Let’s be honest, for those of us living in central Arkansas, this has been a pretty awesome summer. Yes it’s rained a lot, but the mild weather has kept away the typically horrendous summer heat. The few days here and there of 90+ degree weather is a small price to pay to enjoy this once-in-a-decade kind of cool summer. Still, not everyone is enjoying a summer so nice. And, very likely, next year (if the world is standing) Arkansas will be right back to the blistering heat and sticky humidity we’re used to.
Consider this though. The summer heat may be bad, but there’s always eternity.
…now it’s typically here that people think of Hell. Many a corny church sign will read “If you think it’s hot’s out here…it’s hotter in hell!” or something like that. Personally, I find those signs offensive to my comedic nature (I’m no fan of going for the easy punchline, which is why so few of my jokes are ever laughed at), and to my religious nature (I get a little uncomfortable joking about hell in such ways).
So let’s look at the other side of the eternal coin. If the summer heat is getting to you, just think about getting to Heaven. You see, in Heaven there is no “heat.”
On earth we experience “heat” because the sun (93 million miles away) emits radioactive heat waves that penetrate our perfectly designed atmosphere (and be thankful we have one of those, because the atmosphere on Venus makes their summers…well, if think THIS is hot…yeesh). Those heat waves radiate from the sky above us and heat up the ground below us, making the earth a giant convection oven…albeit one that is usually set to “mild” and only occasionally (late July to early August) cranked up to “hot.”
But in Heaven, there will be no “sun.” John described the scene of God’s people experiencing life with Him and said that it was like living in a land without the need for candles or even the sun because the Lord (the Son) was the light:
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 22:5
It will be that way in Heaven, after the material things have passed away (2 Peter 3:10-12), God’s people will dwell with Him in eternal agelessness and He will be our light source and sustainer.
It reminds me of the Creation account in Genesis 1, how God made the light on the first day (Genesis 1:3) and then made the sun on the fourth (Genesis 1:14). He made the light and then made the generator to produce more light until time would be no more.
Once that day comes and time will be no more, we’ll have a new kind of life. One where God is our light and no more heat will radiate from the sun. Because without the sun there’d be no heat.
…hey that sounds like a pun:
Without the sun there’d be no heat
With the Son there’ll be no Heat.
Sorry I couldn’t resist.
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