IN HEAVEN
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.” Revelation 4:1
1. IN HEAVEN THERE WILL BE NO DARKNESS Revelation 22:5
"And there shall be no night there: and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light; and they shall reign for ever and ever."
2. IN HEAVEN THERE WILL BE NO DANGER
> (Rev 22:14,15) “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”
> (Rev 21:4) "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain…"
3. IN HEAVEN THERE WILL BE NO DEATH
> Heb. 2:14,15 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
> (2 Tim 1:10) "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:"
"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." (1 Cor 15:26)
4. IN HEAVEN THERE WILL BE NO DECEPTION
> Rev 19:20 "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
> (Rev 20:10) "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
> Rev 21:27 - "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
5. IN HEAVEN THERE WILL BE NO DEFILEMENT Rev 21:27 –
"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
6. IN HEAVEN THERE WILL BE NO DISEASE
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev 21:4)
7. IN HEAVEN THERE WILL BE NO DEVIL Revelation 21:10 - "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be torrnented day and night for ever and ever."
The Parable of the Dragonfly
Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond.
They did notice that every once in a while one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about with his friends. Clinging to the
stem of a pond lily, he gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.
"Look!" said one of the water bugs to another. "One of our colony is
climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you suppose he is going?"
Up, up, up he went slowly. Even as they watched him, the water bug
disappeared from sight. His friends waited and waited but he didn't
return.
"That's funny!" said one water bug to another.
"Wasn't he happy here?" asked a second water bug.
"Where do you suppose he went?" wondered a third.
No one had a answer. They were greatly puzzled.
Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered his friends together. "I have an idea. The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he went and why."
"We promise," they said solemnly.
One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broken through the surface of the water, and fallen onto the broad, green lily pad above.
When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn't believe what he saw. A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings. The warmth of the sun dried the moisture from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly.
Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by, he lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs! There they were, scurrying about, just as he had been doing some time before.
Then he remembered the promise: "The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will come back and tell where he went and why."
Without thinking, he darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water.
"I can't return!" he said in dismay. "At least I tried, but I can't keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies, too. Then they'll understand what happened to me, and where I went."
And the dragonfly winged off happily into his wonderful new world of sun and air.
Doris Stickney
I am told that an Indiana cemetery has an old tombstone which bears the following epitaph:
Pause Stranger, when you pass me by, As you are now, so once was I
As I am now, so you will be, So prepare for death and follow me.
An unknown passerby read those words and underneath scratched this reply:
“To follow you I'm not content, Until I know which way you went.”
