For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV)
We are starting a new series of messages, “The Kingdom of Heaven”. As I am thinking about heaven it occurs to me that while Heaven certainly is a literal place, it also is the representation of man’s restoration to God. When we get to Heaven we will be in the very presence of God without the barrier of evil that hinders us in the world today. So when we get there we will be able to relate to God in ways that are unimaginable to us now!
Heaven will put things back to way they were before sin interrupted our relationship with God. But there will be one difference between the way things were before man sinned and the Heaven that awaits us – SALVATION! The power of salvation is so great that after it is all said and done, things will actually be better! When we get to Heaven we will go to Paradise, not the Garden of Eden, we will always be in the very presence of God, not just in the “cool of the day” (Genesis 3). When we get to Heaven there will be the tree of life (Revelation 22), but not the tree of “Knowledge of Good and Evil”. God will be there, Jesus will be there, the Holy Spirit will be there, but Satan will not. Why? Because Jesus’ salvation is so powerful that the eternity originally planned for Adam and Eve in the garden is surpassed. The freedom we get from salvation also means eternal freedom. Freedom from the wickedness of sin that tempts us. The Garden Eden was not perfect, it contained temptation and a tempter, but heaven will be perfect! There will be nothing to entice us away from God!
The Devil meant to destroy us, to ruin God’s plan for eternal fellowship with Him, but salvation gave us an even better future and left Satan with nothing! You and I will go beyond the Garden of Eden to Heaven by the power of salvation!
