Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:1–5 NLT)

I love to talk about Heaven. I love to think deeply about Heaven. Why? It’s my future destination as a Christian—and it’s yours, too, if you’ve received Christ. What will we see when we get to Heaven? What will we do there? The Bible offers us some tantalizing glimpses, but that’s all they are—glimpses.

It reminds me of when I’m in a movie theater, and they show trailers for new films. I remember one film that I was very excited about seeing because the trailer was amazing. And then I saw the film. Guess what? The trailer was better.

We don’t have to worry about that with Heaven. The Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT).

God blesses us with little glimpses of glory—special moments when you’re with family or friends or when you watch a spectacular sunset, sunrise, or rainbow. If you ever get tired of a rainbow, something just might be wrong with you!

All these beautiful things are God’s creation. And they remind us that something greater is coming. Heaven isn’t a watered-down version of the greatest moments on Earth. The greatest moments on Earth are a glimpse of greater things to come. Heaven will be your greatest dreams realized and even more.

Heaven is a place of feasting and fellowship. A place of activities and worship. A place of fun and celebration that will put the sufferings of this world in context.

Will you be there? We decide in this life where we will spend the afterlife. Do you have absolute certainty that you will go to Heaven when you die? Remember, you don’t go to Heaven to find Christ. You go to Christ to find Heaven. It’s through Jesus—and only Jesus—that we will get to Heaven.

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“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5:14–15 NLT)

After Jesus said His followers are “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13 NLT), He said we’re also “the light of the world.” The contrast between those two images, salt and light, is interesting. Salt is hidden; light is obvious. If you’ve ever been in a movie theater when someone pulls out their phone to check messages or scroll through social media, you know how obvious light is in a dark place.

Salt works secretly; light works openly. Salt works from within; light works from without. Salt represents an indirect influence of the gospel; light represents a more direct communication. Salt and light work in harmony. If I’m salty—that is, if I’m living as I ought to live as a follower of Jesus—it effectively earns me the right to let my light shine before others.

By its very nature, light exposes darkness. Have you ever lost something in the dark? Maybe, say, a burrito in your car at night. You don’t know where it went. But when you look the next morning, you find it with no problem. A little light exposed it.

In the same way, when God’s light shines in our lives, we see things we haven’t seen before. In John 3:19, Jesus says, “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil” (nlt). People who are evil hate the light. They avoid it, lest their evil deeds be exposed.

That’s why if you ask certain people to go to church with you, you get an emphatic no. They want nothing to do with it. Or if you try to read a Bible passage, you get an objection. Church and God’s Word shine spotlights into dark places. People don’t want to come to the light or have a conversation about Jesus because they don’t want to change their lifestyle. They’ve grown accustomed to the dark and don’t want it exposed.

Remember, though, light also shows the way out of darkness. When I’m in a hotel room, I leave a light on—usually in the bathroom—in case I need to go there in the middle of the night. When I’m navigating unfamiliar territory, I don’t want to trip. The light helps me find my way through the darkness.

In the same way, God’s light helps people navigate through the darkness of this world so that they can find their way to Him. And Jesus gives us the privilege of being that light for others.

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“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” (Matthew 5:13 NLT)

In Jesus’ day, salt had great value. In fact, Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt. That’s where we get the expression, “He’s not worth his salt.” Salt was valuable because it stopped the spread of rot in meat. In the days before refrigeration, people would cut meat into strips and embed it in salt to preserve it. The followers of Christ, the salt of this world, serve a similar function.

Christians stop the spread of rot—or evil—in our culture today. Christians stand up for the rights of the unborn. Christians speak out against racism and try to bring about reconciliation. Christians help people in need. That’s what it means to be salt in our culture today.

Another thing salt does is stimulate thirst. If you eat salty popcorn in a movie theater, it will make you thirsty. (And then you’ll have to spring for a soft drink the size of a small wading pool—with free refills—or a $40 bottled water.)

As the salt of the earth, believers stimulate a thirst to know God in others. When people see someone who loves the Lord, walks with Him, and experiences His joy, they get curious. Maybe a little envious. They start to want what the believer has.

That’s how I came to Christ. I had transferred to a new high school. One of my friends warned me, “Greg, the Jesus freaks are everywhere here. Be careful.”

I said, “Oh, yeah. The last thing that’s ever going to happen is that Greg Laurie will become a Jesus freak.” Famous last words, right?

But here’s what interested me about these people: They had joy and happiness—things I didn’t have. I realized that there was an emptiness in my life. It was the believers’ walk with God that attracted me to them. I showed up at one of their meetings but sat far enough away that people wouldn’t think I was one of them. When I heard what it means to be a Christian, I gave my life to the Lord. The thing that ultimately reached me was Christians being salty. Christians living as Christians ought to live was very attractive to me.

Likewise, Christians who have lost their saltiness can make people turn up their noses at our faith. If you treat your faith like a chore—or if you take it seriously only when it’s convenient for you—people will notice. And they’ll judge your faith to be worthless.

If you live your faith with passion, purpose, and joy, people will also notice. And they’ll start to get thirsty.

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So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:7–8 NLT)

There will be good people in Hell. That’s a sobering thought, isn’t it? Of course, when I say “good” people, I mean people who trusted in their own human efforts, people who trusted in their own personal reality, people who trusted in the religious things they did.

Jesus warned, “On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name’” (Matthew 7:22 NLT). If we updated the passage, the people might say, “Lord! Lord! We were baptized in Your name. We received communion in Your name.” But Jesus’ reply is the same: “I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws” (verse 23 NLT).

These are good people. They paid their taxes. They recycled and put the right trash in the right can and did their best not to damage the environment. They volunteered at soup kitchens and donated to food drives. They did everything right.

But they’re still not good enough. No one is. No amount of good deeds can erase our guilt before God. If they could, we would have something to boast about. Our salvation would be a do-it-yourself project. We could stand back and admire our spiritual handiwork. Eternal life would be something we earned.

Eternal life is possible only because of God’s mercy and grace. He sent His Son to die in our place—not because we’re good people, but because He loves us, even though we’re helpless sinners. We are saved through faith in Christ, not through good works.

That’s not to say that good works play no role in a Christian’s life. True, they’re useless in our salvation. Isaiah 64:6 says, “When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (NLT). After we’re saved through grace, however, our good deeds are purified by Jesus. They become evidence of His work in our lives. Good works show others that our faith is alive.

James wrote, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now, someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds’” (James 2:17–18 NLT).

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And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. (Hebrews 11:9 NLT)

Among the endless parade of articles you can find online are variations of the “fish out of water” theme: “20 Ways to Spot an American in a Foreign Country”; “10 Eye-Opening Things I Learned When I Moved to Portugal”; “5 Surprising Differences Between Living in New Zealand and Living in Australia”; and so on. The idea behind them is that our citizenship marks us in certain ways, that citizens from a country have certain similarities.

In Philippians 3:20, Paul says Christians “are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives” (NLT). In Hebrews 11:9–10, the author says that, as citizens of Heaven, one of the things we have in common is a foreigner status in this world.

God calls His people to walk a thin line. We’re to influence the world without being influenced by it. To care about the things happening around us without being consumed by them. To make a home here without getting too comfortable in it or too possessive about it. To take care of our daily responsibilities while keeping our focus on things above. To be salt and light in this world without getting caught up in power plays, territorial spats, and political machinations. To care enough about the people in this life to make sure that they join us in the next.

Don’t think for a second that Christians have no place here. Or that our contributions as foreigners are minimal at best. Imagine how our world would be if there were no believers standing up for what’s right or speaking out against what’s wrong. God’s people are the restraining force. Once we’re removed, once the church is taken out of the equation, caught up to meet the Lord in the air at the Rapture, all hell will literally break loose.

Until that time, however, we will make our presence felt. And we will remember that our citizenship is in Heaven—and that what awaits us there is beyond compare.

Paul wrote, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT). As you get older, the promise of eternal life becomes more and more appealing.

When I first became a Christian, what interested me as a seventeen-year-old kid was that I could fill a hole in my heart, that I could find meaning and purpose in my life. But now, as a seventy-two-year-old kid, I rejoice in the fact that when I leave this world, I’ll enter God’s kingdom. I’ll go to Heaven, where my citizenship is.

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Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. (Colossians 3:1–2 NLT)

Have you ever tried to talk to someone whose thoughts were obviously elsewhere? It can be a frustrating experience. Instead of meaningful eye contact, you get a faraway stare. Instead of a lively back and forth, you get a few grunts or a noncommittal “Huh.”

Have you ever driven behind someone whose thoughts were obviously elsewhere? It can be an annoying, frightening experience. You can recognize inattentive drivers by their erratic lane changes, their unpredictable slowing and speeding up, and their complete indifference to everyone else on the road.

On a more pleasant note, have you ever interacted with Christians whose thoughts were on a whole different plane of existence? People who refuse to panic about the trials, tribulations, and persecution of this life—even as the end times approach—because they’re anticipating the life to come? People who prioritize eternal things over temporary ones?

Cynics might claim that such people are too heavenly-minded to be of any earthly use. The Bible says otherwise. In fact, believers who set their sights on the realities of Heaven may be the most valuable people on the planet, eternally speaking. Because their priority is to make sure that as many people as possible join them in the life to come.

Their focus is reflected in their prayers. They latch on to Jesus’ promise in John 15:7: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” (NLT). They pray with passion and persistence.

Sometimes, we pray for something once, and if that prayer isn’t answered in the affirmative, we conclude that it’s not the will of God. “I prayed for my husband to come to Christ, but he didn’t. So I accepted it.” No! Keep praying! Why? Because you know it’s the will of God to save people. So when you pray for someone to be saved, you’re praying in alignment with God’s will. God “does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT). Don’t stop praying for that husband who doesn’t know the Lord. Don’t stop praying for that wife who needs Jesus. Don’t stop praying for that son, daughter, or grandchild.

My mother came to the Lord toward the end of her life. I prayed for her for thirty-plus years. That’s a long time to pray. But thank God that prayer was eventually answered. Don’t give up. Keep praying. Keep thinking about the things of Heaven.

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But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. (2 Peter 3:10–12 NLT)

After reading Peter’s description of the end times, would you be surprised to learn that many people experience extreme stress when the topic of the last days comes up? Psychologists have coined a phrase for their excessive concern about the end of the world or life as we know it: doomsday anxiety. (The Latin term for it is rapturus nuttiness—okay, maybe not.) The symptoms of this very real condition include chronic nightmares, a constant sense of fear, and obsessive “doom scrolling” through online media.

That’s not the reaction Jesus wants from His followers. He didn’t say, “When all these things begin to happen, freak out.” He said, “When all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:28 NLT).

And make no mistake: These things are beginning to happen. Even secular futurologists are sounding the alarms as they see converging lines of danger and instability around the world. So, what does it all mean to us? How should we prepare for Christ’s imminent return?

James 5:7–11 offers a few ideas. The first is to be patient. James isn’t talking about a passive resignation, though. He’s talking about patience with an element of excitement—like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. It’s not something you approach with a relaxed attitude. You’re alert to the possibilities, but you realize there’s nothing you can do to speed things up. You take comfort in the fact that everything is happening according to God’s schedule. You remind yourself that your patience is tied to God’s loving grace. The reason Jesus hasn’t returned yet is that God wants more people to come to Him. He’s giving them a little more time.

The second is to stand in unity with fellow believers. People who haven’t yet come to Christ look to believers for their cues. If they see Christians at odds with one another, treating one another worse than unbelievers do, they’ll question Jesus’ impact on our lives.

The third is to endure. Be courageous and strong in the face of what this world throws at you. Trust God to work His will in your life. And always look to the life He’s promised you when this one is over.

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“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.” (Matthew 24:9–10 NLT)

Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 were in response to a question His disciples asked in verse 3: “What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?” (NLT). Think they were sorry they asked? The disciples faced intense persecution for sharing Jesus’ message with the world. All but one of them, John, died a martyr’s death.

But the persecution didn’t stop with them. And it didn’t end in the first century. Some scholars estimate that more Christians were killed in the twentieth century than in all previous centuries combined.

Christians have been persecuted more than any other religious group. And it’s not just confined to atheistic or Islamic countries. We’re starting to see more and more persecution in the United States. We see it in the woke ideology that has infiltrated our education system. We see it permeating the military. We see it being spread by the media. I describe it as an “ABC culture”: Anything But Christ.

When you stand up and say, “I’m a Christian,” you can expect pushback, resistance, and even persecution. Paul said, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12 NLT). That’s a promise of God we rarely claim.

Yet Jesus said the closer we get to the time of His coming, the more His people will be persecuted. So how should we respond? First, remember that it’s not us people hate; it’s Jesus. And if people see Jesus when they look at us, it means we’re doing something right.

Second, consider the times. Jesus said persecution will intensify as we draw closer and closer to the time of His return. If you notice an uptick in the mistreatment of believers, look up. Don’t get discouraged. Remind yourself that something amazing is on the way. Our suffering is temporary; our glorious reward for faithfulness is eternal.

Third, pray for believers who are facing persecution. Ask God to give them the strength and endurance to persevere. Ask Him to help persecuted Christians remain faithful in their mission and not abandon their faith.

Staying strong in the midst of persecution is one of the most powerful testimonies a Christian can offer. It says to unbelievers, “Here’s something worth suffering for. Here’s something more important than my life.” So as persecution increases in the last days, so do the opportunities to impact other people’s lives with our response. The challenge of Christians is to look beyond our own suffering and persecution to see the good that God is bringing from it in the lives of others.

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