What If You Miss Heaven?

We have all had the experience of missing something. If you miss an appointment, you make another one. If you miss a phone call they can call again. If you miss a meal, you can eat later.

Some misses are not so easy to correct! If you miss your plane you’re stuck for hours at the airport trying to find another. If you miss a payment deadline you will pay the companies penalty.

There are spiritual implications in these thoughts as well. What if you miss Heaven? It’s a horrible thought isn’t it!

The Bible says some will miss Heaven.

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

John 8:23-24 (NKJV)

23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Many will find their selves cut off:

John 15:4-8 (NKJV)

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

In relation to the world’s population living and dead few will be saved and if millions upon millions are saved that will still be too few in relation to all who have ever lived! The world needs Jesus, it needs the message of the cross, the message of the Gospel, God’s plan for salvation.

These verses bring to our minds that many will perish that expect to be saved and among these many will be religious people. How tragic it will be to think you are saved only to be lost. We must make our call and election as sure as we can!

2 Peter 1:5-10 (NKJV)

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

Some will miss Heaven because they do not seek Jesus!

Matthew 7:7-8 (NKJV)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Being a Christian in today’s world is one of the toughest things you will do, and many start with great intentions but fall victim to the devil’s schemes! Sin separates you from God!

Years ago Bonnie Chamberlain wrote a story in the Saturday Review that told of an artist who was once commissioned to paint in a Sicilian cathedral a mural depicting the life of Jesus. The painter accepted this task and made it his life’s work. He began by searching for people to be his models for the huge mural and one of the first he discovered was a twelve-year-old boy whose innocent radiance made him a perfect model for Christ-child. Over the years the mural developed till it reached the events of Holy Week. One by one the key figures were completed till only the person of Judas remained undone. One afternoon a man whose face was seamed with corruption lurched drunkenly into the tavern where the artist was sitting. At once the artist saw that this man was a perfect model for the remaining figure so he led the man to the cathedral. Pointing to the bare space on the wall, asked him to pose for Judas. To his astonishment, the wino burst out crying, hid his face in his hands, and said, “Don’t you remember me, Maestro?” Pointing to the Christ Child, he said, “Fifty years ago I was your model for Him!”