BIG HOUSE

Ps 139:17-18

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.

I looked and looked, and what did I see,
but a big, big house, with a big, big tree.
I had a really big time climbing in the big, big tree,
for I knew that the cares of earth had been lost to me.
I played for a long, long time at my big, big place.
I had to explore a really big amount of space.
I was having so much fun at my big, big house,
I called my friends over to play cat and mouse.
We ran and hid all over the great big yard,
and then we played a big game of cards.
We drank new wine from a big, big cup,
and drunk with joy, we ate a big, big sup.
The fun goes on and on you see,
because now we're living in eternity.

I plan on being eight years old forever. Life at eight was great. It was a happy time filled with simple pleasures, free of worry and care. I wouldn't trade those times for anything in the world. Ours was a happy home; at least I was happy. We didn't have a big house, or a big yard, or lots of money, or any of the other stuff people think is so important these days. I got new clothes and toys each year at Christmas and my birthday, and I was glad to get them (the toys, anyway). Growing up, happiness was a home where I felt safe and secure, with a family that included a mom and a dad, a brother and a sister, and aunts and uncles and cousins, and grandparents, too. I felt loved, wanted, and needed. I never knew we weren't rich. I never felt deprived having to live in a small house, and eating hamburger rather than steak for dinner. I had my friends and my family, and I was happy. I was on top of the world.
Somewhere along the way, life changed. I changed. I grew up, confound it! I learned what lust, hate, envy, and greed were. I lost the zest, innocence, and imagination of my youth. I was no longer ignorant of the evil in the world. Evil touched my life, and nothing was ever the same again. I lost the happiness and contentment I had once found in simply being loved, wanted, and needed. Now, precious and few are the moments I have, that I once had every day as a child. Oh, to be like a child once again!
Now, let me tell you what I see coming. Let me tell you the good news. In the Kingdom, you will feel good forever. There will be no bad feelings. The Kingdom of God is the real fountain of youth. You will be eternally youthful, joyful, and strong. As you ponder these thoughts, allow the happy memories of your life to flood through your mind. Recall those pleasant memories, all the sights, sounds, and experiences, real or imagined, and you will feel flowing through you a slight intimation of what it will be like to be a child again in God's Kingdom, where you will never grow old and die, and where you will never experience pain or weakness again.
Memories--to be more exact--images flash across the eyes of your soul. They come flowing up out of your heart, out of the eternal spirit who is you, in which God has placed the whole world. Imagine for a moment how vast is the human spirit! God fills the cosmos, yet he can inhabit the human heart. How immense is the spirit, how awesome is the capacity of the soul! Your soul is a great expanse, filled with an entire universe of thoughts and feelings; the sum of all the experiences you have ever had. Better yet and bigger still, is the God who dwells in you, imparting his thoughts and feelings to you. In the stillness of your soul, you sense floating up from within (perhaps from God himself), images of such joy that to call them beautiful or good would be to denigrate them. You touch eternity when you touch God, and eternity fills you through the portal of your soul. Though living still in the body, you have crossed over into another realm. The realm of the infinite human spirit. The realm of God and his Kingdom.
Here there is only good. Everything is bigger, better, and more beautiful than what you see in this world. You are a child again. You are free. You are not conscious of anything bad or evil. You have no fear, there is no death. You have no fear, there is no pain. You have no fear, there is no hunger, no thirst, no sadness, no sorrow, no parting, no end of this glorious peace. Thoughts flow through you like a river rushing down to the sea. You can barely contain the swell of joy in your beating heart. You can scarcely find words to describe the feeling these images of eternity bring. It is unlike any earthly feeling you have known. You have become one with love and joy. Unbelievers can never know this love. They can never taste this joy. This is not nirvana; this is not a higher state of consciousness. This is a joining of the human heart with God, until he drives all else out but himself.
Let me tell you what I have seen. One image I see is of me as a child, walking down a quiet, tree-lined, country road with friends. Maybe we're planning on going fishing, or maybe we're just headed to the woods, or maybe we're going over to a friend's house, or maybe we're going to my house for dinner, or maybe we're going nowhere in particular. But I am free. I am free of any and all cares. But best of all I am free of the unknown future. I am free of the fear of what may come. I have no trepidation of facing tomorrow, for I know that what I'm feeling this moment will never ever end. This feeling of friendship, of belonging, of security, of good conversation on a gorgeous summer day walking down a scenic country road, heading nowhere in particular, doing nothing in particular, having all day to get there, and knowing every day will be like it is right now--how wonderful, how ecstatic I feel, in the knowledge that this feeling will never end! And knowing it will never end, I am free! I am free to be me and enjoy each and every moment. Each moment is as precious as the next. This is exactly how I feel, as God shows me his Kingdom. How marvelous it is, even miraculous, that God can draw back the curtain of time and reveal eternity in one fleeting image!
The Big House. I saw it once. It was like a dream come true. I saw my family, friends, and acquaintances. It was our home and we were together, never to be separated again. It was the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is not simply the enormous array of God's wonderfully-imaginative creation spread out before us like a feast, but it is the unending fellowship of perfected mortals. No earthly bonds or human relationships can attain even the lowest level of this type of fellowship. When I think of Heaven, the Kingdom, the Thousand Year Reign, I think of Jesus. I think not just of Jesus the Messiah, but I think of Jesus as being part of each and every person he created who will be living in his Kingdom as a perfected child of God, for we are bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. When Saul persecuted the Church, Jesus asked him, "Why do you persecute me?" In Heaven, Jesus will be seen in all of us.
All creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God, but until then creation groans under the weight of corruption. Innocent children have grown up to become thieves and murderers. Fields once covered with grain have become lifeless slabs of concrete and asphalt. Society, once filled with stable families, is torn apart at the seams. People have gone from living in simplicity and harmony, to living hurried and chaotic lives in the attempt to amass every labor-saving device imaginable, until they need prescription medication just to cope with life. The world has gone crazy!
Castles, once the habitations of mighty rulers, are empty now. The kings and queens who inhabited them are dead and gone. Did those kings and queens ascend to wait with the Lord, to return with him one day and reclaim their kingdom, or did they descend into the prison house of satan, never to see the light again? The living should ponder this. If even kings and queens lost everything to time, what causes us to place such value on this fleeting world and its' trinkets? Of what use are those empty, dark, cold monuments of earthly glory, to their former owners now?
Well, if no one else claims it, I've already got a place picked out as mine for the Kingdom. I know a place where I'd like to throw a spectacular resurrection party for all my friends and family. It's not a huge castle high upon a hill; it's only a cozy mansion tucked away in the woods. It's really not very big, as mansions go, but it will suit me just fine. I've only known a few hundred people in my lifetime, and the Big House, as I like to call my mansion, will have room for all of them. They'll all be invited to my resurrection party.
Let me describe my resurrection party for you. First, you will enjoy a nice ride through the woods on your way to the party, and as you drive through the woods, you will be greeted by happy, smiling faces, and you will know you are in the right place. There amongst the trees you'll see my mansion. Behind the mansion, there's a big paved lot to park your chariot in. Once you come inside, you'll see there's plenty of room in the mansion to mingle, but there's also a nice big patio out back with a wonderful view of the pond, hills, and trees. I'm sure it will be a loud party with lots of music and dancing, but we won't disturb the neighbors since I will invite them as well, so they don't feel left out. What's a Big House without lots of friendly, happy people to enjoy it with? You will be treated to a wonderful buffet that is out of this world. The food will be delicious, the wine heavenly, the music enchanting, the scenery beautiful, and the company unsurpassed. You'll feel loved, wanted, and needed. What more could you ask for?
I imagine all believers must dream of being close to Jesus in the Kingdom. It will be the greatest honor of that age to be the one next to him. No other honor or reward could be any greater. Jesus is next to the Father you see, and so no human can hope to achieve any greater glory than to be next to Jesus throughout eternity. I don't expect to be the one who gets to sit at Jesus' right hand in the Kingdom, but I will definitely invite Jesus to my party. He may be busy, and there may be a lot of other parties he has to attend first, but if he shows up, we'll rock the Big House down. If he's not there personally, he'll be there in spirit, and that will be almost as good. I imagine Jesus can move around pretty fast, so maybe he'll just pop in and out for a while.
Would you like an invitation to my Big House Resurrection Party? I can give you directions to the party, once the Kingdom arrives. In fact, if you'd like to attend, I can give you directions on how to get there right now. Just believe that Jesus loves you, and that his blood is sufficient to erase all your sins. Then believe that he rose from the dead to demonstrate to all mankind the power of an endless life. Confess him boldly and openly as your Lord and Savior, and then wait for his appearing. Just ask around for me when Jesus gets here. I'm sure some angel will be in charge of personnel, and he will be able to give you directions to my mansion. If you can't find me right away when you get there, it's probably because I'm down at the fishing hole, or climbing a tree, or running through the woods chasing deer, but I'll be home for dinner. I never miss my dinner. Until then, have a happy forever!
P.S. (When you see me, let me know you how you got my invitation to the Big House Resurrection Party.)