BEYOND THOSE PEARLY GATES

 

If you live anywhere around Eastern Pennsylvania, you know that today was just a beautiful day.  The sun was shining bright.  The air was crisp and clear.  The birds were singing merrily.  And, there are flowers blooming everywhere in every possible shade of red and pink and yellow and purple and orange.  June 3, 2002 will go down in the record books as a near-perfect day.

 

Oh, but it's really far from perfect here on earth.  Though we can enjoy so much of the beautiful creation that God has made, it is really far from the perfect world that God created thousands of years ago.  Since that time the world has been spoiled because of people's sin.

 

But, there is another place.  A place created by God.  A place untouched by the sin of man.  That places lies "beyond the pearly gates."  That place is Heaven.

 

The Bible talks a lot about Heaven.  Heaven is where God lives.  God's perfect Son, Jesus, also lives in Heaven.  Angels live in Heaven, too.  How many angels live in Heaven?  We don't know the exact number, but the Bible tells us that thousands and thousands of angels live there.  The Bible tells us that Heaven is so beautiful and so perfect.  There's a river flowing through Heaven that's as clear and clean as glass .  There's a street in the middle of Heaven that's made of pure, shiny gold.  No need for concrete or blacktop there!  Then there's the mansions!  Lots of mansions.  They are the special homes that Jesus is preparing for His children.  In the Bible Jesus said, "In my Father's house (Heaven) there are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for you . . . I will come again" (John 14:2-3).  I don't really know EXACTLY what Heaven is like, and I can't really put into words just how wonderful it is.  But I do know that it's really wonderful. 

 

There are some things, though, that are NOT found in Heaven.  The Bible says that there is no crying and no tears and no sorrow in Heaven.  In Heaven there is no death and no sickness.  Imagine never having a sore throat or a stomach ache again!  Imagine never having to stand by a casket and cry over a loved one who's died.  That will never happen in Heaven.  There's no darkness in Heaven and no night.  Maybe you're a little afraid of going to bed in the dark.  Just think!  In Heaven it'll never be dark again, and it'll never be night.  Heaven is so wonderful.  It's so perfectly perfect in Heaven.

 

There's one more thing that I want to tell you about that will never be in Heaven.  That one thing that will never be in Heaven is S-I-N.  Sin!  Sin can never be in Heaven.  God can't let terrible sin into His Heaven because then it wouldn't be perfect anymore.  The sin would spoil it. 

 

Just like the Bible talks a lot about Heaven, the Bible also talks a lot about sin.  "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  Every person -- every man, every woman, every boy, every girl -- every person in the whole world has sinned against God.  We've failed to measure up.  No matter how hard we try, we can never be as good as God is.  We can never be perfect enough to get into Heaven on our own.

 

BUT, God loves us and has made a way for us to go "beyond those pearly gates" to Heaven.  That way is through His Son.  That way is through Jesus.  Jesus made the way for us to have our sin forgiven.  He did that by dying on the cross for you and me.  He gave His precious blood for you and me.  The good news gets better . . . after Jesus finished paying for our sins on the cross, He was buried in a tomb.  Three days after that . . . Jesus came out of the tomb alive.  He rose from the dead.  Isn't that wonderful!

 

God and Jesus love you.  They want you to someday go to live with them in Heaven when your life here on earth is over.  Will God allow you into His Heaven?  He will . . . if you've accepted Jesus as your Savior.  If you haven't asked Jesus to be your personal Savior, don't put it off.  Place your trust in Jesus today.  E-mail a note back to me if you have any questions about how to do that.

 

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If you have any questions about this Mousetales story or if you want to talk further about receiving Jesus as your Savior, please e-mail Miss Missy at cef-cm@bwkip.com
 
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