Monday, December 7, 2015

The Coming Paradise

eDevotion
Encouragement for your daily walk with God

We just returned from a vacation in Maui. It’s not the first time we’ve been to the Islands, and I certainly hope it’s not the last. It really is paradise on earth. On our first day there, I heard from friends in the town that we're from that it was snowing! And there we were, basking in 80 degree weather with a gentle breeze blowing through beautiful palms. Ah, paradise!

Paradise. God is preparing a Paradise for those who know Him. It’s called Heaven. It’s the place where we will enjoy God forever. I am looking forward to the bliss that we will experience there. We will get a tiny foretaste of it in the intermediate state we call The Millennium. But its fullness will only be ours when Christ comes to consummate His kingdom. That will be possible because there will be a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (see 2 Peter 2:13).

That Paradise will be free from all sadness. There will be no more tears, for God will have wiped them all away. Death, disease, emotional pain, sin—all the things that bring us so much suffering will pass away. We will bear the image of God with utter clarity, and there will be no strife. 

It will be a place both grand and beautiful, perfectly lit as the Lord’s glory will illumine His creation. No need for candlelight, LED or incandescent light. In fact, no need for the sun or moon. The Light of the World will reveal Paradise in a grand way, and we will dwell in its incredible glory.

As good as that might be, there’s more! We will see our Lord face-to-face. We will never be bored learning more about Him and His perfect love for us. And whatever we have endured in this life, it will have been worth it because we will be in the presence of God's full beauty and glory.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:3-4


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