Pleasures Forevermore

Ending pain is not enough. God promises unending pleasure in eternity.

New Book Available in Paperback

Before you read the Sunday devotional below, I wanted to tell you that Friday we announced the launch of the physical, printed version of our new book about the Israel-Gaza War, What’s Next?

Amazon had it available for a few hours, then wouldn’t allow people to order it. Finally, after we petitioned them again, it was made available to purchase on Friday night and is still available today. You can order copies here.

I know Mark and I have been talking about this book for a while. It’s something we worked hard on in a short amount of time, and we both believe it’s a really great resource for those who are confused about what’s happening in Israel and what is coming next.

If you haven’t ordered a copy I urge you to do so and share copies with your family and friends.

Also, it would be great if Amazon saw the book they tried to censor soar to the top of their own charts.

Many others would see the book, too, and it will possibly help even those who aren’t saved understand what God is doing right now.

Thank you, again, for all your prayers and support!

---

Pleasures Forevermore

When the apostle John received a vision from Jesus—we know it as the Book of Revelation—he saw a new heaven and new earth:

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”—Revelation 21:1-4 NKJV

This vision is incredibly good news for believers. It tells of a time when there will be no death, no sorrow, no crying, and no more pain.

I hear from people often who express to me fear or anxiety about the return of Jesus. I always point them to these words. Please understand, the world in which we now live is a torture chamber compared to what God has in store for us in the new heaven and new earth. Fear is an expression of the desire to hang on to this life, but what is waiting for us is far, far better.

When Jesus comes again, all pain will cease, but there’s even better news:

You will show me the path of life;
in Your presence is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
—Psalm 16:11 NKJV

God wants you to know that ending pain is not enough—He wants you to experience exquisite pleasure with Him for all eternity.

Pleasure and Delight

When God created the Garden of Eden and placed humans in it, His initial desire was for them to experience the spectacular pleasure and joy of His presence. (The name Eden itself means “pleasure and delight.”)

Eventually sin entered the Garden and caused pain, but that was not God’s divine aim. He wants to give you pleasure beyond anything you can possibly understand—pleasures evermore. The Bible promises it:

But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
—1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV

I understand this is a concept that is hard for us to comprehend. Heaven is so far beyond what we know on this earth that it’s impossible for us to wrap our heads around the blessings and pleasures we will experience there.

Paul even struggled to write about it:

It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.—2 Corinthians 12:1–4 NKJV

As much as Paul is trying to translate his heavenly experience to the believers in Corinth, there are simply no words to convey that experience. All he can tell them is that Paradise is so much better than anything they could experience here. He’s saying it’s so good that talking about it is probably illegal!

Returning to Paradise

I want you to think about a moment during the crucifixion of Jesus. When He was nailed to the cross, the Roman authorities placed Him between two men who were being executed for crimes they committed. These men had been convicted as thieves, although it’s possible they may have simply defied the occupying government.

One of the men mocked Jesus and died with ridicule on the tip of his parched tongue.

The other, however, knew there was something different and supernatural about the man dying next to him. The Gospel of Luke tells us what happened next:

Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”—Luke 23:42–43 NKJV

Jesus describes eternity in His presence as Paradise. God created the Garden of Eden to be a paradise of pleasure and delight, but humans lost it because of sin. But when Jesus comes back, we are returning to Paradise.

Five Elements of Paradise

Paul says he can’t express everything he has experienced and knows about heaven, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know anything. The Bible gives us glimpses of our future, and according to its descriptions we can know at least five elements of Paradise. In fact, these five aspects must exist for any place to qualify as Paradise. Without them, a destination might be great, but it isn’t Paradise.

These are the five things you will experience in heaven when you arrive there:

1. Beauty: You will never be able to call an ugly place “Paradise.” In heaven you will experience beauty beyond anything you can imagine.

2. Comfort: You will find true comfort and deep rest that will flow through all your senses.

3. Pleasure: In heaven, your senses will explode with delight. These aren’t the earthly senses we know now, but glorified senses within your heavenly body.

4. Plenty: You will have everything you need and more than enough. It will be free because Jesus already bought it for you. You will never worry about lack because you will never run out.

5. Safety. You will live in perfect peace and fear nothing. Nothing can interrupt heaven, and no harm can come to you. You will be safe there.

Heaven is a place of complete beauty, comfort, pleasure, plenty, and safety, while hell is a place of ugliness, discomfort, torment, lack, and fear. You will never find a greater difference between anything you can find on earth as you will in the contrast between heaven and hell. In fact, as Paul says, you can’t even find anything in this world that you can adequately compare to the riches and pleasures of heaven.

You may think you’ve experienced some very wonderful things on earth that you don’t want to leave behind. Nevertheless, when you arrive in heaven, those things will appear as next to nothing. Not only will you no longer have any pain, but you’ll also look back on this life and realize nothing here compares to anything else in heaven. Paul says there are no human words for it.

Pleasure without a Downside

Even better, the devil will lose access to anything in your life. He will be confined to hell, and there is nothing he can ever do to harm people ever again.

Think about what that means. Have you ever considered that every pleasure you can find here on earth has a downside to it? It’s true.

• If you eat too much, then you gain weight, your health deteriorates, and you can even die from the results of overeating.

• If you rest too much, then you get lazy and you never accomplish anything.

• If you cross sexual parameters outside God’s design, then you will experience emptiness, treat others as objects, and even destroy your marriage and family.

• If you stay in the sun too long, then you’ll get a sunburn and potentially even skin cancer.

• If you spend too much money, then you’ll be without the things you need in the future, go broke, and end up in poverty.

Satan corrupted the Garden of Eden and Satan works hard to corrupt our lives today. Every good thing you know in this life—food, rest, sexual pleasure, even sunshine—can be harmful when misused in ways that are contrary to God’s will. The results of this misuse can be devastating.

But in heaven there is no such thing as too much. Nothing is corrupted by sin. Every pleasure is yours without regret, damage, or harm. You will be able to do anything you want to do, and there’s no downside.

This is the path of life. This is fullness of joy. These are the “pleasures forevermore” God promises after Jesus returns.

I can’t wait for that day!