Where life begins

Dear readers. There's something I find myself often thinking. It has become my dream, something that I'm really longing for. It's also my passionate prayer when I'm really going through hard times. Even today I feel myself so tired... My heart is tired and it makes the power of my body drip vain as well. I want to go to sleep and see dreams of heaven. In my dream the spirit of Jesus embraces my spirit just like He embraces this young man at heaven's door in this picture.

I read in the summer a book called "Paradise Hyms" by Efraim Syrian and I found it too ethereal to describe. It was a description of heaven. I would write here all his main points but only one of them stood especially at my heart: He wrote in his book that what we lack on Earth we'll reach in heaven. The word of this prophet brought hope to my heart as I interpret his message like this: Here on Earth I'm carrying a burden of worries but in heaven I'll feel peace and happiness. Some days I'm really hungry but in heaven Jesus is the bread of life. Here on Earth I might feel loneliness but in heaven I'll be surrounded by other rescued spirits... and there are billions of them, more than human sense is capable to imagine. And here on Earth I'm struggling with a learning difficulty that might ruin my chances in this life; but in heaven I'll reach the state of heavenly wisdom. My physical body is stiff - I can't move it the way I want; but my spirit will be free to dance and do somersaults in heaven. And if I'm poor in this life I'll carry spiritual treasures with me in the next. And there life really begins. Our physical bodies will stay in earth but our spirits will rise up in heaven.

What does the New Testament say about heaven's kingdom? I gathered here what Jesus said in his parables and other quotes about heaven's kingdom but I also chose some parts of the Revelation:

The sower (Matt. 13:1-9)

The same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables saying:" A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear."

Wheat and the weeds (Matt. 13: 24-30)

Another parable he put before them saying:" The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said to him:" Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?" He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' Then servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said; 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."

The grain of mustard seed and leaven (Matt. 13:31-35)

Another parable he put before them, saying:" The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field, it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make make nests in its branches." He told them another parable:" The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened." All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:" I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."

The treasure, the pearl and the net

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind, when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. THe angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth."

Who is the greatest? (Matt. 18: 1-6)

At the time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."