By: Dr. Frans P. Tamarol
Some people may not want to know if there is a place called heaven. If you are one of these people, just continue reading, hopefully by the end of this brief message, you will grasp the simple truth of the matter.
The Bible, which is God’s written word, gives a light for anyone who wants to know about heaven; and most importantly, God provides you with the way if you want to spend your future eternity in heaven with Him.
Now, this world can be a very good place to live in if you feel secure economically and socially. Or, you may think otherwise, if you are suffering from disadvantages, illnesses or misfortunes; it may even seem that there is no way for you to get out of such conditions. However, what you feel or think about your life does not determine or assure your eternity in the future. Only one thing is certain and that is one day you are going to leave this life. Therefore, it is very important for you to know whether you are going to heaven with the Lord when this life is over. So, your question would be, “How do I get to heaven from here?”
Now, the God of the universe is a loving God. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Unfortunately, mankind has gone astray
in transgression of God’s will and holiness. This condition is called sin, and “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). Another passage of the Bible says that man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
One might question, “Where does the love of God fit into this human destiny?” The answer is simple, in fact it is very simple. The love of God fits in your faith. When you trust in His word as it is written in the Bible, you take God at His word, and that means you have faith in Him. If so, then you would believe in Jesus Christ, and therefore, you shall not perish but have everlasting life. This is exactly what the Bible says, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).
Your next question might be, “What happens then with all my sins? The Bible says your sins have all been forgiven. Jesus Christ had come to the world in human form and bore the punishment for sin in His own body (John 1:29; Romans 5:8; I Peter 2:24). This is called grace—God’s grace.
Christ had shed His blood on Calvary, and that blood would wash all of your sins away
(1 John 1:7-9). “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The phrase “in Christ Jesus” refers to you and many others who have received Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Now, you may wonder, “How can I be one of those who have received Christ? I don’t have any idea of what it means.” Well, in this case, this is the time for
you to really, really think of your future in eternity.
God has provided two places for man to spend for the eternity. The first place is heaven, which is God’s place, a glorious and happy eternal home for believers in Christ. The second place is hell, which is the devil’s final destination, an eternal lake of fire where all sinners and transgressors who disobeyed God and rejected His Son would go when this life on earth is over.
Therefore, you have a serious decision to make, and you are urged to do it now. Jesus is God, and He is here waiting for you to say to Him, “O Jesus, please come into my heart now. I believe you as my Lord and my Savior. I believe that your blood has cleansed me from all of my sins, and I believe that you have given me heaven as my eternal home. Now I know that when this life is over, I am going to heaven with You. Thank you Lord Jesus, Amen.”
When you have faith in the Lord Jesus as expressed in the above prayer, or something similar to it, you have the assurance of salvation—it means you are saved; you are no longer under condemnation. You have been saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. You would no longer wonder as to where you are going to spend the eternity in, because you know that you are among those people who have accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. To learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ and His wonderful grace, please contact GLEAM at the address on the front.
