Preparing for Heaven, Part 2

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’

And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’ 6 Then He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.’” Revelation 21:1-6

‘Everybody talkin’ ‘bout heaven ain’ta goin’ there.” This line from an old spiritual reverberates a haunting truth: not everyone who talks good, looks good, does good is going to spend eternity in the place God has prepared for his children.

This thought has touched the hearts and imaginations of men and women through the ages. Slave-trader turned preacher, John Newton, put it this way: “If I ever reach heaven I expect to find three wonders there: first, to meet some I had not thought to see there; second; to miss some I had expected to see there: and third, the greatest wonder of all, to find myself there.”

There was a man who could preach a sermon in one sentence. Contemplating our eternal destination out to affect our attitudes and our actions, our conversations and our moods. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “When you speak of heaven let your face light up...When you speak of hell - well, then your everyday face will do.”

The point is this: a wise person always prepares for what they know is inevitable. Since the Bible clearly teaches the reality of eternity, your first choice is where you’ll spend it; and you’ll decide how you’ll spend eternity. Salvation is the first step in preparing for heaven. From there we choose to conform to Christ.

Happy Father’s Day!!