This brings to mind how many people we pass by every day that are totally blind spiritually and cannot “see” Heaven, most of whom don’t wear a sign to ask for help, let alone having a sign that says: “Heaven is beautiful and I can’t see it.”

So let me share with you how God in his Word, the Bible, has painted a beautiful picture of Heaven that the mind’s eye, when opened, can clearly see.

No more hunger or sadness: “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat…. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”¹

No more death, grieving, crying or pain: “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”²

Beauty beyond compare: “The wall [of Heaven] was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

“I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s [Jesus Christ's] book of life.”³

Jesus himself made many references about heaven. The Apostle Paul and several of Jesus’ disciples also wrote about heaven. In fact, in the New Testament section of God’s Word, the Bible, there are 237 references relating to Heaven. There are many more in the Old Testament section of the Bible. Rest assured, God himself repeatedly validates Heaven.

The critical issue is, are you ready to literally see Heaven from within when your life’s journey on earth is finished? God’s Word makes it plain that there are only two places where we will spend eternity after death—either with God in Heaven or in Hell with Satan and his evil demons. We need to make sure we make our choice today as to where we want to spend eternity. Heaven is beautiful so make absolute sure you get to see it. To make absolutely sure that you do, be sure to make peace with God today. For help go to: http://tinyurl.com/find-peace.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, Thank you for the promise in your Word that assures all your true followers that there is a Heaven that is beyond all beauty we can ever imagine, and that because of your free pardon for all my sins you have guaranteed me a home in Heaven to be with you for all eternity. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Revelation 7:16-17 (NIV).

2. Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV).

3. Revelation 21:18-27 (NIV).

In recent days, Joy, my wife, and I have faced some sobering times. For instance, a very good friend, still in the prime of life, last year lost his battle with cancer. Not that long afterwards we were shocked to learn that Joy (my wife) had breast cancer. Fortunately, following major surgery, she has healed and, confirmed by the medics, is cancer free. The point I am making, however, is this: “How do people without faith in God and peace with him handle situations like these?” At some point in life we all have to deal with crises in one form or another. And for each one of us there will come a time when we have to face our own immortality.

Imagine, if you will, that you are at the end of your life and are facing imminent death and are about to cross the great divide—from which there is no chance of ever returning—knowing that you have never made peace with God and are about to face him. As God has said, “Is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”²

This would be absolutely tragic and totally unnecessary because life never has to end this way if you have made peace with God in the here and now. So how does one do this?

First, acknowledge the fact that in God’s sight you are a sinner and have fallen short of his standard of holiness—without which one can never enter God’s heaven nor survive in the presence of his infinite holiness. God’s Word confirms that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory [standard] of God.”³

Second, acknowledge the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he left the “ivory palaces of heaven,”⁴ to come to earth as a man to identify with sinful mankind and die in your place on the cruel Roman cross to pay the just penalty for all your sins. As the Bible says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”⁵

Third, acknowledge the fact that Jesus Christ is the only way into God’s heaven. When Thomas, a disciple of Jesus, asked about the way to heaven, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [God] except through me.”⁶ God’s Word also says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”⁷ Had there been any other way into God’s heaven, Jesus Christ would never have had to come to earth clothed in a garment of human flesh to die in our place to pay the just penalty for all our sins.

Fourth, offer to God the following prayer of confession, faith, and repentance. Genuinely follow these simple steps and you will make and find peace with God.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please be merciful to me a sinner and forgive me for all my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son and that he died in my place to save me from the consequences of my sin which is eternal death and separation from you forever. And Jesus Christ please come into my heart and life as my personal Lord and Savior. I thank you, God, for giving your Son to die for me; and thank you Jesus for dying in my place to pay the just penalty for all my sins; and thank you God for your forgiveness, the gift of eternal life, and the gift of finding and making peace with you. With your help, I repent of (turn from) all sinful living to trust, obey, and serve you. So help me God. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you genuinely prayed this prayer, or would just like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please let us know and we will be happy to send you, without cost, further articles to help you in your Christian life. You can do this online at: http://tinyurl.com/pgntm.

For additional help to find Peace with God go to: http://tinyurl.com/find-peace, or to receive your “Passport for Heaven” go to: http://tinyurl.com/passport-heaven—whatever you do, don’t leave earth without it. It comes without charge.

1. Romans 5:1 (NKJV).

2. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).

3. Romans 3:23 (NIV).

4. Psalm 45:8 (NKJV).

5. Romans 5:8 (NIV).

6. John 14:6 (NIV).

7. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV).

Tom Miller wrote about the following experience:

My nine-year-old daughter Jennifer was looking forward to our family’s mini-vacation, but when our vacation arrived, she became ill, and a long anticipated day at Sea World was replaced by an all-night series of CAT scans, X-rays, and blood work at a hospital.

As morning approached, the doctors told my exhausted little girl that she needed to have one more test, a spinal tap. The procedure would be painful, they said. The doctor then asked me if I planned to stay in the room. I nodded my head, knowing I couldn’t leave Jennifer alone during her ordeal.

The doctor gently asked Jennifer to remove all her clothing. She looked at me with childlike modesty as if to ask if that were all right. Then they had her curl into a tiny ball. I buried my face in hers and hugged her.

Jennifer cried as the needle went in. As the searing pain increased, she sobbingly repeated, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy,” her voice becoming more earnest with each word. It was as if she was saying, “Oh, Daddy, this hurts so badly. Please, can’t you do something?”

My tears mingled with hers. My heart was broken. I felt nauseous. Because I loved her, I allowed her to go through the most agonizing experience of her life, and I could hardly stand it.

In the middle of the procedure, my thoughts went to the cross of Christ. What unspeakable pain both the Son and God the Father endured for our sakes. We owe a debt that can never be fully paid. The best thing we can do is give ourselves as living sacrifices.²

Ed. Note: If you’ve never truly thanked Jesus for dying on the cross to pay the penalty for all your sins and received God’s gift of forgiveness and eternal life, why not do that today by praying this simple prayer: “Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me and I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and the desire to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer and genuinely meant it, please let us know by filling in the reply form at: www.actsweb.org/decision.php

1. Matthew 27:46 (The Message).

2. KneEmail at http://www.oakhillcoc.org.

There’s something else invaluable about pain. It can make you more sensitive, more compassionate, more understanding, and more creative.

Beethoven, for instance, composed one of his greatest oratorios after he became deaf. John Milton wrote one of his greatest poems after he became blind. Walter Scott wrote “The Lay of the Last Minstrel” after he was kicked by a horse and confined to his house for many days.

Those who have given the world the most are often those who have suffered the most. This is because those who have suffered the most tend to understand life and people the most.

One of my favorite stories is told about Renoir, the famous French painter. Apparently, when he was older, he suffered greatly from arthritis, but he kept painting anyhow. On one occasion his friend, Matisse, said to him, “Renoir, why do you keep painting when you are in so much pain?”

Renoir simply replied, “The pain passes, but the beauty remains.”

When it comes to your pain, if you invest it wisely by using it to help yourself grow and reach out to nurture other hurting people, your pain, too, will pass, but the beauty of what you have done will remain forever.

Remember, it’s one thing to hurt. It’s another thing to allow your pain to hurt you. Accept your hurt as an opportunity to heal, to grow, and to become a more understanding, sensitive, compassionate, real, and creative person. It has been costly. Don’t waste it. Invest it wisely in your own growth and in the enrichment of other people’s lives as well.²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, when pain comes into my life please help me to hear what you are ‘saying to me’ and what you want me to learn through it. Help me to not waste it but invest it wisely in my own growth and therein become a more understanding, sensitive, compassionate, real and creative person. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT).

2. Adapted from How to Mend a Broken Heart, by Dick Innes. Available from www.actscom.com/store/

Yesterday we noted that all pain is caused by the fact that we live in a broken, sinful world and pain will not be a thing of the past until the Lord Jesus returns and ends all pain for his true followers. In the meantime how do we live with personal pain?

Not so long ago a friend was in our home. She recently learned that she has cancer; she is only in her mid 30s. The same week we learned than one of the pastoral staff from our church just discovered that she, too, had cancer. And in fact, earlier this year we found out that Joy, my wife, had breast cancer and needed a mastectomy. So many Daily Encounter readers write and share their heart-breaking situations. The big question most of us ask at times such as these is, “Where is God when it hurts?”

I don’t want to sound over-simplistic, and I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers, but for one thing pain is nature’s way of letting us know that something is wrong and needs attention. It is a self-protective device. When a bone breaks, it hurts, If it didn’t hurt, chances are we wouldn’t take proper care of it and it wouldn’t heal properly.

Without pain, life would be extremely hazardous. For instance, the first symptom of high cholesterol, which of itself causes no pain, can be sudden death by a heart attack. One of the dangers of leprosy is the loss of feeling and pain. A person with this disease hurts his foot, but because he feels no pain, he has nothing to remind him to protect his wounded limb. He hurts it again. And again. Still there’s no pain. Eventually he loses his foot.

Thank God for this kind of pain. It’s an impelling force to motivate us to take proper care of ourselves when we are hurting. It is also one of the most effective motivators (and perhaps the only motivator) to cause us to look at ourselves and deal with our personal problems, resolve our past, and grow in maturity. One of the worst things we can do with our pain is to ignore or deny it, and run from it. We need to accept and invest it; first in our own growth and maturity and then in supporting others who are going through the same or similar experiences.²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to understand the purpose of pain in my life and realize that you want to use it to help me grow and become a better person while Satan wants to use it to discourage me and make me bitter. Help me to choose the higher road and therein become a healthier and more mature person as well as an encourager of others who are experiencing pain. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 1:2-4 (NLT).

2. Adapted from How to Mend a Broken Heart, by Dick Innes. Available from www.actscom.com/store/

Daily the news media continues to report more and more tragedies such as earthquakes (think of the recent Japanese massive earthquake and the warning of tsunamis that could affect 50 countries; devastating fires; floods; despicable acts of terrorism; child abuse; the murder and rape of Christians by religious fanatics who despise Christianity.

Over and over we hear tragic stories about thousands of families being torn apart—grieving children losing parents; heartbroken parents losing children; homes totally destroyed; and despicable evil including criminals kidnapping orphaned children for their loathsome sex trade business.

Where is God at times like this? If we say God has nothing to do with these events, we will be seen as people who believe in a sadistic God who doesn’t care. If we say that God causes or even allows such tragedies, again we will be criticized as believing in a God who doesn’t care.

The fact is that God created mankind with a free will to choose whichever way he wanted to go. Tragically man chose to disregard God and go his own sinful way. Subsequently, we now live in a world that has been broken by sin and that by sinful mankind. Thus a more realistic question to ask is not, “Where is God,” but “Where is man?” When mankind sinned, he left and separated us from God and in so doing divorced mankind from God’s protection. When we leave God and go our own way (believing that we know better than God), we suffer the natural consequences. This happens at an individual level, a national level, and a world-wide level.

For just one example, the more that God’s Word and Christian beliefs have been attacked and abandoned in the U.S.A., the greater has been the moral decline and the increase of national problems. This, too, has happened and will continue to happen worldwide as long as we are living in a world that is plagued by evil. In fact, according to God’s Word, tragedies will continue and intensify until Jesus Christ returns and rules and reigns on earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.¹

However, because of God’s love he has made a way of escape by giving his Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and offer us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life to be with him forever where “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”¹ But this is not going to happen until Jesus returns to earth as he promised he would.²

The good news is that Jesus is coming again and will clean up the mess this world is in and in time will create a new heaven and a new earth. The critical issue for every individual is, “Are you ready for Jesus Christ’s return?” While we may never fully understand the circumstances of life until Christ returns, whatever you do be sure to accept God’s forgiveness and his invitation to eternal life. For help to do this click on: https://learning.actsweb.org/invitation.php.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have made a way of deliverance from this world of evil and evil’s consequences by giving your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins and making forgiveness and eternal life to be with you and your protection forever. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Revelation 21:3-5 (NIV).

2. John 14:1-3.

In the Australian edition of Encounter magazine Ivor Bailey wrote how Trinity College in Cambridge, England, has a long-held tradition of sending students to the slums of South London. At the parish of Camberwell the students sleep in the parish hall and spend a week each year working among the parishioners.

Some years ago a student was helping do some home repairs when the occupant, a bed-ridden elderly lady, asked him if anyone had ever told him that he bore a remarkable likeness to Prince Charles. “Spitting image of him you are,” she said. The student replied, quite truthfully, that no one had ever told him that before. “Strange,” she replied, “even with my poor eyes you look just like him.” To her dying day she probably never realized that her drains were being cleaned by the heir to the throne of England [Prince Charles].²

Some 2,000 years ago the King of kings came into the world as a baby and most of the people of his day, including the religious leaders, never recognized him as the long-promised Messiah because he didn’t fit the role of what they expected. However, there were those who did see him for who he was. Even the loose-living woman, whom Jesus ministered to at the well in Samaria, was so impressed with the fact that Jesus accepted her that she ran back to her community and shared how this stranger ministered to her and she asked, “Could this be the Christ?”

How sad and how tragic when we don’t recognize Jesus for who he is and for the gift of salvation and eternal life he has for all who come to him.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, though I cannot see you with my physical eyes, please open the eyes of my understanding so that I recognize you for who you truly are and always be aware of the leading of your Spirit in every area of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 4:28-29 (NIV).

2. Ivor Bailey, Encounter, December ’04-January ’05, p 15. ACTS International, Australia. www.actsinternational.org/au.

Michael Josephson, founder of Character Counts, shares how, “during my idealistic youth I attended an event in a large stadium. Everyone was given an unlit candle. Later, a speaker talked about the power of one person with an enlightened message. He also had a candle and a single match. He lit his candle and walked over to two people in the stands and with his candle he lit theirs and asked each of them to just light two other candles. Within a few minutes, everyone’s candle was lit and the entire stadium glowed.

“It was the most powerful visual metaphor I’ve ever experienced. First of all, thousands of candles were lit by a single tiny flame. What’s more, while the flame was passed on and on, each flame continued to burn with undiminished light. The speed with which the light and warmth of that single flame spread to everyone in the stadium was literally awe-inspiring.”²

In this day of increasing darkness caused by so much evil, terrorism, and turning from God there is an urgent need for every Christian to let his/her light shine. As we used to sing as kids in Sunday school: “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine … Hide it under a bushel, NO! I’m going to let it shine … Don’t let Satan puff it out … I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

The only way we are going to make an impact on the world in which we live is to let our light shine. Our words may be eloquent, our speeches inspiring, our writing powerful, but unless people see and/or sense Jesus and God’s love within us, we are not going to impact anyone.

Remember, too, that all the darkness in the world cannot put out or diminish the light of one small candle. And while Jesus is the Light of the World,³ we are his “lesser lights” and need to be reflectors of his light.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I’m available today, please help me to reflect your light—the Light of the World—and to be as Jesus to every life I touch and grant that they, seeing Jesus in me, will want him for themselves. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 5:15-16 (NIV).

2. Michael Josephson, “The Power of a Single Flame” Character Counts 387.5 www.charactercounts.org.

3. John 8:12.

“I don’t believe in God,” say some, “because to do so means committing intellectual suicide.” Really?

There is nothing wrong with having honest doubts about God, asking intelligent questions, and examining evidence. This is good for one’s growth. Furthermore, most of us struggle with doubts from time to time. I certainly do. And there are many things I don’t understand and probably won’t be able to this side of heaven. However, is belief in God an intellectual issue?

Partially yes, but I wonder if it’s not more a moral issue. For example, if I choose to believe in God, I know that I am morally responsible and accountable for my life and actions. This is a demanding path to choose and follow. If, on the other hand, I choose not to believe in God, I don’t have to follow his directives. I then deceive myself into thinking that I am not responsible for my life and actions and am only accountable to myself. This way I can live and do as I please—a very easy path to follow. This, however, is not only self-deceptive but also ultimately self-destructive. For as God’s Word clearly states, in the end “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,” ² and again, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”³

And, by the way, if I say I believe in God but disregard his directives, do I really believe in God? Belief may have many facets but one thing is certain, it is also a moral issue and a moral choice. And it’s not what we say that counts, but what we do.

Furthermore, choice needs to be based not on emotion but on an act of one’s will. As another has wisely said, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

Remember too, “It is choice, not chance that determines destiny.” This includes our eternal destiny. And as Joshua said to the ancient Israelites, “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding so that I can see my true motives in all the choices I make. Help me to see truth from your perspective and give me the wisdom and courage to choose your way and not my own. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For further help click on the Know God button below.

1. Joshua 24:14-16 (NIV).

2. 2 Corinthians 5:10.

3. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).

In response to the Daily Encounters on “Do Good People Go to Heaven?” I received many responses. Most were positive and as expected, some disagreeable. On the positive side, in those two days we received 90 salvation responses. On the negative side, we lost a bunch of subscribers, which always happens when I write on “touchy topics” as I like to call them. However, what was most disconcerting was those who claimed that because God was a God of love all good people will go to heaven.

What is alarming is not that people disagreed with me, for my word isn’t of any more value than anybody else’s. Disagreement is a good thing and helps keep me on my toes. The problem is when people disagree with what God has clearly said in his Word and what Jesus, the Son of God, said when he was here on earth. What I have to say is of little consequence but what God has to say is of ultimate and eternal consequence.

Herein lies the danger of disagreeing with God. When we do this, we put ourselves above the God of all creation and make ourselves the judge of God as to whether he is telling the truth or not. When we claim that what God has said is not the truth we are implying that God is a liar. And who are we to judge God, the Creator of you and me and the entire universe?

I may not understand why God says what he says or does what he does. That is acceptable, but to put myself above God and become the judge of him is, in essence, making myself god. Instead of God having the ultimate voice of authority, I usurp his position and make myself the ultimate voice of authority. That’s about the equivalent of an ant telling a man that it knows better than the man—and even this is a hopelessly inadequate comparison. To put myself and my word above God and his word is the ultimate in pride, self-delusion, and absurdity.

What is even more alarming is that putting myself above God is the essence of sin. When man was tested in the Garden of Eden (whether this is literal or symbolic is beside the point in this context), God told man one thing. Satan came along and told him the opposite. Man then made himself the judge of who was correct. In doing so he elevated himself above God and made himself the judge of God. The tragic consequence was that man chose to disregard God’s directive and go his own way. This is how sin entered the human race and is the very nature of sin. What many don’t understand is that sin is rebelling against God and his directives and in essence making ourselves god. Acts of sin are the outcome. To put it another way, we are not sinners because we sin but rather, we sin because we are sinners.

The only sensible and safe way to go is to let God be God and adhere to his directives. To do otherwise is not only the sin of pride (I know better than God) but the pathway to ultimate disaster and eternal damnation in hell which is eternal separation from God and all loving life.

Remember, “In the beginning God.” He will also have the final word in the end. Years ago Nietzsche said, “God is dead.” Today God says, “Nietzsche is dead.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of pride and making myself the ultimate voice of authority, and always lead me on the path of truth—your truth as found in your Word, the Bible. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Genesis 1:1.