Heaven - The Hope of Every Believer

 

Heaven - The Hope of Every Believer

When we look at the lives of believers from the past, one of the things that is quite clear is that tomorrow was never promised. There was never the guarantee that one would be alive the following day. Many of them lived under great persecution and thus heaven was the escape that they constantly longed for. It was a release from the torments that they faced each day.

A look at Foxe's Book of Martyrs or Dave Hunt's "A Woman Rides the Beast" reveals the heavy persecution that believers endured throughout the past.

The following excerpts give a brief glimpse into what was happening.

Pagan Rome made sport of throwing to the lions, burning and otherwise killing thousands of Christians and not a few Jews. Yet "Christian" Rome slaughtered many times that number of both Christians and Jews. Beside those victims of the Inquisition, there were Huguenots, Albigenses, Waldenses, and other Christians who were massacred, tortured, and burned at the stake by the hundreds of thousands simply because they refused to align themselves with the Roman Catholic Church and its corruption and heretical dogmas and practices. Out of conscience they tried to follow the teachings of Christ and the apostles independent of Rome, and for that crime they were maligned, hunted, imprisoned, tortured, and slain.(Hunt, D. 1994)

Looking at how these believers lived their lives, reveals how much we have compromised in our day and age. Look at the description below:

[They] denied that the [Roman Catholic] Church was the Church of Christ; [declared that] St. Peter had never come to Rome, had never founded the papacy; [and that] the popes were successors to the emperors, not to the apostles. [They taught that] Christ had no place to lay His head, but the pope lived in a palace; Christ was propertyless and penniless, but Christian prelates were rich; surely ... these lordly archbishops and bishops, these worldly priests, these fat monks, were the Pharisees of old returned to life! The Roman Church, they were sure, was the Whore of Babylon, the clergy were a Synagogue of Satan, the pope was Antichrist. They denounced the preachers of crusades as murderers ... laughed at indulgences and relics ... they called the churches "dens of thieves" and Catholic priests seemed to them "traitors, liars, and hypocrites.” (Hunt, D. 1994)

Today’s preachers have basically taught the church that their Lord wants them to be rich, to own mansions here, cars, occupy great places in society and prosper. Contrast this with what the believers described above believed. It is no wonder that they could face persecutions and even death because their focus was on God and their home in heaven.

This is why it is an evil thing that preachers of today have done constantly focusing believers on living a life of prosperity here on earth. The fear being seen today in the midst of this plandemic is an indicator that these people have been taught wrong. If they had been taught to always have their hope in Christ and to be focused on the eternal life that He gives, they wouldn’t be fearful right now but full of hope. They wouldn’t run towards an untested jab, they would go on their knees and pray to God to show them what to do.

But what should your focus be as a believer in Christ? Let us see from the Bible.

 Jesus promised us a home in Heaven

Our Lord Jesus promised us a home with Him in heaven. He said that He has gone to prepare a place for us. We who are believers in Christ are thus assured that there is a home for us on high. This earth is not our final destination. No matter what happens here, our focus remains on our home on high.

John 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

John 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

John 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

In verse 2 above the Lord reassures us that we have a home in heaven in our Father’s house. He has gone to prepare a place for us there. Note the phrase ‘if it were not so I would have told you’ – it is like the Lord is saying ‘please believe me’.

In chapter 13 Jesus spoke to His disciples about departing and that they couldn’t follow Him at that time. However they would be able to follow Him afterwards. It is against this background where the disciples knew that He was leaving that He uttered these words in John 14:1-4.

When we take note of the persecutions that these disciples and those that came after them endured, we can see how these words would provide them with hope. Their focus and hope would be heaven and not earthly things.

Our focus should be on the things which are in heaven and not on earthly things. A heavenly focus puts the proper perspective on earthly things.

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

 When we are focused on heaven, we are not greatly affected by the things that are happening here below. We know that the things of this earth are temporal, but what we shall inherit is eternal.

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

Death is defeated

Here the Lord promises us that those who have died in Him shall be raised up immortal and those who are still alive at His coming shall be changed into incorruptible and immortal bodies. Death therefore has no victory over a believer!

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

How believers mourn for their fellow believers

What if a loved one dies from this pandemic? Believers mourn with hope. They know that their loved ones have gone to be with the Lord and are free from all pain, sorrow, fear, torment, suffering, struggle, trials, temptations, etc. They are with Jesus in heaven and those who are left will join them too whether through their own passing or at the rapture. (See more here about the death of a believer.) The words below were used by Paul to encourage believers about their loved ones who had passed on.

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

God bless you. Remember that salvation comes by believing in our Lord Jesus Christ and the fact that He has paid for all your sins at the cross. If you feel the weight of your sin, call out to Jesus. He came to take that weight off and cover your with His own righteousness.

Read John 3:16 and Romans 3:21-22