Heaven Is More Real

By Camilla Smith

I try not to watch much news. Really, who can stand it anymore? The stories are becoming more and more like a New Year’s Day Twilight Zone marathon and at this point, it is hard to distinguish the truth from the fiction. 

Between ISIS, Russia, Ebola and the smoldering cauldron in Ferguson, it can’t get much more surreal. Is this really happening? Is a racial divide like never before coming to America? Is Ebola coming to America? Is ISIS coming to America? Are they already upon us? (Maybe.) 

I’ve said it before…I really think the racial issue is so much more about fear than about intolerance and hatred. I’m more afraid of someone of my own white race who has tattoos and piercings than I am of a black man dressed as a gangster. Honestly, I am afraid of both. In my opinion, both are trying to provoke and cause fear—so why should people not be afraid? Just because I’m scared, doesn’t mean I hate. Absolutely not.

As far as ISIS…that’s anybody’s guess. The whole thing seems very mysterious and bizarre—the rapidity of which these bands of evil entities are taking over the Middle East seems supernatural and cannot simply be the work of mankind. Satan is definitely running that show, and he obviously has a lot of help from his emissaries.    

It is shocking for us to see a world that has practically run in the opposite direction of our creator, Yahweh, and into the arms of a fallen angel named Satan. As Christians, why would we feel at home here? If we’re still holding a firm grip to this world, we need to look inward and closely evaluate our walk with God.

I admit, I watch the goings on in the world and wonder, “Is this the final straw?” Or will our cages be rattled a little more before in a warning that cannot be ignored, as it seems some of these latest headlines have been?   

I believe that this time in which we are living is God’s way of preparing us for our ultimate goal—being with Him. If we loved this world, if the world was paradise and we were in total utopia here, how much would we think about God? Would we long to see His face, live in His kingdom, and walk with Jesus? (Think about it.) 

And to put it plainly, the Bible tells us point blank, that we are not to love this world. The Scriptures clearly state in 1 John 2:15:

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”  

This admonition is found also in Romans 2:12 where Paul writes: 

“And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.” 

 The Scriptures are very straightforward about this.  We are not to love the world. And there is the following verse that really puts it in perspective, 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV) says: 

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.”                

It seems that humanity is facing many new and unfamiliar dangers. Maybe these are no worse than the dangers faced by those in other generations…but for some reason, this time around seems different. The rise of Islam seems different. The conflict in Israel seems different. The war between Russia and Ukraine feels different. The Ebola epidemic scare seems different. The racial situations and recent riots seem different  Our country feels different. Our stability seems obscure and our fragility seems staggering. The “security” we have known has faded, hasn’t it?  

I asked myself this question the other day, while working on a monumental project this summer that was coming to a close. My husband and I undertook the back-breaking work of putting in a field fence around our property…doesn’t sound so bad, but eight weeks at 90 degrees, 80 post holes and 1000 feet of fencing wire later, our little “compound” is finished.  That’s what it feels like…a compound. I have joked with friends that if we were to set up white tents in the back, it could qualify as a FEMA camp–it’s that secure (okay, it will safely hold two collies). 

But what is secure, I asked myself? Why is secure even in the dictionary? There is no such thing!  Not in this world anyway. Oh we can save for the future. We can build our retirement.  We can take precautions, we can store up, we can immunize, we can medicate. We use sunscreen. We use bug spray. We take vitamins. We exercise. We devise passwords, lock our identity and antivirus ourselves until the sun rolls over, but really, what security are we promised?  

There is only one way to have absolute peace, absolute joy and absolute security. Security comes from one factor alone–knowing where you will spend eternity.  And there are only two options.  Without the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are only as secure as your next breath, which may never come.  

If you invite Jesus to be the Lord of your life, and walk daily with Him, repent of your sins and seek His Face, your name is written in His Book of Life and your destiny is to be with Him in the safety and security of His loving arms for all of eternity! Security is THAT simple! And knowing your eternity is secure in Jesus Christ is pure bliss. There is no other word for it. It is lockdown. It is a done deal.                              

During a daily conversation with a fellow believer and a dear friend who is looking for our Blessed Hope every second, she stated to me, after yet another harrowing day of bad news and headlines, “I am so weary of the troubles of this world. It doesn’t even seem real now. To me, Heaven is MORE real than life on this earth.” 

So profoundly true. I feel many believers in Jesus Christ are feeling this way now as we watch the world spiral downward and see things we never thought would happen. The longing for our permanent home becomes more real, more tangible, more desirable and almost unbearable. We yearn to finally, finally be home with our Lord who has gone and prepared our place for us. We dream about thanking Him for suffering and dying in OUR place, for OUR sins. 

How we look forward to celebrating His resurrection with Him. We cannot wait to finally bow at His feet and worship His name and sing His praises. He IS our Savior. He IS our Lord.  He IS our security. He is MORE real than this world.      

Do you know Him? 

Do your friends and loved ones know Him? 

Time is running out. Maybe you have heard this before, but the Bible promises that Jesus will return to this earth and the signs that we are to look for are blaring at us like a freight train tearing down the tracks. The yellow light is just about to blink to red and your eternity will become written in stone. Are you ready? Is your eternal security intact? 

I feel a sense of urgency like never before. I feel like I have very little time to wrap up the loose ends of the things God has given me to accomplish before He sends Jesus to take His followers out of this world. It almost seems like God is wrapping things up too, doesn’t it?

Every chance I get to witness to someone I care for is an enormous relief—one step closer, to the reward of Heaven that God has promised His children. It is hard to explain, but if you are watching and listening for Jesus, you know what I mean. 

We have gotten to that point now. We have disconnected. We have let it go. Heaven IS more real than what is being dealt to us by the prince of this world (Satan). It is the reason for our indifference and our discontent with our earthly abode.

Our grip on this world is gone, and our arms are outstretched toward the sky. And very soon, Jesus will be standing there with His arms outstretched to us. He already is. We have imagined it, but in a moment, we shall see Him and it will be real. At last, real. 

Camilla        

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