A dozen years ago, I made a pilgrimage of sorts, to Israel.  It was not a primarily religious odyssey.  Having studied and believed the Bible all of my life, there was nothing that I needed to prove, reinforce or see for myself.  I viewed such opportunities as incidental, though as it turned out, they were profoundly consequential, in terms of their impact on me.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  I should probably share that I very nearly had to cancel my travel as, three days after purchasing my tickets, I had a grand mal seizure, fell backward, and broke both my shoulders.  A couple of months later, after surgeries and physical therapy, I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport.

No inner compulsion drew me irresistibly onward.  I do not keep a “bucket list” of ‘must have’ experiences before dying, but if I did, this journey would not have been on it.  From the standpoint of felt needs, it did not even register.  I could have blown out the candles on a thousand birthday cakes without ever having made this wish.

So, to characterize the excursion as some kind of quest would be grossly misleading.  After all, I had not been conscious of any strong desire to go.  I could not have pointed to any type of void in my life that this trek might fill.  There was no want in my psyche, no hole in my heart, no emotional vacuum, and no spiritual hunger, for which I sought remedy.  Neither was this sojourn a solution in search of a problem.  None was revealed by it and none was resolved by it.

I was not reluctant to make the trip, but it would be untrue to say that I was ultimately coaxed into doing so by a latent thirst for adventure.  There was simply no real attraction.  I did not make the jaunt hoping to “fall in love” along the way, and I didn’t.  Nor were there any great epiphanies at the journey’s end.  I was not swept away by the newness of the situation, but rather, was charmed by its sameness.  Everything I saw, though ostensibly unfamiliar, was instead somehow instantly recognizable.  Nothing was as I imagined it, for I was not imagining but seeing, each sight a confirmation that all was just where it should be, and all was just as it should be.

Words cannot convey what it is like to find oneself in a strange new world in which nothing whatever is strange.  How can one explain what it is to explore a foreign land only to discover that one already knows it like the back of one’s hand?

I’m not talking about fleeting flashes of déjà vu, a transitory sensation of having lived particular moments before.  No.  I’m referring to matters of the soul, not tricks of the mind.  I’m talking about the ability to perceive that you’ve come home to a place meant for you and for which you’ve been designed, a place that is also a state of being.

That place for me was Israel, and especially, the city of Jerusalem.  That wonderous city wrung from me an involuntary and audible gasp, when first I beheld her matchless beauty, the waning afternoon sunlight bathing her in a soft, ethereal glow.  Jerusalem shimmered, as if not really there.  She looked for all the world like a celestial mirage—not on the earth nor of the earth.  Her luminescent image fairly hovered across past, present and future, incapable of being anchored to any one time or permanently tethered to a single point in space.

I had never seen anything like it, yet somehow knew its every stone, each of which seemed to beckon and shout, “Welcome back!”, as if eager to renew and embrace an old acquaintance.   Jerusalem greeted me as one she knew well and had greatly missed, even as I became aware that I knew her, and indeed, had always known her.  The very air I breathed was scented with her sweet, intoxicating perfume and the whispered endearments of home.

For the record, I am not spouting any ‘past lives’ nonsense.  The Bible says, “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

God’s word also tells me that I am not pre-existent.  There were no ‘past lives’ in which I might have previously visited the Promised Land.  Scripture teaches however, that every believer in Christ is a pilgrim (vs. a permanent resident), all of whom are on the same pilgrimage.  According to the Bible:

“These [the patriarchs] all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13-16).

A better country, a heavenly country, in which God has prepared for them (we are not there yet) a city—a New Jerusalem, infinitely better than the past and present versions) …This heavenly country and city prepared by God, is accessible only through faith, by placing one’s entire trust, confidence, and hope in God’s grace (unmerited favor).

The Biblical role model of this kind of faith is a fellow named Abraham, to whom God promised a “country” (a.k.a. ‘the Promised Land’) and began leading him there, without telling Abraham where he was going or how long the journey would take:

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles [tents] with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)

Space limitations do not permit me to recount here, what the scriptures reveal about heaven or the glories of the New Jerusalem.  It’s quite extensive, and includes a surprising amount of detail.  But I can assure you of this—it will far exceed the hopes and dreams of every forgiven sinner there:

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (I Corinthians 2:9).

The permanent home of the believer will be brand new, sparkling and radiant, wholesome and pure, absolutely safe, and full of joy and peace.  It will satisfy longings you didn’t know you had, and fulfil your deepest yearnings, placed there by the loving God who created and chose you.

But by far the best part, the part without which there would be no heaven, is the personal presence of God the Father and a face-to-face fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ.  Worshipping God, our Maker and Redeemer, forever in new, indestructible bodies, free at last from sin and temptation, suffering and separation, pain and tears, will be in a word, perfect.

The way that I felt about the present, earthly Jerusalem—the intuitive knowing, the instant recognition, and the palpable sense of belonging, had a tremendous and refreshing impact on me.  In some minute degree, it seems reflective of what I may experience one day on reaching that better country, and taking up residence in the city that has unshakeable foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Why did I tell you all this?  For followers of Christ, I’m writing to remind you of the thrilling future that awaits, thanks to the finished work of Jesus, who suffered, died on the cross for your sins, was buried, rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven.  He is soon to return to rule and reign over the whole world and will remain with us always.  Yours is God’s free gift of eternal life.  Yours are the keys to the city.

For those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, I’m writing to ensure you’re aware that God loves you dearly, and there is no reason for you to miss out on the benefits of knowing and walking with the Lord.  I assure you that there is plenty of room left in the Father’s house (though not a lot of time left to enter in).

As a follower of Jesus, I love you, too, as a potential brother or sister in Christ.  For this reason, I just had to urge you not to forfeit the pardon Jesus died to give you, and with it, all of the other blessings He has promised to His own.  I want to personally invite you to join me on the daily journey of faith, like the one that Abraham took.  If you’re willing but wondering how to get started, read on.

HOW TO BE SAVED:

• Admit to God that you are a sinner (that you have not kept His moral law to perfection; in your thoughts, words, and actions you have done what His law forbids and have failed to do what His love demands).  This is seeing yourself from God’s point of view and agreeing that He is right about you.  Be as specific as you can.
• Believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead.
• Sincerely repent (turn away) from your sins, asking God to forgive you and to use His power to help you resist temptation, no matter how strong the pull of sin may be, at first.
• Acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of your life.  Invite Him to move into your heart and take up residence there, so that He can change you from the inside out.
• Trust His promise to save you and give you a new spiritual birth and a new nature (thoughts, desires, priorities, hopes, dreams, and character).

SOME KEY TRUTHS:

• “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)
• “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)
• “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)
• “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
• “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
• “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…”  (Revelation 3:20)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
• “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  (Romans 10:9-10)
• “Verily, verily, I say unto you; He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life; and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)
• “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name.”  (John 20:31) 
• “These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”  (I John 5:13)