We Need a Glimpse of Heaven
By Ryan Dawson
With all the turmoil taking place in Israel and Gaza it makes you wonder if we are living in the Last Days. Jesus promised He would return and set all things right, establishing His Kingdom in its fullness in a new and redeemed creation. As Christians we look forward to this day, knowing that this is our ultimate destiny.
The prophet Isaiah records God’s promise to us…
Isaiah 65:17-19 (NIV)
“See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.
This is a beautiful picture of what is to come for all those who place their hope in Jesus Christ. Sin and sorrow will be no more, and death will be swallowed up in Life eternal.
The great philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” When we have a glorious vision of the future our hearts are filled with hope and resolve, and we live better in the present. We need to live life forwards, always keeping our ultimate destiny in mind. Of all people – Christians are to be a people of hope. And there is no doubt our world needs hope.
I have found that having a proper view of what is to come is so helpful as I seek to live faithfully in the days God has given me. Randy Alcorn wrote a tremendous book called Heaven, which is rooted in what the Bible teaches about the next life. I would put this book on my “top 5 books every Christian needs to read” list. I have included a few quotes from Alcorn’s book below to whet your appetite.
“Nothing is more often misdiagnosed than our homesickness for Heaven. We think that what we want is sex, drugs, alcohol, a new job, a raise, a doctorate, a spouse, a large-screen television, a new car, a cabin in the woods, a condo in Hawaii. What we really want is the person we were made for, Jesus, and the place we were made for, Heaven. Nothing less can satisfy us.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
“The most tragic strain in human existence lies in the fact that the pleasure which we find in the things of this life, however good that pleasure may be in itself, is always taken away from us. The things for which [people] strive hardly ever turn out to be as satisfying as they expected, and in the rare cases in which they do, sooner or later they are snatched away.... For the Christians, all those partial, broken and fleeting perfections which [they] glimpse in the world around [them], which wither in [their] grasp and are snatched away even while they wither, are found again, perfect, complete and lasting in the absolute beauty of God.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
“For the Christian, death is not the end of adventure but a doorway from a world where dreams and adventures shrink, to a world where dreams and adventures forever expand.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
“What we love about this life are the things that resonate with the life we were made for. The things we love are not merely the best this life has to offer—they are previews of the greater life to come.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
“Earth is an in-between world touched by both Heaven and Hell. Earth leads directly into Heaven or directly into Hell, affording a choice between the two. The best of life on Earth is a glimpse of Heaven; the worst of life is a glimpse of Hell.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
I would really encourage you to get a copy where you buy your books or borrow it from the library. This book will give you hope and help you make the most of today and the days ahead. I like what author Christine Caine says: “I don’t know if these are the Last Days, but I do know these are my last days.”
God has given us our current days, these days, to live for Him, and to help others find and follow Christ, as we wait expectantly for the Life to come, so let’s ensure we live to the fullest.
Blessings, Ryan
With all the turmoil taking place in Israel and Gaza it makes you wonder if we are living in the Last Days. Jesus promised He would return and set all things right, establishing His Kingdom in its fullness in a new and redeemed creation. As Christians we look forward to this day, knowing that this is our ultimate destiny.
The prophet Isaiah records God’s promise to us…
Isaiah 65:17-19 (NIV)
“See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.
This is a beautiful picture of what is to come for all those who place their hope in Jesus Christ. Sin and sorrow will be no more, and death will be swallowed up in Life eternal.
The great philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” When we have a glorious vision of the future our hearts are filled with hope and resolve, and we live better in the present. We need to live life forwards, always keeping our ultimate destiny in mind. Of all people – Christians are to be a people of hope. And there is no doubt our world needs hope.
I have found that having a proper view of what is to come is so helpful as I seek to live faithfully in the days God has given me. Randy Alcorn wrote a tremendous book called Heaven, which is rooted in what the Bible teaches about the next life. I would put this book on my “top 5 books every Christian needs to read” list. I have included a few quotes from Alcorn’s book below to whet your appetite.
“Nothing is more often misdiagnosed than our homesickness for Heaven. We think that what we want is sex, drugs, alcohol, a new job, a raise, a doctorate, a spouse, a large-screen television, a new car, a cabin in the woods, a condo in Hawaii. What we really want is the person we were made for, Jesus, and the place we were made for, Heaven. Nothing less can satisfy us.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
“The most tragic strain in human existence lies in the fact that the pleasure which we find in the things of this life, however good that pleasure may be in itself, is always taken away from us. The things for which [people] strive hardly ever turn out to be as satisfying as they expected, and in the rare cases in which they do, sooner or later they are snatched away.... For the Christians, all those partial, broken and fleeting perfections which [they] glimpse in the world around [them], which wither in [their] grasp and are snatched away even while they wither, are found again, perfect, complete and lasting in the absolute beauty of God.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
“For the Christian, death is not the end of adventure but a doorway from a world where dreams and adventures shrink, to a world where dreams and adventures forever expand.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
“What we love about this life are the things that resonate with the life we were made for. The things we love are not merely the best this life has to offer—they are previews of the greater life to come.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
“Earth is an in-between world touched by both Heaven and Hell. Earth leads directly into Heaven or directly into Hell, affording a choice between the two. The best of life on Earth is a glimpse of Heaven; the worst of life is a glimpse of Hell.”
― Randy Alcorn, Heaven
I would really encourage you to get a copy where you buy your books or borrow it from the library. This book will give you hope and help you make the most of today and the days ahead. I like what author Christine Caine says: “I don’t know if these are the Last Days, but I do know these are my last days.”
God has given us our current days, these days, to live for Him, and to help others find and follow Christ, as we wait expectantly for the Life to come, so let’s ensure we live to the fullest.
Blessings, Ryan