Your troops will be willing on your day of battle (Psalm 110:3) Yes indeed! – in Heaven as well as on Earth!

Courts have always been extremely busy places with ambassadors and servants going endlessly to and fro. Why should it be less so in when it comes to the great business and busyness of the council of Heaven. I love the Hebrew word sôdh, which means both ‘council’ and ‘counsel’ – those who are present in the throne room of God, saints, heavenly beings, and angels alike – and the counsel that is given from the King’s throne, which the council promptly and willingly act upon according to their God-given assignments.

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them.”

At first sight this scene of busyness might appear to contradict something many of us love to contemplate: the peace, quiet, and freedom from busyness that will be ours in Heaven. How much there is we do not fully understand – and how very many paradoxes we must learn to hold in tension and balance. There have been many who have glimpsed Paradise in vision form, and who tell of parklands whose beauty far exceeds even than of Eden, and others, some of whose experiences are recorded in Jim Burke’s excellent book ‘Imagine Heaven,’ have been privileged to glimpse and experience something of the heavenly city itself.

I do believe that the reality of life in Heaven reaches further than the truths that Augustine saw and described when he commented thus on Psalm 41:

In the House of God, there is feasting is without end. Choirs of angels give an eternal concert in the face of God, and the eternal presence communicates a joy that is never diminished… And something of that everlasting and perpetual rejoicing reaches the ears of our hearts: something that is a marvel of harmony and sweetness – provided that the voices of the world are hushed.

Will we no longer be aware or care about what happens on Earth when our turn comes to leave it? May it be that He will find ways to use us when we go to serve Him there! For surely all the burdens the Lord has laid on our hearts, and the people we have cared for, will not then cease to matter to us.I dare to think not. I have heard so many stories of people who have sensed specific reassurances and steering touches just when they have needed a heavenly touch most.

It seems to me that there will be great activity at the heart of Heaven, and that, all being well, we will have our own precious part to play in it. The Lord is always very active in His monitoring of affairs on Earth, and bringing about strategic interventions in accordance with His plans and purposes and in response to the prayers and cries of His people.

Could it be that there is a profound ‘alternation’ between times of deep rest and recreation and times of utterly intense activity in Heaven too – just as many of us experience here on Earth?

How precious it is to remember that Christ is going to return to Earth with His holy ones. Our work here is not done yet! But oh, how wonderful it will be not to hampered by the weaknesses and limitations of our mortal bodies, let alone by the dark swirling clouds of envy, strife, and fear. How good it will be to be aware of what each one has done for the Lord and His Kingdom, and to be able to celebrate them together.

How infinitely precious to live and worship together in harmony. One very big reason the more why it behoves us to take such care to forgive others now, so that nothing may dent or dim our heavenly fellowship!

What incredible lengths Jesus has been to make it possible for us to become His Bride, and to play our part in the army of God. He is the One who was, Who is and Who is to come. There is continuity in Him, and no breach in His sight between how we are now and how we will be then when we are with Him. But as Peter and Paul both urge us let’s make every effort to confirm our calling and election, by seeking to do that which is pleasing to Him. (2 Pet. 1:5, 10, 1 Thess. 3:13; cf Jude 14, John 8:29)

This is the trumpet call of Heaven. Beware all counterfeits that foster strife and merely promote division!

Further reading
If you have not read John Burke’s Imagine Heaven here is a link to buy it.

See also Randy Alcorn’s excellent read Heaven.