Thirst Quenched Eternally!

Heaven.  What a great way to start 2012 – thinking about heaven.

We watched this video to start us thinking about it:

And then we talked through our answers to those questions, before turning to Scripture and reading the following passages: Revelation 21:6-7; 22:1-3; 22:17.  All these say something about heaven in terms of our thirst theme.  Heaven is the place where our thirst will be satisfied without any distraction for the whole of eternity!

The problem is that heaven can have a bit of an image problem.  It’s well summed up in this cartoon:

If we think heaven is boring, we won’t be excited by it.  And one of the things about heaven is that it is a place we should be looking forward to!  I tried to sum up some of what the Bible says…

Heaven is a place with no sin, no death, no pain, no sadness, no disease, no accidents, no unkindness, no loneliness, no broken relationships, and nothing to break the peace, love, and joy.

In that place we will enjoy God’s presence forever – we will be able to see him with our own eyes.  We will join with a vast crowd of others and with the angels and we will worship God.  If you think about the best moment of Soul Survivor ever, that will be dull in comparison!

We don’t know where it is exactly, but the Bible says it is above the earth!  And it’s beautiful – the images the Bible uses take our minds to think of the most incredible luxury – no expense spared – it will make the homes you may have seen on Cribs look cheap and nasty.

If you think of the best things about visiting a major city (say London or New York), heaven offers more.  If you think about being in the most beautiful countryside, heaven has all this and much much more.

If you want to know what heaven looks like, try and think of all the most incredible sights and materials you have ever seen – and then imagine something even more breathtaking than all of that together!  The Bible describes a gold city, jewels and precious metals everywhere, fire and lightning and much much more.

Heaven is also portrayed as a place where we will receive rewards for the work we have done for God on earth.  Where we will be transformed with new bodies, and we will know complete satisfaction and joy.  And it’s also described as somewhere with plenty of room for everyone there.  And there will be no need for sun or artificial light, because God himself will radiate light.  By the way if you like eating, there’ll be food and drink as part of the great party!

There will also be fellowship with one another.  Sometimes that’s hard work on earth, but it will be different there.  Have you ever had an incredible conversation with someone that has gone on for hours and that at the end of it you feel really close to that person?  That’s the sort of thing we should have in mind when we think of heaven – but we’ll get to do that with millions of people – old friends and new.

And what about the new bodies we’ll receive?  C. S. Lewis once wrote that if we were to see our glorified selves walking down the street, we would be tempted to fall at our feet and worship ourselves.

I also read this: “If our bodies are like Jesus’ resurrection body, we will be able to appear and disappear at will, to pass through walls or doors without limitation, to rise from the ground unbound by gravity, and apparently to travel at the speed of thought. We will never forget. We will never hit our heads against a brick wall. We will never hunger or thirst or mourn or cry”.

And we will worship with millions of others.  One thing I read said it will make the most impressive choir sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks!

The problem with heaven is that it is difficult to get our heads around (see 1 Corinthians 2:9).  What the Bible provides us with is a starting point for trying to imagine just how wonderful it is!  What we have thought about is pretty cool, but our imaginations limit us – heaven will be so much more!!!

All who are thirsty can come and be satisfied by the water of life, but it is also up to the Bride (those who know Jesus) to echo the invitation to others.  Heaven and earth are separate places, but there are moments when heaven touches earth and we need to be involved with that.  I finished by reading this quote from Patrick Regan in the March 2011 Youthwork magazine:

I don’t know about you but I used to have this pretty stereotypical picture of heaven, with loads of white clouds and hour upon hour of worship music. Honestly? It seemed a bit dull to me. Then I read the book of Isaiah which talks about a wasteland being turned into a green lush mountain thriving with life. Suddenly my imagination started running wild. I pictured that mountain, and beside me I saw the mothers and fathers who had lost their children to gang violence. They were crying like the last time I had seen them on earth, except this time it was tears of joy that were running down their faces; their suffering wiped away. Next to them I pictured the children I’ve met in Ghana, like Koffi who is so small for his age you’d think he was five years old even though he’s actually eleven. In this life his mum is an alcoholic and his chances of breaking out of poverty are small; in this vision of heaven he’s healthy, happy and whole. Next to him I see the kids I meet every day in London who hate themselves, who have to deal with gang wars on their doorsteps, who want to get pregnant just to have somebody to love. They’re grinning from ear to ear; no more tears for them. Next to them is Rakeem, his bulletproof vest long forgotten. In this picture of heaven we all leg it up the mountain of God together, headed for the most awesome heavenly party. We’re all together, whole and filled with joy as God created us to be.

And that’s what we’re meant to bring to earth now. We’re here to put smiles on the faces of those who mourn. We’re called to feed those who are starving. We’re loved so that we can bring community to those who are lonely. In short, we’re equipped, called and challenged to love the hell out of people in the name of Jesus.