Glory Beyond Glory

Since my mom finished her race, eternity has been a reoccurring meditation of mine. I guess it is only natural when someone close to you dies to consider the heavenly realm a little more. But as I have been pondering the great beyond, I have been confronted with the fact that I have very little idea of what to expect.

Doubts

I have had a doubt plaguing me the last couple of months (often when I lie awake at night), an idea that this life is all we get. What if I never get to see my mom again, what if when I take my final breath, it's just eternal nothingness? But often times after I momentarily dwell on this gloomy thought, I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Christ said that He is the resurrection and proved this truth by rising from the dead. These are irrefutable facts and there is no reasonable accusation that I can bring against them. I am not one without hope.

Another doubt that has often plagued my mind the last couple of months (again often while I lie awake at night) is the question of whether or not my mom's election is sure. She was sinful and full of doubts— just as I am, for that matter. Scripture tells me my heart is deceitful above all else and that I need to test the surety of my own faith. What if when I close my eyes, I am to wake up in hell? Am I to be a weeper realizing that I have deceived myself? But often times after falling to dwell on this gloomy thought, I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:3-6)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

My salvation has nothing to do with me. I did not choose God, He chose me. It is all His grace, and my response to salvation is simply a fruit of His work in my life. Moreover, I will often fail, but He who began a good work will see it to completion.

The Great Unknown

The more I think about eternity, the more I realize just how little I know about it. Indeed the more I ponder, the more the whole concept appears unfathomable. My inability to comprehend endless life reveals doubts I have about eternity. I understand God is omnipresent but with the vast number of elect called through the ages, how could God possibly have time for me? I find it easier to feel a personal connection with God when I cry out to Him now than when I try to imagine what it would be like to be physically present with Him.

Additionally, I find it difficult to grasp the idea that, in heaven, I will live eternally without growing bored of everlasting life. These are not new questions for the church to face. However, I feel that younger individuals like myself spend less time thinking about these things. But now that death has hit so close to me, I am confronted with my own lack of consideration of what Christ really meant when He said He would give us life in abundance.

True Delight

So how should I conceptualize this idea of eternal life? I feel a good place to start is with my purpose. The reason I was given life in the first place was to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. My every breath on this earth should be directed toward praising the Lord. In the end, when I enter into eternity, I will praise Him more fully. A life centered around glorifying God is a most joyful thing. To see the Lord and enjoy Him forever is a wonder beyond imagination. Rightly did the Psalmist write:

"How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You." (Psalm 84:1-4)

True delight is found in the Lord alone. But alas, how often do I find myself bored at the thought of forever praising Him; how blind are my eyes, how deceitful is my heart. Take courage, my soul, for soon you shall be rid of the body of death and free from the very presence of sin. Oh, to love the Lord with an unsinning heart; then, at last, my only delight will be to bow at the feet of my King.

Glory Beyond Glory

Paul told us that:

"the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed" (Romans 8:18)

He went on to say that creation itself is currently groaning in anticipation of this glorification. Then in Revelation, John gives us a glimpse of the glory:

"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away… I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life." (Revelation 21: 2-4, 22-27)

What will heaven be like? As the Church, we will be filled with eternal rejoicing. We will have been cleansed with water and the Word, and will now be presented as the Bride in all her glory. We will have no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; we will be holy and blameless to the Groom, Jesus Christ

I remember when I stood at the altar and my bride was presented to me in all her glory as such overwhelming beauty and joy touched everything around me. The entire day was filled with rejoicing and feasting as we celebrated our holy union. But as magnificent as it all was, it was only a reflection of the marriage celebration in eternity when the Church will be forever united with her Savior.

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” (Revelation 19:7-9)

The Lord knows my name. It is written in His wounds, and I have been called to be a part of His Holy Bride the Church, predestined as a vessel for honor. As a bride delights in her husband so I together with all the saints will forever delight in the Savior and King, marveling at His magnificent glory. When the way seems dark and plagued with doubts ahead, to these truths alone do I hold.

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Work Cited

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.