#but even beyond the angelic and beautiful zebra shark

[hqg1c]

why is the blacktip reef shark so popular i wonder? nothing against them i love them too ive just never heard of them being so widely beloved before

[ramblings-of-a-young-misfit]

Living For Eternity

Today I was listening to my favorite song by one of my all time favorite bands. The song is called “Flight” by the band Lifehouse. There’s a line in the song that, in my mind, paints a beautiful picture of what Heaven will be like. The line goes like this:

“No more running, no more hiding No more hurting, no more crying No more trouble, no more sighing No more falling, no more striving No more heartache, no more fighting No more fears, only flying“

Now, granted, we won’t literally be flying around with wings like the kind of wings angels are commonly depicted having. (*Spoiler alert* only certain angels and heavenly beings are actually depicted having wings in the Bible. Never are humans who have died and gone to Heaven depicted having wings. But that’s another topic for another time.) But I love the picture the lead singer, Jason Wade, paints of the freedom we experience being in the presence of God. The presence of God removes the weight of every earthly burden that it feels like flying.

Now, try to imagine Heaven and every burden the presence of God frees us from! Just try to imagine the grandness of it all! To really give you a good idea of what it looks like, let’s look through a passage of scripture in Revelation that describes certain aspects of Heaven and use it to paint the best picture of Heaven that we can.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4 (ESV)

“Death shall be no more…”

In Heaven, death no longer exists! You and everyone else who enter into the presence of God are freed from the power of death and get to live forever and evermore! In Heaven, we will be given new bodies that know not death or decay; bodies that never age, never tire, never hunger, never thirst, and never break down over time; bodies that are in perfect condition and stay in perfect condition for eternity! And let me tell you, eternity is a REALLY long time! Imagine being able to do adventurous things and not have to worry about the risk of you or anyone else dying, because in Heaven, there is no risk! Death no longer exist! You don’t have to worry about a terrorist, serial killer, or run of the mill murderer killing you, because

1) People like that wouldn’t be there.

2) You’d be unkillable.

Nor would you have to worry about being hunted by wild animals, for animals, much like us, will never hunger and will therefore feel no need or desire to hunt and kill to eat. We, and every animal in Heaven, will live in peace and harmony with one another. Lions will dwell with lambs, sharks will swim with seals, wolves will bond with rabbits, eagles will get along with snakes, bears will play with deer, crocodiles will be at peace with zebras. Imagine befriending any animal without worrying about whether it will try to attack or kill you. I mean who hasn’t dreamt of how awesome it’d be to hug a bear, sleep next to a Bengal tiger or ride a great white shark and not be killed by them? I mean seriously, how cool would that be?! I’d totally want to make like Kevin Richardson and befriend a pack of lions in Heaven!

“Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore…”

Picture this. No pain, sickness, or infirmities. None, nada, never! Imagine a world where the worst and most deadly infirmities like AIDS, cancer, and Lou Gehrig’s disease to small and insignificant discomforts like cuts, scrapes, and bruises don’t exist! Wouldn’t it be great to no longer experience colds, flus, infections, pneumonia, asthma, allergies, intolerances? How wonderful would it be to be able to run and exercise and not experience any fatigue or muscle cramps? And ladies, this also means you will no longer experience menstrual cramping and bleeding every month. Our bodies will be made new and will no longer know pain and infirmity. And this isn’t just limited to physical illnesses, this includes mental, emotional, and psychological illnesses too! No autism, no schizophrenia, no dementia, no bipolar disorder, no PTSD, no anxiety, depression, or AD(H)D! There will be no more grieving or crying, for fear pain, tragedy, and heartbreak will cease to exist! Our hearts, minds, and bodies will be at peace in the presence of God.

The funny thing is, many believe that when we arrive in Heaven, we will have eternal rest and no longer work, however, we will work. But since our new bodies will no longer fatigue, it will not be burdensome. We won’t be working to earn a wage either, since we will already have all our needs provided for. And since there is eternal peace, love, and harmony among every man, woman, child, and beast, we no longer have to worry about work conflict. It will be all the benefits and none of the burdens. Work will be enjoyable in Heaven. We won’t work because we have to. We will work because we get to!

“For the former things have passed away.”

Along with sadness, fear, pain, sickness, and death, other things of this world will fade away as well. There will no longer be conflict and war, for all of Heaven will be at peace. There will no longer be political strife, for we wouldn’t be living under the rule of any flawed human leader, we will be living under the rule of God, and no man is going to protest and riot against the King who created him and is the source of his peace, love, and joy. No woman is going to put into question the integrity and authority of the God that created all good things and meets every single one of her needs. He has all the power and authority, but none of the flaws or corruption! He is the perfect Lord and King! We will no longer experience any wrong-doing done against us, for all evil, corruption, and sin will cease in the presence of God. No one will have the desire to commit any sin against another. No war, no genocide, no hatred, no indifference, no treachery, no murder, no theft, no adultery, no abuse, no neglect, no lies… None! All who enter God’s presence are made righteous and are no longer be lead astray by the lies of the enemy (Satan), for the he will forever be defeated and destroyed… Gone! The earth will no longer be cursed. The soil will once again be soft and fruitful. Gardening will always be abundant and bountiful. Plants will never rot. Destructive natural disasters will cease to exist. The earth will not crack, the winds will not destroy, the clouds will not thunder, the rains will not flood, the snow will not bury.

The great truth of it all is that rather than doing all these terrible things listed above, all of creation will instead be praising God. Along with mankind, angels, animals, plants, rocks, and rivers will be bringing glory and honor to God! The streets will be paved with gold, the city structures decorated with precious stones, the gates made of pearl, the fields and trees green as emeralds, the waters shine like diamonds, the skies lit with the glorious radiance of God! There will be no night or day, no sun or moon, no need for lamps or lights, for God will be the source of light. Saints and angels will forever sing “ Glory, Glory, Glory to the Lord God Almighty! Who was, and is, and is to come!” and why wouldn’t they?! I’d imagine we’d all be giving our utmost praise to God the moment we get to marvel at His glory and splendor! I mean, if God’s presence alone is this amazing, just try to think of how amazing God is! We couldn’t even wrap our heads around the great majesty of God! No word I write would do Him justice! His glory is beyond measure! His splendor is off the charts! He is eternal, everlasting, ever present, ever faithful, ever loving, all powerful, all knowing, the Creator and Source of every good thing, like constellations, sunsets, oceans, mountains, canyons, blue whales, redwood trees, and fields of vibrant wildflowers! He is the Great Mathematician that designed galaxies, seashells, lotuses, and pineapples. The Lord over gravity, inertia, physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics! How could you stand in the presence of such a wonderful God and NOT bring all glory, honor, and praise to Him?!

I’ve seen quite a few churches, pastors, and church-goers try to get people to turn to Jesus by warning them of the consequences of an eternity in Hell. But I want to do the opposite and point people to Jesus by sharing with them the rewards of an eternity in Heaven. I mean, if you had absolute assurance of the glory of God and his presence, you’d immediately lay down your life for Him and give up everything to follow Him! Granted, talking about Heaven or Hell alone will not guarantee my success in pointing others to Christ. No amount of warning, convincing, pleading, or preaching will promise results. You alone have to make the choice to serve and follow God. The only thing that can get between you and God is yourself, and it’s up to you to release your pride and sin and surrender to God to make you righteous and clean. I encourage you, let go of everything that holds you back from God; from every earthly treasure to every worldly pleasure, everything must be placed at the altar.

But it’s worth it! 

Heaven is better!

GOD IS BETTER!