Heaven

Acts chapter 7, verse 48. How be it, here's Stephen's masterful address about the history of Israel. And while that was negative, how be it, verse 48, the most high dwelleth not in temples made with ants, as saith the prophet, heaven is my throne, earth is my footstool.

What house will you build me, saith the Lord? Or what is the place of my rest? Hast not my hand made all these things? Verse 55 now, but he, Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked at steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Now this is all we are going to read.

And you gather my subject, and there may be time for somebody else. It's going to be heaven. Heaven.

One thing, my dear brothers and sisters, you and I, we don't deserve it. But by God's grace. We don't deserve it.

But by God's grace. Now, heaven is not necessarily measured, oh by the way, when the apostles addressed a heathen audience in Acts 13, they referred to the spherical heavens. They said, God gave us rain from the heavens.

Spherical heavens. Mark chapter 13, the Savior projects himself in the tribulation. He says, The time will come when God will shake the heavens, not only, as Isaiah says, the heavens, but earth as well.

I don't think my dear brethren will fully comprehend what that means. That never took place at the Jupiter effect in the 1980's. That is, in a coming day, God will affect the magnetic forces in the heavenly bodies.

And he's not going to ask any scientist whether that suits him. See, God is the creator of the earth. He maintains the earth.

And he has every right to dispose of it as he sees fit. Doesn't need anyone to counsel him. The powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

Well, thank God, brethren, we won't be here at that time. I'll be gone. When the prophet Moses, given account of Israel's wanderings, in retrospect, he says, God spoke to them in the fire.

God spoke to them in the cloud. God spoke to them from heaven. Same thing.

Same thing. Now what we should notice is, that in the word of God, the invisible and the visible, and the eternal and the temporal constantly interpenetrate. John 3. The scene is an eight hour in the city of Jerusalem.

A man by the name of Nicodemus who recognizes, this is no ordinary prophet, Nicodemus recognized because of Christ the nation is split in half. So to convince himself who is right, he comes to the Savior. I believe he got saved that night.

Chapter 7 and chapter 19 would prove it. And this is what the Savior said. No man has ascended up to heaven but he, the son of man that came down from heaven.

Now notice carefully. Even the son of man which is present tense. Yes.

You see, young brethren, you have to read the Bible carefully. How many times have I heard, oh dear brethren, days gone by, they say, well you know, but now Jesus has been in heaven for two thousand years. And what a beautiful mansion he is building.

That doesn't hold water. Look at the text. He says, in my father's house are, present tense.

They were there already. What does it mean, I go to prepare a place for you. You see, all God's blessings come to us by way of the cross.

I could likely refer to the work of Calvary. The great door that was opened. The floodgates of God's mercy opened and millions of Gentiles have strengthened.

You're among them. That's the way I look at it. In my father's house are many mansions.

In the world of God, again, the invisible and the visible interpenetrate. For instance, you go to 2 Kings chapter 6. Here is Elijah and his servant in Dothan. A little town north, northwest of Jerusalem.

That's where many, many years ago, Joseph met his brother and bring him in provisions. The king of Syria is warring against Israel. But apparently knows there's somebody in Israel who knows his strategic movements.

And he wonders, who is this? And he's told. Alright, let's go and arrest the man. Chariots, horses, round about the little town hamlet of Dothan.

Now you can understand, don't you, that the servant of Elijah is deeply troubled. He's concerned. He's been frustrated.

Elijah is quite relaxed. And the man of God will be in a crisis, you know. Oh, the unsaked fret about this and they fret about that.

But if you get to know your God, you can rest assured. Now that doesn't mean you won't have any trouble. We know the way the world's going.

We know the world, the age is ending. And we know that everything is in the hands of God. So is Elijah.

And ultimately says, Lord, open the eyes of this young man, will you? And the young man's eyes were open and he saw the whole mountain of heavenly chariots and horses. Round about Elijah. Now tell me, please, come on.

Where did they come from all of a sudden? Where did they come from all of a sudden? The invisible world made visible. The eternal world and the temple interpenetrate. Again, remember Zechariah? I don't want to go on to digress, but Zechariah had only a chance once in his lifetime to serve in the holy place.

As he does, he is keenly aware of the divine presence on the north side of the altar. Now tell me, please, where did that person come from? I hadn't thought I'm mentioning this. I do not know whether your dear folks in Iowa celebrate what we call Christmas.

That's your business. Some people are so legalistic, they will never have a turkey on the 25th. No, that's sacrilege.

They have them on the 26th. Strange, isn't it, Barlan? Nevertheless, can I tell you? I don't want to offend you. You've celebrated Christmas the wrong day.

You go to 1 Chronicles chapter 24. Where David arranged the service in the temple into courses. Twelve courses, each one served two weeks.

Abijah, the family served in the eighth course about June and July. A little overlap. You come to this conclusion and you find out that according to natural process, John the Baptist was born in March.

We also know that the Savior was born six months later, September. I don't want to have you, you know, not have your turkey, but that's it. See, go to the Scriptures.

The idea that the Lord was born on the 25th of December, it's an RC thing. Church introduced it, as well as they did other things. Don't look so disappointed, man.

Have your turkey tomorrow, if you please. Get the point. So, here in Zechariah.

Now, here's Stephen. Now, in school, I never liked mathematics. All these numbers.

Algebra. Calculus. No way, that's not for me.

I always liked religion. I wasn't even sick. I loved history.

And the reason I love history even today is because I see the history unfolding in the progress of God's revelation. All that came to pass before the Savior ever came was happening because Christ would come. We mentioned this morning, this is in the Bible reading, that there were 400 dead years, or silent years, between Malachi and Matthew.

But, brethren, God was at work. He raised up the Greek Empire. Ultimately, he raised up the Roman Empire to fulfill scriptures in those 400 years.

For when the Apostle Paul preached, everyone knew Greek. And the Gospel and forth was twice as speed. And when Rome took over, there was a famous, if you know history, the famous Pax Romana, or the Roman Peace.

The Roman Empire had a very violent start, but then things settled down. And Paul, a Roman citizen, could travel. You know, he traveled thousands of miles.

Amazing. He had a Roman passport. He was a Roman citizen.

Rome had built roads, most of the empire. They had a daily ferry service from Ostia Harbor, near Rome, down to the Middle Eastern at Potsdam. So God used the Greek Empire and he used the Roman Empire to pave the way.

Now, here is Stephen, and if you hold that it could be, you know, that God is a million miles in space, you have a problem. The human eye can discern only a few thousand stars, the Milky Way included. It is an absolute impossibility that Stephen, if you hold that God is beyond all the stars, because he sees the Lord Jesus revealed himself to him at this particular time.

You've heard of the Hubble Telescope, haven't you? The Hubble Telescope can only penetrate into the universe so far. They're always trying new means, whereby they somehow explain the origin of the universe. Well, just read the book.

They'll find out. Millions of billions of dollars are spent. And they try to get something from Mars and from, oh, some time ago I met an astronaut.

He stood on the lunar surface. He brought some rocks back, but always proved the same elements that are found on rocks on the earth. Then, you know, the evolutionists say that there are millions and millions and millions of years.

Space exploration, now this is not a lecture on archaeology. They have proven that the accumulation of dust on the moon is similar to that on Mars, as well as on the earth. So the universe is not quite as old or young depension which we look at it as we think it is.

168,000 miles a second light moves. The saviour when Stephen was martyred, he saw the saviour again in the world of God, the eternal and the temple constantly interpenetrate. Now Paul, when he talked about these things to the Corinthians, the Corinthians simply because some of them are their carnality, they couldn't comprehend divine things.

Not the deeper things of God. So he speaks about the new body. He says that in order to enjoy heaven, there's coming a time when our bodies will be changed and he proves it by fishes, birds, planets.

Well that's interesting. You see, in other words, God has equipped fishes with a physical body that perfectly equips them to move in the environment in which he places them. God has equipped birds with such a body that perfectly fits them to move in the environment in which he moves them.

Only two species of all the birds in the world have solid bones, they're flightless birds. Others God has designed with hollow bones. Isn't that amazing? Look at creation.

And Paul says, look, God has equipped these planets in such a way that they're held together by magnetic forces. I do not know whether young people are being taught evolution or atheism. You know, they talk about the Big Bang.

Have you heard that one before? Tell me, why are all the heavenly bodies round, perfect shape? Epileptical? Because when the thing explodes, you have shrapnel, you've got pieces of all kinds of size and so on. Evolution. Ridiculous.

So well, there it is. So Paul says, that God has ordered the universe in such a way that everything is perfect and he is in control. The Covenants.

He says, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Now we understand that. So he says, ultimately God's going to give you a new body that will fit you perfectly in the environment that God will place you.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit heaven. So we'll have a new body in that coming day. Now, what are we going to do? And by the way, if on this earth that is still marked by curse, we have certain evidence of the creatorial design of God.

Grand Canyon, I've never been there. A rose, oh you see, you get romantic. Look at the shape, the fragrance of a rose.

In creation, you see certain wonders of God. Even though it is comparable to a ruined palace. Brethren, what will it be in the millennia, when nations will know God.

And art and culture will be directed towards Christ and the things of God. Art and culture. Sometimes when I go abroad, the Christians know I come from a very musical family in Europe.

They say, Mr. Kraus, we're going to have a sing song. Did you bring a violin? I said, look, I didn't come to fiddle around, I came to preach. What is it going to be in that coming day? When the hearts and the aspirations of men will be directed towards Christ.

Not to speak of the eternal ages. I sometimes talk to fellow believers about heaven. And I find it very interesting what they say.

A lady in her forties was saved in the eastern part of your country. And she said, Fred, I think of heaven like, you know the Tiger Stadium in Detroit? Or the Sky Dome in Toronto? I said, what about it? Well, she said, I think heaven will be just like the Tiger Stadium and we'll be sitting on the bleachers. I said, my dear sister, we will not do this in heaven.

What did they call that? Home run? America? No sirree? No sirree. Then I took a number of young teenage girls to a meeting. And the young lady from the back, she piked up, she said, Mr. Kraus, when we get to heaven will we be bored? Oh, that's a teenager for you.

Will we be bored? Not a chance in a million. Not at all. You know, since the grace of God raised and saved me in the city of Toronto, I must as well confess, very seldom am I bored.

Too much to do. Too many things to pray for. Too many things to study.

Too many things to pray. I just can't afford to be bored. But I feel sympathetic for these young people, you know.

Will we be bored? Yes, sure. That's a teenager for you. You bored, boys? Come on.

There's so much to do. Along spiritual lines. No, we'll never be bored.

Not one moment. No. The tribulation will run its course.

First of all, the rapture will take place, followed by the judgment seat of Christ, and the marriage supper of the Lamb. Yeah. Seven years of unprecedented judgments will come upon the scene, and the world, brethren, will be plunged into a spiritual vacuum.

Matthew 24 tells you this. Now, let me just give you an example from history. In Europe, 500 years ago, God moved to bring about the Reformation.

A good work of God. Thousands were converted. The devil didn't like that.

So, 200 years later, he introduced a system, which we've come to know as so-called higher criticism, that is, people rejected the Bible, especially the military, and the philosophers, and the atheists, and even clergy. Didn't recognize the truth. Rejected the Bible.

Now, you see, brethren, we have to live for something. We cannot live in a vacuum. You have a dog? They say, what's a dog have to do with ministry? A dog is perfectly happy.

It gives you a place to run, a hut to sleep, and a bone to chew. That's all a dog needs. We need more.

This is why we have books. This is why we have this Bible. Yes.

But, you see, the world was plunged into a spiritual vacuum, into the which we've known to meet the need of university and college students in Europe 300 years ago. Sad, sad business. And over yonder in Austria, a man by the name of Friedrich Nietzsche stepped into this vacuum and taught the young people the purpose of life.

He wrote a book. And that book was called Man and Superman. There's a young army in the Austrian army by the name of Adolf Hitler.

And he swallowed the book. He wrote Mein Kampf. And because of a nation turning from the inspired word of God, the devil moved in.

You know the result? 60 million people dead. That's the result of a philosopher's theory. My dear brethren, I'm not a politician, but in a way I'm afraid for the United States.

I am. And the country to the north is not too far behind. The movements in this world, did you ever hear that in the States, as well as in Europe, there's a movement afoot bringing in the world religion? And the purpose is very acceptable to the natural man.

For you see, a one world religion will eliminate the tension between the Palestinians and the Jews, and the Brahmins and the Hindus, and Christianity. And they'll have on their banners, we've just worshipped one God. That's not the God of the Bible.

So in the tribulation, the Savior says, because men will reject the inspiration of the Scriptures, there will be an international movement to do away with Psalm 2 and Paul's writings, and this vacuum will be filled by the man of sin. You see, we cannot live in a vacuum, brethren. The world cannot live in a vacuum.

I'll just give you a little historical reference. So here now you have the end of the tribulation, and the Savior will set up his kingdom. And by the way, my dear young brethren and sisters, the Lord just hasn't saved you to keep you out of hell.

The Lord has a purpose for your life. You heard about it. Sure.

And God needs young men and women that are occupied with himself and for himself. What else, brethren, is there to live for in this world, but live for God? I know we have to make a living. Nothing wrong with it.

But quite often it's a dollar, the advancement of the business. That's a deciding factor. Only what's done for Christ will last, dear young people.

You know, in the last little while I've taken quite a few funerals. Good men, leaders among God's people. And who are the ones who step in their shoes now? We're the men devoted to the glory of God and the work of God.

So, dear young sister, if you seek a partner in life, make sure you support him in the things of God. For a wrong partner can wreck you for God. You have it in the Bibles.

Sure you do. Now, finally, in eternity what will we do? My dear brethren, there will never be a time when the Lord will meet us with his hands ringing. He said, children, my dear children, I have nothing new to show you.

Ephesians tells you, out of the riches and the abundance of grace, he will show us wonders after wonders. I do not know whether, maybe speculation, we'll do space travel. I don't know.

But if we do and you meet me between Venus and Mars, will you not forget to say hi Fred as you pass by? We shall move wherever Christ moves. In divine administration through the millennium, and I take the Savior's parable about the cities, literally ruling over two, five, ten cities, divine administration. So, dear young brethren, if you don't know the book, how will God use them that coming day when he's going to set up his kingdom and you and I will help him? There will never be a time when God will tell us, there's nothing more I can show you.

And Paul uses an interesting expression, and for the sake of a better English word, he says, in the ages to come, we shall even in eternity know past, present, and future. The ages to come. God will show us the riches of his grace.

So, my dear brethren, as we leave the conference, square your shoulders, will you? You're the sons of the king. Welcome the dignity that's called upon you. And above all, keep looking up for the coming of the Lord.

Drawth nigh.