On January 16, 2016, after a 27-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease, my dad met Jesus face to face. My dad was the most humble, sweetest man I have ever known. He lived his life sold out to God.
Around 4 that day, my son, Taylor, and I were each on either side of his hospital bed holding his hands and praying for Dad. Taylor prayed, “The same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives in my Papa.”
Just then, I heard Dad take a deep breath. I opened my eyes to see him looking at me, yet he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking right through me, seeing someone else. I know it was Jesus. I so wanted to turn around and see him too. I am certain that Jesus welcomed him with “Welcome home, my good and faithful servant.” Then he probably said, “Come on, I have something to show you.” I so want to know what my dad saw.
We are all curious about the hereafter, aren’t we? We have all heard the questions. Will we know our loved ones? Will we eat in heaven? When we sing will beautiful music come out? So much is a mystery. God designed it that way. He wants to surprise us.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
I can only imagine. Even if he explained it all to us in the Bible, I don’t believe we could not fully grasp it.
1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
C.S. Lewis said, “There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven, but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have desired anything else.”
He also said, “The fact that our hearts yearn for something earth cannot provide is proof that heaven must be our home.”
Everything we long for in our lives—world peace, endless vacation and rest, that everyone would get along and love each other, that our pain would go away, that our broken hearts will heal, that sin would die, that the devil would leave us alone. ALL of that will be realized in Heaven. Isn’t Heaven what we are really longing for? Maybe we just don’t recognize it.
Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The more loved ones that I have in Heaven, the sweeter Heaven grows to me. And I have had stuff stolen on a enormous scale here on earth. But in Heaven there will be no stealing. What I lay up there is safe and sound. Only what we do for Christ matters. The rest of it gets burned up.
And the beauty of Heaven, oh, I can only imagine! I have experienced some of the most beautiful sites on earth. Bermuda has coral beaches, and I have seen at sunset the purple and pink and rainbow sky touch turquoise waters. Our own Blue Ridge Mountains are majestic and beautiful. I know there are many more beautiful sights I have not seen that some of you have.
When we first see something breathtaking, we are so excited! We don’t really have words to describe the beauty. We jump up and down and squeal. The second day we see it, we are still super excited. Third time, “Woohoo!” Fourth time, “Yes, can we do something else today?” In Heaven, our excitement will not diminish. Every day for all eternity, we will be having that first time experience. WOW!!! I think my mouth will be dropped open for a gazillion years. I can only imagine!
Revelation 21 says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
And the best part is Jesus will be there. He promises we will be with him.We can have this sweet promise of Heaven because of his sacrifice for us. The promise of our togetherness is what held him to the cross.
I love these verses from Job 19:25-27. For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
I Can Only Imagine!
Please share your comments, thoughts, and encouragement for our readers. Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost today. My prayer today is that we have all made preparations to go to this beautiful place called Heaven where we can live with Jesus and our loved ones for all eternity.