OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL

 HEAVENLY HOME

MESSAGE BY: Pastor E. A. Adeboye

MEMORISE: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” — John 14:3

I. TWO CATEGORIES OF PILGRIMS: TEMPORAL CITIZENS VS. ETERNAL HOMESEEKERS

When you analyze how human beings live, you will discover that humanity falls into two distinct categories:

 1: Temporal Citizens: Those who conduct their daily affairs as if this present physical earth is their permanent dwelling place and ultimate resting place. Their ambitions, investments, anxieties, and priorities are bound entirely by time and space.

2: Eternal Homeseekers: Those who recognize that this earth is merely a transit lounge—a temporary pilgrimage—and that their real home is in Heaven. They align their daily lifestyle, spiritual discipline, and moral purity to ensure they end up there.

Jesus made a direct, unshakeable covenant commitment in John 14:2–3:

“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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

As we noted yesterday, everything in this present physical creation—the skyscrapers, the financial systems, the luxury vehicles, and even the physical heavens and earth—is temporal. It will all pass away.

In Revelation 21:1, the Apostle John sees this present cosmic order dissolve: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

When this decaying world reaches its scheduled end, those who refused to make the earth their home—those who remained faithful to Jesus Christ, the Heavenly Bridegroom—will be ushered into the glorious, breathtaking city: The New Jerusalem!

II. THE NEW JERUSALEM: A REALM BEYOND TEARS AND DEATH

What makes our heavenly home so unspeakably glorious that no sacrifice on earth is too great to make for it?

Our Bible reading in Revelation 21:1–11 unveils a realm of absolute perfection, radiant beauty, and divine fellowship:

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them…” — Revelation 21:2–3

Consider the divine promises built into the foundation of that Holy City:

Direct Fellowship: God Himself will dwell directly with us. There will be no spiritual distance, no doubts, and no veils between the Creator and His redeemed children.

The End of Grief: Verse 4 promises: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Illuminated by God’s Glory: Verse 23 adds that the city has no need of the sun or moon to shine in it, for the glory of God lightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof!

Having been granted visions and glimpses of Heaven by God’s mercy throughout my spiritual journey, I can assure you that anyone who witnesses the blinding beauty, holiness, and absolute peace of Heaven will never covet the passing junk of this fallen world!

The glorious reality of Heaven makes every earthly trial, every persecuting voice, and every sacrifice pale into absolute insignificance.

III. SPENDING AND BEING SPENT: LIVING WITH AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

When people watch me still engaging in long prayer walks at my advanced age, traveling across nations from continent to continent to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, giving generously to the poor, and tirelessly laboring for the Kingdom, they sometimes wonder why.

• Why not sit back, relax, and enjoy a quiet retirement?

• Why continue to push through demanding schedules and physical labor?

The reason is simple: I know where my home is!

When you understand that Heaven is your final destination, your perspective on time, money, energy, and physical body shifts completely. You realize that everything you spend for God is not a loss; it is a transfer of value into your eternal bank account in Heaven!

As Paul declared in Romans 8:35–39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

Nothing in this world—no amount of money, no position of earthly honor, no threat of hardship—is worth compromising your place in Heaven.

Conversely, look at the solemn warning in Revelation 21:8: those who compromise through fear, unbelief, immorality, deception, sorcery, and falsehood will have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

IV. DONT MISS YOUR REAL HOME

Child of God, examine your life today:

• Are your choices driven by a desire for brief earthly applause, or are they motivated by a desire to hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

• Are you laying up fragile, rust-prone treasures on earth, or are you aggressively building an eternal inheritance in Heaven?

Do everything spiritually, morally, and practically possible to ensure that you do not miss Heaven. Keep your heart clean, walk in daily repentance, maintain a vibrant prayer life, remain faithful to your covenant with God, and labor tirelessly for lost souls.

Heaven is real, Heaven is ready, and by the grace of God, I pray that I will meet you there in everlasting glory!

V. KEY POINT

Do everything possible to ensure that you make it to heaven.

VI. BIBLE TEXT SUMMARY: REVELATION 21:1-11

Apostle John beholds a vision of a new heaven and a new earth after the former creation passes away. He sees the Holy City, New Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. A great voice announces that God’s dwelling is now directly with humanity, promising that He will wipe away every tear, eliminate death, sorrow, crying, and pain permanently. God declares from His throne that He is making all things new, promising the water of life freely to the thirsty and inheriting all things to those who overcome. In contrast, the fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars are sentenced to the lake of fire. An angel then carries John in the spirit to a high mountain, showing him the radiant, crystal-clear jasper light of the holy city filled with God’s divine glory.

VII. BIBLE IN ONE YEAR SUMMARY: ISAIAH 47–49

Isaiah 47: God pronounces a severe judgment on Babylon, personified as a luxurious virgin daughter who will be dragged down into the dust, stripped of her royal garments, and forced into harsh labor. God rebukes her for her merciless treatment of His exiled people and her arrogant self-sufficiency (“I am, and none else beside me”). Despite her astrologers, sorceries, and occult enchantments, sudden destruction will overtake her in a single day, and none of her false advisors will be able to save her from divine fire.

Isaiah 48: God addresses Israel, rebuking their stubbornness, hard-heartedness, and hypocrisy. He explains that He declared former things long ago so they could not credit their idols for fulfilled prophecy. God announces new, hidden things to prevent self-boasting, emphasizing that He refines His people in the furnace of affliction for His own name’s sake so His glory is not given to another. He identifies Himself as the First and the Last, urging Israel to flee Babylon with joyful singing, while concluding with a sobering reminder: “There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.”

Isaiah 49: A glorious messianic chapter where the Messiah speaks, called from the womb to be God’s Servant to restore Jacob and bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Though initially rejected, God promises to make Him a light to the Gentiles and a covenant to the people. Zion laments that God has forgotten her, but the Lord responds with profound tenderness: “Can a woman forget her sucking child?… Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” He promises that her barren places will be filled with returning children, kings and queens will bow down as foster parents, and all flesh will know that Jehovah is the Savior and Redeemer of Israel.

VIII. HYMN 20: I’M PRESSING ON THE UPWARD WAY

1. I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining everyday;

Still praying as I onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Chorus:

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,

By faith, on Heaven’s table-land;

Where love, and joy, and light abound,

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

2. My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise, and fears dismay;

Though some may dwell where these abound,

My constant aim is higher ground.

3. Beyond the mist I fain would rise,

To rest beneath unclouded skies;

Above earth’s turmoil peace is found

By those who dwell on higher ground.

4. I long to scale the utmost height,

Though rough the way, and hard the fight;

My song, while climbing, shall resound,

“Lord, lead me on to higher ground.”

5. Lord, lead me up the mountain side;

I dare not climb without my Guide;

And, heaven gained, I’ll gaze around,

With grateful heart from higher ground.

IX. PROPHETIC DECREE

I decree and declare that on this Tuesday, July 28, 2026, your spiritual eyes are permanently opened to the glorious, eternal reality of your heavenly home!

The enticements, traps, and moral compromises of this passing world lose their hold over your heart today!

You will not exchange your heavenly citizenship, your spiritual purity, or your eternal crown for the temporary, decaying pleasures of sin!

I decree that as you press on the upward way, the Holy Spirit fills you with fresh vigor, passion, and endurance to pray, fast, preach, give, and labor for the Kingdom of God!

You are delivered from every fear of death and every worldly distraction.

When your earthly pilgrimage is finished, you will enter triumphantly into the New Jerusalem, receiving your incorruptible crown and dwelling in the glorious, tearless presence of God forever and ever, in the matchless Name of Jesus Christ! Amen! Hallelujah!