Because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven,
of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel. Colossians 1:5
Heaven is real! It is not only real, but it is an essential truth which is critical for the believer in Jesus to keep front and center while on this earth. In other words, Heaven is real, and really, really important even while here on this side of it. The Psalmist (Ps.73:25) makes it very clear that desire is never truly satisfied while here on earth. We are truly home at last when in Heaven. Certainly Solomon discovered that, not in theory but in the autobiographical reality which the book of Ecclesiastes demonstrates to its reader. He concluded the whole matter was to “Fear God and keep His commandments. For this is man’s all.”
Oh the blessing and delight of the certainty of Romans 6:23—“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Of course we cannot help but think of that cherished verse so many of us have wisely etched upon our memory from John 3:16—“For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
A few favorite quotes outside of Scripture regarding eternity and Heaven—
From William Barclay—“The only way to get our values right is to see, not the beginning, but the end of the way, to see things, not in the light of time, but in the light of eternity.”
John Baillie—“I thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast so set eternity within my heart that no earthly thing can ever satisfy me wholly.”
Dwight (D.L.) Moody—“One day you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody, of Northfield, Ill.
is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now.
From our own Jaci Smith, stated while in Kenya to a group of men around a card-table, distracted from hearing the truth of the gift of the gospel—
“Do you guys want to finish that poker game, or have eternal life?”
Jaci summed it up well… is there a poker game distracting you from the really, really important gift of eternal life? Consider the words above and the words of Jesus— “This is eternal life, to know You, the only true God, and Him whom you have sent—Jesus Christ” (John 17:3 Phillips).
Maranatha