Scripture: Revelation 21 v 3 - 7: "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.
4 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.5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
Yesterday morning we said farewell to Basil, our precious brother in Christ, and fellow-labourer with the saints. He is absent from the body and present with the Lord.
There is no time or distance in the spiritual realm so he was instantly walking up a hill in Heaven whose very grass underfoot rejuvenated him. He would see the translucent gate with the Light of Jesus, pouring through it as it opened to let him enter.
All around Basil would be the joyful sound of the myriads of the saints gone before him, lifted in praise and worship to the Alpha and Omega, King of Kings, our Lord Jesus Christ.
He will be walking on streets paved with gold, bathing in the River of Life that flows from the Throne, seeing the jewelled walls of Heaven. What he will never see again is found in Revelation 21 v 8, 27: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
No sin shall ever surface in Heaven, nothing unclean shall happen there, only truth, righteousness and eternal joy shall be the blessing upon its citizens. Make sure your name is in The Lamb's Book of Life!
1 Corinthians 2 v 9 - 10: "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
Jesus said when He ascended into Heaven that He was going to prepare a place for us, a mansion that would be out of this world. Not even the wealthiest person on Earth can even imagine how beautiful it will be.
In Heaven Basil will be reunited with family and friends who went there before him. What a welcome and enjoyment that will bring him. It's something we all look forward to, as we long for the courts of Heaven.
We will be with the Godhead in Heaven. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. We will no longer need to have faith in God for we will know Him as He knows us. It will be joy unspeakable and full of glory, and the half has never yet been told, as the song goes.
We cannot sorrow for one who has made it Home, only for ourselves as we miss the love, kindness, warmth, knowledge, faith, friendship and generosity of Basil. Our memories are always alive with the good things we experienced with him.
Jesus came to rescue us from death to have eternal life with Him in Heaven. Heaven is so real, and every day is one day nearer to being Home. We came from there, we lost our way but the Light came to shine in our darkness to guide us through the Bible, our compass back Home.
As the season of lawlessness, chaos, confusion, tribulation, terror and corruption increases month by month, it heralds that the end is nigh. That which was prophesied is coming upon this world. Everything is unfolding as it should. It is unstoppable though politicians will promise a better life for all until its too late to do any more u-turns.
Jesus said we would know the season not the day of His coming. He said there would be mockers and scoffers contradicting the promises of God. There are certainly plenty of those mouthing off. The Psalmist wrote, The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.
Jesus has never lied, and we can believe Him now when He says I am coming soon. Basil does not have to wait, he is already living in the amazing realm of Heaven.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Heaven is so real, many have been and seen and returned to share the truth with us. We thank You for saving all those who are already there, and for all of us waiting our turn. Lord keep us faithful to Your plan and help us to gather in the lost souls to bring them Home to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.