Luke 1:23-25
And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
In our last look at this chapter we saw the consequence of doubt and how it robs us of the joy God has prepared. We saw the amazing appearance of the angel and the outstanding prophecy of John’s birth. But today, we’re going to fix our eyes on the second character of this story, the one more easily forgotten; we’re going to look at these events from the eyes of Elizabeth.
We’ve already seen the shame and disgrace that would have come for a man being married to a barren woman, but the burden of the man would be nothing compared to that which the woman would have to bare. It must have felt like the world had abandoned her; she was another class of person, lesser and under the rest. Indeed, her gloom was severe, but it didn’t even end there; she had reached the age of no hope, she could no longer hold out praying for a child. It seemed that this shame would follow her to her death. Needless to say, this was a dismal moment in Elizabeth’s life, dark and cloudy from the judgement of the world around her. But in the darkness, when it seems that no hope will ever come our way, the light shines even brighter and its beauty is even more marvelous and brilliant. In a dark room, even the dim light of a candle seems so bright a flame, and what happened to Elizabeth wasn’t even merely a candle light, it the rising sun shooting its beams across the horizon! O, how joyous the moment must have been when she first discovered that she was pregnant and that her shame would be washed away! O, how lifted her heart must have been when this light came into her shroud of sadness! God loves to bless us from the smoldering ashes; He loves to bless us when it seems that none could do so; He loves to set a bonfire of hope to light up the dark night, for its light is so much brighter when contrasted with the dark sky and its warmth is so much richer when you have just felt the freezing wind breeze by you.
Does not indeed nature itself teach us that God loves to bless things up from the ashes? The flowers that paint a prairie side are no better grown than from the decaying carcass of an animal. Yes, it is true that they can grow without such a loss, but look at how vibrantly they grow with it! It is inescapably true that in the backdrop of one extreme comes the beauty of the other. Is not a fresh spring of water even more refreshing when on a hot summer day? Or is not food even more wonderful when we feel the hunger of a missed meal? Truly, beauty is amplified when put up and contrasted to ugliness. This is exactly what Elizabeth was experiencing; the gift of a son was even more amazing because of the sharp contrast from the shame of being barren.
Not only is the glory of the gift amplified in the presence of suffering, but all that suffering is washed away and forgotten once the gift is received. Look at Joseph; when he had been set as second in command over Egypt, the pains of his past haunted him no longer. Sure, when he was derided for his dreams it hurt; sure, while he was being sold into slavery, the pain was real and felt sharply; sure, when he was thrown into prison for an action not his own it cut down to the bone like a sword, but when he was elevated, when he was promoted above all of his enemies, those scars plagued him no more. The blessing wiped away the tears of his past and beckoned him forget all the suffering of yesterday. Such is the case with Elizabeth. Although for a short while the trials were strong and ominous, when she had given birth to that child, all those things faded into the past and all that was important was the peace of the present.
Were Elizabeth not plagued by all the shame and reproach early on, the gift of her child couldn’t have been fully appreciated. God was working in those hard times for her good, and it turns out that those things that troubled her most were the very things that made her joy the most complete. God’s gift to her would have been unfinished without gifting her also with the opportunity to go through hardships and struggles. Many times God is doing the exact same thing for us and we’re too blind to see it; we can’t look past the haze of our troubles and see the golden prize in the distance. Just like Joseph didn’t see why he had to be thrown into slavery, we may not see why we are going through a troubling time. But do not be fooled, whereas our eyesight is limited, God’s isn’t; in the hardest times of our lives, it may be that God is actually wrapping a present for us right before our eyes and we just can’t see it. Our finite minds cannot comprehend all of God’s plans, so let’s leave them up to Him. Just remember that in hard times, He may be shaping for you a blessing like that of a son for Elizabeth.
But what about people like Paul who never receive an earthly blessing to wipe away such sorrow? Paul lived a hard life and died a hard death never to receive such a glorious present on earth. If we are supposed to hold out in tempestual times because we know that God may be crafting a blessing for us, how are we to do so when we also know that He may not be? Yes, God might be using this circumstance to set up a marvelous blessing for us, but we also know that He might never give us such a blessing on earth. It is inescapable to say that stories such as Paul’s exist and are common, but let’s take a second look at what was actually given to Elizabeth: She was given a blessing so wonderful that it wiped away all the reproach of her past. And isn’t that exactly what Paul received? After he died, he truly did receive such a blessing; true, he had to wait a little longer for his, but o, how sweet was it when he finally received it. You see, the hope of future merciful bounty doesn’t fade for people like Paul; it stands unwavering.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
The truth is, everything we can see, even the good things that God gives us, will one day fade away; it will be lost and forgotten, and it will have no significance to anyone. We can take comfort in that God may give us future physical blessings like He did for Elizabeth, but ultimately, those also shall fade. This can be seen in the story of Joseph; although he was blessed inexplicably by being set in such a high position, that now holds no value because he is standing in the presence of the Creator God. His joy and his prize are no longer found in the enormous gift that God gave him on earth; they are in the enormous gift that God is giving him even this day in Heaven. Yes, Elizabeth received a great and wonderful gift on earth that wiped away her shame and sadness, but now, that happiness is incomparable to the joy she is feeling before the face of God. We may not be sure whether or not God will especially bless us while we trek this planet, but we can be certain that a greater joy is in our future – a joy so wonderful that nothing could ever come close to. This joy will be total and complete, lofty and unwavering, eternal and satisfying in every way. If we think that we have an idea of greatness and happiness, we have not even the slightest glimpse of the glory we will experience in heaven.
At this time you might feel the temptation to feel discontented with the idea of waiting all the way till Heaven for your blessings. I think that such a feeling arises from our human minds being incapable of understanding how great Heaven is going to be. So, in order to gain a better understanding of our inheritance, let’s look at what the Bible says about Heaven:
Revelation 20:15
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
It might seem strange to you that to show why Heaven is so wonderful I have supplied a verse about Hell, but I believe that this is the first, foundational reason to recognize why it’s truly so marvelous. Let’s just assume for a moment that there were no perks to Heaven, and you lived life there in exact the same way that you live life right now on this earth. Even if that were the case, Heaven would still be an enormous gift because of its contrast. Just by merit of being not Hell, Heaven would earn the title “Paradise.” But we can only recognize this when we realize how terrible Hell truly is: essentially it is the worst pain God can create for all of eternity without any hope of rescue. That sounds bleak because it really is! There is no toning down of this truth; Hell is the ultimate pain and punishment possible. Note that it is not the greatest torment that we can think of; it is the greatest torment that God can think of, and that’s saying a lot! God thought up the entire universe; He is the ultimate Creator, and His power of design in limitless. So, when God sets His mind to create an extreme, He truly creates and extreme. Hell is the worst possible pain that is capable of existing that will continue year after year; century after century; eon after eon; no relent; no end. Were one there for ten trillion years, he would be no closer to escaping than when he was first thrown in. Indeed Hell is a terrible place, devoid of hope.
Since we can see (or rather, barely scratch the surface of) the torments of Hell, we can start to see the beginnings of the beauty of Heaven. Just that God would decide to stay His hand and withhold such a punishment should make us name Heaven “paradise.” But this is only the beginning of the blessings God has waiting for us in our inheritance.
Revelation 22:14
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Heaven will be a place of perfection. Only that which is one hundred percent, totally and completely perfect can enter into it. Therefore, before we are able to enter into its gates we must first be cleaned. This verse in revelation says that we (those who are blessed by entering into the celestial kingdom) will wash our robes and eat of the tree of life; we will be made pure in the blood of the lamb with every fetter of sin falling off one by one. Once we have washed our robes, we will be perfect; totally, purely, devoid of stain; we will be able to stand before God without fear because our names will be cleared of all wrongdoing, and no longer will our sins cling onto our record; they will be lost and forgotten. What a joyous moment when we are unshackled at last, free from the desires of sin and free from all its temptations! We will experience the highest level of liberty that we’ve ever felt and will once again know what it’s like to be totally out of the clutches of err.
Hebrew 13:14
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
This celestial city will be perpetual. Unlike all of our cities, it will continue through the infathomable eons, never drawing closer to its end. It’s striking to think of a time with no end; forever and ever and ever leading to forever and ever and ever. There will be no restart, no new saga, only continual bliss in this kingdom. There is no next story, there is no neo-genesis, the story God placed us in is the only story in existence. Now think for just a moment about how profound that really is; God has written a story, and YOU’RE in it, and that’s the ONLY story throughout all of reality! What a thought! There is no season two, God created this world, this amazing story and it is alone in its existence. God’s not going to play with us for a few million years then get bored and start over! God loves you, and you are not just one of an endless thread of characters! What an amazing reality! When we experience Heaven we will tread in the mysterious waters of eternity; just as He will exist forever, so will we!
Isaiah 15:8
He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
In Heaven there will be no pain or sadness in any way. In the same way that God wiped away Elizabeth’s tears of reproach by giving her the blessing of a son, God will shatter ever pain and regret of the past by opening to us the gates of Heaven. Nothing will loom over us to eclipse our joy in Heaven and nothing will hinder the supreme blessing God has provided. No grief or sorrow of the past will touch us and nothing whatsoever will be a hindrance to us. It will be a realm totally free from all distractions and annoyances. Now stop there; can you imagine a world where you can’t be annoyed by anything? That’s amazing! “But,” you may ask, “it seems like from your description of Heaven that I will be annoyed, I mean, you haven’t given me a real reason to want any of this.” Take comfort and know this; everything in Heaven will please God, and since we will be perfected, everything that pleases God will also please us. God will conform our very hearts to the eternal joy of that which pleases Him. So, rest secure knowing that regardless of whether or not you can see how awesome these things are, God can; and one day He will make it where you can too.
So far we’ve seen 4 things (there are many, many more that I didn’t even mention) that make Heaven such a blessed place; we have seen that God is merciful in giving us anything other than Hell, that He will wipe away all of our sins, that it will be an eternal and unfading dwelling place, and that there will be no more pain and suffering. For what more could we possibly ask? But even after all of those amazing things, the biggest, most amazing reality of Heaven emerges; one that makes all the others fade to a dim candle in the sunlight. All these past fascinations, no matter how wonderful they are, are brought down to ashes in the view of the most precious gift that God will hand to us in Heaven – Himself.
Revelation 22:4
They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
1 Corinthians 13:13
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
The most amazing reality about Heaven isn’t that we will have no more pain; it isn’t that we will reign with Him in the celestial kingdom; it isn’t even that we will be free at last from our sins. The most amazing reality about Heaven is that there, we will be in the full presence of God. We will no longer need to have faith, because He will be there right before our eyes, shining like the sun in all His brilliance. Meeting God face to face is the most superb thing that could ever happen to a mortal; we will be in the direct, full and unveiled presence of our King. We will no longer have to wonder about what God wants or what God is like; we will know by going to Him and knowing Him fully as He fully knows us.
It’s important that we really grasp the gravity of knowing the Creator of the universe. Although it may be easy to get caught up in all the little details of Heaven, to focus on them would be to miss the big picture – that we will meet out Maker. If we want to imagine Heaven, the first place we go shouldn’t be the streets of gold, it should be the throne room of God, where all His majesty and glory flows out undeluded and undebased! Such glory shall it be that were we to see it now in our sinfulness we would immediately die from shock! God is so much more than our minds can imagine; so much bigger than our brains can comprehend. Just trying to think of His physical size and grandeur is enough to drive us insane. Try for a moment to imagine Him on His throne and merely His feet reaching the height of the twin towers. Imagine looking up miles and miles before you even reach His waist! Try to look at His face, so far away. If we can put ourselves into that mindset and really, really focus, it’s frightening how small we feel and how big He looks! But take that awe and imagine that a mere hair of His head is the size of our galaxy! It is totally unimaginable and even more awe striking, and this was only a sorry attempt to ponder His size! He is incomprehensible, and we will never know anything to His like until we see Him face to face.
Just merely being in His presence for one day would merit our entire lives dedication and more. It would spur us – if we truly understood it – to even give up ourselves to martyrdom if that was necessary to peek into His throne room. But to think that day after day, month after month, century after century, on and on and on and on, until eternity touches its other end, we will stand before Him and praise Him without arrest; it’s flabbergasting! The Painter that reached into His painting to save it; the Playwright who humbled Himself and lived in the form of one of His characters; the Author that DIED to complete His story; THAT is the God that shall we meet.
And not only will we get the chance to stand in His presence, but we will have a deep intimate relationship with Him like none other we have ever known! Our idea of intimacy with someone is only scratching the surface of what a true relationship unmarred by sin will be like. Yes, God Himself is the greatest present that He could possibly give; nothing else can compare. God made us with an emptiness that will only be satisfied in Himself, and in Heaven, that hole will be completely filled without any gaps. We will be His, and He will be ours.
What we just looked at about Heaven cannot even begin to explain how amazing it will be to at last see Jesus for all that He is. It couldn’t have done justice to the splendor and majesty of standing in the very presence of God, but what it can accomplish it to entice us; to remind us of the awesomeness of Heaven and its incomputable value. We can only see it through the keyhole and at a great distance, but we can see enough to make us yearn after it, and that’s exactly what we are supposed to do; we are supposed to be so excited about it that we think of it day and night; basing our ever move around it.
So, now that we know that yet a little while longer and we shall see our marvelous inheritance, we can stand firm in the storm. We can remember that just as Elizabeth’s pain and suffering meant nothing to her after she had seen God’s blessing for her, all the hard times that we go through in our lives, big and small, will eventually fade into the inaudible background and our focus will be set on all the fullness of God.
Imagine a child that is convinced that some momentary struggle is “THE END OF THE WORLD.” Years later, when he has moved on and is past that temporary difficulty, the matter seems totally trivial and of no real significance. In the same way all our troubles here on this earth in the present feel horrible, but in Heaven will seem trivial and insignificant.
So, let’s push through hard times, not just because we know that we may be blessed here on earth, but because we know that we will be blessed after our deaths, and that blessing we receive will more than cover the scars that this life can leave behind.
And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
In our last look at this chapter we saw the consequence of doubt and how it robs us of the joy God has prepared. We saw the amazing appearance of the angel and the outstanding prophecy of John’s birth. But today, we’re going to fix our eyes on the second character of this story, the one more easily forgotten; we’re going to look at these events from the eyes of Elizabeth.
We’ve already seen the shame and disgrace that would have come for a man being married to a barren woman, but the burden of the man would be nothing compared to that which the woman would have to bare. It must have felt like the world had abandoned her; she was another class of person, lesser and under the rest. Indeed, her gloom was severe, but it didn’t even end there; she had reached the age of no hope, she could no longer hold out praying for a child. It seemed that this shame would follow her to her death. Needless to say, this was a dismal moment in Elizabeth’s life, dark and cloudy from the judgement of the world around her. But in the darkness, when it seems that no hope will ever come our way, the light shines even brighter and its beauty is even more marvelous and brilliant. In a dark room, even the dim light of a candle seems so bright a flame, and what happened to Elizabeth wasn’t even merely a candle light, it the rising sun shooting its beams across the horizon! O, how joyous the moment must have been when she first discovered that she was pregnant and that her shame would be washed away! O, how lifted her heart must have been when this light came into her shroud of sadness! God loves to bless us from the smoldering ashes; He loves to bless us when it seems that none could do so; He loves to set a bonfire of hope to light up the dark night, for its light is so much brighter when contrasted with the dark sky and its warmth is so much richer when you have just felt the freezing wind breeze by you.
Does not indeed nature itself teach us that God loves to bless things up from the ashes? The flowers that paint a prairie side are no better grown than from the decaying carcass of an animal. Yes, it is true that they can grow without such a loss, but look at how vibrantly they grow with it! It is inescapably true that in the backdrop of one extreme comes the beauty of the other. Is not a fresh spring of water even more refreshing when on a hot summer day? Or is not food even more wonderful when we feel the hunger of a missed meal? Truly, beauty is amplified when put up and contrasted to ugliness. This is exactly what Elizabeth was experiencing; the gift of a son was even more amazing because of the sharp contrast from the shame of being barren.
Not only is the glory of the gift amplified in the presence of suffering, but all that suffering is washed away and forgotten once the gift is received. Look at Joseph; when he had been set as second in command over Egypt, the pains of his past haunted him no longer. Sure, when he was derided for his dreams it hurt; sure, while he was being sold into slavery, the pain was real and felt sharply; sure, when he was thrown into prison for an action not his own it cut down to the bone like a sword, but when he was elevated, when he was promoted above all of his enemies, those scars plagued him no more. The blessing wiped away the tears of his past and beckoned him forget all the suffering of yesterday. Such is the case with Elizabeth. Although for a short while the trials were strong and ominous, when she had given birth to that child, all those things faded into the past and all that was important was the peace of the present.
Were Elizabeth not plagued by all the shame and reproach early on, the gift of her child couldn’t have been fully appreciated. God was working in those hard times for her good, and it turns out that those things that troubled her most were the very things that made her joy the most complete. God’s gift to her would have been unfinished without gifting her also with the opportunity to go through hardships and struggles. Many times God is doing the exact same thing for us and we’re too blind to see it; we can’t look past the haze of our troubles and see the golden prize in the distance. Just like Joseph didn’t see why he had to be thrown into slavery, we may not see why we are going through a troubling time. But do not be fooled, whereas our eyesight is limited, God’s isn’t; in the hardest times of our lives, it may be that God is actually wrapping a present for us right before our eyes and we just can’t see it. Our finite minds cannot comprehend all of God’s plans, so let’s leave them up to Him. Just remember that in hard times, He may be shaping for you a blessing like that of a son for Elizabeth.
But what about people like Paul who never receive an earthly blessing to wipe away such sorrow? Paul lived a hard life and died a hard death never to receive such a glorious present on earth. If we are supposed to hold out in tempestual times because we know that God may be crafting a blessing for us, how are we to do so when we also know that He may not be? Yes, God might be using this circumstance to set up a marvelous blessing for us, but we also know that He might never give us such a blessing on earth. It is inescapable to say that stories such as Paul’s exist and are common, but let’s take a second look at what was actually given to Elizabeth: She was given a blessing so wonderful that it wiped away all the reproach of her past. And isn’t that exactly what Paul received? After he died, he truly did receive such a blessing; true, he had to wait a little longer for his, but o, how sweet was it when he finally received it. You see, the hope of future merciful bounty doesn’t fade for people like Paul; it stands unwavering.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
The truth is, everything we can see, even the good things that God gives us, will one day fade away; it will be lost and forgotten, and it will have no significance to anyone. We can take comfort in that God may give us future physical blessings like He did for Elizabeth, but ultimately, those also shall fade. This can be seen in the story of Joseph; although he was blessed inexplicably by being set in such a high position, that now holds no value because he is standing in the presence of the Creator God. His joy and his prize are no longer found in the enormous gift that God gave him on earth; they are in the enormous gift that God is giving him even this day in Heaven. Yes, Elizabeth received a great and wonderful gift on earth that wiped away her shame and sadness, but now, that happiness is incomparable to the joy she is feeling before the face of God. We may not be sure whether or not God will especially bless us while we trek this planet, but we can be certain that a greater joy is in our future – a joy so wonderful that nothing could ever come close to. This joy will be total and complete, lofty and unwavering, eternal and satisfying in every way. If we think that we have an idea of greatness and happiness, we have not even the slightest glimpse of the glory we will experience in heaven.
At this time you might feel the temptation to feel discontented with the idea of waiting all the way till Heaven for your blessings. I think that such a feeling arises from our human minds being incapable of understanding how great Heaven is going to be. So, in order to gain a better understanding of our inheritance, let’s look at what the Bible says about Heaven:
Revelation 20:15
And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
It might seem strange to you that to show why Heaven is so wonderful I have supplied a verse about Hell, but I believe that this is the first, foundational reason to recognize why it’s truly so marvelous. Let’s just assume for a moment that there were no perks to Heaven, and you lived life there in exact the same way that you live life right now on this earth. Even if that were the case, Heaven would still be an enormous gift because of its contrast. Just by merit of being not Hell, Heaven would earn the title “Paradise.” But we can only recognize this when we realize how terrible Hell truly is: essentially it is the worst pain God can create for all of eternity without any hope of rescue. That sounds bleak because it really is! There is no toning down of this truth; Hell is the ultimate pain and punishment possible. Note that it is not the greatest torment that we can think of; it is the greatest torment that God can think of, and that’s saying a lot! God thought up the entire universe; He is the ultimate Creator, and His power of design in limitless. So, when God sets His mind to create an extreme, He truly creates and extreme. Hell is the worst possible pain that is capable of existing that will continue year after year; century after century; eon after eon; no relent; no end. Were one there for ten trillion years, he would be no closer to escaping than when he was first thrown in. Indeed Hell is a terrible place, devoid of hope.
Since we can see (or rather, barely scratch the surface of) the torments of Hell, we can start to see the beginnings of the beauty of Heaven. Just that God would decide to stay His hand and withhold such a punishment should make us name Heaven “paradise.” But this is only the beginning of the blessings God has waiting for us in our inheritance.
Revelation 22:14
Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Heaven will be a place of perfection. Only that which is one hundred percent, totally and completely perfect can enter into it. Therefore, before we are able to enter into its gates we must first be cleaned. This verse in revelation says that we (those who are blessed by entering into the celestial kingdom) will wash our robes and eat of the tree of life; we will be made pure in the blood of the lamb with every fetter of sin falling off one by one. Once we have washed our robes, we will be perfect; totally, purely, devoid of stain; we will be able to stand before God without fear because our names will be cleared of all wrongdoing, and no longer will our sins cling onto our record; they will be lost and forgotten. What a joyous moment when we are unshackled at last, free from the desires of sin and free from all its temptations! We will experience the highest level of liberty that we’ve ever felt and will once again know what it’s like to be totally out of the clutches of err.
Hebrew 13:14
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
This celestial city will be perpetual. Unlike all of our cities, it will continue through the infathomable eons, never drawing closer to its end. It’s striking to think of a time with no end; forever and ever and ever leading to forever and ever and ever. There will be no restart, no new saga, only continual bliss in this kingdom. There is no next story, there is no neo-genesis, the story God placed us in is the only story in existence. Now think for just a moment about how profound that really is; God has written a story, and YOU’RE in it, and that’s the ONLY story throughout all of reality! What a thought! There is no season two, God created this world, this amazing story and it is alone in its existence. God’s not going to play with us for a few million years then get bored and start over! God loves you, and you are not just one of an endless thread of characters! What an amazing reality! When we experience Heaven we will tread in the mysterious waters of eternity; just as He will exist forever, so will we!
Isaiah 15:8
He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
In Heaven there will be no pain or sadness in any way. In the same way that God wiped away Elizabeth’s tears of reproach by giving her the blessing of a son, God will shatter ever pain and regret of the past by opening to us the gates of Heaven. Nothing will loom over us to eclipse our joy in Heaven and nothing will hinder the supreme blessing God has provided. No grief or sorrow of the past will touch us and nothing whatsoever will be a hindrance to us. It will be a realm totally free from all distractions and annoyances. Now stop there; can you imagine a world where you can’t be annoyed by anything? That’s amazing! “But,” you may ask, “it seems like from your description of Heaven that I will be annoyed, I mean, you haven’t given me a real reason to want any of this.” Take comfort and know this; everything in Heaven will please God, and since we will be perfected, everything that pleases God will also please us. God will conform our very hearts to the eternal joy of that which pleases Him. So, rest secure knowing that regardless of whether or not you can see how awesome these things are, God can; and one day He will make it where you can too.
So far we’ve seen 4 things (there are many, many more that I didn’t even mention) that make Heaven such a blessed place; we have seen that God is merciful in giving us anything other than Hell, that He will wipe away all of our sins, that it will be an eternal and unfading dwelling place, and that there will be no more pain and suffering. For what more could we possibly ask? But even after all of those amazing things, the biggest, most amazing reality of Heaven emerges; one that makes all the others fade to a dim candle in the sunlight. All these past fascinations, no matter how wonderful they are, are brought down to ashes in the view of the most precious gift that God will hand to us in Heaven – Himself.
Revelation 22:4
They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
1 Corinthians 13:13
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
The most amazing reality about Heaven isn’t that we will have no more pain; it isn’t that we will reign with Him in the celestial kingdom; it isn’t even that we will be free at last from our sins. The most amazing reality about Heaven is that there, we will be in the full presence of God. We will no longer need to have faith, because He will be there right before our eyes, shining like the sun in all His brilliance. Meeting God face to face is the most superb thing that could ever happen to a mortal; we will be in the direct, full and unveiled presence of our King. We will no longer have to wonder about what God wants or what God is like; we will know by going to Him and knowing Him fully as He fully knows us.
It’s important that we really grasp the gravity of knowing the Creator of the universe. Although it may be easy to get caught up in all the little details of Heaven, to focus on them would be to miss the big picture – that we will meet out Maker. If we want to imagine Heaven, the first place we go shouldn’t be the streets of gold, it should be the throne room of God, where all His majesty and glory flows out undeluded and undebased! Such glory shall it be that were we to see it now in our sinfulness we would immediately die from shock! God is so much more than our minds can imagine; so much bigger than our brains can comprehend. Just trying to think of His physical size and grandeur is enough to drive us insane. Try for a moment to imagine Him on His throne and merely His feet reaching the height of the twin towers. Imagine looking up miles and miles before you even reach His waist! Try to look at His face, so far away. If we can put ourselves into that mindset and really, really focus, it’s frightening how small we feel and how big He looks! But take that awe and imagine that a mere hair of His head is the size of our galaxy! It is totally unimaginable and even more awe striking, and this was only a sorry attempt to ponder His size! He is incomprehensible, and we will never know anything to His like until we see Him face to face.
Just merely being in His presence for one day would merit our entire lives dedication and more. It would spur us – if we truly understood it – to even give up ourselves to martyrdom if that was necessary to peek into His throne room. But to think that day after day, month after month, century after century, on and on and on and on, until eternity touches its other end, we will stand before Him and praise Him without arrest; it’s flabbergasting! The Painter that reached into His painting to save it; the Playwright who humbled Himself and lived in the form of one of His characters; the Author that DIED to complete His story; THAT is the God that shall we meet.
And not only will we get the chance to stand in His presence, but we will have a deep intimate relationship with Him like none other we have ever known! Our idea of intimacy with someone is only scratching the surface of what a true relationship unmarred by sin will be like. Yes, God Himself is the greatest present that He could possibly give; nothing else can compare. God made us with an emptiness that will only be satisfied in Himself, and in Heaven, that hole will be completely filled without any gaps. We will be His, and He will be ours.
What we just looked at about Heaven cannot even begin to explain how amazing it will be to at last see Jesus for all that He is. It couldn’t have done justice to the splendor and majesty of standing in the very presence of God, but what it can accomplish it to entice us; to remind us of the awesomeness of Heaven and its incomputable value. We can only see it through the keyhole and at a great distance, but we can see enough to make us yearn after it, and that’s exactly what we are supposed to do; we are supposed to be so excited about it that we think of it day and night; basing our ever move around it.
So, now that we know that yet a little while longer and we shall see our marvelous inheritance, we can stand firm in the storm. We can remember that just as Elizabeth’s pain and suffering meant nothing to her after she had seen God’s blessing for her, all the hard times that we go through in our lives, big and small, will eventually fade into the inaudible background and our focus will be set on all the fullness of God.
Imagine a child that is convinced that some momentary struggle is “THE END OF THE WORLD.” Years later, when he has moved on and is past that temporary difficulty, the matter seems totally trivial and of no real significance. In the same way all our troubles here on this earth in the present feel horrible, but in Heaven will seem trivial and insignificant.
So, let’s push through hard times, not just because we know that we may be blessed here on earth, but because we know that we will be blessed after our deaths, and that blessing we receive will more than cover the scars that this life can leave behind.