Hans Sangtoki Bible Reading: Revelation 7:9-17, 22:1-3
“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence” (Revelation 7:15)
“No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him” (Revelation 22:3)
What will be the end of every Christian’s life? Those who are God’s children will be brought into the new heaven and earth to worship and serve God forever in perfection and paradise.
On that day, we will see God face to face. His glory will radiate everywhere. He will be revealed in all His fullness and Holiness, which will flow like rivers of living water. God will sit on His throne at the centre of His Kingdom, and we will be fully fulfilled, happy, and satisfied in God alone. We will stand in His presence, and all the curses of sin will have vanished. There will be no more hunger or thirst, no more pain or suffering.
What is the end of all this?
The end is that all God’s people will bow down to worship and serve Him once again. This was God’s original plan when He created humans in the garden of Eden. God created man, a duality of spirit and flesh, to serve and worship Him as they walked in His company. And so, Jesus’ grand work of salvation is for one end, the restoration of God’s plan for humans. In the new heaven and earth, we will once again be made holy and blameless through Christ so that we can serve and worship God forever.
This will be the best and most satisfying thing ever. Nothing will compare to savouring God’s glory and giving Him all the praise and honour. He deserves it, and He created us for this very purpose. Our good God desires our best, and our best is to worship and serve Him. This is the glorious vision of heaven revealed in the scriptures. One day, with all fellow believers, our spirit, which had been separated from our body in death, will be reunited in a new heavenly body so that we will once again be humans who God created to worship and serve Him forever.
If this is our imperishable and enduring hope which we eagerly await, what should we do now?
Serving God is not something we do only in heaven! God calls us to serve Him today. Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Through the church, God desires to give us a foretaste of heaven on earth. God calls us to serve Him and His kingdom right here and right now on earth. If our life’s end goal is to serve God, why not serve Him today? If the most satisfying and fulfilling thing in life will be to serve and worship God in heaven, why not taste a glimpse of that joy here on earth?
Though serving God here on earth means enduring scorn and hardship from the world, in it, there is an unfound joy the world does not know. Even more, it will not be in vain because of the blessed hope we have; we know that this joy and glory is just the tiniest glimpse of the reality of heaven.
Jesus says in Matthew 16:24-27, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done”.
Serve God today. Take up the cross and surrender your life to Him.
Lord, thank You for the hope of salvation. Thank You that our faith is secure in You, and we can hope for heaven where all things will be restored, and we will see Your glory and serve You forevermore. Lord, if I was created to serve You forever, teach me to serve You today. Help me to know You and help me to follow and obey Your ways from today. I ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
Hans Sangtoki (18) is the coordinator of RE Generation Z. He has a passion for serving his generation and sharing hope in Christ. He also has an interest in classical music and dreams of conducting an orchestra one day.