In many hotels and resorts patrons have the option of reserving a room that overlooks some part of the grounds that are especially beautiful.  In a seaside resort, the best rooms face the shoreline.  In mountain resorts, the best rooms are situated so patrons can see the snow-capped mountains in the distance.  A popular resort in the central valley of California sits amid fields and orchards which are bare at certain times of the year.  The best rooms in this resort face the inner grounds, which are spectacularly groomed.

We sometimes refer to these kinds of rooms as “a room with a view”.  Usually patrons pay a premium to occupy these rooms, and reservations for them can sometimes be hard to get.  Even so, many guests pay the extra cost and make their reservations well in advance in order to have one of these special rooms.  Sometimes, however, a guest arrives with reservation in hand only to find that the desired room is not available.  This is a tricky public relations problem for the resort, and can be a bitter disappointment for the guest.

What would the reaction be, though, if a resort were to advertise that all its rooms had a spectacular view?  Furthermore, what if that resort charged the same price for every room, and guaranteed that a room, once properly reserved, would be available for each guest?  Would this pique anyone’s curiosity about that resort?  Would the switchboard be flooded with calls?  Would the web site crash from so many people trying to access it?  Very likely so.

Many of us might be skeptical of such an ad if we saw it.  We would wonder what the catch is.  The old adage about something too good to be true probably is, would likely come to mind.  Yet, this is exactly the promise that our Lord made before He left this earth.  On the night of His betrayal the Lord told the disciples, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

The Lord said that in His Father’s house there are many dwelling places.  The Greek word He used is the word for rooms.  There are many rooms in the Father’s house, and they are being prepared for those whose names are in the heavenly reservation book, which is the book of life.  All these rooms are premium rooms, paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, and no one who has a reservation will be turned away.  All of these rooms have a view.  It is a view of the heavenly city and of the throne room of God the Father.

We make our reservations for our room with a view by obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ, and by living faithfully until death.  When the end of time comes, everyone who has ever lived will stand before the Lord at judgment (2 Cor. 5:10).  According to Rev. 20:11-15, books will be opened and each of us will be judged by what is written in the books.  Those whose names are in the book of life will be ushered into the heavenly city, to the rooms that have been prepared for them by the Lord.  Those whose names are not in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death (Rev. 20:14-15).

On earth, not everyone gets a room with a view.  In heaven, however, every room is guaranteed to be a room with an out of this world view.  Every person whose name is in the book of life will receive a room with a view in heaven.  This being true, doesn’t it make sense to make your reservations now?