HEAVEN IS A WORLD OF LOVE

Rev. 22:1 ¶ Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

The natural man cannot comprehend the things of God. Paul went so far as to say that spiritual things seem as foolishness to the natural man. Heaven is one of those things. The non born again person has no understanding of the place called heaven. All he can think of is the mansion and the gold streets, he has no concept of the real value of heaven. Heaven is heaven because Christ is there. It is knowing Him that makes heaven so heavenly. Beyond the Grave is a production about the tragedy of a shooting at a high school. The story goes on to describe the real tragedy, leaving this world unprepared for the next. Yesterday, I spoke about the horrors of eternal hell. Today, we will let Jonathan Edwards describe to us the pleasures that are available to us in heaven.

“There dwells God the Father, who is the Father of mercies, and so the Father of love, who so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. There dwells Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the Prince of peace and love, who so loved the world that he shed his blood, and poured out his soul unto death for it. There dwells the Mediator, by whom all God’s love is expressed to the saints, by whom the fruits of it have been purchased, and through whom they are communicated, and through whom love is imparted to the hearts of all the church. There Christ dwells in both his natures, his human and divine, sitting with the Father in the same throne. There is the Holy Spirit, the spirit of divine love, in whom the very essence of God, as it were, all flows out or is breathed forth in love, and by whose immediate influence all holy love is shed abroad in the hearts of all the church. There in heaven this fountain of love, this eternal three in one, is set open without any obstacle to hinder access to it. There this glorious God is manifested and shines forth in full glory, in beams of love; there the fountain overflows in streams and rivers of love and delight, enough for all to drink at, and to swim in, yea, so as to overflow the world as it were with a deluge of love.”

How can you know for certain about your eternal dwelling place? Can you be certain that heaven is your final destination. I believe you can. It happens when the love of God actually comes into your life. From that moment, heaven becomes a real place to you. Something inside of you belongs in that other world. When your eyes close for the last time in this world you will suddenly awaken on the other side. That’s when you will say, “I know what this is, I’ve been waiting for this day all of my life!”