By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #116 ~
What a great, glorious and perfect future that God has planned out for all believers! Now you might live 80 to 90 years on this earth, but the best is yet to come, a continual, heart-rejoicing and God-glorifying eternity. As a Christian, one of your greatest needs is to know, understand, and be excited about this hope God has for you. But what exactly is it God wants you to be looking forward to? Here is what He tells you in His word:
1. You will be with Jesus! “We shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The primary focus of your hope is not a place, not things to do, nor people to see, but the person of “Christ Jesus, who is our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). The centerpiece of your hope is that you will literally be with Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. This Jesus, who is your Savior, Lord, Redeemer, King, Husband and Friend, loves you so much more than anyone else. You can’t imagine what it will be like to be with Jesus, who lived, died and rose again, is now seated next to God the Father, and “can’t wait” to come back to be with you, and with all the believers. Jesus prayed, “Father, I desire that they… be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me” John 17:24). Then, like never before, you will be loved by Him, learn from Him, serve Him and worship Him!
2. You will have no more problems! “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17). “There will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). You will have no more sinful thoughts, words or actions. You will have no more anger, pride, hate, selfishness, impurity, fear, anxiety or jealousy. You will have no more aches, ailments, tiredness, trials or conflicts. You will be perfect, your life will be perfect, and all your relationships will be perfect!
3. You will be with all the believers! “Who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?” (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Just think, you will be with all the believers who have ever lived, those who have already gone to heaven, and those still living on earth. This means you will be with all your loved ones. What a joy to be with believing family members and friends you knew on earth, as well as other believers you heard about, or didn’t hear about, and will then meet for the very first time. Oh, what divine fellowship and friendships we will have in the future!
4. You will be in heaven, the house of God! “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). Heaven, a breathtakingly brilliant and magnificent place, will be inhabited by Jesus our mediator, God the judge, myriads of angels, righteous spirits and the church (Hebrews 12:22-24). Heaven, the most holy place of all, is also referred to as “The courts of the Lord… Your dwelling places… the house of my God… Zion.” Psalm 84!
5. You will have a new home! “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-3). “They will receive you into the eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9). Yes, you will be in heaven, but Jesus will have also prepared a special dwelling place for you, which will be located in the new Jerusalem, that glorious city (Revelation 21:10-21). I believe you will have your own spotless, delightful, and perfectly-suited place, a place you can call home, and be at home, where you can wonderfully worship the Lord and sweetly fellowship with others!
6. You will be given a new body! It will be “an imperishable body… raised in glory… raised in power… a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). At Christ’s coming, you will receive an imperishable body, one that cannot die or be destroyed, but is immortal and eternal. It will be glorious, perfect inside and out, altogether beautiful, and like Jesus’ body, a display of God’s glory. It will be powerful, always energized, much stronger than anyone in this present world, and able to go anyplace and do anything God wants you to do. It will be a spiritual body, perfect in character, speech and actions, and perfectly able to always worship and serve the Lord, and to fully love and be fully loved!
7. You will receive an inheritance! This is “an inheritance which is imperishable” (1 Peter 1:3-4). “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:3, Psalm 37). We are not just talking about silver, gold and precious gems, but the entire world and all it contains – birds, flowers, fish, seas, animals, mountains, forests, clouds, cities and much more. As co-heirs with Christ, He will possess and share the world with us!
8. You will be greatly rewarded! “Each will receive his own reward for his own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:8, Revelation 22:12). God is not cheap, but One who will richly reward you in heaven for all your labor on earth. This reward, I believe, relates to your relationship with Christ, the nature of your heavenly dwelling place, and the work God will give you to do. I hope you realize that it’s supremely and eternally worth it to serve the Lord!
9. You will see Jesus Christ reign over the world! “God reigns over the nations” (Psalm 47:8). When Christ comes back, He will perfectly reign over this world. His truth will be proclaimed; He will judge the people; He will guide the nations; His mercy will be shown to the poor; and many will be saved. (Psalms 67, 72, 96). Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Your prayer will be answered: “Our Father… Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10!
10. You will reign with Jesus Christ! “They will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for one thousand years” (Revelation 20:6). “His master said to Him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things – I will put you in charge of many things’” (Matthew 25:21). As a priest of God, you will be reigning with Christ, serving and helping Him rule over this world. Having a glorified body will enable you to happily, heartily and successfully do all the work He wants you to do!
11. You will experience an abundant and eternal life! “You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11). In the coming ages, you will always be experiencing the wonderful love and goodness of God. You will never, not for a second, be sad or worried, but will continually be filled with abundant joy and peace. You will experience innumerable pleasures, always enjoying and being encouraged by your relationship with Jesus, your relationships with saints and angels, and sharing in the everlasting glory of God!
12. You will be worshiping God all the time! “I will praise Your name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:2). In your entire eternal existence, your number one purpose is to love and worship God, and that is what you will perfectly and joyfully do. Without question, your favorite, soul-satisfying experience will be when you are wholeheartedly praising God, and giving Him all the glory. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise… the Lord is good, and His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Psalm 100:4-5!
This is a limited description of your hope, your awesome, fantastic, spectacular and heavenly future! This God-given hope is an incredible, unbelievable and undeserved gift, a personal and perfectly planned out future. Be excited about it, be longing for it, and be looking forward to the fulfillment of God’s guaranteed and glorious plans for you. They are supremely and infinitely better than anything you have ever experienced on earth!
Take the time to really think about what God has in store for you, and be thankful that He will be so loving, kind and generous to you. God has only given you one life on this earth, and that for a very short while, and then He will set in motion the rest of your eternal life, the most wonderful life you could ever imagine. Now that we live in the end-times, it won’t be long before your hopes will be realized, when you will finally and fully be saved, when you will perfectly and forever be worshiping and serving your great God and Father, and your Lord Jesus Christ. “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever… Amen.” Revelation 5:13-14!
P.S. My desire is to help you see the extreme value of hope for your life and for the entire church. If you have not yet read the previous posts on hope, Post 112, Post 113, and Post 115, I would encourage you to do so. I really believe reading them will make a big difference in your life.