What Is Heaven Like?

Heaven is a real place evidence in a figment of one's imagination is not something somebody made up to pass on the people who were suffering to give him a little bit of hope in this life. It's a real place in the Bible describes the deception as the first words of chapter 5 and I saw followed by verse two. Then I saw and in verse six and I looked, and behold see this is John's visit to heaven is given up private tour. Though there are disagreements about who gets into heaven and what heaven will be like study show that most Americans believe heaven is a real place. We could to your account of Skip's top 40 message to connect with Skip Heitzigs acute to the number 13 is Skip's message. What is heaven were skipped debunk some of the most common falls ideas people have about heaven explaining what you can really expect from your eternal home. But first we want to invite you to see the very places Jesus walked taught and performed miracles. Lenny and I are taking a group to Israel in 2022 and we want to invite you to join us will visit places like Nazareth, the Jordan River.

The Dead Sea in Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount and the garden to NSS to flyby look at the itinerary.

Find out more about the trip@inspirationcruises.com/C a V think you skip. Now we are in Revelation chapter 5 as we guided tour study with Skip Heitzigs as a preacher who preached a sermon on heaven and the text he used was Genesis 28 of Jacob's ladder going up into heaven, and the angels of God descending and ascending on it. The pastor's son was in that sermon and as a young boy. It just captivated his attention and couple days later he went and said that I had a dream about heaven, but your sermon is about. Tell me about it as well. I had a dream that there was a ladder that went from Earth all the way up to heaven like the sermon, but at the bottom of this letter. There were pieces of chalk and before anyone was allowed to go up on the ladder. They had take a piece of the talking and write a mark for every sin they have committed on the rungs of the ladder so I'm I'm going in my dream up this letter. Haven't gotten very far when somebody is coming down the ladder and dad said whoa who would that be civil it was you, dad's I was coming out of the why would I be coming down the ladder and his boys said for more chalk well the imaginations of the boy are fun, but the revelation of God is better in God gives to John the apostle, a revelation of heaven of the future that you are a believer in Jesus Christ. If you follow him. You will one day either through death or rapture. See happen. That's where you're going. So let's get oriented on what it's can it be like a little bit so that when you arrive you won't seem like a country bumpkin like what's some rails goes in the book of Revelation. So we want to get a little bit of a grip on what you can expect after already spending enough time studying about the tribulation. The worst period in history from chapter 6 through 19. Let's get under our spiritual belts. The best part of the deal and that is what heaven is going to be like because once that rapture does occur that sooner trigger a chain of events and part of the chain of events is called the 70th week of Daniel.

If you know the book of Daniel. You know that that last seven here.

It is known as the 70th week of Daniel is also called by Jeremiah the prophet at time of Jacob's trouble.

It's also known as the day of the Lord by several prophets. It is the worst period of time to come in human history, it is catastrophic, but during that time even while Israel is experiencing trouble and persecution along with the nations of the world.

It will be a time of great revival as well. You need to know is that the reason why the story behind all that the back story as to why all this is happening is found, of all places in heaven. In Revelation chapter 5 and I would say that Revelation chapter 5 is the greatest real estate deal in history. You know you can think of a couple of deals in our nations history that are terrific real estate deals like buying New York Manhattan.

When Peter minuet in 1624, or 16, 26, paid the equivalent of $24 for Manhattan for New York City. I me that that's before Donald Trump that now trumps trump that's a deal or you may be thinking of the Louisiana purchase. If you remember that from school 1803. Thomas Jefferson paid what $15 million for almost 1,000,000 mi.² west of the Mississippi River. So our nation could grow amazing deals.

But the greatest deal is this deal because it involves all of the earth.

All of the world reclaimed in Revelation 5 I want to give to you for characteristics about heaven. There are many more characteristics but because of time in text, we want to look at for now want to be moving rapidly through this and because the language is symbolic, figurative, and I'll be explaining it.

It will demand your utmost attention to understand. But here is the first characteristic of heaven, first heaven is a real place.

Heaven is in a figment of one's imagination. It's not something somebody made up to pass on the people who are suffering to give him a little bit of hope in this life. It's a real place in the Bible describes it as such is the first words of chapter 5 and I saw followed by verse two. Then I saw and then verse six and I looked, and behold see this is John's visit to heaven he is given private tour guided tour and he experiences what he experiences with his site as well as his years. It's a visual and auditory experience and so we find in the book of Revelation that kind of language. The words I looked is found 12 times in Revelation. The words I saw 34 times I heard 26 times so he is fully entering into visual auditory experience with his senses of heaven. By the way heaven is found that word 532 times in the Bible. It is a huge subject and went whatever it's spoken about it, spoke about something that is a real place. How did Jesus speak about heaven. He spoke about.

It is a real place right. He said in my father's house are many mansions if it were not so, I would have told you I'm going to prepare a place for you. Heaven then is a real place. It's so real that Paul said our citizenship is in heaven. Think of heaven as home sweet home.

It really is your home sweet home. Everything that is important to a believer is in heaven.

The father is there, your Savior is there, your comforter is there. All of God's people throughout all of history are or will be there. Your reward is there. That is why Paul said for me to live is Christ in the diet is game because of that, so John takes a tour. We saw in chapter 4, he saw thrown set in heaven, and one who sat on the throne and he uses words a lot like behold now that's a Bible would be whole, behold, is a word that denotes something remarkable. It's like saying hello or WoW or hey, check this out. Look at this behold this is all to inspire all in the reader. I heard a story about a cat who died and went to heaven and that Peter was there at the gate, welcoming the cat in and say look, we notice you been a really great While you are on the earth, so we went to some special for you. What is it you like in the cat so will you know Peter I lived a pretty hard life I live in the poor family on a farm in all the places I had to sleep or hard surfaces. Peterson say no more big fluffy pillow was provided for the cat in heaven a few days later 1/2 a dozen mice died and that they were taken to heaven. Peter was there made in the same offer and the cat said you know Peter, we mice. We've had a pretty tough on the earth were always being chased by cats or dogs are men with brooms you know everything so you know we were thinking it would be. Sounds crazy, but it would be so cool in heaven if we could have like rollerskates Peterson say no more.

In the cutest little rollerskates were made for the Misys feed. Nothing rolled but a week later, Peter decided to check up on these new occupants of heaven. He went over the cat was asleep on a big, wealthy, furry pillow cat woke up with you on a smile and Peterson.

So, how's it going up here in the cat said Peter it's going great and by the way those Meals on Wheels that your Senate over there. The best they are the best. Okay, so heaven is not to be like that, but this happens can be a lot better than most people think heaven is going to be there is nothing whatsoever in the text of Scripture in the Bible about sitting on some cloud and playing the harp, nor is there any sense that Peter is going to be at the gate like in all those dumb jokes like the one I just told John describes as the ultimate adventure describes a divine light show and Emerald rainbow around the throne of God and the one who sat on the throne. This really an iridescent set of stones that are glowing. The throne room.

It's happened it's real you'll be there, you'll see it when the best books I ever read about Heaven by Randy Alcorn. He says Satan the laborers to give people an inaccurate view of heaven. Our enemy slanders three things God's person, God's people, and God's place. Some of his favorite lies rights.

Alcorn are lies concerning heaven that makes sense. Satan was evicted from heaven, you are going to heaven if you know Christ. All of that would be sufficient motivation to have him work hard to try to lie about what is going to be like heaven is a real place second characteristic heaven is a relevant place. Notice in verse one I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll. It was written inside and on the back was sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll and loose it seals and no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at the focus now turns from the throne, and the one sitting on the throne. The right hand of the one sitting on the throne. There's a scroll there's a document in the upturned palm of the one that is sitting on this throne and document has something to do with the earth, heaven is always been concerned about what is going on on the earth. The New Testament talks about the Angels desiring to look into the things that happen to us into this picture of Pekin over the portals of heaven, wondering at human beings. Jesus even said there is joy in the presence of the angels when one sinner repents. So heaven is always concerned with what goes on on planet Earth. Now the scroll. We know that a scroll were ancient documents that came before these things before books. This is a Kodak CO DEX and codices are many code axes are books before books there were scrolls and typically scrolls were rolled from both ends toward the center and with ancient documents. A portion would be written scroll would be turned a seal would be placed of wax, typically to fix it so you couldn't open much you broke the seal. More would be written turned seal written turned seal, etc. those are how ancient documents were written. Robert Thomas said the Hebrew document most closely resembling were reading here was the ancient title deed property deed, so a deed was drawn up for the transaction of a piece of property on the inside of that scrolls were written. The assets on the outside of that scrolls were written the requirements to buy that piece of property, or to buy it back if you remember your Old Testament you know that land in Israel could never be permanently lost so that if you had to forfeit a piece of land. Eventually someone related to you who is willing to pay the price and able to pay the price those of the requirements has to be related. So it's a go. Well, that's the Hebrew word a go well as a kinsman redeemer.

He has to be willing. Okay I want to go through what I want that piece of land and he has to have the money to do it is to be related willing and able to do and that's why these scrolls.

All had redemption provisions or redemption clauses written within it. If the property gets lost. Here are the requirements to get back to purchase it back now. What I just described is really the story of the book of Ruth land is lost. The owner dies a limb alike dies the widow and her daughters-in-law moved back to Bethlehem the land is up for buyback redemption. A guy named Boaz who is related able and willing gets the land and the bride and they lived happily ever after. That's a story.

The book of Ruth.

There's also a story and you don't have to turn to it but I want you to remember that if you can write it and look at a later Jeremiah 32 Jeremiah was a prophet who in chapter 32 is in jail you know why he's in jail he's in jail because he was a preacher and he preached the truth and he said judgment is coming on this nation this nation is going down the Babylonians or to destroy it take us all away and this land will be lost to a foreign power. People didn't like that Truman jail while he's in jail. His cousin comes to him to visit his cousin's name is Hannah Mel and an animal says Jeremiah by my property in Anna thought just outside of Jerusalem, for he says the right of inheritance is yours. You can buy my property. Now that's a stupid thing to tell him to do. Jeremiah has predicted the Babylonians were taken over the land. This land will be valueless if the Babylonians taken over like Jeremiah predicted. Why would Jeremiah want to do and when they come back. Jeremiah said 70 years later adult will be dead so he won't be coming back to the land God says Jeremiah is a statement of faith by the land pay the money for and get the title deed because eventually your offspring will come back and they'll have land acetylene so it says and that chapter. God from heaven says take both this sealed deed that scroll that is sealed with wax seals take this sealed deed, title deed and the unsealed copy and put them into a pottery jar and preserve them for a long time for the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says someday people will again own property here in this land and buy and sell houses and vineyards in field back to Revelation 5.

What is the scroll whatever the scroll is number one is highly significant because it's in the right hand of God that makes an important number two. It involves the fate of everybody on the earth and even heaven is looking and wondering verses three and four and also jubilant praises erupted in heaven when finally somebody meets the requirements to redeem something to take that scroll. I suggest to you what we are looking at is the title deed to the earth.

The title deed to the earth, we would call chapter 5 of Revelation in real estate terms, the closing of the some of you might hear that going to know about that. Any why would God who created the earth to begin with and maintains it with his power need to buy it back need to do this a listen carefully. Here's why. Because the earth though it is God's by creation was lost to a usurper Adam. In effect, turned over the title deed to the earth to Satan in the Garden of Eden. That's why Paul said in Romans five through one man, that's Adam through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin and death spread to all, but it wasn't just mankind that was affected wasn't just people that was affected property was affected the earth itself came under a curse.

Romans chapter 8 it says this creation was made subject to futility and all of creation is it groans and travails wanting to be delivered.

So what is Jesus Christ called the devil call Satan called him the ruler of this world, the ruler of this world on many occasions, what Paul call Satan, the god of this age. One of the apostle John say of the devil says the whole world is under the sway of the wicked will and then do you remember when Jesus was taken up to a high mountain and tempted by the devil. The devil came to Jesus showed them the kingdoms of this world and said all this authority I will give you and its glory, for it has been delivered to me and I give it to whomsoever I wish Jesus didn't dispute that he didn't argue that. So the scroll is the title deed to planet Earth. And as each seal will be broken as you see, beginning in chapter 6 as each seal is broken open. The earth gets purged through unimaginable tribulation judgment, but it's also a scroll of redemption because during that time. As I mentioned hundred and 44,000 Jews will be saved in innumerable number of Gentiles non-Jewish people will be saved, all the earth as the world is taken back from the usurper. The usurper gets usurped by this.

So the question comes in heaven.

That's a very, very critical question who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose the seals the very important question. Who is the right who has the authority to take it.

Who has the innate virtuous worthiness of character, the divine right to take that scroll who has the power to defeat Satan and wipe out the effects of sin on the earth to reverse the curse put on all creation. Who is worthy and something very troubling appears verse four or verse three and no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at. In other words, the question is asked in the answer is dead silence is worthy to take the scroll. Nobody steps forward of all the millions of angels, not one of them.

Gabriel Michael, none of them say I can do it.

Abraham father fate.

He didn't say anything.

He didn't step forward, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets Elijah Elijah Isaiah Amos Zephaniah Zechariah David nobody says a word. No one says I'm more the power I met the right side Heights Exhibit 13 message messages count from the series.

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