10 Promises about Eternity that Bring Us Hope Now

There is nothing like returning home after a long and stressful day. The world we live in is hard to get used to. Although there is a lot of good to be thankful for, sometimes you just know deep down that this world is not your home.

When life gets hard, when you feel misunderstood or lonely, or when the ache you have for peace cannot be met by any earthy luxury—these times direct us to the Word. Jesus reminds us in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” There is an ache in all of us for love, peace, and God’s presence. Believers have been gifted the presence of the Holy Spirit for to help soothe that ache, but in heaven, we will finally be home.

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Often, when I am sitting alone, I feel Christ’s presence sitting with me; and yes, I talk to Him a lot! I don’t know what Jesus really looks like, but when I finally get to see Him in heaven, it will be the purest, loveliest, most humbling moment.

The fact that He will say my name, and I will hear His voice for the first time just blows me away. The anticipation of holding his hand, bowing in His presence, and forever praising God with fellow believers gives me strength and hope each day.

“Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” (Luke 23:42-43)

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Our lives are wrapped up in time. Seasons of the year, work hours, aging parents, children growing—the list goes on and on. If I were to ask you what you wish you had more of, you would probably say time. We love to make wishes for what could happen in our time here on earth because we know we are not meant to be here forever.

I remember standing in my front yard as a young child thinking about what eternity meant. How after I died, there would be a never-ending space of time called eternity. And how if I was going to spend that somewhere, I wanted it to be with God. Cultivate that eternity mindset now so you can live in the moment you are blessed to have with no regrets.

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This blanket of hope gets me through more days than I can count. “'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

What a glorious day it will be when there is no more pain, sickness, or tears to cry. We won’t have to say goodbye to loved ones, lose them unexpectedly, or get that phone call with the grim diagnosis. All the pain accumulated from one loss after another will be no more! No more cancer, no debilitating diseases, no mental illness, and no more burying the young. What a glorious hope we have knowing that tears and pain have an expiration date.

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In my experience as a single woman, fear is, unfortunately, an everyday feeling. I'm cautious of my surroundings just walking from my car to the grocery store, and an awareness of potentially dangerous situations is ingrained in me. You may experience the fear of losing a job, a relationship taking a turn for the worst, getting into a car accident, etc. But in heaven, there will be no more fear of something going wrong.

Can you imagine never having to lock your doors?

"On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.  Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:25-27)

Oh, what a day that will be! Hallelujah!

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Reality is hard. Watching the news for five minutes can sink you into a pit of despair faster than most things. We wake up every morning and go about our days. Some are better than others, but overall, if we are lucky, the monotonous becomes our standard.

We are told in Philippians 4:8 to think about all things good: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” What a joy it will be when these things become the “monotony” of what we will think on in heaven!

The glory and fun that we will have in heaven gives me hope through the harsh realities of this life on earth. How exciting will it be to walk the streets of gold, fellowship with other believers, be in God’s magnificent presence, and feel peace beyond any we can imagine.

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Relationships on earth are far from perfect. We are all imperfect human beings depending on the wrong things and mistakenly hoping that we can be the source of life for each other.

Well, Christ is the perfect example of a pure relationship with the Father. Can you imagine a place where everyone will love each other unconditionally? A place where there will be no fighting, miscommunication, back-handed compliments, rejections, shaming looks, judging, or competition? I long for the day of reconciliation between all people when we will look to the Son and know our standing as true brothers and sisters in Christ—no more and no less.

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If you’re like me, the hope of heaven is more than I could ask for. Just standing inside the pearly gates is enough to humble me completely. We are all sinners and have fallen short of any hope to get to heaven on our own. It is only through the blood of Christ that our faith can bring us home.

Any good we can muster through God’s provision and grace is all to His glory. Surprisingly, through Scripture, we see that what we do on earth matters enough to God that we will be rewarded individually.

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” (Revelation 22:12)

I don’t know what rewards will look like, and I definitely don’t deserve any special recognition, but what a joyful surprise that will be!

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I have a large extended family, so yearly reunions are part of our annual rhythm. It’s so fun to catch up with everyone and eat delicious food! With every passing year, however, there are more and more that have passed away and are now missing from our reunions.

There are so many family and friends that I am eager to see again, give hugs to, and share laughs with! What a magnificent reunion it will be when we are all together again for all of eternity with the Lord!

“We who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

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All will be restored. All sin will pass away. We will forever be with our Father, our Savior, and each other in glory! No fear can tangle our minds, no sickness can ravage our bodies, and no sadness can puncture our hearts. What a joy it will be when all is made new and we can live as we were intended: creation at its most perfect. All glory to God. I hope to see you there!

“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  ^‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)

Mandy Smith is a joyful 30-something single living in GA. She is a full-time Speech-Language Pathologist. Her loves include Jesus, her family and friends, creativity, playing guitar and singing, coffee, laughing, and of course, writing! You can read more of her writing on her website www.myjoyousheart.com and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

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