#EN2010: A Foretaste of Heaven

It’s already late. My laptop clock tells me it’s way past my sleeping hours. Twenty minutes to 2AM and I am wide awake. I just got back from the opening of Every Nation World Conference, the famous #EN2010 we’ve been tweeting about in the last couple of months. Tonight was the night I was part of something this big and the thoughts that are running in my head wouldn’t let me go to sleep unless I write them down to document what kind of day it was.

I will not dwell on how great the venue was or how advanced the technology we used. That would just trivialize the event to the point of being vain. I also would like to refrain from using words like “excited, excellent, great, amazing, and awesome. They’re like broken records already. Everybody’s excited, everybody’s saying it was awesome and great and excellent and amazing and all that. But what really happened there? How does it look like in the eyes of a regular Joe like myself?

Let me just point out one of the highlights, the parade of nations. I know that those who have attended Every Nation Conferences before have already seen it. I haven’t. This was the first time in my life when I saw with my own eyes how forty seven nations from around the world came together in one room and worshiped God with one voice. I could hardly believe it was happening right in front of me.

Yes the atmosphere was electric that it was easy to get carried away with all the shouting and dancing. It was easy to get drowned in the noise. It was easy to join in the euphoria of the moment. But for some strange reason, I could not even shout or clap or cheer. I was fighting a lump in my throat. I was holding back tears, trying hard not to sob when I saw the people from other countries waving their flags as they entered the main hall. It was like a deja vu of heaven, a preview of a prophecy recorded in Revelation 7: 9 when people from every nation, tribe and tongue will come together in front of the throne of God.

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

As I looked, a few things came to my mind. One is the fact that I was actually looking at a snapshot of my future in heaven. No matter what my circumstances are today, I already know how this is gonna end. I am going to win, you are going to win. Someday, Jesus will all gather us to celebrate our victory. We are going to overcome, Revelation 7: 9 tells us that.

Second is the spiritual connection I felt as people from different nations passed in front of me. It somehow amused me that people with different skin colors can be my family. We all went through the same discipleship, we believe in the same Jesus and we are brothers and sisters in the fullest sense of the word. I have never been prouder of my Christian faith than today. For the first time it just hit me that my faith is not something that is driven to the corner while the world took center stage.

Third is the visible evidence of how the gospel of Jesus can melt cultural, political, economic, racial and linguistic differences. Not only were there people from different nations gathered together today. Politicians, students, celebrities, regular office workers, businessmen and people from all walks of life were also there, representing the wide diversity in our churches and in the body of Christ. As we sang the EN2010 theme song, I could feel the voices of the nations rising up to the high heavens, breaking down walls that have long separated people from each other. I love how Jesus alone can do this.

Fourth is the universal power and appeal of the gospel. When the female Nigerian preacher came up to preach a fiery message, I couldn’t help but feel the same familiar warmth in my heart. She was speaking with an unfamiliar accent but the message was something that was so native to me, something that I felt has been there all along. It was the same fire that I often feel when I read my Bible alone. It was like God Himself was talking to me.

I walked out of the conference hall feeling light and warm. I know that was just a foretaste. More is yet to come. I will definitely come back tomorrow.