Max Lucado - A Peek Into Paradise
Summary:
In this message, the preacher draws from Revelation 6 to encourage believers who feel insignificant or invalidated by death, reminding them that earthly life is just the beginning of an eternal story with God. He highlights how the martyrs in Paradise retain their voices, emotions, rational thought, and longing for justice—showing that our personalities and awareness continue in a perfected form. Ultimately, death doesn't end our story but launches us into eternal life where God validates our faith and celebrates who we are in Him.
Introduction and the Promise of Eternal Life
From a little corner in our house to your heart, God bless you today. You know, these difficult times are really requiring a deeper faith, aren’t they? I think that John 3:16 helps us to quarry a deeper faith: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Eternal life—is it encouraging to you, my friend, to think about eternal life? I’d like to think about it with you. We have a lot of questions about our eternal life; we wonder in what form we will be. Will we recognize each other? Of course, we can’t answer all those questions, but we can find some comforting thoughts in God’s Word.
Turning to Revelation 6
So, my Bible is open to Revelation 6. If you don’t have the ten minutes it’s going to take me to discuss a paragraph with you, if you can’t hang around, I understand. My goodness, let us know how to pray for you, though, before you slip out. You know, there’s something about the crises of this day that can make us feel so fragile, so unimportant—almost like we’re insignificant. You know, when the corporation announces major layoffs or when old age takes your health or your dignity, it’s enough to make you feel relegated to the outside circle. And then the ultimate insult is death: you spend a lifetime learning to live only to stop living. You develop a trade, you master some skills, maybe you build a family or succeed in a profession, and then yet, in one final breath, it’s all over. A lifetime of education and learning just tumbles like a bead of water over the Niagara Falls of death. Death has a way of invalidating our life, but God has a way of validating our life.
Death as the Beginning, Not the End
To those who feel insignificant, God’s big message is: end of story, no. Death triggers the greatest part of your story, and that is eternal life. In His diagram, life on earth is just the beginning—just the beginning. It’s the first letter of the first sentence of the first paragraph of the first chapter of the great story that God is writing with your life. I want to show you what I mean about how our lives are just the beginning of who we will be. The Scripture says in Revelation 6, «I saw the souls of those who held their witness to the Word of God, and they were gathered under the altar, and they cried out in loud prayers, ‘How long, strong God, holy and true? How long before you step in and avenge our murders? ’» Then each martyr was given a white robe and told to sit back and wait until the full number of martyrs was filled from among their servant companions.
A Glimpse into Paradise
Now, that passage could take us down a variety of discussions in Revelation chapter 6, but I just want to focus on the unique opportunity to peek at the people of Paradise. Now, Scripture doesn’t give us very many glimpses of its citizens, and yet this is one of them. This is one of them. These verses also give you a glimpse into the Book of Revelation, and it can be a wild and roaring book as you probably know. I mean, it’s got some pictures of bowls of fire and dragons, and lion heads on horses, and an angel with a sickle. I mean, it’s pretty dramatic. Yet, this paragraph gives us a surprisingly detailed sketch of the saints who are in Paradise.
Remember, Paradise is the place where those who are saved are awaiting judgment, and this passage teaches us that some characteristics of this life will follow us into the next. You’re not going to lose your personality; you’re not going to forfeit who you are. You’re going to be you, but just a perfect version of you.
Characteristics of the Saints in Paradise
Now, in this Scripture, these martyrs, these special saints, are crying out. In other words, they have some type of vocal system. They have audible capacities; they have a tangible means of self-expression. They not only have voices; they can raise their voices. They’re crying out in loud prayers; they’re praying with fervor. Apparently, the emotions that we have on earth continue with us into Paradise. These particular souls are offering urgent prayers that are birthed in rational thought. They’re saying, «How long? How long?» This is the query of a heart that is acquainted with time and circumstance—a thinker, a ponderer who knows that justice needs to be fulfilled. By the way, it will be fulfilled; praise be to God’s name on the day of judgment.
But a profile is beginning to appear: people in Paradise have awareness. Paradise is not populated by a bunch of clueless clones or lobotomized spirits, but by vocal, prayerful, and rational saints. They’re cognizant of their past; they’re looking toward the future. They’re asking questions like, «How long before you step in and wrap all this up? Avenge our murders?» They remember the deeds of their lives on earth, and they long for justice in God’s kingdom.
Again, that justice is coming on the day of judgment, and they know how they died, and they seek retribution. They’re not passive; they’re not naive; they’re not harp-strumming phantoms. No, these martyrs have physical features and spiritual longings. They possess a heart for God and the ability to express it. So, their identities haven’t been numbed into blandness; their traits haven’t been left on their deathbed. They aren’t absorbed into some type of vast universe. They indwell God’s garden, God’s presence, God’s Paradise, and they reflect God’s passion.
Again, those characteristics-they pray. They pray with voices, and they pray with voices raised to a fervor. God surrounds them with each other, and yet He preserves their personality. Now, why wouldn’t He do this? Why wouldn’t He do this? You know, God made us unique; He crafted us distinctly. He sees this life not as the final performance. This is just the casting call where the parts are being announced. This is not the Super Bowl, folks; this is just the pre-season when the roster is being defined.
Life as Preparation for Eternity
Life is not just education and graduation, but it’s campus selection. You see, death is less a dead end and more an exit ramp, and who you are and what you are will follow you from this life into the next. I don’t know exactly how all that works, but Scriptures like this one remind us that Heaven perpetuates your personality and celebrates your deeds. You’ll be recognized by God; you’ll hear, «Well done, good and faithful servant,» and you’ll be given assignments that will bring glory to God and joy to you. That’s eternal life. This is only the tiniest element of beginning. Oh, have hope, dear friend; have hope. Trust in God, and He is going to give you what you’re longing to receive: eternal life.