It is quite common to hear men talk
about going to heaven when they die. Such talk is very prevalent
at funerals and whenever someone passes from this life. Heaven
is usually described as some place of bliss and happiness
where all sorrows pass and men are made happy forevermore. There
they are reunited with loved ones with whom they can sit around
and while away the hours, reminiscing about old times on earth. All
the things which brought them pleasure in this world are there.
They can fish, hunt, and eat to their heart's content. One
can spend hours reading his favorite book or engaging in his beloved
hobbies. They are once again reunited
with the dogs and cats which were so faithful to them here
on earth. No desire which the flesh can imagine goes unfulfilled. Amazingly, there is not one scripture
reference indicating that such a place exists, nor that men
go there when they pass from this world of sin and sorrow.
The picture of men going up to the pearly gates when they die,
waiting to be admitted by some doorkeeper, usually St. Peter,
is a very common fable which many never question. Such ideas
serve to satisfy the fleshly and religious minds of men when
faced with the grim reality that this life is a passing one. The
truth that it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this
the judgment, is one which can easily be glossed over by such
myths. It is indeed true that there
is a place where those who are bought by the blood of the Lamb
are taken when they leave this hinterland of sin and sorrow.
It is a place of pure delight which their Savior is going to
prepare for them. He has promised to take them
there. The glory and joy that awaits the blood-bought saints
of God is that they shall dwell in His presence forever, no longer
separated from Him by the limitations of these earthly bodies. Gone
will be that sin which so easily doth beset them in this life.
They shall be unable to worship Him without the hindrance of
this flesh, which desperately strives to overcome them in this
world. This is not a place where an
unregenerate man would find any happiness. A man whose chief
desire is to please himself, or even a man who delights in
his own morality, would be most miserable in a place where Jesus
Christ is the continual sole object of praise and worship.
The scripture indicates that the fleshly bodies of the redeemed
will be transformed at the resurrection into incorruptible bodies. Mortality
shall put on immortality, and the possibility of death will
be forever gone. But there is no indication that
any transformation takes place upon the heart of a man at this
time. If a man dies without a love for Christ, he will not one day
awaken with such a desire. As he lives, so will he die,
and as he dies, so will he live. The work of the Spirit of God
is one of regeneration and transformation of the elect sons of God in this
time world. He brings them out of darkness
into the light and transplants hearts of flesh in the place
of hearts of stone. He shall return for those that
look for Him and long to see His face. Christ is the central
hope and chief desire of those who have been redeemed. They
will worship and serve Him forever because He has drawn them to
Himself and has made them new creatures who delight in these
activities in this present life. Death is but a transitional phase
of life that the saints of God go through. Precious in the sight
of the Lord is the death of His saints. Their death as well as
their life are in the perfect and absolute control of Him who
has loved them more than life itself. Physical trauma and pain
might accompany their passing through the chilly waters of
Jordan, just as they often affect them in life's everyday journey.
But the sons of God are never forsaken. They do not pass into
some land with which they are not already familiar. Those who
are in Christ are already seated in heavenly places. They are
presently familiar with the language of that city to which they are
called. They are in love with its inhabitants
and thoroughly acquainted with its king. Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is our hope and expectation, a very present help in time of
trouble, rules and reigns there even as he does upon this earth.
I am convinced that the only thing that will change for the
saints of God when death invades this mortal house of clay is
that we will be set free from all shackles and hindrances which
impede our fellowship with Him. No longer will this body of sin
rear its head, nor will our corruptible flesh strive to overthrow us
in our blessed communion with our dear Redeemer. And so shall
we ever be with the Lord. Do you desire that city whose
builder and maker is God? For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net