One thousand years from today we will either wish we had or we will be glad we did! We are eternal beings created in His image and likeness by God our Heavenly Father. I do not believe we think about it nearly enough, but we are going to live somewhere forever and ever. In one thousand years hopefully we will be glad we did accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and will be enjoying the splendor of Heaven. Sadly, some however, will be living with eternal regret, wishing they had accepted Jesus, in what the Bible describes as an existence of eternal suffering, without hope of ever seeing their loved ones again.
Every other week I have the wonderful opportunity to speak at a Christian residential facility for men in upstate New York called “The Renovation House”, which houses a one-year program that helps men of all ages deal with life-controlling issues. When I am there, I repeat one of my favorite challenges to the men frequently. I say “Ok men, now let’s say “millions and millions….”, As they repeat “millions and millions” back to me, they all smile because they know what’s coming next. Once again I say “millions and millions,” and they respond, “millions and millions.” Then I conclude by saying “of years from today, we will all still be together in Heaven praising Jesus for all the wonderful things He has done in our lives.”
Eternity certainly was on Jesus’ mind often and it was also in the forefront of the thinking of every New Testament Apostle. Jesus said, in Matthew 6:33; “But Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (NKJV) The Apostle Paul stated in Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Just as living one day in Heaven was the main topic of the New Testament writers, so should it be the focus of our thinking on an everyday basis.
Have you ever made a decision that seemed at the time like it was going to involve great risk or sacrifice, only to realize later on that it was one of the best decisions that you have ever made? One day as we are walking the streets of gold, observing the millions of others who are there with us, enjoying with an intense heavenly jubilance what it feels like to live in an atmosphere free from the usual concerns, such as sickness, safety, tiredness, or fear. Can you meditate for a minute on living in a place like that? Can you imagine how much and how often we will be saying to ourselves, “I am so glad that I decided to follow Christ. I’m so glad that I said yes to that invitation to start attending church and ended up spending the rest of my life learning about our God! I am so glad I did!”
Unfortunately for some, the reflection backwards from a thousand years from today will not be the “I’m glad I did” but rather the “I wished that I had.” There was a story that Jesus told his listeners about a series of events involving a rich man and a man named Lazarus. It is found in Luke’s Gospel chapter 16 verses 19-31. It is important to realize that this was a story and not a parable. We know this because of the fact that Jesus referred to one of the men by name, “Lazarus”. In all of Jesus’ parables, none of the characters ever had a name; so many theologians believe that this story actually happened! In the story, the rich man dies and ends up in Hell, but the poor man, Lazarus dies and ends up in Heaven. The rich man is told that he cannot get out himself to warn his brothers, nor can he convince Abraham, who he can see in Heaven, to even send someone to them to try to warn them about this awful place of suffering that he is in. It would be safe to say that this is a Biblical example of someone who actually “wished that they had” listened to Moses and the prophets realizing then that it was too late to change his mind.
A thousand years from today seems like a long time, and it is. Second Peter 3:8 explains “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day.”(NKJV) I believe that we avoid thinking about the passing of time in Heaven because we are somehow troubled when we try to comprehend it. I like to challenge business-minded individuals who habitually think in terms of investment strategies. Have you ever actually thought about investing in heavenly stock options? Do you realize that Jesus invested heavily in eternal stock options? In Matthew 6:20 he said, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (NKJV) When Heavens golden “Wall Street” bell rings you will be “glad you did” invest heavily in the Kingdom of God!
I challenge you immediately to invest heavily in heavenly stock options that will never crash in value. If you are serious about this then you will begin today to seek the Lord about the specific places that He wants you to invest your time and money.
One thousand years from today will you be glad you did? Or wish that you had? Due to God’s infinite love for His creation, He understood the importance of giving us a free will, a choice. The scripture says in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”(NKJV) Will you be glad you did? Or…….?
