One Day.

I have been thinking a lot about Heaven lately. The more I study it, the more I realize that I really have no idea what it's like. I haven't studied much eschatology, but I love Revelation because, even though he is inspired by the Holy Spirit, John cannot fully describe what God's presence is like...and it is hard to imagine! No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him!
(Also, what does the Holy Spirit do in Heaven?)

Anyway, today Revelation 1:12-18 totally gripped me.

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

 Does this description of Jesus not make you tremble? He is fierce!

Check out what God is like according to Revelation 4:2-11:

At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!” 

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”

We will be worshiping the eternal, Almighty God forever. So let us start now!

A close friend of mine, an atheist who had evangelised and been on more mission trips than I have before becoming such, displayed some very insightful thoughts about Heaven on a Facebook spiel:

"You see, the way I've always heard it is that heaven is a place of eternal worship of God. If that were the case, then, that place would only be enjoyable for those faithful who had already dedicated themselves to such activity. Such a place would be torturous to someone who had spent their lives differently- being forced to praise a God that they never knew...Also, what if the importance of 'salvation' during the natural life was to be mentally prepared to enjoy this sort of endless worship?" 

Even an atheist realizes the foolishness of those who want to go to Heaven but don't give a flip about worshiping God now. Would you still want to go to Heaven if God was not there? Why would you want to worship forever if you don't want to worship now?
Just some sobering thoughts. :)