WHY YOU ARE GOING TO HEAVEN WHEN YOU DIE

Capt. Ben Marler

 

First of all, where is this heaven we all want to go to when we die? The vast majority of folks have no idea and just point upwards when you ask. They are almost right in that the city of the New Jerusalem, revealed in the Book of Revelations, is somewhere up but it is going to come down. After the earth is destroyed by God, who made it, He is going to recreate it without oceans. How do we know this? The Bible tells us so in Revelations.

 

God is going to live in the New Jerusalem. We are told it is 1500 miles cubed. It is of incredible beauty without sun or moon. No lighting is needed as God, who is Light, will be there all the time. There will never be darkness or even time. Do you know we measure time by the revolutions of our earth in relationship to our sun? We will never age there either. God allowed me to see my dad in his resurrected body and also my aunt Vera Walter as she was changed instantly from a 95 year old to a gorgeous woman of about 30. Her black hair hung clear to her waist. Both were incredibly beautiful.

 

Isn’t that really good news? You and I will never fret about how we look as every person will be absolutely perfect. We will be male and female but without the reproductive organs. There is no marriage in heaven according to Jesus. We live like the angels who are the “in house staff“. There is no need to reproduce as God will have all that love Him and His Son the Lord Jesus. Trust me: There will be enough of us to enter into the praise and worship that will be our constant privilege and desire.

 

Some might wonder if there is more to do and I suspect there may be more. For instance when I look upward into the “heavens” I see countless lights. Those that blink are stars and those that don’t I’m told are planets. Our Magellan telescope has been in orbit now for a long time. The pictures from it reveal that some of the lights that we thought were stars are actually other galaxies. Can anyone say they know what’s really up there? One day we will know and may actually be able to explore it without space suits too.

 

The reason you and I can be sure we will be in God’s presence forever is the simple fact He keeps promises! Anyone who is willing to believe Him and place their lives in the care of Jesus Christ can be assured they can go no where else upon their death.

 

The most quoted verse in the Bible is John 3:16 but it should be accompanied by John 3:36 which I placed here for you to carefully read. “And he who believes in (who has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life. But whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the Son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides upon him. [God’s displeasure remains on him: His indignation hangs over him continually.] Amp. Bible

 

I also add, 1 John 5:11-12, where we find these very important words. “And this is that testimony (that evidence): God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who possesses the Son has that life; he who does not possess the Son of God does not have that life.” Amp. Bible

 

The reason you will walk upon the golden streets of the New Jerusalem is that simple, you possess Jesus. Isn’t that awesome? The fact that you believe in Him is only the key. Without that key why would you go to God and see the relationship that is available to every human alive. Do you remember in John 3:16, “God so loved the world….? There is no one whom He doesn’t love, not one. Now if the devil, our adversary is telling you that you have been too bad he is lying to you. Jesus said Satan was the father of lies so he can’t help himself. If you are also a liar the Bible says you will not make it to God’s house. As a matter of fact the “Good Book” lists those who won’t be there.

 

God allowed John to list them for us, “But as for the cowards and the ignoble and the contemptible and the cravenly lacking in courage and the cowardly submissive, and as for the unbelieving and faithless, and as for the depraved and defiled with abominations, and as for murders and the lewd and adulterous and the practices of magic arts and the idolaters (those who give supreme devotion to anyone or anything other than god) and all liars (those who knowingly convey untruth by word or deed) [all of these shall have their part in the lake of fire that blazes with fire and brimstone, this is the second death. Revelations 21:8 Amplified Bible

 

Wow! That list includes a lot of folks we know and might even be us so what should we do? Just go to God in prayer and confess your sins and ask Him to forgive you. He wants to do this more than you want to avoid the suffering of those who find themselves in hell. He loves you so much He sent Jesus to the cross to pay the price for all of our sins. His death was so horrible that it was sufficient to turn away His wrath from those who are in Jesus. Those not in Him are not protected and that is the purpose of this message. You can go to heaven when you die or you can refuse God’s amazing grace and pay for it eternally. My prayer is that you will come to the Lord broken by the knowledge that Jesus actually took your place and received from God condemnation and death.

 

His resurrection three days later gives us the same confidence that we too will be resurrected one day. The Bible makes this clear too. Jesus said that God would send out His angels to get us and I believe Him. Do you believe Him? If you do how would you describe yourself now? Would you say you are an Anglican, Baptist, Catholic etc or would you say, “By God’s grace I have been adopted into the family of God. I am a child of God like John 1:12 assures me. My Heavenly Father sees me as a saint (true believer) for I have surrendered my life to Jesus, lock, stock and barrel. He owns me. He purchased me with the Blood of Jesus.“ Jesus is my Lord and Savior!