I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death. O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight (Hosea 13:14).

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever.

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Old man Henderson isn't the first near-stranger to show up in the story, however: the novel begins with a Don Miller getting in touch with Malloy, introducing himself as a friend of Malloy's brother, and from practically the same hometown (Malloy is from O'Hara-favorite Gibbsville, Pennsylvania; Miller from next-door Swedish Haven). Heaven is the place of hope because the God of hope is there. If you have looked to Christ alone, the joy of heaven is your hope. You shall see your Christ face-to-face, and your present sufferings shall be no more. This joy will be eternal, as all the saints of God will praise him together for eternity. Yes, we will see departed Christian loved ones, both family and friends—but our focus shall be on King Jesus and his glory. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “FOR THY SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:31-39). Chapter 12: What comes to your mind when you think of heaven? Is it angels, or streets of gold? Perfect peace and happiness? These thoughts are true about heaven, but none of them are the focus of heaven. The Scriptures do mention angels, streets of gold, and happiness, but the focal point of heaven is the glory of God, specifically seen in the person of Jesus Christ.

Partly because of the troubling subject matter of his visions, compounded by his inability to understand what the visions meant, Daniel was greatly distressed and sought to understand their meaning. His distress and desire to understand more fully is spoken of at the beginning of chapter 10, providing the setting for the entire revelation, including chapter 12. The final revelation of Daniel 10-12 gave Daniel more details and a greater, though far from complete, grasp of what it all meant. Daniel, distressed, mourning, and praying for insight finds the answer to all of his petitions in this final revelation. The amazing surprise is that earth will be our eternal home. God will make renewed versions of heaven and earth that do not bear the scars of sin, violence, suffering, and death. God himself will move into our neighborhood and make his home in this world with human beings. Revelation 21:16 tells us that the “New Jerusalem” - which will be the capital city of God’s kingdom on earth - will be a perfect cube shape. This is not literal, but refers to the cube-shaped “most holy place” in the Biblical temple, where God’s presence came to live among Israel. The saints have much in common: faith, hope, charity; a love for Christ and for his Church; a passion for justice; a willingness to suffer for love; a dedication to prayer; an inner joy; a longing for heaven. Recall Hebrews 6:9. The writer had just warned against drifting away from God and committing apostasy and being judged. But then he said in verse 9, “But beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation.” The better things are perseverance in faith and patient obedience — in other words, “holding fast to their hope.” And he says that this “accompanies salvation.” That is, it belongs to God’s children as part of their salvation.What Christ bought for us when he died was not the freedom from having to hold fast, but the enabling power to hold fast. The very glory of heaven is that we shall see him, that same Christ who once died upon Calvary’s cross, that we shall fall down, and worship at his feet, nay more, that he shall kiss us with the kisses of his mouth, and welcome us to dwell with him forever.”