There is no practical way to fully illustrate the difference between Heaven, our eternal abode, and that in which we live today. We could pour a glass of water into a sparkling crystal goblet, and to the naked eye it would look pure.
We could take another crystal goblet, fill it half full with the same water, and then proceed to add dirt from the ground outside. We could stir through it until it became mud. By holding the two goblets next to each other, there would be a stark difference.

It would be easy to see how dirty the one goblet’s contents are, but it would take a microscope to discern the ‘dirt’ in the seemingly pure water. By magnifying the water droplets, the water that seemed to clear at first, suddenly becomes ‘scary.’ Unidentifiable creatures dart back and forth, while some seem to hang effortlessly in space. That which looked so pure, is actually filled with small particles of dirt and creatures, betraying its pristine appearance.

Though our original contrast between goblets is not a precise illustration, it can act as an inferior picture of Heaven as compared to our present world. Heaven really is pure. There are no ‘dirt’ particles there, nor are there unwelcome ‘creatures’ floating around. Heaven is perfect, and will act as our forever home after we leave this life.

The letter to the church at Galatia includes a description of what Christ did for us by His sacrificial death.  By paying for our sins on the cross, Jesus provided for us not only a means of forgiveness, but also a way out of this world to that which is perfect.  Referring to Christ, it says in…

Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Jesus gave Himself to die on the cross to pay for our sins in order that He might deliver us from this ‘present evil world.’

Just like that goblet which was filled with mud, the world is filled with sin, and every conceivable offence to the nature of Christ. Every man is a sinner by nature, and even our righteousnesses are as ‘filthy rags,’ according to Isaiah. ‘There is none good,’ and ‘we are all gone out of the way.’

Jesus died that we might have an escape from this evil world, and by trusting Christ, we will be delivered from this world to Heaven when we die. However, I believe there is another truth presented in this passage. Christ did not only die to provide for us an eventual ticket to Heaven; His death and resurrection made it possible that we could be freed from this present evil world even while we still lived in and a part of it.

As we fill our hearts and minds with Christ, the temptations of the world lose their charm, and Heaven’s glories begin to be enjoyed today.  Let’s take advantage of the deliverance Christ offers us, and begin breathing Heaven’s air today.