THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God?" by Lorilyn Roberts

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he will dwell among them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be among them, and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.

—Revelation 21:3-5

Would you like to visit the garden in Seventh Dimension – The Door? Evil lurked in that garden, but when Jesus returns, he will create a new earth free of sin.

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From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:

Evening came. I wanted to love but I was unwilling to give up my hate. Could the king’s words penetrate my hardened heart? What joy would fill me if I surrendered everything to the king?

Baruch nudged me with his nose. “Where do we go now, Miss Shale?”

The crowds were leaving to return to their homes. I didn’t feel like I had one. I closed my eyes and prayed. “If I’m a daughter of the king, please forgive me. I’m sorry for my wrong attitude.”

Nothing changed on the outside, but I felt better on the inside.”

—Shale Snyder, chapter thirty-two

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While I can’t change the world I face each day, I can cleanse my thoughts through reading the Bible. I can pray when I am driving, when I am cooking, or when I rise or go to bed. I can confess to God my pain when I feel overwhelmed by the unexplained darkness—when bad things happen.

By allowing God to work in my heart, I can gain a heavenly perspective, lifting my spirit from the gutter that robs me of my joy.

Take a few moments and imagine what God is preparing for you. Your negative thoughts can be redeemed, helping you to live each day with renewed hope for a brighter future.

Someday, God’s new heaven and new earth will rise from the ashes following the greatest war ever fought in the universe. God and his angelic warriors will fight in the last battle against Satan and the demons of darkness. Earth will be the battleground and man the prized possession.

While man’s salvation is already secured by Jesus’ death and resurrection, the finality of souls’ destination is only within God’s purview. Satan does not know; neither does he know everything you think. Satan is not omniscient. He has nothing to lose—except you.

Even as the battle wages, once we accept Jesus, we can rejoice. We can know for certain where we will live for eternity.

Where is heaven? A place where our failures will no longer paralyze us; where perfect love casts out fear, pure joy abounds with unceasing laughter, and unfettered peace will last forever. It’s but one heartbeat away for those who believe in Jesus Christ.

Until we enter heaven’s gates, we have to deal with sin. The curse, passed down from Adam and Eve, plagues all creatures. Everything eventually dies.

The best thing about heaven is Jesus lives there—as king. No more elections, no more dictators, and no more czars. He said he was going to prepare a place for his followers, and someday he would return and take us back with him.

What will we see, and what will we look like?

Heaven is inhabited by millions of beautiful angelic creatures. When we pass through heaven’s gates, we will be clothed in spiritual bodies that will no longer be physically imperfect but eternally perfect.

Some saints will shine brighter than others, depending on their faithfulness to God, just as some stars appear brighter in the night sky. There will be rewards for our good works and for bringing others into the kingdom.

In heaven, there’s no competition for food or toll for survival—even in the animal kingdom.

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

—Romans 8:22  

The wolf and the lamb will feed beside each other Children will play with lions. The sound of crying will never be heard again. The old order of things will have passed away. When God wipes away our tears, our afflictions and troubles will no longer be remembered.

Heaven is never dark because the glory of God gives it light. The New Jerusalem will radiate with the majesty of God. The city will be built of gold, pure as glass. The foundations of the walls will glitter with precious gems and the twelve gates made of pearl will greet city visitors. Nothing impure will ever enter the city.

The River of Life will flow from God’s throne, and the Tree of Life in the city square will bear a different fruit each month. Its leaves will be for the healing of nations. Whatever we have here will be even better there—in beauty, fullness, and purity.

Heaven in Revelation has many mysteries beyond our understanding. The four winds who obey God and the four creatures who give praise to our heavenly father—who are they?

The Bible doesn’t give us a map to heaven, but in Genesis 28:12, Jacob “had a dream, and …a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and … the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”

In Revelation 4:1, John saw an open door to heaven; and in Acts 7:56, Stephen said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”  

Because it’s impossible for anything defiled or sinful to enter through the gates, it would have been impossible for anyone to go there if God had not provided a way. God said in Leviticus 26:12, “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.”  

Today we battle against the unseen powers of darkness—the prince of the air and his demonic minions. But through the Holy Spirit, we have a taste of heaven here. When we receive Jesus into our hearts, the Comforter indwells us. The Spirit whispers to us in our sleep, comforts us in our pain, and implores us never to give up.

The Bible reminds us of God’s unwavering truth. Thousands of years of attacks upon it and God’s chosen have strengthened the validity of the Bible’s claims. Even the rocks would cry out in praise to the heavenly father if it were possible.

When Jesus hung on the cross, he said to one of the two thieves beside him, “Truly, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). I take comfort in the fact that for the last two thousand years, Jesus has been preparing a place for you and for me.

Someday heavenly music will fill our ears. We will splash with joy in heavenly waters emanating from God’s throne and walk on streets of gold. We will be reunited with those who have gone before us. We will feast at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and all those whose names are written in the Book of Life will see the face of God.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

— John 16:33

What a glorious eternity awaits us. Until that day, let not the heartaches of this world discourage us from remembering the richness of God’s grace here—found in Jesus Christ.

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I am thankful I am a daughter (or son) of the king. I am thankful that my salvation is assured through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Help me to honor the king in all my ways so that he may be glorified— until I enter the pearl gates of heaven.

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TRUTHS FROM THE OTHER SIDE: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God?" by Lorilyn Roberts

If I [Jesus] go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

—John 14:3

Science fiction gives me the ability to travel to faraway places—and I like the exotic. In reality, Scotty can’t beam me up, I can’t travel to Mars, and I can’t live under the ocean.

But what if I could walk through walls? What if I could die and come back to life? What if I could read other people’s minds, talk to animals, travel through time, and visit the spiritual world through a hidden door?

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From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:

“Will the king always be with me?”

“Always. The seventh dimension is within you.”

—Shale Snyder and Astella, chapter thirty-seven

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The seventh dimension is a place beyond time. It’s within you and amongst the stars, but a heartbeat away and a prayer close by in times of need. God is ever mindful of what we do and where we are. If we feel estranged, we have moved—not God.

The Bible says many unusual things happened on the night of Jesus’ crucifixion, events often overlooked by the casual reader. I mention some of those strange apparitions in The Door to draw attention to the fact that much of what happened at the cross was supernatural. Supernatural means what it says—unnatural to the world we can see and feel and touch. I call it the seventh dimension.

Matthew 27:45 says from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, darkness came over all the land.

Matthew 27:46 says Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” He didn’t cry out to one of his followers or his family. He cried out to God.

When Jesus gave up his spirit, Matthew 27:51 says the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. Tombs broke open and dead people came out of them. After Jesus’ resurrection, they went into Jerusalem and appeared to many people.

Those that saw this exclaimed, “Surely he was the son of God” (Matthew 27:54).

A violent earthquake shook the ground following Passover. An angel rolled away the stone from the tomb and sat on it. Matthew 28:3-4 says, “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.”

Later that day, Jesus met the women who had followed him and his disciples. Over and over, he told his followers, “Do not be afraid.”

Stop and think. Imagine you had been there. You witness two earthquakes, see something strange in the sky, hear about the tearing of the curtain in the Jewish temple, and are told dead people have come back to life. One of them even appeared to you—your uncle who died five years ago. You hear rumors of an angel appearing before the guards in the garden.

Reports spread about several appearances of Jesus, even though you saw him die on a cross. You witnessed a spear stuck in his side and nails driven into his hands and feet.

In today’s world, with all of our medical technology, how long would it take someone to recover from that kind of injury, if it were even possible?

When have dead people come back to life and greeted hundreds of astonished onlookers? With the Internet, Twitter, Facebook, and around-the-clock television reporters looking for the story of the century, we would know about it immediately.

When has there been an eclipse associated with two earthquakes that occurred simultaneously?

What is the boundary between the spiritual world and the natural world? Spiritual beings can go back and forth—humans can’t. Jesus’ resurrection is proof that a person can come back from the dead. He was the first to be raised.

While his disciples recognized him, he appeared strangely different. They witnessed him travel through walls. He was no longer bound by the limitations of a human body. Something supernatural happened—that had never happened before.

All these things were possible because there’s a seventh dimension—a reality we can’t see or touch or feel—a reality that is outside of time as we know it. God’s reality is bigger than we can perceive because we are mortal.

When sin entered the garden and tainted God’s creation, it took away the immortality of humans. The unique relationship that man had with God in the garden ended. Death began and time took on a different meaning. Man would count the days, grow old, and die.  

When Jesus died,  he conquered sin once and for all. We will still suffer a physical death if the Lord tarries, but God will resurrect us so we can live with him forever in heaven. Those who have not received Jesus’ salvation will also suffer a physical death, but they will be resurrected to spend an eternity in hell.

We only have glimpses into the world of angels and demons—like we can see the introduction to a movie, and catch scenes of what’s to come, but we can’t “see” the movie until the movie hits theaters.

We have visual clues into a world beyond this one—evidence that demands our attention.

Jesus said in Luke 17:21 that the kingdom of God is within us. Because we are made in God’s image, his image is imprinted on us—in our synapses and in every breath we take. We long to be known by our Creator. We are the created: loved and molded in the Creator’s image.

Shale’s adventure into the seventh dimension is what happens to all of us at some level once we begin our quest for truth—a truth that is unlimited. The spirit from beyond teaches us about things we can’t understand naturally. Science has no answers for spiritual truths. They must be perceived spiritually.

When we die, we leave earth and go somewhere. We don’t stay here. No human has ever escaped the inevitable except two men in the Old Testament. In both cases, their being “taken up” without death was to glorify God.

Martyrs throughout history have also glorified God in their deaths—a testimony to everyone who comes after them. We are but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow, but we hold the truth within us. God wants us to share that truth with a world that needs more love—God’s love.

In the last book of the Bible, we are given a detailed account of the seventh dimension. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was imprisoned on the island of Patmos. He was an old man as this vision happened many years after the crucifixion. John was told by an angel to write down everything he saw.

John was given a glimpse into the future. He saw many events yet to take place, mysteries, terrifying images for which he had no words. His writings make up what is known as the Revelation.

… and the living one; and I [Jesus] was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades.

—Revelation 1:18

I can’t do justice to understanding Revelation, but I have thought about what certain things mean many times—the receding of the scroll, how John could see so far into the future, why God gave him the vision, and what God wants us to learn. Revelation is the only book in the Bible that offers a blessing to those who read it.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

—Revelation 1:3

Imagine there is a ruler timeline for the whole universe. You’re a tiny, insignificant dot in the year 20__. You can see only a sliver of what’s on that timeline. That’s your reality. But the seventh dimension covers the whole timeline and keeps on going past the edge of the ruler forwards and backwards. A ruler is only two dimensions—but the seventh dimension is, well, who knows how many dimensions? I chose seven because it’s the most sacred number in the Bible.

Let’s take another example. You’re a fish in an aquarium. That is your world, perhaps located in the corner of the living room. When you look through the glass of the aquarium, you see a world that you don’t understand. People outside the tank seem like gods to you. They dump flakes of fish food in your tank—they keep you alive.

Your three‑dimensional world is only as big as the fish tank. Because you don’t understand the outside world doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You see distorted glimpses of it through the aquarium glass.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face-to‑face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

— I Corinthians 13:12

Shale was known by Jesus long before she knew who he was. She sensed there was something she wanted, but she didn’t know what it was. She longed for something she could not name. Have you ever felt that way?

That longing is for Jesus Christ. Jesus was fully human and fully God. He died and was resurrected on the third day. He now assumes his godly position in heaven. The Messianic Jews accept Jesus for who he said he was. They call him their Messiah. The king resides in heaven now, his abode.

In Seventh Dimension – The Door, the birdcage descended from heaven and alighted on the king’s out-spread palm. Then he opened the door of the cage and set the small bird free.

The symbolism is powerful. In the same way, the king set the bird free, Jesus freed Shale. You are that beautiful bird in a cage waiting—to be freed from sin, freed from impediments that blind you and bind you. You’re as free as you give yourself permission to be—free to become all God created you to be.

Don’t place limitations on yourself—your lack of belief, your lack of trust, your lack of faith—your lack in these areas is because of sin. Sin limits your ability to receive love. Jesus came to set you free. That freedom is yours once you commit your life to him.

Your freedom is a gift—Jesus Christ will not force himself on you. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word—a perfect gentleman. You must choose to let him into your heart.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

—John 15:7

You have been given everything you need to live a godly life in the person of Jesus Christ. Take a moment and ponder where you want to spend eternity. Remember, you’re no more than a worm, but Christ was willing to become as lowly as a worm in order to save you.

Out of the seventh dimension greatness visited us in the form of a king. He left his throne and entered the abode of man. He became one of us so we could become one of his.

In our flesh, limited by our ability to see the supernatural, we see God through general creation. But we must open our eyes to see. We must not let depravity steal our joy. We must not let evilness wax our love cold. The choice to heed God’s calling is ours.

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Dear Jesus, I have sinned against you and others. You died for me on the cross, my only way to heaven. Please come into my  heart and help me to follow you. Thank you for your gift of salvation.

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