Revelation 4:1
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
John had no choice but to be exiled on the isle of Patmos. He had no power to change his physical condition. Rather than allowing his physical condition destroy his spirit, he was raised in his spirit out of the isle of Patmos into Heaven. Here is a man who had every reason to complain, but instead of complaining, he chose to live in another world. Was it easy to live in another world? Not at all! Yet, John was able to overlook his horrible conditions and live in a heavenly world. Let me show you how he accomplished this.
First, he moved on from the past. The Book of Revelation is divided into three categories: past, present and future. (Revelation 1:19) John quickly moved on from what happened in the past. He didn’t live in the past; rather, he lived in the present trying to influence his future. Friend, you will never live in a heavenly world when you live in the world of the past. Many people destroy their own spirit because they won’t move on from their past. It doesn’t matter whether your past is good or bad, you must move on from it if you want to live in a heavenly world.
Second, he chose not to allow his present world to destroy his future. You must realize that John was living in horrible conditions, but those conditions did not destroy his spirit. I don’t know your present condition, but I do know that you must not allow it to destroy your spirit if you are going to live in a heavenly world. Everyone has hard times. You are not the first to face what you’re facing. If John can live above his present world, then you are going to have to choose not to live in your present world of hardships. You must choose to rise above it.
Third, you must remove the obstacles that keep you from living in a heavenly word. Chapters 2-3 are about churches that had things that needed to be removed. Apply these things to your own personal life. You will never live in a heavenly world as long as you allow the sins of this world in your life. God will never raise you to the heavenlies until you remove the sinful actions that are keeping your from living there. Look at these seven churches and learn what God wants you to remove from your life.
Fourth, allow preaching to change your life. In the verse above, John heard a trumpet. The trumpet is always symbolic of preaching. You would be wise to listen to good preaching on a regular basis. Don’t just wait until Sunday and Wednesday to listen to preaching, but listen to it regularly. Good preaching has a way lifting you to the heavenlies.
Fifth, spend personal time with God. You will notice God said, “Come up hither,…” You need to have a time every day when you come up to God and allow Him to speak to you through His Word and you speak to Him through prayer. John had to accept God’s invitation to be lifted up from his present condition, and you must accept God’s daily invitation to have a personal time with Him.
Finally, choose to see the good in life. John spent the rest of the chapter describing the wonderful place of Heaven where we will go someday. Friend, you will never live in the heavenlies until you choose to see the good in life. You must train your eyes to see and your mind to think of the good in people and life.
Yes, we all have to live in this present world, but we don’t have to allow it to influence our spirit. If you will apply these steps to your life, you will find that you can live in a heavenly world no matter what you face. Make the choice today to make this day a day in which you live in a heavenly world.