“Heaven holds all to me, brighter its glory will be; joy without measure will be my treasure, Heaven holds all to me.”
The words of the soul-stirring hymn written by the late brother Tillit S. Teddlie have thrilled the hearts of God’s people for decades. We often sing “Heaven holds all to me” but does it really? And, why? Do we want to go to Heaven more than anything else? Do we ever contemplate what that place will be like and why we want to be there? Heaven holds all to me because…
It is not Hell
Paul wrote, “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11). Our God is a God of goodness and severity (Rom. 11:22). When He “judge(s) the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31) those who do not know Him and those who have not obeyed the gospel will be “punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:8-9). Hell is a real place–just as real as Heaven. The Bible describes it as “everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). Hell is “the blackness of darkness forever (Jude 13), “outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 22:13), and a place of “everlasting punishment” (Matt. 25:46). Contemplating the reality of eternity in Hell sends chills down the spine and is more than enough to motivate us to do whatever is necessary in order to avoid it (cf. Matt. 5:29-30, etc.). Heaven holds all to me because I do not want to be in Hell.
My God is there
Solomon declared, “…for God is in Heaven and you are on earth, therefore let your words be few” (Ecc. 5:2). Heaven is God’s “holy habitation” (Deu. 26:15). His throne is in Heaven (Ps. 11:4), He looks down from Heaven (Ps. 53:2), He speaks from Heaven (Deu. 4:36), and He rules from Heaven (Ps. 103:19). Jesus referred to Heaven as “My Father’s house” (John 14:1). To be in Heaven is to be in the dwelling place of our Creator; the One who loves us, provides for us, sustains us, and satisfies us. Heaven holds all to me because it is the dwelling place of my God and spending eternity there means spending eternity in His presence.
My Savior is there
Luke wrote, “Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:51). Just as He had promised, when His work on earth was done, Jesus returned to His Father in Heaven. He said to Mary, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:17). He said to His disciples, “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father” (John 16:28). Jesus now sits on His throne at the right hand of God, in the heavenlies (Eph. 1:20) and He is in “Heaven itself ” to appear in the presence of God on our behalf (Heb. 9:24). The Lamb of God who is the King of Kings and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah occupies His rightful place in Heaven. Heaven holds all to me because I want to see Him, and worship Him, and be with Him forever.
The Redeemed of all Ages will be there
Shortly before His death, Jesus comforted the apostles by revealing to them that they would be able to be with Him forever in the Father’s house. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also “(John 14:1-3).
In Revelation 14:1 the apostle John, who heard the words of Jesus in John 14:1-3, saw “a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty four thousand.” The number is representative of the redeemed of all ages. When the Lord returns to “receive” (John 14:3) His servants and the gates of Heaven are opened, all of God’s faithful from every age will be present and accounted for. Heaven holds all to me because I know that it will be a place of great reunion with those who have gone on before. What a glorious day that will be! It is good for us to reflect on Heaven. It comforts us through this life and motivates us to live in a way that is pleasing to our God. As we sing, “Heaven holds all to me” we ought to reflect on why that place is so precious to us.
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