We Christians often act like heathen. We preach that it is wonderful to be a Christian, that Heaven is to be gained and Hell shunned. Then when one of our loved ones dies, we act as if it were all a lie. Our actions say that this world is better than the next, that death is a tragedy, and we ask querulously in our unbelief, Why? Why? Why?… Shame on us! When we weep and lament at the death of our loved ones [beyond God’s-honoring grief], we often make void our testimony, cast reflection upon the Bible and irreverence on Heaven. For the Christian, death is not a tragedy but a glorious promotion – not the sad end, but the glorious beginning.
Bible Facts About Heaven, Sword of the Lord, 1940, p. 38.
This world is only an anteroom of the next. This short life is incidental compared with eternity. This world is not home to the Christian. Here we are only sojourners, temporary dwellers in a foreign land. Our citizenship is in Heaven. Our treasure should be in Heaven. Our thoughts should dwell lovingly and longingly on that sweet home of the departed saints, of our Savior and of our Heavenly Father.
Bible Facts About Heaven, Sword of the Lord, 1940, p. 11.
Since Heaven is so near and since such a cloud if witnesses surrounds us, let us run our race with patience, laying aside the weights and our besetting sin of unbelief. Jesus will give us the soul-winner’s power while Heaven looks on. And one day we shall share with them the soul-winner’s reward and enter more perfectly into the soul-winner’s rejoicing.
Bible Facts About Heaven, Sword of the Lord, 1940, p. 37.
We ought to sing song about Heaven, long after its beauties, rejoice because of the certainty that one glad day we shall be there. We ought to welcome the call that may come for us at any moment. We ought truly to be homesick for Heaven and willing to stay here on earth only that we may do the will of Christ and bless others in His name and work.
Facts About Heaven, Sword of the Lord, 1940, p. 38.
We [wrongly] feel that heaven is bearable, all right, when one has sucked dry all the pleasures of earth. We feel that, only after old age has come upon us, when life is a burden, when health has failed, when we are in the way and our children don’t want us, then perhaps we should be resigned to go to Heaven. Subconsciously we look upon heaven as a scrapheap for the worn-out and useless, a kind of old people’s home – better than nothing but not as good as this world, with youth, health and prosperity.
Bible Facts About Heaven, Sword of the Lord, 1940, p. 38.
When the Christian dies, he loses his sorrows. If one glistening tear can stain the pure face of a saint in Glory, then God Himself will wipe it away and comfort with His own endearments all His own who have sorrowed! Pain will be forgotten. Poverty will turn into riches… Earth has no sorrow Heaven cannot heal.
Bible Facts About Heaven, Sword of the Lord, 1940, p. 42.