Temporary Cohabitation

Have you ever thought about how great it would be to live in a world with no sickness, pain or crime;  a place where each individual was treated with the highest respect, and no one was judged unfairly? Believe it or not, there is such a place.  It's called heaven, and it is where God, The Creator, lives.  In heaven there is no sin, and therefore there is no suffering.  The presence of sin is what causes suffering.  

When God created the earth He made it perfect, and it would still be perfect if sin had not entered.  When the first sin was committed on earth by the free will of man, it grew like a cancer.  It has been passed down to every human being, and even nature was affected.  And so we live in a world where good and evil are both present.  In heaven there is only good because God is there, here on earth good and evil cohabitate, but there is another world where there is only evil. Hell is total separation from God in whom all that is good originates.  Separation from God means separation from all that is good.  

Think of the things in this world that are good.  Mountains, streams and rivers, flowers, trees and vegetables, oceans, beaches and sunshine are just a few examples of things that are good here.  In fact, each day of creation, God looked at what He had made and saw that it was good.  Now think for a minute about all the bad things in the world.  Disease, hunger, disaster, violence, war, murder and hate are all bad.  They are examples of what is left when there is no good.  Can you imagine what it would be like in a place where only what is good and beautiful could exist to bring joy, or living in a world where only what is evil and abhorrent could exist to bring torment? Someday good and evil will be completely divided. While I doubt that there are flowers, trees or rivers in hell, sometimes I wonder if there are mosquitoes and poison ivy there.  That is something I am content to never know the answer to.  Things in heaven will be better than the best things we know here because there will be no pollution, drought or disease.    

This is a beautiful lake, but do you see all of the dead trees?

We live in a world where good and evil are allowed to coexist for a time, but when we leave this world behind we will spend eternity either where there is only good or where there is only evil.  The only way to enter heaven is to be without sin.  If sinful mankind entered heaven it would no longer be perfect.  Anyone who is not completely perfect will spend eternity where there is only evil.  Considering that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," who could ever get to Heaven?

There is only one man who ever lived a perfect life worthy of heaven.  He is God's own Son who left that perfect place and was willingly born into a mortal human body.  He struggled against all the temptation we face, but He overcame it.  He never gave in.  He never did one thing that was wrong.  He is the only man who could enter heaven, but He gave up His own perfect life to bear the sin of every other man and woman who was ever born on earth.  He experienced the guilt and shame that was rightfully ours for each sin we have ever committed.  He traded places with us, shed His blood in a brutal crucifixion, and died for everything we have ever done wrong.

Because Jesus was punished for sin that He had not committed, death had no power to hold Him.  The third day he rose from the dead.  He was seen by many people.  He ate food and allowed people to touch Him proving that he was actually physically there.  He had scars in his hands, feet and side.  The wounds were healed, but the scars remained as a testimony of what He had suffered.  He told his followers to spread the word about what He had accomplished, and then He ascended to Heaven to wait for those who would believe.  That is all you can do to have your sin removed and be made perfect for heaven: believe that God's perfect Son, Jesus, died for you.  

Someday this world will end.  When that happens everyone will be admitted to the world they have chosen to spend eternity in.  Those who trust in Jesus choose the joy of Heaven.  Those who reject the message of His sacrifice choose to be separated from all that is good.  I have made my choice.  Have you made yours?  If you haven't, are you ready to make it today? Though we still experience physical death here, our spirits are offered life unending in a new body that will never know decay or corruption. I urge you to accept the offer today, and thank Jesus for the trade He made for you.