Reaching the blissful Holy City

Published in Pasugo

DO YOU WANT to have a vacation?

Probably, you are one of those who feel burned out and dream of going to a place where you can relieve yourself from the stresses of everyday life and enjoy even a few days or weeks of rest and relaxation.

There may be some place where you can try to relax for a while, but we know too well that no matter where we may go in this world, no matter where we may run, we could never fully escape from discomfort, hardships, and problems. Yet, true Christians know that this world is not all there is; they know and believe that there is a place so wonderful that the present world cannot compare with. That place is the kingdom of heaven or the Holy City.

A city of pure gold and of eternal life

The Bible gives a vivid description of the Holy City:

“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. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

“The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald. The fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” (Rev. 21:1-2; 16-21, New King James Version)

Apostle John further describes the Holy City. He wrote:

“In the middle of the street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: they need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 22:2-5, Ibid.)

Think about this for a minute. A city of pure gold, clear as glass; the building of its wall jasper; the foundations of its wall garnished with precious stones, with its 12 gates 12 pearls; and its street pure gold. In the midst of the street is the tree of life. Is there any place like this in the whole world?

Regarding the life in the Holy City, Apostle John says:

“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’. ’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’.

“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from’? And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know’. So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’.” (Rev. 21:3-4; 7:13-17, Ibid.)

In the Holy City, there will be eternal life. Man will enjoy an existence devoid of sorrow, crying, pain, hunger, or thirst, which are all present in this world no matter where we live. In that wonderful place or splendor, God’s servants will be with Him, serving Him day and night. Who among us would not want to live in a place such as this? The fortunate ones will dwell in this place on the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:1-3).

The wrath of God in the lake of fire

But, the Holy City is not the only place that the Bible speaks of to which man may go. There is also that which is referred to as the lake of fire:

“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Rev. 20:14, NKJV)

Take a look at how the Scriptures describes how frightening it is to end up in the lake of fire. The Book of Revelation records this grim description:

“He himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14:10-11, Ibid.)

In the lake of fire, men will be tormented with fire and brimstone. They will have no rest day or night. Once cast in the lake of fire, there is absolutely nothing that a person could do to get out. He will remain there suffering forever. So, this is the other end – eternal condemnation in the lake that burns with an unquenchable fire. No one in his right mind will ever want to end up in that horrible place where together with him suffering are the devil and his angels (Rev. 20:10; Mt. 25:41).

Reaching the Holy City

The Bible does not only teach us that there is a Holy City and that there is going to be a lake of fire; it also teaches us how to avoid ending up in the latter and make it to the former. Apostle John says this:

“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” (Rev. 22:14, NKJV)

The blessed men and women who will be granted entrance into the Holy City and will have the right to the tree of life are those who do or obey the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. Obedience is necessary if we truly want to be saved and reach this beautiful and sacred place. Thus, it is not true that for man to be saved, he only needs to believe in Christ or accept Him as Lord and personal Savior. Faith is important, and so is obedience to or compliance with Christ’s commandments.

One of the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ that one should obey is recorded in John 10:9. This is written:

“I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe.” (Revised English Bible)

The Lord commands everyone to come into the fold to be saved. Jesus did not say that anyone who just believes or accepts Him as Lord and personal Savior will be saved. Which is the fold or flock everyone should enter?

“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20:28, Lamsa Translation)

So, for us to reach the glorious Holy City, we must become members of the Church of Christ or Iglesia ni Cristo

Mere membership in the Church is not sufficient

But there is another thing everyone must understand. Although joining the Church is very important, it is not the only thing a person needs to do to attain salvation. As faith alone does not save, neither does mere membership in the Church.

There are certain things that a person ought to avoid in order to enter the kingdom of heaven or the Holy City. He should make sure that he is not defiled or filthy in the eyes of God and that he is not doing anything that is abominable in His sight:

“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes and abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Rev. 21:27, NKJV)

Those who are defiled or unclean and guilty of abominations are people who live in sin and practice the filthy works of the flesh, which were enumerated by Apostle Paul:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, Envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-21, Ibid.)

We must not do these things in order for us to be saved. We must not embrace heresies or false beliefs even though they may be popular. We should stay away from adultery, fornication, drunkenness, and other things like these, for if we don’t, we would not inherit the heavenly kingdom of God. Those who do these evil things will find themselves consigned to condemnation in the horrible lake of fire. This is written:

“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8, Ibid.)

There are only two places where a man will end up on Judgment Day: the Holy City or the dreadful lake of fire. The former provides eternal life and blissful existence with God and Christ; whereas, the latter offers painful torment and terrible agony and anguish with the devil and his angels. Not only did God describe the kind of life present in both places, but He also taught how man can reach either place. If one does not want to be punished but be saved and live in the Holy City, he must join the Church of Christ. It is by joining this Church and living a Christian way of life until the very end (Mt. 24:13) that we will be certain to reach the heavenly kingdom for all eternity.