Heaven

God chose not only to make physical humans to live on a physical Earth, but he chose to become a man on that same Earth. He did this to redeem mankind and the earth, and to enjoy forever the company of human beings in a world made for them—a world called the New Earth (Isaiah 65:17;66:22). That world is what we are to be looking forward to (2 Peter 3:13).

We have never known an Earth without sin, suffering, and death—yet we yearn for it. God tells us that the world we—and all creation—long for, a world delivered from the Curse, will one day be ours to live in . . . forever (Romans 8:19-23).

Often we think of going to a Heaven as departing from our place into an angelic realm to live with God in his place. But the Bible says that in the ultimate Heaven God will come down from his place to live with us in our place, the New Earth.

Immanuel, one of the names of Christ, does not mean "us with God"; it means "God with us." Where will he be with us? On the New Earth.

We've heard it said, "This world is not our home." That's true, but it's a half truth. We should qualify it by saying, "This world—the earth as it now is, under the Curse—is not our home." But we should also say, "This world—the earth as it once was, before sin and the Curse—was our home." And we should add, "This world—the earth as it one day will be, delivered from sin and the Curse—will be our home."


How Can We Know For Sure That We'll Go to Heaven?

Is it possible to know for sure we're going to Heaven? The apostle John said, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). So we can know for sure that we'll go to Heaven when we die.

Do you? If not, please read carefully below. It may be the most important thing you ever read. What could be more important for you to consider than whether you go to Heaven or Hell?

To sin means to fall short of God's holy standards. Sin is what ended Eden's paradise. And all of us, like Adam and Eve, are sinners. you too are a sinner. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sin separates us from a relationship with God (Isaiah 59:2). There's a huge gulf between us and God, and there's nothing we can do to cross it. Sin deceives us and makes us think that wrong is right and right is wrong (Proverbs 14:12). It makes us imagine that we're okay when we're really not.

Sin has terrible consequences, but God has provided a solution: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ, the Son of God, loved us so much that he became a man to deliver us from our sin (John 3:16). He came to identify with us in our humanity and our weakness, but he did so without being tainted by our sin (Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:15-16).

Jesus died on the cross as the only one worthy to pay the penalty for our sins demanded by the holiness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). On the cross, he took upon himself the Hell we deserve, in order to purchase for us the Heaven we don't deserve.

Being God, and therefore all-powerful, Jesus Christ rose from the grave, defeating sin and conquering death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 54-57).

When Christ died on the cross for us, he said, "It is finished" (John 19:30). The Greek word translated "it is finished" was commonly written across certificates of debt when they were canceled. It meant "paid in full." Christ died so that all our sins, could once and for all be marked "paid in full."

Only when our sins are dealt with in Christ can we enter Heaven. We cannot pay our way. Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). "Salvation is found in no one else [but Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Christ's death on the cross, and his resurrection, is the bridge that cross that chasm which separates us form God. Because of Jesus Christ's atonement of our sins, God freely offers us forgiveness: "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:10-12).

To be forgiven, we must recognize and repent of our sins: "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). Forgiveness is not automatic. It's conditioned upon confession: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and purify us form all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Christ offers to everyone the gift of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life: "Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes let him take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).

There's no righteous deed we can do that will earn us a place in Heaven (Titus 3:5). We come to Christ empty-handed. We can take no credit for salvation: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not form yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). This gift cannot be worked for, earned, or achieved. It's not dependent on our merit or effort but solely on Christ's generous sacrifice on our behalf.

Now is the time to make things right with God. Confess your sinfulness and accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on your behalf.

You are made for a person and a place. Jesus is the person and Heaven is the place. They are a package—they come together. you cannot get Heaven without Jesus, or Jesus without Heaven.

"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6). If you do call upon Christ to save you, you'll have all eternity, in the New Heaven and on the New Earth, to be glad that you did.

And I'll look forward to seeing you there!


For more information please read the Bible.


Resource: Heaven by Randy Alcorn