Hebrews 4:8-11

Hebrews 4:8: “For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

There are a few important things that we can immediately glean from this. First of all, verse 11 makes it clear that the only way to obtain this rest is through belief. If we believe in Jesus then we will enter into His rest; if we don’t then we won’t. It is as simple as that. Saying “Well, I just didn’t believe it” will not be accepted as a valid excuse. The Bible always portrays unbelief as a fearful sin.

We can also see that this rest hasn’t yet been given to us. It is still in our future, and is something to look forward to. It is immensely comforting to know that one day we will rest from our works. I suspect that the “works” that are being discussed are our labors in this life, and that our rest comes when we leave this world and move on to be with the Lord. At that point we will be free from all of the things that troubled us, and our soul will be refreshed.

Now, this doesn’t mean that we’re going to sit around in Heaven with nothing to do, and will spend eternity staring at a wall. Revelation 22:3 tells us that in the New Jerusalem “His servants shall serve Him”. But this is going to be very different from what we’re going through now, because in that golden city the Lord’s will is done. Nothing evil will ever be allowed to enter into it (Revelation 21:27). We will live there with God and all will be well. In this life we constantly struggle with the forces of darkness, fighting spiritual wickedness in high places – but there we will have rest.

The promise is clear: for now, we labor and are burdened with many sorrows, trials, and pains. But one day our labor will be finished, the Lord will call us home, and we will rest. That will be a good day. Those who “come short of it” do so because of their unbelief. These trials will not last forever – a better day is coming.