As winter is finally giving way to spring the week before Easter up here in Northern Michigan, I have been reflecting on the place God is in the process of preparing for me in His heavenly kingdom. When spring overcomes winter, and the crocus bloom, the world seems fresh and renewed. I wonder if that same freshness and renewal will be as an eternal spring in Heaven.
The apostle John was given a vision of heaven while exiled on the island of Patmos. He must have had much time to spend with Jesus in his later years. He remembered Jesus’ words during the last Supper:
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be (John 14:2 & 3, New American Standard Bible).
In ancient Jewish culture, when a couple became engaged, “The groom often prepared a room for his bride on the family compound or in the family house. This reading is supported by the fact that Jesus will ‘come back’ (v. 3). This was precisely what the groom did after the engagement, when the preparations for the wedding and the room were finished (NIV First- Century Study Bible, 2014).” Jesus will return when our rooms are finished in Heaven. No one except God the Father knows when all the preparations will be completed, but when they are, Jesus will return.
But what will those rooms look like? My sister and I just finished redoing a bedroom in our house. We contemplated on colors and new flooring, built-in bookshelves and furniture. We must have planned several months before we started the renovation. Can you imagine what our rooms will be like in Heaven with the length of time Jesus and the Father are preparing the rooms for each and every one of us Believers? Though there is no description in the Bible of those rooms, John, while in the Spirit, was given a vision which included a glimpse into Heaven:
Immediately I was in the Spirit’ and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and one sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance (Revelation 4:2 & 3, New American Standard Bible).
Though not exactly sure what John was describing when he was telling us how the one on the throne looked, He looked awesome. A jasper stone is a complex brown with rose undertones. However, some have said the jasper mentioned by John here was like clear crystal. A Sardius is a reddish stone that is crystalline in appearance with the color somewhere between a ruby and a garnet. When we see God, who is to say He will look as John described. Perhaps God presented Himself to John in this way because He knew that by this appearance, He would be recognized as God. The appearance of God aside, what fascinates me is the rainbow around the throne like an emerald. Basically, it seems Heaven is going to be a beautiful, colorful place. I’m sure God will choose the very best color for the room He is preparing for me – a color chosen just for me.
What does all this talk of color have to do with eternal spring? For me, when the flowers start to bloom, the buds blossom, the grass greens up and the frozen lake goes from its gray ice appearance to its aqua and deeper blue, spring has arrived. Northern Michigan has gone from the pure white snow to a riot of color. Imagine Heaven filled with such a cacophony of color all the time that it just blows away your senses. And then layer on top of all the color, the brilliance of God’s presence. Well – that will be eternal spring.
Spring eternal could never be a reality for us if it wasn’t for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. His blood covers our ugliness in the presence of holy God so that we may experience spring for all eternity. When Jesus overcame death, He built the pathway for us to Heaven. Furthermore, and more spectacularly, we will be able to live in the presence of the Most High God and be filled with His eternal hope and love.
As we celebrate Easter, let’s gratefully reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice for us and on God’s plan to bring us into His mansion to live a life of eternal spring.
Resources:
Dobson, K. 2014. NIV First-Century Study Bible. Zondervan.
Photo Credit: © 2022 Stone Creek Landscaping, Marietta, GA. Website designed by UP Market Media, Inc. Retrieved on April 13, 2022 from https://stonecreekga.com/2015/03/24/how-to-get-the-most-out- of-your-georgia-landscape-this-spring/
