A Sneak-Peek into What's Up There - Part B

I know Jesus said were two or three gather my name in their midst. I know that I know that he said, behold, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. I know that it's very different right now that it will be right now it's very limited. Paul said first 13 we see through a glass darkly, but then we will see how face-to-face. Have you ever thought about what heaven will be like wonder if there will be fantastic golf courses for full get a chance to fly a spaceship. Have you ever imagine what your house will look like or feel good to have a pool or ski slope in your backyard well today here and connect with Skip weekend edition we may not answer all those questions but Skip Heitzig will share with us a small taste of what heaven will be like and what we can expect to happen when we get there first would like to let you details about her brand-new resource for the month of April. Questions can be ambushed by supply struggles that feels anxiety is the problem it's a problem all human beings.

At some point have to deal with understanding and overcoming anxiety is possible and we want to help you move from feeling paralyzed by anxiety finding lasting peace with three powerful resources, overcoming an anxious mind, a new booklet by Skip Heitzig teaching worship any uncertainty on CD class war is over worship is and replace your anxiety was $35 or more today to help connect more people to the Prince of peace connectwithskip.com/offered to give online securely or call 819 to 1888. What else we will or will not have a heaven one thing is for sure will have the presence of God to see them face-to-face. That's really what's going to make heaven so wonderful. Open your Bibles once again to Revelation chapter 4. As you find your place will join Skip some more previews of our future heavenly home disciples stood and watched Jesus there mouse right as Jesus ascended over the angel finally had to compensate you men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven. The same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you see them going to heaven. Ephesians 4 verse 10 he who descended from heaven, the incarnation is also the one who asked ascended far above all have been the rapture of the church. The combination of Jesus coming down and those who are on the earth going up first Thessalonians, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, thus we shall always be with the Lord in this orientation continues all the way through to the very end when in the eternal state. We see the new Jerusalem. Revelation 21 verse two says I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. So heaven is is up called up in the Bible how far up. Well here's a clue.

In Psalm eight you have set your glory above the heavens above the troposphere above the atmosphere above the stratosphere above the mesosphere about the XO sphere ionosphere.

Whatever you sphere out and beyond all of that out and up his heaven searcher glory above the heavens.

The let's just take a little imaginary journey just play with us last night.

If you saw the moon pretty beautiful, not quite follow it's it's a waning gibbous.

It's called about 90% full but is pretty big in the sky. The moon is about 200,000 miles from us, give or take a few.

You could actually walk to the moon. There was a bridge to the moon you could make it at about 27 years. If you went 24 miles a day on foot you can walk 24 miles a day get there in 27 years 20,000 miles. However, if you could go up toward the moon at the speed of light. You make it there.

1.5 seconds, but you gotta be going hundred and 86,000 mi./s. One half second you go up, go to the moon if you kept going up, you can make it to Venus in two minutes and 18 seconds going the speed of light. You can make it to Mercury in 4 1/2 minutes. You could go to Jupiter and 35 minutes and 18 seconds you go by Saturn keep going up up up in one hour and 11 seconds you go by Pluto four hours it's going the speed of light.

If you Going up, up, up, out, out, out, and made it to the nearest neighbor*Alpha Centauri. It would take you 4.3 years going the speed of light 4.3 ly away from the earth and if you were to go through your galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy going the speed of light. Get this, it would take you 100,000 years to go from one end of the other end of just your galaxy.

And once you get to the other end of your galaxy.

You haven't even made it out of the front yard because scientists say there are as many as one source suggests 500 billion more galaxies so how long does it take to get to heaven. It's that far up how far instantly right to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord Jesus didn't tell the thief on the cross and hundred billion years will be with me in paradise. Today will be with me in paradise. So I understand. Perhaps it's a bit naïve and erroneous to start measuring the third heaven distances like this because it's in a whole different dimension, but in the very least, when we say heaven is up, we mean it's up above the commonplace experiences of the earth, the commonplace conditions of the earth. It's up is the orientation. Notice how John was there, he said.

Immediately I was in this spirit, and behold, a throne so he was transported to heaven by the spirit could mean that could mean I was in a spiritual ecstatic state could mean that could also be a clue to the believers condition in heaven prior to the bodily resurrection there in spirit experiencing all of these things. Some else to notice before we remove this tour to close notice when John was taken to heaven was just John.

There's is no suitcase that John packed it inside like I take my laptop myself always one text a few people pick up a Starbucks as I know was going on up in heaven just John. There's no baggage I say that because it's true. You can't take it with you naked I came into the world. Job said make it I will leave you can't take anything with you all of the preparations. All that you do for heaven are done here and when that time comes, you go alone. That's why Jesus said don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, you can start storing them up now so there there when you get there all right. Let's go to the third and final section of this today.

Heaven is real. It's a real place. Heaven is a relative position is always up in the Scripture. The third thing I want you to notice is that heaven highlights a remarkable person. This is to me the greatest thing about have verse two immediately I was in the spirit, and behold, whenever you read behold means it's like saying wow. Check this out. Behold, a throne set in heaven and one sat on the throne and he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance and there was a rainbow around the throne and the appearance of an emerald. What's the first thing to catch John's. I guess that throne. By the way work throne is mentioned in chapter 4 alone 13×12 times refers to God's throne we see that word don't think of a piece of furniture as much as a symbol of authority for the one who sits on this is home base for goddesses headquarters.

This is where he exercises his sovereignty from his throne know what I'd like to get you to do in your thinking is not to think of heaven so much as a place though it is a place though it's a real place, I'd like you to start thinking of having more in terms not of the place, but of personalities, but let me give you an example is a little booklet by Don Baker. Just simply called heaven. Here's his experience, he writes I've always been fascinated with heaven when I was younger, though I thought of heaven only as a great shining city with vast walls and magnificent domes and soaring spires and with nobody in it, but white robed angels who were total strangers to me and then my beloved pastor died and then my grandfather died and then my father died and then my son died and then my father-in-law died and then one by one, my dear friends began dying three of them this past week. He continues to write heaven is no longer walls and domes and spires, but people people who are loved and missed people who are precious in his face. As I long to see heaven is like home.

In many respects, it's not what we have in our home that makes it precious, but whom that's how I like you to think about heaven in terms of not what, but whom in the ultimate whom is God himself. Folks listen.

The main attraction in heaven will be God. That's what gets John's attention.

He sees the throne, and one who sat on so though, you'll be in heaven. If you trust Christ if he is your Savior. If not, you won't be but if you do, he will you will be, but it's not just you and heaven saw just about the people you know and heaven is not just about our your pets in heaven. The real big man attraction central focus of heaven to be God, heaven, supreme delight will be on broken fellowship with God real fellowship, listen to Revelation 21 verse three as I read it to you behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people sexing God lives in the neighborhood's house right here, right down the street he's with us. John continues, God himself will be with them and he will be their God of the word dwell skating now in the Greek means to pitch a tent to pitch a tent. The ideas to hang out with the ideas to enjoy the company of fellowship. Now I know I know that we enjoy a certain level of fellowship with God. Now we call that a personal relationship with God.

But you don't see him now. You don't hear him audibly.

Now I know Jesus said were two or three gather my name.

I'm in their midst. I know that I know that he said, behold, I'm with you always, even to the end of the age. I know that it's very different right now that it will be right now is very limited. As Paul said in first Corinthians 13 we see through a glass darkly, but then we will see how face to face face to face you see right now, when you pray something like our father in heaven but you won't praying like that then you will be praying you'll be in heaven.

It's like right there father right there right now we say wife I hear God's speaking to me he spoke to me this morning, sometimes not sure was a God's voice was at my mother states playing was that what was that no mistake in heaven you'll hear you look you'll see and will be face-to-face. Revelation 22 the throne of God and the Lamb are in it and they shall see his face to see how different that experience will be than this one.

We live by faith.

The Bible says right now, not by sight, not in heaven you would by sight, not by faith, full fellowship on broken eternal fellowship now will briefly notice. John then goes on to describe God and it's an interesting description because he says nothing of his form nothingness features just describes God in terms of what he knows on the earth. The jams that are so brilliant and resplendent like a light show.

He sat there was like a jasper, what's that like it's not like the modern jasper which is a bit clouded in the little green the ancient jasper, we believe was crystal clear. Probably what John saw was a diamond refracting all the brilliant colors of the rainbow. That's the clearest Jim, we have in back in Revelation 21.

The word Jasper is using is what it says. I saw Jasper as clear as crystal. So you probably saw this brilliant diamond like appearance of God. Second, and like a sardius stone sardius stone is Ruby red baby would be better to say was blood red. Most theologians will say this infers the redemptive nature of God. The blood that was shed to get people to have providing sacrifice for sin. Then I saw a rainbow like an emerald a rainbow dominated by a green hue. So think of it. John gets to heaven, and he sees a throne and it's like out the ultimate light show the ultimate light show as if you have never heard of this term and throw it out.

Some of you have heard of it. If you read some theology books theologians call this sum due the beatific vision and if you've ever heard the term the beatific vision and the beatific vision was an old theological term that describes direct contact with God. It's the definition of it is is those in heaven beholding God or perceiving God face-to-face be able to see and hear the beatific vision. Thomas Aquinas said the beatific vision is the ultimate experience of any human being that Charles Spurgeon himself preached a sermon entitled the beatific vision.

Here's a snippet, the thing for which I pray above all others would be for ever to behold his face for ever to know that I am his forever to dwell with him.

Yes, one short glimpse one transitory vision of his glory. One brief glance at his exalted and beaming countenance would repay almost the whole world of trouble, like all the bad stuff you see God site who cares, it's gone in an instant. Spurgeon. So it's safe to say that heaven will display the glory of God. And I mean fully display the glory for 100% uncut, unedited, take your breath away while seeing the glory of God. And here's what I want to end with this glorious brilliant sovereign resplendent being that John sees he's your father he's your father.

Jesus said in my father's house at seven are many mansions is your father have a relationship with the glorious all-consuming. One is your father. You live in a God's house and moving in with him and noticed something about your father to have a lot of kids in his house. Lot of us children running around in heaven, but that doesn't mean heaven is to be impersonal God is like the busy dad got all day home late at night never sees his kids absent father.

Even though heaven is real in heaven is big, that will not take any of the intimacy away from the Bible often will describe heaven is that intimate, face-to-face closeness with God and folks, I don't think were African to get tired of it will ever get used to it will ever be in heaven. After a couple thousand years thing.

This got things get a little old now. Been a long time is anything else as the Bible describes heaven is always new behold I make all things new. It's a continual idea. So this is his kingdom. This is the Masters kingdom slot better than the magic kingdom better than the memory better than an E ticket in Disneyland.

If you can remember that far back. This is the kingdom of the Lamb. It's a lot better than the kingdom of the mouse is the kingdom, your father has prepared for you now understand this, God's purpose in creating you to get to their get to their the way that he get you there.

The only way to get there this and by making up heaven. What you wanted to be your being a good person are making up your own way to get there. One way to get there has to be God's way.

If it's his heaven to his house. You can just decide to go there unless he invites you and he has invited you, and the provision is made for you to get there is for you to just simply believe in his son received his son is the payment for your sin as your Savior as your Lord and you get to have if you haven't done that I want today to be the day you do that you haven't done that. If you race religiously you heaven may personally price your Savior. You make the decision to heaven is going to be a wonderful place but there's only one way to get there through a relationship with Jesus Christ like an exclusive club for only one year is through you know what you know Christ and he knows you, you won't get to heaven if you'd like to learn how to know him. Just call us at 1-800-922-1884.

You can learn more when you click on the know God link and connectwithskip.com and now here Skip in linear with a few more thoughts about today's message today you finished teaching that gives preview of what heaven is like the preview of coming attractions. A trailer I and and sometimes we really need that perspective we get so earthly focused. We forget were headed somewhere somewhere batterer the best is yet to come. Right.

So how will an accurate view of having impact our daily living. First of all, it's important that our listeners really believe that heaven is a real place. Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you in heaven is spoken of three, 532 times in Scripture that's a lot. There's an enormous amount of biblical real estate devoted to it. Also remember what Paul said. He said as he was facing possibly his own demise.

He said that the die is gain.

So there was a looking forward, there was in anticipation that biblical authors had toward this real place of heaven and the CS Lewis once said the Christians who do the most for this present world are those who think the most of the next world.

He said if you aim at heaven you get thrown and if you just aim at earth you get neither heaven nor earth. And so I'm to live with the anticipation of what's coming next. Is the motivation the blessed hope is the motivation that that carries us through life and gives his purpose. Why am I doing this because there are eternal consequences for a right to either reward or the loss of a reward of the internal eternal impact on another line and I love that that heaven is real. I loved the songs that help us to meditate and think about having their they are just such a good reminder for us and it you know when we think about heaven.

I think it also gives the security for now that tat United States that eternal perspective that kinda cleanses and causes us to realize that Ted. There's something so much better now. John John did save and that he said that them that this this hope purifies us even as he is pure and you know and remember that Charlie peacocks on the grades I want to live like having three new clients and what a great thought. This put in that song that I want to live now like CS Lewis said, like heaven is real. There's nothing like think Skip a line you had to get a copy of today's teaching. Just give us a call at 1-800-922-1888 or visit our online store, and connectwithskip.com today's message a sneak peek at what's up. There is available on CD for just six dollars or you can get the entire series from the edge of eternity.

Paul 17 messages for only $39 plus shipping on both those options. If you've ever wondered what kind of activity there is in heaven. You want to be sure to join us again next time here and correctly Skip weekend division presentation of connection you guys ever changing and ever changing time