By David ReayTuesday 11 Jul 2017LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Revelation 21:3-4
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (NLT)
Texts like these are a great comfort. They remind us that despite all we might be going through now there will come a time when it will all pass. God’s era of peace —shalom —will be ushered in. The pain and hardship we suffer now will not even be a memory.
For those who think carefully about these things, this might raise a question or two. Such as, “How can I enjoy eternal life when I am fully aware that someone I love deeply is not there to share it with me?” Indeed, I have heard it said by someone that they would rather not be in heaven if that were the case.
However, consigning yourself to the other place (even if it were possible) is not going to improve things. An eternity of misery and God-forsakenness in the presence of a loved one is still going to be miserable and God-forsaken. And will there even be love?
Hard though it may be for us to grasp, we will not be forever sadly remembering absent loved ones in heaven. It is a place of no sorrow, no regret. How that will come about is beyond our understanding. But those who reject God here and now will not have some sort of blackmailing power over us in the life to come.
All those lovely experiences and good memories will perhaps be overtaken by the richer experiences of the new heavens and new earth. They were wonderful in this life, but were ultimately pointers to the deeper and everlasting riches of the life to come.
Blessings
David Reay