Love in Heaven

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Rev 21:4–5 NIV

There is a new world coming. It will not be ruled by men. It will not be governed by the rich or the powerful. It will not be ruled by the Americans, the Europeans or the Chinese.

It will not be governed by business or socialism. There will be no politics, no dominant classes or races. There will be no national borders and no armies, no weapons, no locked doors, no police.

There will be no celebrities, no different religions, no church leaders.

It will be God’s world, governed by God alone. God will not be our president. He will be our loving father.

We will have no need for doctors, nurses, psychologists or lawyers.

Men will not rule over women. Priests and pastors will not rule over other believers. We will be brothers and sisters.

There will be no evangelism.

We will all be one loving family. We will know and see and love God for ever. It will not be difficult to believe, because we will all be bathed, washed and overwhelmed by the tender love of our loving creator.

There is one problem. We have all offended against the love of God. We need to be forgiven before we can be received into the family of Father God. This new world is only for those who love the Father. It is a choice.

But there is another problem. God is just. Sin must be punished. God hates sin but he loves you and me in spite of our sin.

God sent His only Son into this world to live as a man. He did not sin but he suffered brutal execution to suffer the punishment we deserved. He was punished on your behalf and my behalf. He paid our penalty.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jn 3:16–17 NIV

Are you ready to believe and receive forgiveness from God?

If you receive God’s forgiveness and commit your life to living in the love and goodness of God. You will be one of the billions of blessed ones in God’s new world.

So why will God need to wipe away our tears in Heaven?

If we get to heaven but we miss some loved ones who did not turn to God, it will be heartbreaking. God shares our grief. He will comfort us in our grief and wipe away our tears.

While we are here on earth, we must not judge and reject our children who make bad choices in life. We must not stop loving and forgiving them as our heavenly Father loves us and them.

You are so Valuable to God

 Jesus wanted to explain how valuable every person is in God's eyes.

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Lk 15:8–10 NIV

This woman was poor. She had only ten silver coins, and one coin was lost. This coin would be a mere trifle to a rich woman, but to this woman it was enormously valuable. She searched desperately for her lost treasure until she found the coin.

This coin was of enormous value to the poor woman!

Not only is the lost sinner valuable to God, but also the believers who love God.

Jesus said to his disciples before his arrest.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. Jn 15:9 NIV

Jesus was and is immeasurably important to the Father in heaven. You are just as important to our heavenly Father. If someone really loves, the beloved is very important to them. Otherwise the word ‘love’ is empty and meaningless.

And was this immeasurable love of God only for the chosen apostles?

Jesus told a parable about God's judgement. The faithful and righteous believers gave food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty. They invited strangers into their homes. They cared for the sick and visited the prisoners.

… ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Mt 25:40 NIV

Who are the least of Jesus' brothers and sisters? Lost unbelieving Jews? Weak Christians? Jesus loves all Christians as himself, just as the Father loves his heavenly Son.

Whoever Jesus loves is infinitely valuable to God, and Jesus loves the weakest and least Christians.

Are you far from God? The heavenly Father sacrificed his eternal holy Son for you on the cross.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

That's how precious you are in God's eyes.

God is not Moody

 Are you in a bad mood sometimes?

That's normal for us humans, but God is not a moody person.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. Jas 1:17 NIV

Our love may fluctuate with our moods, but that doesn't affect God's love for you one bit.

We are mortal beings. Our biological nature is weak and changeable, but in your mortal body is an immortal spirit.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 2 Co 5:1–2 NIV

This life on earth is a time of learning and testing. We can learn to live with an awakened spirit by living in close fellowship with God's Spirit.

God has given you supernatural means of communication to grow beyond your flawed nature.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Jn 7:37–39 NIV

If you have given your life to Jesus, you can expect Jesus to flood you with the Holy Spirit. You may drink if you are thirsty.

But don't draw back like many conservative Christians. Jesus wants to bless you much more.

When you are flooded and filled with the Holy Spirit, God will be a wonderful companion and guide.

Some conservative Christians don't want to seek a new experience with the Holy Spirit. They say they were filled with the Holy Spirit when they were converted.

Some Pentecostals do not want to seek more blessing because they have already been baptised with the Holy Spirit.

But Paul taught plain language.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, Eph 5:18 NIV

The original Greek text is clear that Paul is not talking about a one-off experience, but about a way of life.

You can ask Jesus to fill you with his Holy Spirit every day.

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?

Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Lk 11:11–13 NIV

Only in the Bible is the God of Love

 Only in the Bible do you find an almighty God who loves you with all his heart.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 Jn 4:16 NIV

The God in the Koran is Creator and Judge, but there is no Father God in the Islamic scriptures.

Only in the Bible do you find an almighty God who loves all people.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Ti 2:3–4 NIV

Only in the Bible do you find an almighty God who loves his enemies.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” .. Lk 23:34 NIV

This is how Jesus prayed when he was hanging on the cross and dying.

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Ro 5:10 NIV

Only in the Bible do we find an eternal, almighty Father God who sacrifices his eternal Son to pay our debts so that we can have eternal heavenly life through repentance and faith.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ro 6:23 NIV

Jesus and Other Religions

 God has given us the Bible. The Bible is God's map, a totally reliable revelation. In the Bible, we find everything we need to recognise God.

In the Bible, we read that God created everything.

In the Bible, we read that many people believe in a god or gods that are different from the God of the Bible, but they are false gods.

This idea is horrible and repulsive to post-modern tolerant people, but that is exactly what the Bible says.

Many religious people claim to believe in the Ten Commandments, but they don't understand what that really means. The first commandment excludes all the other world religions.

“You shall have no other gods before me. Ex 20:3 NIV

Buddhists do not believe in an almighty creator.
The Hindus believe in many gods.

“This is what the LORD says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Is 44:6 NIV

Muslims also believe in an almighty God who created everything, controls everything and is supposed to be the judge of all people.

But is the God of the Muslims the same God? Is the God of Mohamed the God of Israel? The muftis and imams would find this idea repulsive.

But Jesus identified himself with the God of Israel.

But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you,
‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” Mt 22:31–32 NIV

Many post-modern people speak of the Abrahamic religions. The father of the Arabs was Ishmael, not Isaac and Jacob.

In our time, countless Muslims are converting to Jesus, but in the Bible the King of Israel, one hundred per cent Jew and Son of God, is not an Islamic prophet.   

Jesus said to him: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

The Qur'an teaches that Jesus was a prophet of Allah, but not the son of God.

The God in the Qur'an is Creator and Judge, but there is no Father God in the Islamic scriptures.

In Islam, Allah is the ruler God and judge but not a father. He has no children. This is said to contradict his nature.

‘Believe in Allah and his Messenger (Muhammad), but say nothing of a trinity. There is only one God, far from him, that he has a son. Verily these are unbelievers who say: Allah is Christ, the son of Mary. Whoever joins someone to Allah, Allah excludes him from paradise, and his dwelling place will be hellfire’ (Suras 4, 172; 5, 73f.)

But the core of our Christian faith can be found in this wonderful statement by Jesus.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

Do you find this teaching too narrow-minded? But have you read the Bible yourself?

It is not wise to reject a book if you have not read it.

There are also people who think they believe in the Bible to some extent, but also in other religions to some extent.

But have you really read the Bible? I know Christians who were convinced Muslims until they read the Bible for themselves.