The Final Move

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 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. (John 14:2)

Many of you who read my hubs/blogs may have wondered where I have been these last few weeks. I have been a little disconnected from my computer because I have been busy with other things. I have been busy moving.

My husband and I were married in 1971. We celebrated our 40^th anniversary this spring. In those forty years we have moved 7 times. The longest time we spent in one home was 22 years. That was the home where we raised our four children. Since our move from there in 2001 we have moved three times. Each move has been hard work and worse yet, each move has been costly.

Aside from all the hard work and the expense, I feel really good about our latest move. When we walked into our new apartment for the first time we felt like we were “coming home”. We felt welcome and we felt a sense of belonging. We hope to not have to move again until it is time for the nursing home, but who knows? After all is said and done, we know there will be one final move. When our time of grace here on earth is over and the work God has set before us is done, He will call us home to heaven.

Our final move will be an easy move and it is a move all believers can look forward to. The minute we enter our new home in heaven we will feel welcome, comfortable and loved. It will be like the feeling I had when I walked into our new apartment, only it will be indescribably better. We will be coming home to life with our Heavenly Father.

In the scripture above from John 14 Jesus assures us that His Father’s house has many rooms. There will be plenty of space for everyone. There will be no need to hire someone to move us because God will send His angels to bring us home. We won’t need to take anything with us because He will provide all that we need to live comfortably. Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. (Job 1:21) We will not be required to pay a security deposit or a monthly rent payment. Jesus has already covered that with His blood, shed for us on the cross. We won’t need to put in a change of address at the post office or change banks. None of that will be necessary in heaven.

There will be beauty in our new and final home. God gives us a glimpse of it through the apostle John in Revelation chapter 21. Everything will be new. He tells us there will be a new heaven and a new earth (vs.1). The walls of the city will be made of Jasper and the city itself of pure gold (vs.18).The foundations of the city walls will be decorated with every kind of precious stone (vs.19)...The streets will also be made of pure gold, as transparent as glass (vs.21). The city gates will never need to be shut for safety - On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there (vs. 25).

There will be no darkness in heaven so we won’t need to take any lamps - The city does not need the sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the Lamb [Jesus] is its lamp (John 21:23)

The river of the water of life as clear as crystal, will flow from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city (Rev. 22: 1,2) On each side of the river will stand the tree of life...yielding its fruit every month (vs 2).

This free gift of heaven is offered to all people, but the only way to receive it is by grace (God’s undeserved love for sinners), and through faith in Jesus, His one and only Son. The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 2: 8,9; For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

You can’t earn it by being good. If that were the case none of us would be able to go because we are all sinners. We must be holy to enter heaven and the only way to achieve that is through FAITH in Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God. He lived a sinless life here on earth and suffered and died in our place. We are washed clean of our sins and made holy in God’s eyes through His blood. Can you believe that!? It is FREE! Salvation is FREE and is available to all people! It is available to you and me. It is available to those who are sitting in prison because of some crime they committed. It is available to rich and poor, black and white, married and single, babies and children. It is available to people who have handicaps and disabilities and those who have been born with less than perfect bodies.

So, you ask; “How do we get that faith and where does it come from?” Very simply; Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

READ THE WORD! Find a church home where God’s word is taught in its truth and purity and go each Sunday. You will be amazed. The faith planted in your heart through that Word will take root, blossom and grow. The Almighty God who created the heavens, the earth, the sky and the sea, the mountains and the meadows, the birds and the animals, created YOU also. Not only that, but He created you in His own image (Genesis 1:27). You can read about Creation in Genesis chapters 1 and 2.

Know that God loves you. If you are that person sitting in prison, there is forgiveness for you too. He loves you and He wants you to be with Him in heaven some day. Without Him you are nothing. Without Him there is no hope for tomorrow. Here on earth all people, believers and unbelievers alike, receive blessings from God. This earthly life here is our “time of grace”. It is the time God gives us to come to faith. Once we are called from this earth in death, there will be no more chances.

If you choose not to follow Christ you will be forever separated from God and from all that is good when you die. You will be in Hell. The presence of God will not be there. There will be none of the blessings you now receive here on earth. It will be dark there. Six times in the book of Matthew and once in the book of Luke, Jesus refers to hell as a place of darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

There will be no comfortable or safe place to live and rest. You will be plagued by demons and stench. Your body will rot, but you will never die or be free of it. Jesus tells us; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:47,48)

The little things which you take for granted in your life here on earth, will be gone. You will never again hear the birds singing. You will never hear the sound of music and laughter, only suffering and pain. You will never be able to enjoy time with family and friends. There will be no friends in Hell and if you see family members there, they will be suffering also. You will never hear the sound of a rolling stream, the waves of the ocean or the wind blowing softly through the trees. You will never again enjoy the smell of pine needles in the forest. You will never again feel the sunshine on your face or smell the fresh clean air after a rain shower. You will never see the beauty of newly fallen snow sparkling in the sunshine or hear it squeak beneath your feet on a frosty morning.

These are all blessings and gifts from God that will not be present in hell. You will remember them and long for them, but they will be out of your reach.

In Luke 16 beginning with verse 19, Jesus tells the story of a poor man named Lazarus who suffered while here on earth from illness and pain. He was a poor beggar covered with sores. He lay at the gate of a rich man’s house begging for scraps of food. The stray dogs came and licked his sores. One day he died and the angels carried him to heaven – to Abraham’s side. Jesus goes on to tell that the rich man died also and was buried. He went to hell where he was in torment. He longed to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool [his] tongue. He was in agony (vs.24). Jesus reminded him that during his life on earth he had received his good things and that poor Lazarus had suffered. Now the tables were turned and there was no way to fix it. It was too late.

If you are a person who doesn’t believe there is a hell. If you are a person who doesn’t think you need God, think about these things. While you are here on earth, still in your time of grace, you can change your destiny. Soften your heart and listen to the words of Jesus. Pick up your Bible and read the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Allow the Holy Spirit the chance to grow your faith through God’s Word. You will never regret it.

Be ready for the final move when God calls you from this world. Make sure that it will be a good move for you. Know where you are going when you die. Through faith in Jesus there is a place reserved for you in heaven. It’s an easy move. There is no packing or change of address involved. You don’t need a car to drive there and you don’t have to pay any fees. Through faith you will have peace in the here and now and you can look forward to peace with God for eternity. You will be truly blessed. God will say to you; Welcome home! Well done, good and faithful servant! (Matthew 25:21)

Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever Amen! (Revelation 7:12)

By Kristeen