There’s a lot of uncertainty in this world but there are a few things that are guaranteed. Benjamin Franklin famously said that ‘nothing is certain except death and taxes.’ On April 17, 1790, at the age of 84, one of America’s greatest inventors, authors, and statesmen found his statement to be true. Death and eternity are unavoidable realities for us all. Life is great but it is short. James 4:14 reminds us that life is like a vapor appearing for a little while and then vanishes. God’s Word also teaches that we’re guaranteed one of two outcomes. After this life, our final destination is either heaven or hell! Yep, that’s the guarantee! If we were to poll everyone on earth – ‘do you want to go to hell when you die I bet that very few if any would say yes, sounds awesome, can’t wait.’ No! We would never say that. In fact, if you know the truth about hell, you’d orient your life to avoid it and work to rescue others from its throws. Heaven and hell are real places. One is a place of eternal torture and separation from God (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:15). The other is a place of unimaginable blessing, joy, and happiness with Jesus at the center (1 John 3:2).
Heaven is a place of absolute perfection; no suffering, no grief, no sickness, no strife (Revelation 21:4). My weary body will be transformed and made new (Philippians 3:21). In Heaven, separation is a thing of the past. Revelation 21:1 declares that the sea will be no more. Seas represent division. There will be no separation between friends who find their way through the pearly gates. No discord with children in Glory. No division between races or classes. Best of all, there will be no separation from God as we will all have direct access to Jesus.
With excitement like a host working to prepare the perfect venue and atmosphere, Jesus expressed that one of His reasons for leaving earth was “to prepare a place for us (John 14:2-6 )!” Not just to live but a place to experience the fullness of perfection, beauty, and splendor. A restored Eden with places to explore, food to eat, things to do, and relationships to enjoy.
If you picture heaven as a bunch of pale-faced, comatose people sitting around with folded hands harmonizing some Gregorian chant, you have grossly misunderstood heaven. Every day of eternity will be action-packed. It’ll be meaningful and purposeful, yet restful and worshipful. Just as man worked in the garden before the fall, there will be work and meaningful labor in heaven. This labor won’t be boring or burdensome but will be joyful and life-giving.
I love being outside working in my yard I have a visual of God giving me a big farm in heaven to work! No bugs, rodents, pests, or climate obstacles. A perfect environment with no mark of sin.
So how can a very imperfect man like myself get to this glorious place? Only one way! An open admission of my sin and failures combined with embracing the free gift of God found in the saving work of Jesus, our Savior. My sin prevents me from gaining access to heaven but God’s work accomplished on the cross grants me the access I don’t deserve. God wants us to spend eternity with him but He’s not going to force a relationship on us. He gives us the freedom and will to make a decision for ourselves.
So why do we need to spend time unpacking this bag of heaven or hell? Because just as much as God’s trying to reveal truth to men; Satan’s working to distract us. We need to be aware of the enemy’s game plan! Satan is actively working to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus has already won and Satan’s already lost so his strategy as the great adversary is to try to hurt God by keeping us from making the right decisions.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer a famous nineteenth-century pastor in Germany once said, “if you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.”
The challenge is our current culture believes that every train is good and there’s no need to get off it. Massive lie! The truth is that the broad path and easy train actually lead to destruction. If you’re on that train, get off at the next stop! In fact, you may want to jump out the window before it’s too late.
I’ll close with this quote by Brian Herbert – “The only guarantee in life is death, and the only guarantee in death is its shocking unpredictability.” The train or lifestyle you are on may crash with little or no warnings.
One of the goals, when we started Red Truck Men, was to not hold back on God’s Truth for men even if it’s not always comfortable! God is looking for men of character. Character starts with truth yet ends in action and grit! We either chose the light or the dark. Failure to choose and act is a blatant choice for to live in the dark.
Remember that dark hates light but light always wins. God wants us on the right train and He’s called you to help others get off the wrong one. While few things in life are guaranteed – an eternity in heaven is promised and reserved for those who place their trust in Jesus.
Steve Thomas, RTM