Destination “GLORY”
By Peter Crause
Rev 21:1-6
And 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, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be
his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God:
And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no
more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the
first things are passed away.
And he that is seated on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said, Write: for these words are faithful and true.
And he said unto me, “They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely.”
I
well remember as a child the excitement of an upcoming holiday and journey to
that place where we would spend a time of leisure. For me it was a trip of some
1500 miles – to the ocean and “fun in the sun”. The preparations were made,
vehicle packed and ready to go – then in the early hours of the morning we were
awakened by our parents – not that we were really sleeping; we boarded the
vehicle and commenced the journey. New and unfamiliar scenes awaited us as we
journeyed – but the final destination was ever in mind. The journey was long
and tiring; sometimes tedious; mealtimes were especially enjoyable – no vegetables! Everything seen, done
and eaten was a welcome change from the “usual”;
but the destination was ever before our inner eyes.
As in
the natural, so it is many times in the spiritual. When we received Jesus as
our Lord and Savior, we embarked on a journey to a destination so Glorious that human words can
never describe it. Paul said; “Eyes haven’t seen, nor ears heard nor has man
even conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” Occasionally we
get a limited but partial vision of our eternal home and destination –
something to spur us on; something to keep our goal in mind; something to make
the journey pass. When the journey seems to be so long and tedious; when it seems we cry out “are we there yet?” we get the
assuring words from our Heavenly Father; “ just a little longer”; “almost
there” – and He tells us some more about the place of desire; the place we will
dwell eternally.
The
earth we live in is a jewel in the cold physically dead universe we live in. It
is a beautiful place made by our loving Creator and God for our enjoyment.
Alas; man has and is destroying it. But! There is a place yet to be where sin
and corruption can never enter; a New Heaven
and New Earth – our home for eternity. It will be a place far more glorious
than the present earth we inhabit. It is a place where there is no sickness or
death; a place where there is no hunger or need; a place better than the
paradise Adam lost by default. Best of all it is a place where “we shall see His face” – Jesus will be
there, and that alone makes it Heaven!
Listed
below are some characteristics of our destination, to name a few:
-
there is a New Heaven and a New Earth; the old ones are no more
-
there is a New Jerusalem
-
God will dwell amongst His people – not behind a veil, but openly
-
All tears will be wiped away; no pain, no death, no crying, no mourning
– all old things have passed away
Can
this really be true? Is it “pie-in-the-sky” or reality? Who is able to perform
this? Who can make such promises? John the revelator was told to write the
words he heard – for they were true!
“It is done! I am the Alpha and Omega; the
beginning and the end!” He it is who had made the promise, prepared the place
and done it all. He is Alpha –
origin; Omega – conclusion;
beginning and end. He is Lord; He is Jesus; He is God!
What
He has prepared is glorious; indescribable; unfathomable; stupendous;
incomprehensible – but my spirit cries out in longing for it – are we there yet? Oh Lord Jesus how long!?
Has
your journey become tedious and arduous? Are you weary; heavy hearted? Has the
vision of our glorious destination become dim and unreal? Have you tried
filling the longing with earthly treasures that perish? Have you pursued fame
and fortune as a “fill-in” for what the Lord has promised? Dear ones, your
“train of life” may be in a tunnel; it may be overcast and rainy; your faith
may be shaky and uncertain! Be
encouraged today! We’re almost home. Destination GLORY is just around the
corner; just out of sight – it’s waiting for your arrival. Keep the goal in
mind; it will be far greater than we anticipated – GLORY ALL THE WAY!