Thanksgiving

I’ll start this post with a quote; “To come to Thee is to come home from exile, to come to land out of the raging storm, to come to rest after long labor, to com to the goal of my desires and the summit of my wishes.” – Charles Spurgeon

The book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John around 95 AD while exiled on the island of Patmos. In these writings, John filled this book with symbolic visions that reveal Christ’s ultimate triumph over evil. He was addressing the seven churches in Asia minor to encourage them in the midst of their persecution, and the central message is one hope and finality: God reigns supreme, and in the end, God will prevail over evil.

Revelation 21:1-4 (KJV)
1 – And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 – And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 – And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 – And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Have you ever watched a movie for the first time, but you already know the ending? You still experience times of suspense or apprehension. The book of Revelation functions a little like that in the life of a Christian believer. As the great Billy Graham said, “I’ve read the last page of the Bible. It’s going to turn out all right.

In verse three, we are given a great hope in that we will live in eternity in the presence of God. God will never again feel distant, he will be with us always. Our identity will be secured forever as sons and daughters of God. No pain, no tears and no more death shall befall us. All earthly pain and suffering will come to an end. Every disease we have will be cured, every pain, trauma and torment we have suffered here on earth will be healed, we will be made completely whole again.

This picture painted by the Bible of our future is profound, beautiful and infusing our present reality with solid trustworthy hope. The world we live in today is far from perfect and is challenging and painful to live in. Christians are mocked, made the butt of jokes, talked about behind their backs, but we can rest secure in the knowledge that God is coming to take us home and make all things new. Let’s always remember to be thankful that heaven is out ultimate home, and continue to pray that more of those who scoff will come to know and follow Jesus.

Each and everyday, got out of your way to thank someone who is working hard to try to make a living. Just taking that small moment to offer a heartfelt Thank You, may be the spark that triggers in them what Jesus has sparked in you. We were called to be disciples, do your part and be a disciple of Jesus and not a disciple of the world.