A Glimpse of Heaven

Thirsty?

“They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” —Revelation 7:16–17

If there is one thing we can count on in this life it is the insecurity that comes with the unpredictability of life. And nothing has brought this into sharper focus than the recent pandemic.

Our security and access to necessary items are a couple of examples. For the past couple of decades, we have lived in a bubble. We lived in the illusion that whatever we needed was just a trip away to the store.

Then the pandemic hit.

It has only been in the past four years that we have learned how fragile our supply chain is. Because of our dependence on offshore suppliers, many of the things we’ve taken for granted are not so plentiful and are most likely on back-order—if they are still making them.

And recent geo-political developments have not been helpful.

Ukraine has long been known as the “bread basket of Europe.” With the recent Russian aggression against Ukraine, there are threats of blockades of grain from Ukraine to much of the world, as well as shortages of supplies for fertilizers from Russia to grow crops.

Then, came the threat that Russia would be withholding energy from western nations who are dependent on Russian energy for their daily needs. Western Europe may have to be creative in supplying energy to their people this winter.

All of this is simply a reminder that our very existence is dependent and unpredictable: We are dependent on others for our very survival and because we can’t see ten minutes into the future, we’re often caught off guard by circumstances.

This is why I love God’s word.

Not only does scripture give us clarity in the insecurity and unpredictability of life, but it reminds us over and over that there is more coming than we can now see.

John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples gives us a glimpse of what is coming in the world to come. In chapter 7 of the book of Revelation, John writes what he sees in this future reality:

“They will never again be hungry or thirsty;

they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.”

There will be no supply-chain issues for food or anything else. Nor will there be physical sicknesses. Our new bodies won’t be prone to the frailties that we have in this life.

And here is why:

“For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd.”

Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world—and brings healing to the nations—will rule.

Forever.

No more elections. No more political campaigns with opponents smearing the other side. No more text reminders to vote, even.

Peace. True peace.

Then, continuing with the shepherd metaphor, John describes what it will be like for followers of Christ in this time to come:

“He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.

And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Not only will the insecurity and unpredictability of this world be finished, but all sorrow will be done. Life-giving water and no more tears of sorrow—only tears of joy.

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.“

Now is a good time to get on your knees and thank Him for His goodness. Not only has He sustained us, bringing us to this time in life; but there is much more to come.

All because Jesus, the Lamb of God, has overcome death.

And he will be with us.

Forever.

Bill Herried is lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma, Washington. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon. He is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren, and he loves a good biryani. Bill invites you to learn more on Your Daily Encouragement

Featured Image by Harry Quan on Unsplash