Heaven

Let's turn to Hebrews chapter 11, please. Hebrews 11. We'll read at verse 9. We've been hearing about Abraham.

Hebrews 11 verse 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob the heirs with him of the same promise for He looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God Whose builder and maker is God. Let's come over to 1st Peter, please chapter 1 1st Peter chapter 1 1st Peter chapter 1 we'll read in verse 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again Unto a living hope By the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and That fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you who are Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time We're in you greatly rejoiced though now for a season if need be He are in heaviness through manifold temptations that the trial of your faith Being much more precious than of gold it perishes though it be tried with fire Might be found on to praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ And that's all we'll read there let's come over to the book of Revelation and We'll read about this city in chapter 21 Revelation chapter 21 as we Begin to read in verse 1 we are aware that John has been sweeping through to the end of time the great white throne heaven and earth have fled away and to continue the thought Chronologically, that's entirely the wrong word, but he he goes on into chapter 21 verse 1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea And I John saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying behold the tabernacle of God is with men and He will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow Nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away and He that sat upon the throne said behold I make all things new and He said unto me right for these words are true and faithful And he said unto me it is done. I am alpha and Omega the beginning and the end I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of water of life freely He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and warmongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death and There came unto me one of the seven angels Which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues notice the time stamp now in the chapter Women's we've been reading about eternity When time is no more But now in verse 9. There's a time stamp one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues What times that that time is the end of the tribulation? That's the time that's given And at this point This angel says to John come hither and I will show thee the bride the Lamb's wife And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city the Holy Jerusalem Descending out of God from heaven.

I'm not going to comment more on this in my remarks But what we're looking at here is the millennium view the millennial view of The heavenly city And we take that from the time stamp that has been given at the end of the tribulation period and from then on Here is a view of that heavenly city You'll notice that it's called the Holy Jerusalem The word new is not mentioned But when it comes to eternity at the beginning of the chapter It was New Jerusalem. All right, that's by the way Verse 11 having the glory of God and her light was like on to a stone most precious even like a Jasper stone clear as crystal and Had a wall great and high and 12 gates and so on Verse 24 and the nations of them which are saved Shall walk in the light of it and the kings of the earth There's still nations. There's still kings on earth Kings of the earth to bring their glory and honor into it The gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there shall be no night there and They shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it and there shall in no wise enter into it Anything that defileth neither whatsoever work of abomination or maketh alive, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life and he showed me a pure river of Water of life clear as crystal Proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb and in the midst of the street of it Then on either side of the river there was the tree of life Which bear twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every month And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations There shall be no more curse but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and Servants shall serve him and they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads and There shall be no night there and they need neither candle nor light of the Sun for the Lord God giveth them light and They shall reign forever and ever And he said unto me these sayings are faithful And true the Lord will bless to us they have further reading from His word there is a lot of Sentimental Thought that's expressed sometimes about heaven particularly when it comes to songs and and the more modern kind of hymns Things that may not be entirely supported by Scripture like the man who dies and he goes on before and his wife's coming after him and and He's anticipating sitting on the other side of Jordan Jordan I'll be sitting writing pictures in the sand and when he sees her coming He'll rise up with a shout and walk through the shallow waters and and take her by the hand and all that sort of thing Well, it's all that's a nice thought But maybe it's gonna be like that Maybe not but Abraham looked for a city a City that had foundations there was something solid about it whose builder and maker is God God designed it God constructed it and He was looking for it, and he made that statement in life that he was making He was looking for that city by his pilgrim character on the journey through as we have been hearing There was a hope that lay before him that was shining and bright and he anticipated going there its whole life through Now That is our destiny too we have that city before us and I want to think this morning with you a little bit about heaven and to notice some things that the scriptures say About him you'll notice at the end of our reading these sayings are faithful and true God has given to us something that we can be absolutely sure about as We anticipate our heavenly home.

I Want you to notice first of all with me that heaven is a place that is prepared The Lord Jesus speaks about heaven in John chapter 14 you remember he talked about it as being a house a house And as we think of a house we think of a dwelling place He called it his father's house It's the place where God the Father dwells his father's house He mentioned some of the features of that house. He says in my father's house. There are many Dwelling places many abodes.

There are many rooms in heaven You'll notice he does not say there will be many dwelling places in heaven. He says they're there Now the question is this when was heaven made? When did God prepare heaven the dwelling place of God in the beginning before the beginning God dwelt in his house God was there It was the father's house and the Lord Jesus says in my father's house there are Many mansions many dwelling places So when heaven Came into existence The many dwelling places were there as God made them perhaps When the angels were created in creation's day And they looked around heaven They saw these many dwelling places Perhaps they wondered Who are they for? Who's gonna be here There are many mansions But then the Lord Jesus goes on to say I go to prepare a place for you now in what sense is he going to prepare a place for you if heaven already is and If heaven already has the features of Many rooms many dwelling places in what sense is the Lord Jesus going to prepare a place for you Well Those rooms are going to be furnished and Those rooms are going to be furnished with people and Christ is going to be there. He is there right now But along with him there are going to be there's going to be a compliment there's going to be a bride There are going to be there's going to be a host that no man could number That will be with him and when they are there then I take it the rooms are furnished Furnished with people Furnished with those that are going to be there in heaven The Lord Jesus spoke those words in the upper room, but between the upper room and the rooms of the father's house There lay before him the dark waters of Calvary through which he must pass And like the ark that went through those waters of judgment So the Lord Jesus on that cross he passed through the dark waters the waves and the billows of God's wrath Against sin he passed through the waters And he cried it is finished And now raised from the dead he has passed through the heavens And he has sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high he has gone into heaven itself angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him and Now he says that where I am there you may be also Isn't a wonderful thing to think brothers and sisters that you and I are going home to heaven To the place where the Lord has gone the one who went to Calvary for us and took our place and Now in him we have a place access before the father spiritually in prayer But it is our destiny to be where he is that where I am there you may be also we will be perfectly accepted there because already we are accepted in the beloved one and He has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and he is our redemption that place has been prepared for us by him being there and He has prepared us to be there as those that are in Christ It's like It's like going to the airport You know when you go to the airport you have your ticket paid for you have your boarding pass in hand and Sometimes as you're sitting there at the gate waiting for your flight You notice that the first thing is the the plane draws up to the to the gate to the walkway there parks and then it's only then that you you hand in your boarding pass and You get on the plane for your departure and That's a little bit like where we are at the present time We're sitting at the gate The ticket has been paid for in drops of his own precious blood We have the boarding pass.

We're in dwelt by the Spirit of God We have been made partakers of the divine nature and we're just waiting for his arrival To take us away from earth To land us on heaven's shore We're waiting for the dawning of that bright and blessed day heaven is a prepared place But I want you to notice as well that heaven is a populated place and We've read in first Peter chapter 1 About a people that are anticipating being there, too The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has begotten us again onto a living hope How by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead he has begotten us and As those that have been born again and are the possessors of eternal life We have the living hope of Of enjoying that life eternally in God's heaven He goes on to talk about that in verse 4. He has begotten us to an inheritance to an inheritance the heavenly kingdom and That inheritance he says is Incorruptible. There's no outward force can affect it. It's undefiled It's unstained from the inside out and it's on fading it's not affected by time It's never worn out these bodies in which we dwell now.

They are affected by time. They do become worn out don't think But our heavenly home will never wear out It's not affected by time. It's on fading it fadeth not away and It is reserved in the perfect tense That is God is saying to it that that place that is prepared is Continually preserved for us.

It's ready for our arrival And you and I are going to a place That God himself will maintain Neither moth nor us doth corrupt nor thieves break through and steal. It's reserved in Heaven for you But it is reserved for our people Notice verse 5 For you who are kept By the power of God That is we are continually guarded by God. There's no relaxation of his faithful Vigilant watch and care over us on the journey through from here until there God is watching God is guarding God is preserving his goods that have been purchased by the blood of his own by the very power of God We are kept until that moment So heaven is a prepared place and it is for a prepared people a People that have been saved of the Lord Sometimes the question arises are we going to recognize each other in heaven? Are we going to know one another? Well For sure there is not going to be any Downside when we get to heaven, we're not going to be any more stupid I take it that we'll have the mind of Christ and God will reveal truth to us that we need to know But certainly the Apostle Paul was looking forward to make meeting Christians that he knew in heaven You remember in 1st Thessalonians and chapter 2 He says at the end of that chapter of verse 19 for what is our hope? Or joy or crown of rejoicing are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming for ye are our glory and crown Paul was looking forward to the victor crown the victor's crown of seeing those believers there People that he had seen saved when he brought the gospel to Thessalonica in power and in Demonstration of the Holy Ghost and he knew that they were the genuine article and he was looking forward to the moment What when he would see them again in heaven and he talks about it as our hope that is it's a certain anticipation There's no disappointment no disappointment in heaven He says what is our hope? What is our joy? There is no dissatisfaction in heaven Ye are our crown.

He says the victor's crown. There's no defeat and He is anticipating all of that with rejoicing There's no dismay because we will certainly recognize one another and we're going to be appreciative of the fact that each one of us is there Even brethren we've never met before we're going to know them. We're going to see them and we're going to appreciate the fact and rejoice that they are there to a populated place We're coming over to chapter 21 of Revelation We want to notice that heaven is certainly a painless place.

Not many of the believers today are experiencing Difficulties in their body as the body gets older and we experience those aches and those pains those headaches those migraines those Sicknesses and we need all those pills and go to the doctor and all the rest of it But there's going to be no need of that in heaven Now you already know all of this But I believe a restatement of it rejoices our hearts doesn't it? Listen to it. God shall wipe away God himself is going to take care of this. He's going to wipe away all tears from their eyes And there shall be no more death No funerals in heaven brother Robert.

You're gonna have to retire No funerals and have no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain For the former things are passed away We have entered into the fullness of redemption when we land in heaven's shore Everything is going to be subject to the mind and will of God There's nothing that is linked with the curse or linked with sin That that was the result of sin tears are gone Death is gone. Sorrow is gone. Pain is gone.

No more crying. It's all removed. Why? Why? It's all because of our Lord Jesus Christ Because he exhausted all of those things By his work down here He was a man of sorrows And acquainted with grief He knew what pain was he suffered the agonies of crucifixion He knew what it was to experience the strong crying and the tears and He entered into death On our account Thank God on that cross.

He cried it is finished It is finished and he brought to an end all the effect of sin Potentially before God as we come into the good of it in God's salvation That is our destiny. That is our heritage. No more death.

No more death. No more crying. No more pain No more tears.

It's all passed away the former things It's a painless place So consequently, it's a very pleasant place And John could see that as he took a look at it in verse 10 He says he carried me away in the spirit and sent me set me On a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God having the glory of God Incidentally John was taken to a high mountain to view this. I'm reminded of Moses as he viewed the land And the good things that God had for the nation You remember that he was taken up to Nebo to Pisgah the very pinnacle of the mountain And he viewed the land to the north To the snow-capped Hermon in the north and all the well-watered plain of Jordan and the hills of Samaria and the hill the green hills of Judea and the great sea beyond out to the west and all the way to the south to Kadesh Barnea and the the valley below him there of Jericho and the palm trees around Jericho and the Dead Sea All the way to Zohar and he saw it all he couldn't enter in though But it was God's hurt inheritance for the for the nation. I come to Ezekiel chapter 40 you remember Ezekiel he's going to be given a view of the millennial state of things and the the city and the and the temple that's there and he's taken to a high mountain to view that and here's John now and It's John who is of the church And he's taken to a great and high mountain and he's going to be given a view of the bride the Lamb's wife commencing with the dawning of the Millennium He gets this view of the heavenly city the city has no need of the Sun nor of the moon that they should shine in it for the glory of God has enlightened it and The Lamb is the lamp thereof So everything in heaven shines with the beauty of the Lord our God Everything is resplendent with his glory the pristine glory of the old creation became contaminated with sin But even then God saw that it was good.

It was very good God dwelt with Adam back there in the garden, but sin entered and disrupted all of them Then there was that system that was brought in where God would dwell with man in the tabernacle And you remember the glory of God filled that the tabernacle That Moses couldn't stay there anymore and with the temple But here is a scene that is altogether glorious the glory of God enlightens it Heaven is filled with the glory of God. It will never be contaminated It will never be disrupted or polluted or defiled there shall in no wise enter into it anything that that anything that is Verses escape me Verse 27 at the end of chapter 21 there shall in no wise enter into it anything at the file it neither whatsoever work of Abomination or make it alive a day that are written in the Lamb's book of life That's our destiny. That's where we're going place of glory a place resplendent in light And when the church is gathered home according to Ephesians chapter 3 verse 21 There will be unto him glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages world without end amen and Heaven is that place where we're going it is shining like a jasper stone most precious It is clear as crystal Interesting to make a study of those stones that are mentioned there in chapter 21 jasper I understand can be a variety of colors.

Sometimes it's red Sometimes it's yellow It can be a very dark color Sometimes it can even be white Reminds us of the fact that heaven will be populated with a people from every kindred and tribe and tongue and nation And we're going to be all there Resplendent with the glory of God. It's a pure place nothing defiles That defileth will ever enter therein It's never going to be Contaminated or polluted heaven is forever sterilized from sin or from its effects. It is uncorruptible incorruptible, it's undefiled and It is built we understand with pure gold as it were Transparent glass nothing hidden or underhand in heaven pure gold heaven is a pure place now listen.

We're going there Shouldn't we be pure in our lives now in keeping with the character of our eternal home For he that hath this hope within him purifies himself and Is pure even as he is pure? It should affect us practically now if we're living in the good of the anticipation of being there forever in a pure place So we don't have a culture shock when we arrive at least it would be minimized We know it as well as a place of praise place of praise We would certainly get that thought from the early chapters of the book of Revelation in Chapter 5 John is certainly looking at the throne of God in heaven and of the Lamb And he notices that around that throne there is this anthem of praise that is arising There's the Redeemed and they're praising the Lamb thou art worthy for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and Then not only are there the redeemed but there are the myriads and the myriads of angels That no man can number and they are crying worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and There's that volume of praise arising from a numberless myriad of angels What a tremendous sound that's gonna be and then All of creation joins in every living creature is going to join in Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb for ever and forever and that volume of praise arises and it's going to go on forever and forever What a tremendous thing that anthem of praise must be what a grand crescendo as all of creation Rises in praise to God for who he is in worship for what he has done for the work of the Lamb That sits upon the throne That's just a start then there follows the hallelujah chorus Sometimes I wonder are we actually going to sing those words that Handel wrote. I don't know but we're gonna sing hallelujah The Lord God omnipotent reigneth The Triumph of heaven place of praise and finally, it's a It's a perpetual place a perpetual place. The word forever is linked with heaven It's never going to end.

It's a dwelling place of God and God is the eternal God Never gonna win it it's inhabitants possess eternal life It's never gonna end Brother Robert mentioned it in his prayer those ages to come They're never going to end We never deserve to be there but in those ages to come he's going to show unto us the Exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness for us Through Christ Jesus we have received of his grace now Haven't we and we have known something of his kindness and his grace toward us in Christ Jesus here in this life What in heaven there's going to be no end to it. It's forever the ages to come will always be coming It'll always be the unfolding of God's grace Toward us in Christ. What a tremendous place our eternal home is That city that Abraham looked for it's our city, too We're looking forward to it.

I'm bound for that beautiful city The Lord is prepared for his own We're all the redeemed of all ages Sing glory around the white throne Sometimes I grow homesick for heaven and the glory I there shall behold What a joy it will be When my Savior I see in that beautiful city of gold Lord bless us all