"Somewhere over the rainbow"

There’s a scene in the classic film “The Wizard of Oz” that has been on my mind of late.  Dorothy is trying to speak with her Aunt Emily (or “Auntie Em” as Dorothy called her) but her aunt is too busy and distracted; she finally says to Dorothy, “Find yourself a place where you won’t get into any trouble.”  Emily runs off to tend to her duties, but Dorothy reflects on her aunt’s words.  “Someplace where there isn’t any trouble.  Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto?”  She asks her faithful dog.  “There must be.  It’s not a place you can get to by a train or a boat.  It’s far, far away; behind the moon, beyond the stars.”  Then Judy Garland sings us the beautiful song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”  Well, there is a place where there isn’t any trouble.  It’s a wonderful place that the Bible calls Heaven.

Heaven has an unfavorable reputation in this culture.  It’s usually thought of as a boring existence; nothing could be further from the truth.  It’s interesting that Jesus referred to Heaven as “paradise” (Luke 23:43).  Furthermore, in 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul describes a time when he had a vision of Heaven, and he also called it paradise (verse 4).  Sometimes when I ask someone how they are doing, they reply, “It’s another day in paradise.”  Please understand that I’m not criticizing anyone who says this phrase.  It’s fun and lighthearted.  But I have an announcement: life on this Earth is not paradise; Heaven is paradise.  Now, I ask you, would something described as paradise really be boring?  I don’t think so.

Elisabeth Elliot – who went to Heaven a month before my father did – once said, “I think Heaven is going to be so fantastically beyond your wildest imaginations that God couldn’t give us any more hints about it than He’s already given, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to keep our minds on our work.”  There’s pain, heartache, suffering, sorrow, and trouble on this Earth.  Dorothy wondered if there was a place free of trouble.  She quickly realized that Oz had its set of troubles, too.  But it is comforting for me to know that there is a paradise awaiting me one day.  God’s paradise – a place called Heaven.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that a common sentiment presented today is that everyone will go to Heaven in the end.  But the Bible never once presents this idea.  A person doesn’t enter Heaven by default.  The Bible says that only those who have a right relationship with God, through faith and trust in Jesus Christ, will enter the gates of Heaven.  Acts 4:12, to give just one example, says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”  I love the way author Anne Graham Lotz once put it, she said that Heaven is available to you, but you have to R.S.V.P. to get in.  Have you?

Kevin