The Bible uses “heaven” to describe three different places. The first is the firmament or sky; the second is the sun, moon, stars and the far reaches of the physical universe; and the third is unseen and not well-understood by humanity. In Revelation 4:1, John said “a door was opened in heaven” and the remainder of the chapter describes what he saw. The most obvious part of the third heaven is the intense focus of every living creature on the glorious presence of God. Thus, in the final verse of the chapter, God gives us a great clue about how WE can share in some of the experience of the third heaven:
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Revelation 4:11
The third heaven holds little appeal to us unless we understand the divine satisfaction and joy we experience by glorifying God. I can tell you, it took me a long time to connect these dots. But this is my experience. The more my life glorifies God, the more I experience joy, and complete satisfaction. The more I glorify God, the stronger I feel His presence and see the world the way I was created to see it. God’s presence completes me in ways that nothing else does.
One day, we will experience this gift without all the pain and sorrow we live in now. John was given a glimpse of what it will be like:
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Revelation 21:1-4
Ah, my friend, when we accept God’s gift of salvation and conform to His ways, we experience the marvelous gift of His presence. He IS our God. He IS with us. In Him we experience beauty and peace that far exceeds our expectations. He dries our tears, comforts us in our sorrow, eases our pain and gives us a glimpse of the life He has planned for us.
God’s presence is His gift of heaven on earth.
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