Heaven

Well, we've been to a few places today. We started off in Philippi and we went to Calvary, greatest place of all. And then we went to Babylon.

Well, at the close of the meeting, I want to take us in the scriptures to heaven. Turn with me, please, to John chapter 14, John chapter 14, John 14 in verse one. John, let not your heart be troubled.

Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. A wonderful connection between heaven and himself. What makes heaven heaven is that he is there.

Now, let's go over to the book of Ephesians chapter two, Ephesians chapter two. So the apostle is going to not only contrast what they were and where they were, but now what they are and where they're where they are now as believers. And so he's giving them really it is both a foretaste and as well a present reality position.

So in verse six, and hath raised us up together. And made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We were on this in the Bible reading at home a little while ago, and one of the Christians asked the question, what raised us up together now? Is that is that talking about the believers or is that talking about about me and Christ? I said, yes, yes, it is.

So it's all of us. And we're never separated from him. And I was thinking, as we go back to Brother Larry's word about getting along together and so on, think about what it's going to be like one day.

We're now positionally in the heavenlies, but one day, every single one of us never to be separated, never to be removed, to enjoy forever his presence and the presence of one another in the glory. And so Paul is reminding them and that he says that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. And now Philippians chapter three, Philippians chapter three, verse 20.

It is amazing how so often the passages that tell us about heaven are are tremendously contrasted with failure so that it makes us actually appreciate and long for heaven all the more. Ephesians chapter two did that. It told he was telling them what they were and how far they were from God.

Philippians chapter three is such a chapter as well, where the failure and the lack in Paul's life. And now he says in verse 20, for our conversation, our citizenship, our politics. And it means more than that.

It doesn't just mean our politics. It literally means this is the administrative point of our lives as well. It's not just a matter of of our citizenship.

But it's the country to which we belong. It's the place that we really are part of is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Colossians three for the final Colossians three. You saw three clocks. Now, if I'm unless I'm blind, I I'm going to get perfect vision one day.

OK, I'm just. Anyway, where is the clock? Sound man. OK.

All right. Give me a thumbs up to keep going, but don't give me a thumbs down. OK.

All right. All right. Colossians chapter three.

And we're going to read verse one. If he then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, set your affection or literally mind things above, not things on the earth. For you have died and your life is hid with Christ in God.

When Christ, I love this expression. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall he also appear with him in glory. Heaven, it would be an impossible task to even begin to talk about it, let alone for 25 minutes.

And it is it is the subject of where we're going for eternity. Heaven, I want you to think of just several things about it as we leave this afternoon session. I want to think, first of all, about the arrangement of heaven, the arrangement of heaven, if I could use that word.

Heaven has different aspects. There is the created aspect of heaven. And then there is the uncreated aspect of heaven and its arrangement, so to speak.

We read about the heavens. Paul talks about the third heaven. And so in the arrangement of the heavens, we have that which is uncreated.

We have the dwelling place of God, the abode of God, which is uncreated. God never made his own home. He was always at home in eternity.

But there are aspects of the heavens which have been created and Genesis one comes out in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And so there are three aspects of heaven. And this number three is stamped on many things.

Now, you've got, for example, the Godhead, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, the Trinity. You have man, who, as we were reminded earlier, is spirit, soul and body. And so there's man, we are a tripartite creature.

We have the tabernacle and the tabernacle had the three compartments. You had the outer court, the holy place and the holiest of holies. So that's divided into three.

And it is so with the heavens as well. We have the heavens, this first heaven that we occupy right now, just atmosphere, the atmospheric heaven. And then we have the second heaven, which is the stellar heaven.

It's the universe. And then we have the abode of God. The third heaven.

It's interesting that it's referred to as paradise in Second Corinthians. It's interesting that the thief was told today, thou shalt be with me in paradise. The arrangement of the heavens, when it says, in fact, in Hebrews chapter four, we were hearing about the high priestly work of Christ.

And so the writer to the Hebrews is contrasting those Old Testament priests. And when they went in to the holiest of holies, he says that they would go through. And basically, the picture is there that that priest, as he ministered that day, particularly on the Day of Atonement, he would go in from the outer court.

He would move through there, through the holy place, and then he would go to the holiest of holies, three compartments as the high priest would work that day. And in the same way, in chapter four, verse 14, he says, Jesus, he says, our great high priest, he has passed through the heavens into the heaven. That's the idea that he ascended up and he is there now, a risen, glorified man for us.

And so there's the arrangement of the heavens. I have to move through these very quickly. There's the administration of heaven, if I can use that word, the administration of heaven.

It's interesting when you come to creation and so often, I'm going to get to this in a moment, heaven and earth is linked together in the word of God. There is that aspect that that we have of the association, the link. And right at the beginning, we have the administration, because as God creates the universe in those six days, it is significant that in the beginning, when it says that God created the heavens and the earth and then it moves to the firmament and then it moves to the sun, the moon, the stars.

Only in those aspects does it say, and God called and God called. But in the rest of creation, it doesn't say that because the rest of creation is Adam's fear. But the heavenlies are his fear.

And so in God calling, he is assuming he is demonstrating his administration, his authority. It's interesting, Daniel, book of Daniel. When you come to chapter four, there is an expression used that is similar but distinct.

And in Daniel, it says three times, Daniel, chapter four, which is significant where it comes after those men cast into the fiery furnace, after Nebuchadnezzar has asserted his authority. Chapter four says that you may know, Nebuchadnezzar, that the most high doth rule in the kingdoms of men. The most high ruleth.

He's telling Nebuchadnezzar, this great king with all these things that he's done that Nebuchadnezzar, you're going to become like a beast of the field, you're going to eat grass, you're going to bow down, you are going to fall under the mighty hand of the one, the most high that rules in the kingdoms of men. And then he uses a different expression at the end, that you may know that the heavens do rule in the kingdoms of men. He's equating both of them and he's saying this, the administration.

Really. Of all things is under the governmental power and hand of God himself. Now, why do I bring that out? Because at times the way we live, where we live, we feel that heaven is so far away.

It's so distant. I believe it's important to be aware of politics. But we don't have and what's happening in our country.

But as believers, we never need to become alarmed. We should be aware of it, but not alarmed because you know why? The heavens do rule. God rules.

God is in control. God is sovereign. And that comes down, whether it is nations, whether it is municipalities, whether it is a home, whether it is the life of an individual believer.

I don't know what you're going through today. I don't know what's in that family. Some of you, I do.

And, you know, my family a little bit. And there are times, whether it's a relationship, whether it's children, whether it's those that are lost, whether listen. The most high death rule, the heavens do rule.

Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? These are not platitudes. These are not statements we just throw out to kind of somehow placate ourselves and just like a pill you take and get you through the day. These are vital biblical truth that is telling us of the administration of God in heaven.

And God is good. And God is sovereign. And so you have the administration here.

But let me notice. In fact, just one thing that came into my mind. What's the last book in the Bible? Revelation.

You know why? Because God is telling us all. This is how it's going to end. And the authority that men have rejected and the authority that believers have subjected themselves to willingly.

Devotedly is going to come to fruition in finality. And God will have the last say. And the man that is rejected, that we have fallen in love with, that we bow to and say, Jesus Christ is Lord.

He is the man that one day. Every knee shall bow to, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father, and you, dear child of God, are associated with him. The administration, the association of heaven.

Well, past, present and future, there is this association. The Bible begins with the creation of the heavens and the earth. And as you move on, you see different, we're given different snippets, different little pictures in the past, whether it's the angels ascending and descending there on Jacob's ladder and so to speak.

And then when you come to the past, you see the nation of Israel and their link and then God over the nation and so on. So in past, we have this link between heaven and earth. Israel is an earthly people.

But it's interesting that the writer to the Hebrew says that they, chapter 11, after he goes through all of these episodes and individuals of faith, that they, apart from us, should not be made complete. There is an aspect that God is going to bring together, as it were, spheres will be spheres, but there will be a continual, eternal association with those spheres. We have the satellite city, the city that's suspended between heaven and earth and the relationship again there.

So we have not only the past, we have the future and we have the present. Who hasn't enjoyed here the beatitudes? Those blessed statements of the Lord Jesus in Matthew, chapter five, and the beatitudes that bring before us both spheres again. Listen, don't relegate the beatitudes for kingdom living ahead.

There is a present impact and ramification. Why would we give them in the millennium a higher place than we have now? We have the indwelling spirit. And so when it comes to those statements, blessed are the poor in spirit.

Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Those who are persecuted for righteousness sake rejoice for your reward is great in heaven. What is he doing? He's saying that there is an association between what you do here on earth and what you experience and what is in heaven.

There is this, in other words, the Lord Jesus, listen, dear believer, he wants heaven to be brought near. He wants heaven to be brought close. It's not something far away.

It's not someone far away. We need to enjoy that, that will help us to live for today in light of eternity. And so we have this association.

In the New Testament, it's interesting, the Gospels, our reward is in heaven, the Lord Jesus, before he goes back to heaven, he's reminding them of heaven. And so in the book of Acts, what is the first thing that he reminds that Peter, when he's preaching, he says that the Lord Jesus, he says, is in heaven. Whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things, he's there for a little while.

What did Stephen see when he was being pelted with stones? I see the son of standing on the right hand. Heaven was opened up to him, dear brother or sister, if we go through difficulties, you know what God wants to do, open up heaven before us. Give us a view of Christ.

Give us a view of the son of God, that's what we need, that's what he wants to give us. And if we do not see him and we do not see there in light of what we are going through, then we will crumble. We will look to other sites, we will look to other places, but what could be higher than Christ in glory? What could be greater than a sight of him in heaven? And yet he says at the same time.

I will never leave you nor forsake you. Never. The association in the epistles were seated with him in the heavens and in the book of Revelation, we're reminded again of this, this great victory.

How does what does Paul remind again in Thessalonians for right living for those believers, for an attraction, for an over overcoming disappointment and sorrow? The Lord himself shall descend. Period. From heaven.

You know what he's reminding them of? That's where we're going. That's where we're going. What about the attraction of heaven? There's an attraction of him, I was thinking, I remember, I don't know if any of you have heard him, but if you have ever heard him, you never forget him.

You know, I forgot. I can't believe it. I can't forget his name.

But Frank, there you go. OK, I'm getting older. This is Gary.

Frank, Piercy had a unique way of preaching. He had a real homie style. He was telling the story.

I remember hearing him about this couple that they had a very, very, very opulent, very, very well to do mansion, really was pretty much. And and the husband, what he did, he devoted every hour to work and so on. And so they had the preachers over for supper one night where they were having a series of meetings and the preachers came in and they're standing there in the foyer or the foyer, as we would say it there.

And they're looking around like this, looking at everything. And the one preacher kind of nudges the other preacher. And the couple came out and all of a sudden they could see and they just sensed it was a little bit of an awkward moment.

And they said, well, you know, they said, we're just waiting for the Lord. And Mr. Piercy said, pretty nice waiting room. How are you waiting for the Lord? How are you waiting for the Lord? How much time do you spend getting to know him? Getting to be like him, getting to know about the place you're going to be in forever.

There's an attraction. That's why Colossians three, I read that set your affection on things above where Christ, who is at the right hand. Why is that expression the right hand in the book of Hebrews for a people that were wavering, the one who's on the right hand of the majesty on high in Colossians for paganism and these people that were surrounded by a world that held out so much attraction to them and pull like the world in which we live in.

With its entertainment, with its amusements, with its draw and its touch upon our hearts. And it does. Why does he point them there to him and to heaven? It's more than just something that is symbolic, it's it's iconic and it's real.

And what I mean by that is this, by pointing them to that place, it would be similar. You know what he was doing by saying the right hand of God, the right hand. It would be what they did on Mount Suribachi in World War II, the Battle of Iwo Jima.

It was the only battle, I believe, that the American forces won where they actually lost more soldiers than the other side. And when they conquered that mountain, that cost tremendous, tremendous battle, when they finally conquered that that island, they put a flag up. And when they saw the flag, they said, you know what, take that one down, put another one up, put a bigger one, put a better, brighter one.

And those men and who know, everybody knows the picture that Joe Rosenthal, the photographer snapped when those men hoisted up that flag. And it was an incentive. The troops stood at the bottom and they cheered.

That's our flag. This is our mountain. We've got the victory.

That's exactly what Paul is doing. He's hoisting a flag. Listen, brethren, we're in a battle.

Make no mistake about it, I think one of our brethren said it, this is enemy land. This is not our home. If you feel at home here, there's something wrong with your walk.

Because you should not feel at home here. In fact, the Bible says that we're pilgrims and strangers. And if you've never recognized that you're a pilgrim here first, you'll never feel that you're a stranger here.

There is an attraction about him, about Christ. I couldn't help it. As my brother was speaking, I noticed my brother Dan was speaking.

There was a hush because it was about him, an attraction. I want to tell you about the anticipation very quickly, the anticipation of heaven. Ecclesiastes 3 and 11 tells us a different, perhaps maybe a little, a slightly better translation would be to put the correct word in there, that he has set eternity.

I know it says the world, but it's the idea of he has set eternity in our hearts. And so there is an anticipation for us. There is a distinctiveness from us in creation.

And that distinctiveness that now of why God made us is fully brought into view and operation with salvation. And so there is this anticipation that we're made for something more. You, dear, dear brother and sister, you have been made for something more.

And you have been saved for something more, something more than this world, the world to come. But that anticipation, sometimes it's very little. Sometimes it's very great.

That anticipation must be fed. If it's not fed, you see, we'll not have a true vision of Christ and of heaven. And so that must be fed.

We also need a true vision of the world. We need a true vision of the world that crucified our Lord, because friendship with the world is enmity with God. What does that exactly mean? Because we're told that we have to reach out for people who aren't saved.

We have to we have to be used in this world. Yes, using the world, but not abusing it. The idea there is, in other words, to keep in mind that this world is enemy territory.

You remember that the nation of Israel, when they went into Jericho, the first thing when they crossed over into Canaan, the first test that they were given was to bring to defeat Jericho. God was going to break down the wall. God was going to do that.

But you remember this. The only thing that they were told to bring out of that world was a woman and her family. I love how it says, and she is with them to this day.

Talk about continuity, continuation. But there was a man, you remember, Achan, and he wanted to take what was for himself. And so he coveted and he took that wedge of gold and he took that Babylonish, goodly Babylonish garment.

I don't think it was pink. And he took it. And what happened? You know what happened.

He never he failed to enter into the inheritance judgment. You know what? God is looking at you saying this. Are you going to take for you? Are you going to take for me? Are you going to build up for you? Is it all about you? Is it all about me? My likes, my dislikes, my wants, not my needs, my desires.

A little more time so that I could save up for a little more of this. I can have a little more of that. I could go in for this.

I want to do that. I want to do this. I need me time.

It's all about me. No, you see, he's directing the hearts of these people to anticipate something that's bigger than themselves. The anticipation of Christ in heaven.

What did the Lord Jesus do when he was leaving? The disciples are now they sense this. It's heavy on the Lord's heart. What is the first thing he reminds them of in chapter 14 in that upper room ministry there as now the Passover has been set aside.

Things have been done, he has washed the disciples feet. And now he says this in my father's house. He's pointing them down what's ahead.

In my father's house. And then he doesn't just stop there, but he says, I will receive you to me. That where I am, it's one of those great I am's of John's gospel, that where I am.

You may be also. He is going to take us to heaven. And it could be before I sit down to live in the anticipation of that.

Paul seated in the heavenlies, the Lord Jesus, the forerunner and the book of Revelation. We have two great desires that God has built into us. And just before I go on my next point, I want you to think about this.

You were made for more, more. So often we're earth dwellers. We are worldly people in the sense that not positionally, but conscious of the world around us so much that we're unconscious of the world above us.

But we were made for more. We were made for more, number one, that to go beyond, to go beyond. To go beyond what we are.

That's why we constantly strive and want more. But that fulfillment, that desire is never going to be fulfilled as far as this world is concerned, because we are enslaved. We are enslaved to these bodies.

We're enslaved to this, what we are. You know what heaven will do? Heaven will release us from all of that. Heaven will help us to, can I say it this way? It will make us to go beyond, beyond what we ever thought possible.

I don't know. Have you ever, have you ever sat down and just thought about maybe like five minutes about what it's going to be like in heaven? The moment you step into that place. I wonder what it was like when the Lord Jesus, when he ascended up, the moment he went back and the welcome and how his heart longed for home, how often he spoke of it, I wonder even when he was speaking to those disciples, that his heart, I'm sure of it was, was, was just pulsing, beating with that longing, spoke of his father, spoke of home.

The moment you step into heaven, you will no longer be enslaved. What you were made for, what you were saved for, to think about that, that come fully, fully into fruition. I know we're waiting the redemption of our bodies.

I understand. And that will be the completion of the aspect of salvation. But then we also have a desire to go home, don't we? Because we feel perpetually exiled.

No place is home. We were talking this afternoon about home. Where we'd like to make home, what we'd like to be home.

You know what? Every one of us, for every one of us who are saved, this is not our home. That is home. Do you long for it? I've been there and I'm sure you have, where have you ever really thought, now you wouldn't say this, so I'm going to just follow my sword here and say it publicly, but you ever thought, I almost, I hope the Lord doesn't come yet.

You know, maybe you're in a relation and you want to, you want to enjoy that relationship. You, you love this person. You, maybe you're just newly married.

Maybe you're, and you think, I want to know what these experiences are like. I wanted to have that. You know what that means? Really? It's, it's normal to think that, but it's not spiritual to think that the highest anticipation, the greatest gravitation would be for heaven, heaven.

What about our arrival? Well, as far as getting to heaven, there's at least four ways. I didn't see any looks. Okay.

I'll give you the four ways. I didn't say there's four ways to be saved. I said, there's four ways to get to heaven.

First way is you can go, well, you can go like Elijah did and Enoch, you can go by way of translation. That's one way. We can go by way of death.

That's a second way. There was someone here that saved and you were to die right now, absent from the body, present with the Lord. Go by way of death.

Go by way of the rapture and we'll all go together. And that's a one-time event. We'll all go together.

Or you can do it as one man did, but you don't stay long. You can go by way of visit. And that was the apostle Paul.

And he just did it for a little bit. Paradise. But when it comes to our arrival, you can hardly imagine what it'll be like.

I was reading an account of a man in England. His name was William M. Dyke. He was blind because of an accident.

He became blind at 10 years of age. As his years went on, he was in his twenties and he was in graduate school in England and he met a woman that he fell in love with, deeply in love with. And as William Dyke pursued his career and his studies, he asked her father, who actually was a British admiral, for her hand in marriage.

The admiral agreed with one condition. There was a risky surgery that was offered at that time and he wanted him. The condition was this.

You can marry my daughter as long as you first undergo this surgery. And so William Dyke agreed with a counter condition. He says, I will do that.

He says on this condition that the day we were married, we are married. That the bandages are removed when I am at the altar, what he called in front of the crowd. He says, if I can do that, I will.

And he did. And the day came for the wedding to take place. And the church building was filled.

And as he stood there at the front and as his bride entered that building and she came up front, the admiral actually unwrapped the bandages and as he unwrapped the last bandage, she stood right next to him and he looked at her and he said, you are more beautiful than I ever imagined. The first sight, he wanted the first sight that he saw to be of her. I firmly believe the first moment we arrive in heaven, we're going to say, this is more beautiful than we ever imagined.

And of the one in the midst, you are all together lovely. The fairest of 10,000, the one in the midst, the radiance of Christ will fill heaven. What a time, what a day, our arrival.

But I want you to think, my time's gone, the activity. I can go into the activity. What we're going to do there, will there be recognition in heaven? What kind of activity will there be in heaven? Yes, there will be recognition.

We will recognize one another. In fact, there are statements that are made clear that when you read them in the Old Testament, whether it's Old Testament saints or New Testament saints, Genesis 49, for example, you go to the last verse of Genesis 49 and it says, Jacob, it says he gathered his feet into the bed and it says, and he was gathered unto his people. It says that immediately when he died.

Now he's going to be embalmed 40 days. He's going to be mourned 70 days. He's not going to be buried then.

That gathering unto his people or unto their fathers has nothing to do with the burial. It has everything to do with the people that they're going to. There is a recognition.

There is a reality. There is a population. You remember that the rich man and Lazarus that they knew, you remember the transfiguration, they knew Moses and Elijah.

How did they know Moses and Elijah? There's a recognition. There's an activity. What we're going to be doing there, receive a hire.

What you do for him here and your faithfulness here will determine how your hire is there. But lastly, the assurance. We live our entire lives for one moment.

Simeon did that, didn't he? He lived his entire life for one moment. And when he saw the Christ, he said, now, now let us now thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. He lived it in light of one moment.

You know what, dear child of God, every one of us are living our life now. I save people for one moment, the moment when we see him, the moment when we're with him and we have absolute assurance where I am, ye may be also. A number of years ago, back in Palo Alto, California, when the Silicon Valley revolution began and, and personal computers and chips, there's a book called the dealers of lightning.

And in that book and the dealers of lightning, they were talking about a group of men from Intel and various corporations got together and they were showing, they were showing that the microchip Intel, you know what they said? CEOs of companies recognizing what the future as they held up that, he said, gentlemen, this is the future. What I would do just as I sit down now, believers, this is the future.