Have you ever thought about where you will spend eternity? Eternity is forever without end. Our life here on earth has a beginning, middle and end, but in eternity there will be no end. For believers in Jesus, they will spend all eternity in heaven with the Lord, angels and all other fellow believers. This is the most perfect place imaginable.
The book of Revelation gives us a brief glimpse of heaven. 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 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. [1] Revelation 22:1-5.
In our story Zechariah and Elizabeth were going to have a special child, born in their old age, by a miracle of God. The child would be called John the Baptist and he would prepare the way for Jesus. The angel Gabriel tells his father before he was born about how the Lord would use him to lead people to faith.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” [2] Luke 1:15-17.
There are people in heaven today because the Lord used John the Baptist to turn people’s hearts to Himself.
Like John the Baptist, the Lord wants to use you to lead others into the Kingdom of God so they, too, can spend eternity in heaven. You may wonder like Zechariah, “How is this possible?” The Apostle Paul gives us the answer in Philippians 4:13, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”[3]
To hear the story of Zechariah, listen here:
[1, 2, 3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Re 22:1–5, Luke 1:15-17, Philippians 4:13). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.