God is preparing for us a new heaven and a new earth of perfection, but the best thing about heaven is that we will be in God's presence for all eternity...
(Revelation 21:2-7) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 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, 4 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.”
5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
An angel then takes John to see a vision of what the New Jerusalem (the heavenly city) will be like...
(Revelation 21:9-11) Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
Although all believers, both Gentile and Jew, are equal in God's eyes, because of His covenants with the Israelites, there will be a continued distinction...
(Revelation 21:12-14) It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
We are given measurements to help us fathom this vision. The heavenly city will be shaped like a cube, 1,380 miles on each face. The wall which will contain our "luxury-palace-condo-suites" will be 72 yards thick, thus it has been calculated that even if only 25 percent of this space were used for dwellings, 20 billion people could be accommodated spaciously. And obviously - it will be gorgeous beyond our imagination...
(Revelation 21:15-21) The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. 18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
In heaven - in perfect conditions - we will still have positions and "jobs" - to serve God and each other - but this "work" will be completely enjoyable and fulfilling...
(Revelation 21:22-27) I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 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. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; 27 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.
In heaven, there will be a river with orchards from which to eat. There will not be any sickness or any of sin's curses. And there will not be any more night...
(Revelation 22:1-5) Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
Today's takeaway: Jesus is the living water. When we accept this "living water", not only will we never thirst again, but this "water" is so abundant that it will flow out from us. Even now, God wants to give us more than enough - so that it overflows!
This should be applied to all aspects of our lives right now, even to our work and careers. There are tasks that I LOVE to do!!! I can so easily get lost in them so that time flies by, and then when I quit for the day, I can't wait to get back to it!!! That's going to be what happens in heaven, only more so.
But then there are tasks that I HATE to do!!! And often I'll do what I can to avoid or procrastinate in getting to them. HERE IS WHAT I HAVE DISCOVERED - example - when I ask God to wash the dishes FOR ME - suddenly, I'm at the sink, washing dishes, and singing...! Seriously!
Joy in giving and serving begins with God!!! If and when we don't "feel" like doing something - we can change our attitude by going straight to God!!!
The generosity of God is so immense!...
(John 4:13-14) Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
(John 7:37b-38) ...Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
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