CLEARLY HEAVEN
John 14:3-4
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
John 14:3-4
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus spoke plainly to His disciples. Would they understand that He just invited them to heaven after their death?
Would Thomas understand the way to follow Jesus? “Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’” (John 14:5). Jesus must have sighed, wondering if His disciples would ever understand what He was all about.
“I am the way and the truth and the life” He responded in v.6. Then in answering Philip in v.8, Jesus said in v.9, “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?” Are we, Jesus’ siblings, as dense as His disciples were? How do you respond to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him home to Heaven? He’s gone to prepare a place for us—who will disappoint our host?
Clearly Jesus was talking about Heaven. Who doesn’t want to live forever with Him in Heaven?
Let’s clear up some false ideas about our future home, just as we did with the wrong notion of purgatory. (See What’s Purgatory? devotion). Heaven isn’t a place for ghosts. It’s as substantial as the ground you’re standing on. In fact, our dwelling place will be the New Jerusalem that descends from Heaven to earth (Revelation 21:1-8).
Jesus spent forty days with His disciples after His resurrection (Acts 1:3). He ate real food, and his body was solid. Coming from the only one who descended from, ascended to, and currently sits at the Father’s right hand, we can believe what Jesus says about Heaven. His home is our future home.
As the firstborn of God’s children, Jesus shows His siblings that we’ll follow Him from life into death, and return to life again. We’ll eat, just as Jesus ate (Acts 1:4, Luke 24:41-43). Our resurrected bodies will live forever. 1Corinthians 15:42-54 says many things about our glorified immortal bodies—check it out for yourselves. We’ll be raised physically, visible, recognizable, and powerful!
Eyes glued on Jesus will clearly lead us to Heaven.
Take Home Nugget
Many things about our heavenly home remain a mystery. Won’t we be delighted with every surprise? Stepping inside our individual uniquely custom-designed dwellings, our hearts will burst happy recognition, “I’m finally home!”
Jesus will deliver on His promise and return for us, just as He said. Clearly, Heaven is a literal place for physical bodies.
We long in hope waiting for Christ’s return,
Waiting with hearts bursting with praise.
Looking forward, eyes ablaze
For that great day of days!
Waiting with hearts bursting with praise.
Looking forward, eyes ablaze
For that great day of days!
J.D. Griffith
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My background is a life time of worship, but seriously following Jesus came with age. Spiritual maturity is a leap of faith. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re missing until living on the edge of God’s leading. My life of self sufficiency ended abruptly when losing my job as an analytical chemist after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Now living on the edge of God’s leading has become a way of life that I wouldn’t trade for anything else.
Surrendering one’s will to the Lord can be scary. Why did I wait so long to do it? Diving into an intimate relation with the sovereign God of creation is the most secure position in the universe. Will you share your experience with me? Will you let me give you my testimony? May I introduce you to the Jesus I know?