It doesn’t come close to comparing!
As I stood outside earlier today, I could not believe the gorgeous setting I was experiencing. It was a perfect Michigan Fall day with comfortable temperatures, no wind, a clear blue sky, and radiant sunshine. I don’t think it can ever get any better of an atmosphere than this my friends. This certainly has to be the epitome of what a wonderful picture of beauty God has to offer us!
With such an amazing image resting on my mind I began my study of the readings for this coming Sunday. The first reading is from Revelation 7, and it starts out with John receiving a vision of heaven from the Lord. Verse 9 begins with this introduction: After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Wow! What an unbelievable sight this must have been for John to try and take in. The glories of heaven displayed in all its splendor before his very eyes. As I put things into perspective, I realized that maybe what I had seen standing outside today was God’s wonder in an earthly sense. But I can tell you with all confidence there is no way, even a magnificent day like this one can come close to comparing to the surroundings God has planned for those who die knowing Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Reading about John’s vision of heaven makes me so much more appreciative of what Jesus did for me, when He died on the cross and rose from the dead, so I might be able to live with Him in glory everlasting. I cannot imagine what it will be like to one day not just be looking into heaven, but instead be a part of the multitudes standing before the throne of God and the Lamb! Today is All- Saints Day and what a joy it is for us to remember those saints who have gone ahead of us to be with Jesus. People we can look forward to meeting again one day, in the presence of the Lord, where we can raise our voices with theirs and cry out, “Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God and the Lamb forever and ever, amen!!!!Pastor McCarty