THE
DESTINY OF THE SAVED
The destiny and reward of the saved is a
blessing beyond compare. All one has to do is read Revelation 21 to get a
glimpse of our great reward in heaven. In heaven all things will be made new.
"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the
holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and
they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death,
nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have
passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful. And He said to
me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will
give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who
overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My
son." (Revelation 21:1-7.) The glory of the New Jerusalem is beyond words. "But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God
Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the
moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its
light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the
kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be
shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the
glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter
it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who
are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." (Revelation 21:22-27.)
The Bible teaches there are two gates
which men may enter, two ways men may walk and two destinies men may reach.
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that
leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the
gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it." (Matthew 7:13-14.) "How beautiful heaven must be." There
God will dwell with His people. His people will share His glory. And the
blessing lost in
Heaven
is a place of divine association.
Heaven is filled with God's presence. "And I heard a loud voice from
heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell
with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be
their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no
more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former
things have passed away." (Revelation 21:3-4.) Heaven is beautiful because
of God's presence. The central figure in Heaven is God, who dwells there. The most
impressive thing about Heaven is that God will be there and it will be filled
with His presence. We are looking forward to "a new heaven and a new
earth, the home of righteousness."
Heaven is a place of beauty,
togetherness and peace. As God dwells among His people there is a beautiful
togetherness and peace. God meets every need of His children. All the hurts of
earth like death, sorrow, sickness and pain are gone forever. (Revelation
21:4.)
Heaven is an enduring or eternal city.
"For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come."
(Hebrews 13:14.) Like the faithful of
ages past let us “...desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore
God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them”
(Hebrews 11:16.) The cities of the world have come and gone. There is coming a
heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, prepared as a bride for her husband. This
heavenly city will be eternal!
Heaven is a place of beauty beyond
compare. In the description John gave of heaven he used all kinds of
precious stones and jewels to describe the foundation. (Revelation 21:9-21.)
The names of the apostles were on 216 feet walls which surround the city. The
city is 1,400 miles in length, width and height. There are twelve beautiful gates,
each made from a single pearl. The street is transparent gold. And nothing will
ever destroy this beauty. "But there shall by no means enter it anything
that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written
in the Lamb's Book of Life." (Revelation 21:27.)
Heaven is a place lighted by the glory
of God. The gates of heaven are not closed and there is no night there.
"But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its
temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the
glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those
who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their
glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall
be no night there)." (Revelation 21:22-25.) God and the Lamb are the
temple in heaven. There is no need for the sun, moon and stars because for
heaven is illuminated by the glory of God and the Lamb. Heaven is the wonderful
inheritance awaiting the faithful bride of Christ, the church.
Heaven is a place of restoration.
In Heaven, what Adam and Eve lost in
You
can go to Heaven. You can die in the Lord. Heaven is for all those who wash
their robes in the blood of the Lamb and continue to do right. God wants to
save you. "The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward
us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance." (2 Peter 3:9.) Everywhere we look we see reminders that God
loves us and wants us saved. The mountains remind us of God's love piled high
at
Have you obeyed the gospel? (Mark 16:15-16.) Are you
living for Heaven? (1 Corinthians 15:58.) If you thirst to meet God face to
face, you are invited to come to Him through the blood of the Lamb that was
slain before the creation of the world.
By Charles Box,