In The Land Of Forever

IN THE LAND OF FOREVER

REVELATION 21:1-8

THIS IS THE LAST MESSAGE IN OUR SERIES ON THE END TIMES. OUR END TIMES CLOCK MAKES ITS FINAL CHANGE AND WE BEGIN IN A LAND WHERE TIME IS INSIGNIFICANT. OUR CLOCK NOW STANDS AT:

THE APOSTLE JOHN IS CREDITED WITH WRITING AT LEAST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE. AMONG THEM IS THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, AND THE BOOK OF REVELATION. IT HAS BEEN SAID BY SOME THAT THE GOSPEL OF JOHN IS A GREAT TRAGEDY, BUILDING ON THE TORTURE AND DIFFICULTIES JESUS WENT THROUGH CULMINATING WITH THE CROSS.

PERHAPS IF YOU DON’T CONSIDER THE RESURRECTION AS THE FINAL WORD OF THE BOOK IT COULD BE A TRAGEDY. BUT JOHN ALSO WRITES THE BOOK OF REVELATION, AND IN CHAPTER 21, HE BEGINS TELLING US ABOUT OUR HOME.

WHEN LESLIE AND I HEAD TO MINTO THERE IS AN EXCITEMENT IN ME THAT BUILDS. I BREAK THE TRIP UP INTO FOUR PARTS. THERE’S NOT MUCH EXCITEMENT AS WE REACH BATHURST WHICH IS THE FIRST PART. I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST BATHURST, BUT WE HAVE MADE THAT DRIVE SO OFTEN, AND I KNOW A GREAT DEAL OF THE DRIVE STILL AWAITS.

WHEN WE GET TO MIRAMICHI, I BEGIN TO GET EXCITED. THIS SECOND PART OF OUR JOURNEY MEANS THAT WE ARE HALFWAY THERE. WE SEE FAMILIAR LANDMARKS THAT WE HAVE OFTEN SEEN, AND IT MEANS TO ME THAT WE ARE GETTING CLOSER HOME.

BY THE TIME WE REACH DOAKTOWN I'M REALLY EXCITED. WE ARE JUST ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY, BUT THAT HOUR SEEMS LIKE AN ETERNITY. I FEEL LIKE DOROTHY IN THE WIZARD OF OZ, “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!”, AND I BEGIN TO THINK OF THE THINGS WE WANT TO DO WHEN WE GET THERE.

WE FINALLY GET TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF MINTO AND HAVE TO REDUCE OUR SPEED TO 50 KPH. I HAVE TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION NOT TO SPEED AS WE ENTER THE TOWN. WE SOON SEE THE HOUSE AND THE DRIVEWAY, AND THEN WE ARE HOME. THERE IS WEARINESS WITH THE DRIVE, BUT RELAXATION AT BEING HOME.

I’M SURE YOU COULD ALL TELL THAT SAME TYPE OF STORY AFTER TAKING A JOURNEY AND COMING HOME. THE QUESTION THOUGH I WANT TO PONDER THIS MORNING IS WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE THAT SAME DESIRE FOR OUR HEAVENLY HOME?

DO YOU EVER CONSIDER HOW TIME SEEMS TO FLY NOW? IS IT BECAUSE CHRISTMAS IS COMING, OR ITS GETTING CLOSE TO THE TIME IT WILL SNOW? I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS ONE THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE EVEN CONSIDERED. I THINK THE REASON THAT WE SAY THAT TIME FLYS, IS BECAUSE MOST OF US ARE CLOSER TO THE FINISH OF OUR LIVES IN THIS WORLD, THAN WE ARE THE BEGINNING. OUR TIME THEREFORE IS MORE IMPORTANT TO US, AND WE ARE LEARNING TO TREAT EACH MOMENT AS SPECIAL.

HOW DO WE MAKE EACH MOMENT SPECIAL? HOW DO WE LEARN THE LESSON OF SOLOMON WHO SAID THAT THERE IS A TIME AND SEASON FOR ALL ACTIVITY UNDER THE HEAVENS.

WE USUALLY THINK THAT HOW WE LIVE IN THE PRESENT DICTATES WHAT OUR ETERNAL HOME WILL BE LIKE WHEN THE BIBLE TEACHES US THAT IT IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:9-10:

HOWEVER, AS IT IS WRITTEN: “WHAT NO EYE HAS SEEN, WHAT NO EAR HAS HEARD, AND WHAT NO HUMAN MIND HAS CONCEIVED”— THE THINGS GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM—10 THESE ARE THE THINGS GOD HAS REVEALED TO US BY HIS SPIRIT. THE SPIRIT SEARCHES ALL THINGS, EVEN THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD.

WHEN WE LOOK THROUGH OUR NATURAL EYES, WE CAN’T CONCEIVE OF THE BEAUTY OF HEAVEN. BUT WHEN WE DARE TO LOOK AT OUR ETERNAL HOME, IT CAN CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE LOOK AT THINGS HERE.

I LIKE TO WATCH PROPERTY BROTHERS. THEY TAKE WRECKS OF HOUSES AND TRANSFORMS THEM INTO BEAUTIFUL HOMES. THE INCREDIBLE THING I NOTICE AS THEY ARE SHOWING PEOPLE THE BUILDINGS THEY WANT TO BE BOUGHT, THE PERSPECTIVE BUYERS TO NOT CONSIDER WHAT THE HOUSE MIGHT BECOME, THEY JUST SEE WHAT IS THERE NOW. THIS ROOM IS TOO SMALL, I HATE THE PAINT COLOUR, THIS CABINETRY WILL HAVE TO GO. THEY SEE EVERYTHING WRONG IN THE PRESENT BUT HAVE NO EYES FOR THE FUTURE.

THEN THEY ARE SHOWN WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE WHEN IT IS DONE. WE’LL TAKE THIS WALL DOWN, PUT IN NEW FLOORING, CHANGE THE PLUMBING, AND MAKE IT THE HOUSE OF YOUR DREAMS. IT ALWAYS ENDS THE SAME WAY, TEARS OF HAPPINESS AS THE FAMILY IS NOW HOME.

WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW OUR VIEW OF THE PRESENT TO DICTATE WHAT OUR ETERNAL HOME WILL BE LIKE. RATHER WE SHOULD ALLOW WHAT OUR ETERNAL HOME WILL BE LIKE TO DICTATE HOW WE VIEW THE PRESENT.

JESUS HAS GONE TO PREPARE A VERY SPECIAL PLACE FOR US. JOHN 14 STATES: