No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT
What a wonderful verse — and one of my favorites. Who would ever imagine that a holy, all-powerful God would love fallen, sinful people so much that he would be willing to sacrifice his own son to provide for our redemption? Who would ever imagine all of the wonderful gifts we receive in salvation? The adopted Children of God, heirs with Christ, a new born-again creation that is granted a future forever in Heaven — all prepared by the grace of Almighty God.
How’s your imagination? According to 2 Corinthians 2:9, God is working in your life and for your future beyond your wildest dreams. He has not only secured your salvation in Christ, he is currently working in your life, through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, and making you more like Christ. The greatest miracle that God does today is transforming a life.
And… he is preparing a place for you in Heaven. Heaven… which will be composed of a New Heaven, a New Earth — a New Universe. Wrap your mind around this… the capital of Heaven will be New Jerusalem. According to Revelation 21, the city footprint of New Jerusalem will be 1400 miles long… and 1400 miles wide. By comparison New York City is about 25 miles wide and 25 miles long. Please… Please tell me you are awed by the size of New Jerusalem. No?
Well, then apparently you are going to have to get a plane ticket and fly to Boston, Massachusetts and rent a car. Then, you will head west driving across New England and New York and in Ohio you will take Interstate 80 all the way to Omaha, Nebraska. In Omaha you will turn south and drive all the way to Brownsville, Texas. In Brownsville, you will return your rental car and charter a boat and take it east across the entire
Gulf of Mexico to Tampa, Florida. In Tampa you can take an Amtrak train north back to Boston. If you average 60 miles an hour, the trip will take you four days… providing you don’t stop for gas, food or a potty. Those are the city footprint dimensions of New Jerusalem. And oh yeah, Revelation 21 also says that New Jerusalem will be 1400 miles HIGH! The International Space Station orbits earth at an altitude of 250 miles. Amazed yet? New Jerusalem will be the most beautiful and wonderful city ever… well… imagined.
What will be in the City? Things that belong in a City… museums and the arts… parks and rivers… activity and adventure… people from every nation… angels… and the glorious presence of The King of Kings. How wonderful will it be? Don’t miss this… more wonderful and awe inspiring than any eye has ever seen… more melodious of a composition than any ear has ever heard… and more spectacular than any imagination could ever conceive. Aw folks… Heaven is going to be a wondrous place…beyond description… because it will be created and inhabited by a God that is beyond description.
I know this life is full of challenges. Sin has led to a broken world and broken lives. We all experience heartache and disappointments. But if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior don’t you ever forget that this world is not your home. C.S. Lewis wrote: “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
So, the next time you have a quiet moment, why not spend some time trying to imagine what Heaven will be like? If 1 Corinthians 2:9 is true… it will surpass your wildest imaginations. I’m hoping for the ability to teleport to other solar systems and galaxies… but maybe… perhaps… I am aiming too low.
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