Jump Start # 1489

Revelation 22:1 “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

  Our verse today comes from the last page in the Bible. John has been shown a marvelous tour of Heaven, God’s home. It is through John’s words, that our eyes can see the same things by faith. We need to be reminded of these powerful images in a world that seems to be getting darker and scarier every day. Violence, hatred and uncertainty fill the air. There is an escape. There is a safe haven. There is a place where evil can not breech. It is God’s home, Heaven.

There are some thoughts to be considered.

First, John was shown these things. Multiple times throughout Revelation, the expression, “And I saw,” is found. John isn’t just told about these things. John didn’t hear these things from someone else. He saw them. He was taken there and beheld these things. Similar to the opening lines of 1 John, “what we have seen with our eyes…” is the same thing that is taking place here. We know by faith. We know because one of us got to see it. We know it because God’s word is true.

Second, the water of life was a river. I live near a river. I cross it often. It’s big, wide, and very, very dirty. It’s the mighty Ohio. I wouldn’t dip a cup in it to drink from it. UGH. The river John saw was clear, clear as crystal. That’s inviting. It sounds pure and clean. It’s the kind of water you would want to wade in. It sounds refreshing.

This river was the water of life. The water of life, that which sustains us and is life giving. It wasn’t in a cup. It wasn’t in a pond or a pool, but there was a river of it. There was an abundance of it. That’s the thought. Pure, clean and abundant.

Third, this river flowed from God’s throne. It was divine. It was Heaven sent. It didn’t flow to God, but from God. This is a gift from God. This is what God wants us to have.

Our hope is in Heaven. I find, even among the people of God, a fear and a dread about leaving this place. Why? This place isn’t good. It once was good when God first made it, but that’s long since gone. The place isn’t the same anymore. It’s polluted with sin. It’s marred with brokenness. Selfishness rules. The ole’ place just isn’t the same anymore. Wickedness runs untouched. Our attention is to a new land, a new place. It’s Heaven where our hope lies.

We love songs about Heaven. Our favorite sermons are about Heaven. There is such a warmth about Heaven. It is the perfect place. It is God’s home. “Won’t it be wonderful there?” is more than a song, it’s a statement.

Can you imagine your first five minutes in Heaven? Your eyes close here and then they open and you are there. One of the first things you’ll notice is that you no longer feel ill. You actually feel the best you have ever felt. The health problems that have plagued you for years didn’t come with you. But you look, and what a beautiful place. I’m not really sure what it will look like, but bright, like a sunny day, yet no sun is in the sky. There is no need for the sun, God is there. I don’t know if there were be grass, but if so, green and thick and weed free. The temperature will be perfect. But it’s the people that we are drawn to. Faces that we recognize. People that we know. Family members that we haven’t seen in decades. Folks that we worshipped with for years. All around we witness grand reunions. Parents and children embracing. Friends happily smiling with one another. Families together again. Friends together again. The ‘thank you’s.’ The ‘I love you’s’. We look around and somehow, we know everyone. There are no strangers. Not only that, everyone seems to know us. It’s like we have always known each other. Smiles, hugs and joy fills the air. Can you imagine? The place is so great that you don’t want to be anywhere else.

And in this great sea of people, all whom we know, are angels. Real angels. Then we start recognizing people that we have read about in the Bible. Our spiritual heroes are there. Noah, good ole’ Noah, and somehow he knows us. It’s like a who’s who list: David, Daniel, Abraham, Elijah, Job, Joseph, the servant girl who told Naaman about God’s prophet, Paul, Timothy, Peter, the woman with the issue of blood, the guy who was lowered through the roof while Jesus was teaching, the thief on the cross, they are all there. It’s like our Bible just exploded and came alive. All those people. We’ve loved those stories. We loved their faith and courage and here they are and they know us. More amazing than that, they are not separated from us like rock stars. They are right beside us. They talk to us. They know about us. This is unreal, we keep thinking. It gets better. There is no ending of this. There is no, “It’s closing time.” There is no, “you have to come back another day.” There is no one who gets tired. No one sleeps. Our energy level remains high. This is something that we have never experienced before.

Then there is Jesus. Right there. Right among us. He comes and stands before us. We bow. We drop to our knees. His hand comes upon our shoulder. He speaks our name. He smiles. We are speechless. Our Lord. Our Savior. Our King. Our Redeemer. Here. Right before us. He knows us. He loves us.

Can you imagine? I know I have taken some liberties in envisioning how Heaven might appear to us, but it’s thoughts about Heaven that keep us going. It is thoughts about Heaven that help us in dark times. It’s thoughts about Heaven that warm the soul and fill the heart. Make sure your thoughts are Biblical. Make sure they are true to the pages of God’s word. Don’t build artificial fantasies about Heaven. Don’t fill your mind with the alleged stories written by people who claimed to go there and come back. Stick to what God shows us. John wrote, “And he showed me…”

He showed me…why did God show John? He wanted him to know that this is real. He wanted him to know that this is what the future holds. He wanted him to see so you and I could see. God’s home. It can be your home. You must walk with God. You must obey Him. You must trust Him. Read His word. Trust Him.

Heaven—it’s God’s home, yet He invites us there. We come, not for a visit. It’s not for a weekend get-a-way. His home becomes our home. It becomes our permanent home. It’s never our place. It’s always His place. But at His place, we are welcomed and we are made to feel that we belong there.

Then he showed me…get that glimpse of Heaven in your heart and in your eyes. It will help you. It will lead you to fighting Satan even harder. It will compel you to tell others about Jesus. It will get you through the darkest storms you face.

“Then he showed me…”

Roger