Nothing That Eclipses JOY... Kingdom of God (part 5)

In the New Heavens and New Earth there will be NOTHING that eclipses JOY... those who love Jesus in this age will experience endless joy in that age which will be far better than any great expectation my finite mind could conjure up.

"No death, no suffering. No funeral homes, abortion clinics, or psychiatric wards. No rape, missing children, or drug rehabilitation centers. No bigotry, no muggings or killings. No worry or depression or economic downturns. No wars, no unemployment. No anguish over failure and miscommunication. No con men. No locks... No mourning. No pain. No boredom.

No arthritis, no handicaps, no cancer, no taxes, no bills, no computer crashes, no weeds, no bombs, no drunkenness, no traffic jams and accidents, no septic-tank backups. No mental illness. No unwanted e-mails.

Close friendships but no cliques, laughter but no put-downs. Intimacy, but no temptation to immorality. No hidden agendas, no backroom deals, no betrayals.

Imagine mealtimes full of stories, laughter, and joy, without fear of insensitivity, inappropriate behavior, anger, gossip, lust, jealousy, hurt feelings, or anything that eclipses joy..."
- Randy Alcorn, Heaven

"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied [then]. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh [then]. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven...” Luke 6:20-23

Death Swallowed Up In Victory... Kingdom of God (part 4)

Behold! I tell you a mystery... we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ...then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
"Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:51-55

In a world where death seems so inescapable, it is astounding to ponder the reality that we were never meant to die. With this curse that sin has brought, so much of our life now is oriented around death and the fear of it. Our great hope that will certainly be realized is that Jesus is returning to conquer death forever and redeem our bodies too! I'm beginning to pray for and interpret miraculous healing today as a tiny foretaste of what the power of God will do in THAT DAY -- a sign to anchor hearts in the hope of what is coming when the King returns.

Our coming resurrection is spoken of throughout the Bible. Here are a few passages to whet your appetite:

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 tells us to comfort one another with these words : "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus... For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."

1 Corinthians 6:14 - And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

1 Corinthians 15:20-26 - But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father... For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Romans 8:22,23 - For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

We Will See His Face... Kingdom of God (part 3)

"...And they will
see His face..."
Revelation 22:4

"...We will likely wonder if we ever lived before we saw his face!... To look into God's eyes will be to see what we've always longed to see: the [One] who made us and for whom we were made... Seeing God will be like seeing everything else for the first time...."
- Randy Alcorn, Heaven

Where Righteousness Dwells... Kingdom of God (part 2)

But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13

Will it be like breathing air for the first time?... the purest, most refreshing breath of air imaginable... breathed in by a resurrected, glorified body on the restored earth where righteousness dwells. No more sin, no more curse of death, no more pain, no more sorrow... ahhhhh...

Rather than me unpacking that weighty thought here today, I want to encourage you to dig into the Scriptures yourself and take your time... enough time to actually begin to imagine the glory of it. Most importantly, ask the Holy Spirit to fascinate your heart with the plan of God as He gives to you wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17). Revelation 21 is a great place to start!

Longing For a Better Country... Kingdom of God (part 1)

...They desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for He has prepared for them a city.

Hebrews 11:16

..I still remember it today..
As a child, fear mixed with awe and excitement would come over me nearly every time I saw sunbeams breaking through the sky on a cloudy day. "Is Jesus coming back today?," "Will He be taking me with Him?," I would wonder through my heavily clouded understanding of eternity. Now, years later, much stronger hope, longing, and expectation have begun rising up within me surrounding the subject of eternity and the Kingdom of God.

..Who doesn't long for all wrongs to be made right?..
Every election season, don't we all itch for quality governance in the land; for wise and good leaders to be elected? There is something knit within the fabric of every human heart that longs for all to be well, for everyone to get along, for genuine love to be what naturally flows in interactions between all people. We literally ache for a cure for cancer, for there to be an end to death, suffering, and pain. Could such a reality ever be possible?

I am more convinced than ever that most, if not all, of our hopes in human efforts toward peace, well-being, and love at home and abroad are misplaced. These days my expectation is being anchored in what I believe is the one and only lasting solution. There is hope; this reality we live in today is not the end of the story. Isaiah 42:4 promises God "will not grow faint or be discouraged till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for His law."

..Could it be that there is such a King who really will come?..
There's a conviction within my heart that the perfect leader really is coming in the flesh; that Jesus Himself will lovingly rule within a real government over a real domain... a real kingdom... and "His glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea," Habakkuk 2:14. The overarching message of the Bible is that from the beginning of time, the plan and desire of God has been to actually dwell among us, the people He created and loves. I believe it will happen... my prayer is that it will happen soon.

Imagine what you would feel inside at hearing this oracle yourself: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore...'" Revelation 21:3,4

..More to come..
This is a massive topic that's threaded throughout the Scriptures... way too much for one blog post! How will I ever find words to begin to describe the thrill of the thought of having an indestructible body that lives forever on the fully restored earth where God Himself dwells among men? I'll have to unpack these thoughts another day (I suppose for all eternity). Stay tuned for more verses and snippets of revelation as I continue to reflect on the abundance of Scriptures on the subject...