Sometimes in 6th grade or so, I would sit at my window almost every night, watch the sun set or the stars sparkle, and dream of heaven. I thought a lot in those days about what it would be like to go to heaven. I was coming off the whole "Zebop" thing of 5th grade where I convinced myself I was an alien, which wasn't true...but the truth was that we are not made for this world. And there was a yearning in me to experience heaven.
I don't think about heaven quite as often these days, but when I do, it gives me chills. I literally get goosebumps when I sing a song that mentions something about heaven or being forever with God. It can be an old hymn, like "Amazing Grace," where the final verse says, "When we've been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun; we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun." Gosh I get goosebumps just typing it. It can be a relatively more current song like Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine."
And the one that not only gives me goosebumps, but makes me cry every time I sing it, is "Sing to the King," when it gets to the part where it says, "For his returning we watch and we pray; we will be ready the dawn of that day; we'll join in singing with all the redeemed: Satan is vanquished and Jesus is is king!" Oh. My. Goodness. Emu bumps. I cry not with sorrow, but with such eager anticipation it comes out of my eyeballs.
Now I've heard the phrase "some people are so heavenly minded they're no earthly good." And I don't want to be like that. God has called me to this earth to use the gifts he's given me for his glory, for however long that may be. But to think of the glory of heaven. And not just dying and going there but heaven after the final victory. Heaven when Satan is vanquished and every knee bows before King Jesus. It just fills me with so much hope! What glory awaits! No more tears, no more sorrow. No more sins of others causing me pain; no more causing others pain with my own sin. Just singing praise to Jesus, basking in his presence like I've never felt it before.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Heaven
Posted by Ali Thompson at 9:44 PM
Labels: eternity, forever, heaven, Jesus' return
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2 comments:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1710844,00.html?xid=fblike
There's a lot more to the Bible than the Gospels. 2 Corinthians 5 explicitly states we have new bodies awaiting us in heaven. Philippians 3:20 says we have a citizenship in heaven.
I don't know what heaven will look like or if it even has a physical location. Revelation 21-22 do describe a new heaven and a new earth. Where those will be or when, I don't know...but I know it will mean the end of sin reigning in the world, that death and sadness will be over (Revelation 21:4). So I'm not sure I understand why Wright is saying he doesn't believe in heaven when he recognizes this new heaven.
I know that Jesus will have the ultimate victory (1 Corinthians 15:20-28), that he is returning to call us and that we will be with him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). I don't know if it happens right away when we die. But I know one day I will be in heaven with Jesus forever. That's what I'm excited about. The specifics aren't important to me...I hold on to a forever with King Jesus.
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