The national press—perhaps looking for one last “lazy hazy” summer vacation headline—has seized on the “Greenland for Sale” story. Turns out American presidents have given serious thought to purchasing the “largest island in the world.” In 1946 President Truman quietly explored procuring that icy kingdom from Denmark and actually offered $100 million for it. Its strategic location between this country and the Soviet Union in the Cold War made it a tempting piece of real estate. 

Moreover, while the populace of this Danish outpost is only a little over 56,000 and the frigid landscape forbidding, the reality is “Greenland is part of the Arctic and it's estimated that 13% of the world's undiscovered oil reserves and 30% of its undiscovered gas lies under the Arctic. . . . There is also believed to be vast mineral resources underground in Greenland, with mining opportunities for coal, zinc, copper and iron ore—among others” (https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-49422832).

So when President Trump a few days ago floated the idea of purchasing Greenland from Denmark, turns out he not only had precedent, he was serious. But the subsequent brouhaha by Danish politicians and press apparently has pushed this story off the radar screen, at least for now.

Wouldn’t it be something if somehow the inhabitants of this planet could make a purchase offer for Heaven! While it’s true, the Owner of that real estate has breathed not even a hint his Kingdom is for sale, nevertheless, the novelty of such a massive procurement is strangely enticing.

It certainly was enticing, once upon a long-ago time when a rebel prince in the Kingdom instigated an open revolt against the Owner of Heaven. Skipping the ensuing details of the rebel’s maniacal fury and frenzy, here we all are—inhabitants of the rebel’s small world he now trashes with havoc and carnage as if there were no tomorrow.

And yet—believe it or not—it turns out the Owner of Heaven (aka the Creator of the universe) undertook the single greatest risk ever attempted by (1) being birthed into the fallen race, (2) going hand to hand in mortal conflict with the dark prince, and (3) eventually offering up his life and throne to purchase back his hostage children “which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:18). The magnitude of that sacrificial purchase will be the lore of song and story for eternity.
“Both the redeemed [purchased back] and the unfallen beings will find in the cross of Christ their science and their song. It will be seen that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory of self-sacrificing love. In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven” (Desire of Ages 19).

Is Heaven for sale? No. But you and I were. And the greatest headline of all is that we’ve been bought back forever—for sale no longer.