Beth Mattison
Future Hope
"God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." - Romans 2:6-8. 3
Though Beth Mattison has passed away, we have a hope of seeing her again, in the Kingdom of God. While living, Beth looked forward to the Kingdom, and now waits in the grave for the return of Jesus, when He will establish the Kingdom of God. As her death was grieved, hope flowed through each one of us. Hope still flows through each one of us, during the good times and during the bad. We pray that the Kingdom will come soon because it will bring in an era of perfection and end this broken world.
We know that each one of us is imperfect because we are human. For this reason, none of us have ever experienced perfection. We've experienced terrible, bad, okay, good, and sometimes even great, but never perfect. As imperfect humans, we can't even imagine what living in a perfect world would be like. But, the Bible describes parts of perfection to us.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.'" - Revelation 21:1-4. 4
According to this passage, perfecction is not this heaven and earth, but a new heaven and a new earth. Perfection leaves this broken world behind and starts anew. Perfection is also dwelling with God among humans. It is being able to worship God at all times. It is being able to experience God's love for us every moment of our life. This passage also states that in perfection there is no death, mourning, crying, or pain. Can you imagine what it would be like to live without facing pain, without having to deal with the grief of a close friend or family member dying?
"And it will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, 'Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths.'' For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war." - Micah 4:1-3. 5
According to this passage, perfection is world peace. There will not be wars between nations. The world will live in enough peace that people will make their weapons into other needed equipment, such as plowshares and pruning hooks. World peace brings about the end of fear of attacks. It brings about the peace that passes understanding to you. Perfection is the end of civil unrest. The laws will be followed. The laws will come from God, ending the creation of immoral laws.
We look forward to the perfection we will experience in the Kingdom of God. We keep our focus on the end, the Kingdom of God, facing whatever hardships come our way as we wait. Many Biblical figures did this and so did Beth. At some point, Jesus will return to set up the Kingdom, and we will see Beth again.
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God; whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!" - Job 19:25-27.6