Glimpses of Heaven

"Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty - the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.'" -Revelation 4:8
 
Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? I definitely have. I've heard there are streets of gold, houses made of fine gemstones, and angels that are greater than twenty feet tall. Could you imagine creatures that were covered in eyes? That would be so intense!

"The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst." -Revelation 21:18-20
 
The book of Revelation gives us several clues about what heaven, and heaven on earth is and will be like. God is so creative, and is not limited to our natural world - or our natural mind. Can you imagine what kinds of things we will see when we get to heaven? It is incredible to think about.
As we walk through our daily lives, we shouldn't get too caught up in only the things we can see, the things that make sense to our natural minds. God desires that we have a greater vision. Hollywood often portrays the dark side of the supernatural, but I would love to see more movies portraying the reality of heaven!

Through the Bible, God has given us revelation to see just a glimpse of heaven.

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Kat Kerr is a woman who has had visions of heaven. Don't believe it? Read the story for yourself!

Keeping the Sabbath

"Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." -Exodus 20:8

What is a Sabbath? The Israelites in Biblical times were religious about the Sabbath - and for good reason!  A Sabbath was a "rest day", a day of remembering God and honoring Him in that day.  It was a day that was set apart for that purpose.  

"Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord's holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly."  -Isaiah 58:13

The Jews took the day so serious, in fact, that when Jesus arrived on the scene, they denounced Him for working miracles on that day. (Mark 2:24, Mark 3:4, Luke 14:5, John 5:9)

Today, we don't observe the Sabbath as the Israelites did.  Many stores and businesses are open on the day we would traditionally call "the Sabbath", on Sunday.  But even in our own lives the Sabbath can be practiced, by setting one day aside for rest and honoring God in that day.  I wonder how much we could accomplish the rest of the week and how many ailments we could avoid by giving our bodies a break, and taking a full day of rest, every week.

Do you honor the Sabbath?

Don't Touch Dead Things

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." -1 Peter 2:9

In the Old Testament, it was unlawful for priests to do or wear certain things - it would make them unfit for priestly service.  Priests could not touch the dead body of a relative outside of their immediate family, shave or trim their beards, or marry a prostitute or divorced woman.  These rules were even more strict for a high priest, who could not do any of the above, but who also could not leave the sanctuary, tear his clothes, go near the dead body of ANY person, or marry even a widow. (Leviticus 21) The reason for this was that they needed to be sanctified (set apart) for their duties to interceed for the people and offer sacrifices to God in the temple.  This was serious work!

Today, this Old Testament covenant no longer applies, because of the power of Jesus’ precious blood atoning for our sin.  He is our High Priest, and we are the royal priesthood.  However, this does not mean we do not need to also set ourselves apart in sanctification for our own calling. 

This sanctification may mean "not touching dead things" - that is, not bringing up old things from the past that we have already forgiven.  Not holding on to old, "dead" mindsets or behaviors that keep us stuck and in bondage.  It may mean letting go of things that continue to bother us, that bring death to us; it may mean catching ourselves to stop speaking "death" over our lives, situations, or other people around us. "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." -Proverbs 18:21

Are there any dead things in your life that you to stop touching? Pray for God's grace and power to let go of anything dead in your life.