Jesus Is the Bridge Ministries

If you die tonight, will you go to Heaven? Well, yes, but first I’m going to Paradise. Remember the dying thief on the cross? Jesus said, after the thief asked him to remember him in his kingdom, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Now, to me, it makes no real difference whether we say Heaven begins when the Holy City descends from God, after the judgment, or right after we die, or even when we’re saved. All that matters to me is that, according to the Bible’s promise, when this body dies, I will be with Jesus. Paul said, “For me, to live is Christ, but to die is gain.”

It would be interesting to speculate, too, what kind of “house” the Lord has prepared for us; all Jesus said was a “place,” though he said in his Father’s house are many mansions. The Bible refers to our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, and of our Christian lives as a building we build on the foundation of Christ. I sometimes wonder what real need we would have for a house, since we will never have to sleep, and we’ll take our food and drink along the River of Life. Houses tend to separate people into small groups; there will be no need for separation in Heaven. I would certainly not be upset if the Lord ushered me into a glorious mansion, but that’s not important to me either. Again, all that matters is that I will be with Jesus for all eternity.

Here are the words for a song the Lord gave me recently that describes the experience of waking up in Paradise after this body dies. I can provide the music for the song in the form of a midi file on request, if you know how to play one. I’ve written a few more lines after the song, as an encouragement to you:

The First Day

(Tune: The Nightingales Sing)

I awake to sounds of Paradise on a bright Son-lit day.

And the only light I see is Jesus my Lord

Then the sounds of singing fall so sweet on my ears.

Songs that praise the name of Jesus Christ are all I can hear.

Soft the grass beneath my fingertips, so fragrant the smell

Amazing shades of flowers in the fields all around.

Then the touch of his gentle hands invites me to rise

And I see the shores of Paradise alive in his eyes.

(Interlude)

Then we walk along the flowing stream of the River of Life

And He holds my hand in His and speaks words of love

He answers all my questions there before I can ask

And He opens up eternity in the Father’s delight.

I am caught up in the depths of love, I scarcely can speak.

My heart is overflowing with sweet anthems of joy.

I can not remember when He wasn’t with me.

But I know that every day will be just like the first day.

Although I used some poetic license in the words of the song, time and all of its divisions will have no meaning in eternity. By our terms, if they did apply, we could spend an infinity of years just doing one thing, like singing songs of praise to Jesus or fellowshipping with Paul, and still have as many years left as when we started.

Did you realize that eternity with Christ, though not Heaven as we’re speaking of here, begins as soon as we’re saved? Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” The difference, as Paul says, is that now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. It is in times of real worship and praise that we catch a glimpse of what Heaven must be like, but it’s like trying to make out someone’s face in a picture that’s totally out of focus. John tried to describe what he saw in Revelation 21 and 22, but how can you describe the indescribable?

If there were no life after death, someone said, I would still want to be a Christian. Well, yes, I suppose, but the great part is, we never have to make that choice. Eternal life with Jesus Christ in Heaven is a promise. I, for one, am looking forward to the trip, whenever it may take place. Like the old song says, “I will meet you just inside the eastern gate over there.” It’s a date!

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