guilt. I trust and believe that
Jesus died and rose again to pay my sin penalty. I accept this free gift of
salvation, and from this day forward, turn my life completely over to the Lord.
I thank you and praise you God for giving me a new life in Christ. Amen.
If
you prayed this prayer, share your decision with a Christian friend or pastor.
If you are not already attending church, find one in which you can worship and
grow in your faith. Following Christ's example, ask to be baptized as a public
expression of your faith.
I
pray you will make this decision for Christ tonight...for tomorrow maybe to
late.
Pastor Malone