Title: Pathway to Heavenly Life
Revelation (24) Pathway to Heavenly Life
(Rev 4:1-2)
< God who protects us in trouble >
If you look at the introduction of Revelation chapters 1-3 full of stories about the church, you can see that the Lord's deepest concern in the book of Revelation is the church. The direction in which God moves history is closely related to the church, and the direction in which God leads an individual's life is also closely related to the church. God loves those who love the church and cares for those who love the church. As such, God's concern is all about the church, so the church is said to be the body of the Lord or the bride of the Lord. However, from Chapter 4, suddenly, not a single word about the church appears.
In the opinion of most biblical scholars, we live in the age of Laodicea, the last of the seven churches. In fact, the appearance of the lukewarm Laodicea church is very similar to that of the modern church. Then we can say that we are now living in the time point between Revelation 3:14-22 and chapters 4-22 describe what will happen in the future.
There are no people in this world who like suffering, but suffering is necessary. We must go through hardships to strengthen our faith. Don't be too afraid of hardship. This is because there is the grace of experiencing God's existence and hand through suffering. Also, God does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, but when we are tempted, He opens the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). Even if we are subjected to a ‘training test’ within God’s will, God will protect the saints from that test.
God has saved us from our sins and has led us up to this point. He will continue to guide us along the way in the future. If you pray in front of God and persevere and go out, you will solve your problems, give you a new vision and give you peace. Even if we face any great tribulation we cannot imagine in the future, what we must believe without doubting is that “God is with us even at that moment!”
< Pathway to Heavenly Life >
What did the Apostle John look like when he saw heaven through the open heavens before he had a vision of tribulation? When he saw the kingdom of heaven, the first thing he saw was the throne of God (verse 2). Heaven is no other heaven. Heaven is not heaven because it is a place where we live well and live happily. Heaven is heaven because it is the place where the throne of God is.
God is at the center of heaven, and God is at the center of history. When you put that God at the center of your life, you will experience life in heaven on this earth. We are God's beloved children. That fact, above all else, makes life more enjoyable. If God is with me and loves me, we should not lose our spirits under any circumstances and our heart should be racing whenever we think of God's love.
To live a successful life, you need to make a good life a habit. Ultimately, it is important to make a habit of living a God-centered life. Believers should make it a habit to forgive and give thanks. In particular, among the habits of God-centered life, the highest peak is the habit of starting the first period of the day or the first period before the start of work with the Word and prayer. Just as tuning before playing the violin, there is no life more blessed than a life in which you tune yourself with the Word and prayer before starting your life.
A life without purpose is a waste of one's life, and furthermore, it interferes with the lives of others. More important than material and number is to have a heaven-oriented life, a heaven-oriented moral code, and a heaven-oriented view of life and values. When the wrong person succeeds, the majority become unhappy. The problems of the Korean church and Korean society today are caused by people who do not have a heaven-oriented moral code and want to do many things. In this age, please become a blessed channel to deliver the heavenly life to someone near you through a God-centered life and a heaven-oriented life.