Have you ever wondered what we will look like when we reach heaven? I do all the time, and there are some glimpses in the bible of what that might look like. Let’s take a look: John tells us in his first letter: “Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3 Here he says two things: One, is what we will be has not been revealed. But this is revealed. That we will see Him. We will know it is the Lord Jesus, and we are also told, we will be like He is. That’s some good stuff, but what does He look like? For that, we go to the book of Revelation. John was on the Island of Patmos, as he was sent there for his testimony about Jesus, and his belief. He was in the Spirit, and the Lord approached him. This is what he saw:
“I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven gold lampstands, and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest. His head and hair were white like wool – white as snow – and His eyes like a fiery flame. His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascading waters. He had seven stars in His right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth, and His face was shining like the sun at midday. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look – I am alive, forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Revelation 1:12-18 When Jesus walked the earth, He often had to tell His disciples, Don’t be afraid!” He states that He was dead, but He is now alive, forever and ever. When we meet Jesus, and we who belong to Him will see Him for we will be like Him. I have to tell you, I get a little excited about the thought of even remotely looking like that. We know we will be changed, but there is that which we will recognize. And I think of the loved ones that have gone before me, and I try to imagine them looking something like this, and I am in awe. What a wonderful thing to look forward to. I think so many of us fear death because we have a hope but it is the unknown that makes us a little apprehensive about leaving what we know, to become like that which we don’t have a good picture of. But these verses reveal quite a bit. John only wrote what he saw. To me, he wrote a great picture of what our Lord is like, and because we will be like Him, we should look like this also. So, if you have any apprehension of the hope that awaits us, let it go! Let the joy of the Lord permeate your life and your soul, so that the comfort of the Spirit will give you confirmation of that glimpse of eternity, that glimpse of heaven. Paul would get a glimpse of something he could not expound on, but he does say this: “I know a man in Christ who was caught up into the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know, God knows. I know that this man – whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know, God knows – was caught up into paradise. He heard inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak. I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses.” 2 Corinthians 12: 2-5 So, when you’re feeling weary and alone, and the uncertainty invades your soul, look to the word, look to Jesus, and see. Look to the Spirit who leads you in your comfort during these times, for these words are true, and I know the Holy Spirit will confirm the truth within you. Know that this journey is but a moment in time and the real journey begins when this temporary journey ends. I’m sure the Israelites thought they would never get out of the desert, wandering for 40 years, the generation that rebelled against God. But they came to the Jordan, and finally crossed over to home. Look to your future with excitement, and it will make the mundane days a little more exciting. Pastor Andy
Barnabas Man 