It’s been an active April! When something happens like what we are seeing happening between Israel and Iran, many voices begin to speak. Some are spot on in their analysis of these political and prophetic events; others have no idea what to say. This month is just the beginning of more attacks coming against Israel.
After Iran’s drone attack on Israel, people are citing Bible verses such as Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38, Isaiah 17, and others. Now, Bible prophecy is exciting, but it can also be exhausting. Bible prophecy not only warns, but also promises. Hearing the words the Apostle Paul spoke to the Corinthians, I get recharged. “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from Heaven” (2 Corinthians 5:1-2).
The Hope of Heaven
Every so often, I need to take a breath and look forward to the prophetic promises given in Scripture. For example, in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul encourages the Christians there to cling to the hope of Heaven so that they will not lose heart. Paul urged the Corinthians (and us) to look forward to our eternal home in Heaven so we may have a perspective that enables us to continue to be faithful and dedicated watchmen on the wall.
When critics question the existence of Heaven, they deny the Word of God. Second Corinthians 4:17-18 offers some much-needed wisdom. When “affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Heaven is eternal!
For the believers who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, Revelation 21:1-4 allows us to know what is yet to come:
“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.'”
Heaven is the dwelling place of God. It’s an eternal paradise. Revelation 21 explains the New Jerusalem will descend to the New Earth like a bride adorned for her husband as if on her wedding day. We all know that the most essential item for a bride on her wedding day is often the dress. What does this heavenly bridal dress look like? This new Jerusalem? It is adorned with streets made of gold (Revelation 21:21). The city has 12 gates, each made from a single pearl (Revelation 21:21). The foundation is made from precious gems (Revelation 21:19-20). That sounds as beautiful as any wedding dress. That’s all amazing, but remember, the best part is that it’s the dwelling place of God.
The Sabbath Rest
I rest in enjoying the prophetic promises of eternity in Heaven. We are promised that we will experience eternal rest. Hebrews 4 opens with the promise of entering his rest and warns, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. Later, in chapter four, the writer of Hebrews reveals: “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore, let us be diligent in entering that rest so that no one will fall, by following the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:9-11). Jesus, in the Gospel of Matthew, promises rest to all those who labor and are heavy laden and who come to Him (Matthew 11:28).
Eternal Promises
There you’ll also experience eternal joy (Psalm 16:11), for there will be no more wickedness (Revelation 22). There will be no more darkness, no more night, and its gates will never be closed (Revelation 21:25). There will be no more sin and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it (Revelation 21:27).
You’ll no longer hunger or thirst, for as it says in Revelation 7:16, the Lord will “wipe away every tear from your eyes, and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4). All of that is beyond amazing, but the most amazing promise is found in Revelation 22:4 when it promises we will see the Father’s face.
Isaiah 66:1 contains a prophetic promise, which is repeated in Acts 7:48-49, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.'” The Good News becomes the Blessed Hope. Revelation 22:14 proclaims, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city.”
These are some of the prophetic promises Scripture does tell us about. However, as 1 Corinthians 2:9 explains, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” This passage is saying that we do not even know how amazing Heaven is. We know we’ll have a new body without Adam’s curse. We know as overcomers, we will be clothed in white garments, and our name will be written in the Book of Life. Jesus said He would confess your name to the Father and the angels (Revelation 3:5-12). Can you imagine?
What is Paul saying when he says our minds can’t even imagine what God has prepared for those who love him? How much more amazing can Heaven get?
Let me encourage you to rejoice in the prophetic promises of Scripture. As 2 Corinthians 5 says, it’s an everlasting place, and all of these are everlasting promises. Second Timothy 2:11 promises that this is trustworthy, “For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him.”
Maranatha, Lord Jesus!
