Friday, April 02, 2010
Easter Makes Heaven Believable
The concept of heaven has stirred and comforted the hearts of millions of believers throughout the centuries. According to Scripture, it is a place free from sin, disease and sorrow. It is a place where people who really want God to be God are gathered together after death; a place where everyone is obeying God’s rules, thereby making it a place of love, joy and peace. It has also been described as a celestial city with gates of pearls, mansions, a crystal sea and streets of gold. (see Revelation 21)
In 1897 Jessie Pounds wrote a song that became a very popular funeral song in the early 1900s. The song was titled “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere”. The lyrics are as follows:
Somewhere the sun is shining, Somewhere the songbirds dwell;
Hush, then, thy sad repining, God lives, and all is well.
Refrain:
Somewhere, somewhere, Beautiful Isle of Somewhere!
Land of the true, where we live anew, Beautiful Isle of Somewhere!
Somewhere the day is longer, Somewhere the task is done;
Somewhere the heart is stronger, Somewhere the prize is won.
Somewhere the load is lifted, Close by an open gate;
Somewhere the clouds are rifted, Somewhere the angels wait.
I am guessing most people would like to believe in a place like heaven, but what kind of evidence do we have that such a place is real? How is it that so many people have embraced the idea that there is such a wonderful place, beyond the grave, waiting for those who have given their life to God?
The best evidence we have that heaven exists is the documented, historical event that we celebrate at Easter. Easter is the celebration of a cataclysmic breakthrough. It commemorates Jesus’ unprecedented demonstration that there is life after death. When Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection and then his promises came to pass, He provided the evidence that He was who He said He was. By dying and coming back to life on the third day, He demonstrated His authority over death, hell and the grave. Jesus, who had predicted his own death and resurrection was now validated -- meaning that if His prediction of His resurrection was true then His other prediction of a place called heaven is also credible.
Jesus told his followers, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 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. 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.” (John 14: 1-3)
When we celebrate Easter, we are celebrating a God who is bigger than life and who has prepared an awesome place for those who are willing to be a part of what He is doing. Forty days after Jesus proved that there is life after death, He ascended into heaven while 500 people watched. At that event, angels promised that He would eventually come back for those who were waiting for Him. (see Acts 1:1-11) Heaven is a believable, real and wonderful place; have you made your reservation?
In 1897 Jessie Pounds wrote a song that became a very popular funeral song in the early 1900s. The song was titled “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere”. The lyrics are as follows:
Somewhere the sun is shining, Somewhere the songbirds dwell;
Hush, then, thy sad repining, God lives, and all is well.
Refrain:
Somewhere, somewhere, Beautiful Isle of Somewhere!
Land of the true, where we live anew, Beautiful Isle of Somewhere!
Somewhere the day is longer, Somewhere the task is done;
Somewhere the heart is stronger, Somewhere the prize is won.
Somewhere the load is lifted, Close by an open gate;
Somewhere the clouds are rifted, Somewhere the angels wait.
I am guessing most people would like to believe in a place like heaven, but what kind of evidence do we have that such a place is real? How is it that so many people have embraced the idea that there is such a wonderful place, beyond the grave, waiting for those who have given their life to God?
The best evidence we have that heaven exists is the documented, historical event that we celebrate at Easter. Easter is the celebration of a cataclysmic breakthrough. It commemorates Jesus’ unprecedented demonstration that there is life after death. When Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection and then his promises came to pass, He provided the evidence that He was who He said He was. By dying and coming back to life on the third day, He demonstrated His authority over death, hell and the grave. Jesus, who had predicted his own death and resurrection was now validated -- meaning that if His prediction of His resurrection was true then His other prediction of a place called heaven is also credible.
Jesus told his followers, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 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. 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.” (John 14: 1-3)
When we celebrate Easter, we are celebrating a God who is bigger than life and who has prepared an awesome place for those who are willing to be a part of what He is doing. Forty days after Jesus proved that there is life after death, He ascended into heaven while 500 people watched. At that event, angels promised that He would eventually come back for those who were waiting for Him. (see Acts 1:1-11) Heaven is a believable, real and wonderful place; have you made your reservation?
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
