When Heaven Comes to Earth: The World at Its Finest

You're listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God.

Visit our website and learn more about Harvest Partners at harvest.org. And Pastor Greg Laurie points out one of the Lord's finest restoration projects is restoring planet Earth during the end times. He's going to restore this planet and one day heaven and earth will become one. We see the problems around us and might wonder why God created the earth with such imperfection. Well, actually the problem wasn't with His creation.

The problem lies with the tenants who've been occupying it. But soon the Lord will rehab this fixer-upper and restore it to its former glory. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out heaven will actually come to earth. It's part of God's end times plan, one of the bedrock truths included in our current series called Essentials. Now we tend to think of heaven as some faraway place and earth is a place that we're on now and we will leave never to see again.

A few years ago my wife, Kathy, was driving with our youngest son, Jonathan, I think he was probably around maybe four or five years old at that point. And she was talking about the afterlife and how wonderful heaven was going to be and how we were going to be with the Lord. And Jonathan got very quiet and then Kathy said to Jonathan, Jonathan, is everything okay?

What do you think about what I'm saying? And he said, Mom, I don't want to leave this beautiful earth that God made. So all that talk of the afterlife frightened him a little bit.

But here's the good news. We're going to come back to this earth again. God still has a plan for planet earth. Sometimes we'll see as Christians we're going to just die and go to heaven or be raptured into heaven and we'll be there with the Lord forever.

Actually that's not theologically correct. One day, yes we are going to heaven, but one day God's going to restore this planet. In fact, we read in Acts 3 21 that things must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything as He promised long ago through His holy prophets. You see, God is into restoration. I love restored stuff, don't you? I love it when a car has been restored to its original state, maybe a 57 Chevy cruising down the road, an old Woody, whatever it might be.

And you see, man, that thing looks like it just drove off the showroom floor. That's because someone took the time to restore it. God's into restoration as well. He's going to restore this planet.

He's going to restore our bodies. And one day, heaven and earth will become one. According to Ephesians 1 10, God's perfect plan is to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. And by the way, this will be the fulfillment of that part of the Lord's Prayer where we say to the Father, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Randy Alcorn in his excellent book on heaven says this, and I quote, We won't go to heaven to leave earth behind. Rather, God will bring heaven and earth together into this same dimension with no wall of separation, no armed angels to guard heaven's perfection from sinful mankind. Jesus will make earth into heaven and heaven into earth. Just as the wall that separates God and mankind is torn down in Jesus, so too the wall that separates heaven and earth will forever be demolished. End quote.

So let's try to figure this out. Look at Revelation 21. We're reading verses 1 to 6. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband, and I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There will be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. And He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.

And He said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the beginning and the end, and I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to he who thirsts.

So we'll stop there. So God Himself now breaks the silence with something He wants everyone to hear. Look at verse 3. I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. This is really important because throughout history, in a sense, God has shrouded Himself from mankind. He did select certain people in the Old Testament to know Him in a special way.

People like Moses. The Bible says God spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to a friend. But in the Old Testament, generally, God was to be approached first in the tabernacle, that's the tent, later in the temple through a high priest that would bring a sacrifice on behalf of the people. But now everything has changed because Christ Himself has established this new covenant for us with the Father, and now it's fully realized, and I want you to notice that God the Father Himself joins His Son to dwell with His people at this point. The tabernacle of God is with men. He will dwell with them. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

Now think about this. We all have questions we want to ask God. We'll say, one day when I get to heaven, hey, this is the day. You're in heaven and heaven has come to earth.

I want to ask the Lord something. Well, go ask Him. There He is. And He has time for you. Remember how Adam would take walks with God every day before he sinned? The Bible says that the Lord God would come walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And so Adam could say, hey, Lord, I really discovered some cool stuff today. And the Lord says, well, yes, I know all about it.

Ask me anything you want, Adam. And what a great time that was as Adam looked forward to this walk with the Lord. And now here we are as heaven comes to earth in an Eden-like state, but even better when we have open access to God day and night, no matter when, no appointment required.

Now think about this for a moment. If you could live at any time historically, what time would you live? Would you live in the first century, the second century? Would you live in the 20th century? Would you live in the 50s, the 60s, the 70s? I read a poll among Americans, and they were asked what era they wish they could live in, and the number one time was the 50s. And I lived in the 50s.

I was very young. I don't remember much, but I remember the 60s a little bit better. They say if you remember the 60s, you weren't there, but those are people that use too many drugs.

I actually do remember the 60s. And then onward to today, but if I could live at any time historically, I would have picked the first century, not because of how sophisticated it was or anything like that, but just because I would like to have been there when Jesus walked this earth. You know, I would like to have seen Jesus with my own eyes.

I would like to have, of course, been one of his disciples or even just one of the multitude and be able to hear his words with my ears. Well, that day will come for me, and that day will come for you. And in this new earth, we have a new city. Look at verse 2. I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, prepared as a bride is prepared for her husband.

Notice this new city has been prepared. What did Jesus say to us in John 14? He said, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, you may be also. And the word here, prepared, is the same Greek word used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 2, 9, when he says, eye has not seen, nor is ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of men the things that God has prepared for those that love Him.

So the new earth and the new Jerusalem are prepared places for prepared people. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. It's a joy to hear when these studies have truly impacted lives.

Listen to these comments from one of our listeners. Hi, Pastor Greg. In the last year, because of the pandemic, I was furloughed from a job that I was absolutely passionate about. I work at a university as a coach with young adults who have very little knowledge of God, yet I was not doing what God wanted me to do. I was just going through the motions of being a Christian and not utilizing the position God put me in. I've been a Christian most of my life, but this has been a very lonely year, and I know that it's because I have strayed from God. But because of your lessons on the radio, I've finally received the wake-up call I needed and am getting back into reading the Bible and devoting my life to Jesus. Thank you, Pastor Greg, for your passion and wisdom. I've been rejuvenated as a Christian, and I look forward to listening to more of your lessons. It's a blessing to know that listeners are hearing these messages, and God is using His word to touch hearts. How have Pastor Greg's studies impacted your life?

Would you let him know? Drop an email to gregatharvest.org. That's gregatharvest.org. Well, we're considering the new heaven and the new earth today, part of our study of what's coming during the end times. And as Pastor Greg continues, remember you can hear today's study again online at harvest.org. So here now is the new Jerusalem. And by the way, Jerusalem has always and will always play a key role in the big picture of God's plan. Jerusalem, you might say, is the city of the past, the present, and the future. Jerusalem is a salvation center of the world spiritually.

It's a storm center of the world prophetically, and it's a glory center of the world ultimately. But it's a city of the past. Jerusalem is a city, of course, that was the capital of Israel under King David. The first temple was built there by David's son Solomon. And the Shekinah glory of God rested over that city.

And of course, it was outside the walls of Jerusalem where our Lord was crucified. It's a city of our past. It's a city of our present. When the Jewish people formed a nation on May 14, 1948, it was a modern day miracle. And more specifically, a fulfilled prophecy that sent the prophetic clock ticking.

Never has a nation been able to maintain its national identity even three to five hundred years after being removed from its homeland until Israel. So it's a city of the present, but it's also the city of the future. It is in the Middle East and around Jerusalem, as a matter of fact, that world history will come to an end. Jerusalem will be at the center of the final conflict of the Battle of Armageddon. And Christ will enter through the East Gate and establish his kingdom. But now we're talking about the new Jerusalem.

Now maybe the new Jerusalem is already in heaven and maybe believers are there right now. But now God brings his heavenly city down to earth because there's no more division. There's no crime in this big city. There's no corruption. Just harmony with God and with each other. We live in a curse-free world.

Now listen to this. That's not all because we're going to be busy when the new Jerusalem comes to earth. I think sometimes people think when we then go to heaven we're just going to sit around and eat and get fat and take naps.

And that may be appealing to some people. But that's not what the Bible teaches. Scripture tells us that we're going to be active in the Lord's service.

Notice Revelation 22, 3 says his servants will serve him. We're doing something. In heaven and in the new earth we will be busy. We have activities there, things to do, doing the Lord's work. Coming back to vacations. I like to vacation for a time. But then I get bored. And then I want to get back to what I really love to do which is serve the Lord.

So really what is a vacation? It's time to recreate or recreate. To recharge your batteries and get back to what it is you're called to do. Well here we are now busy in the work of the Lord. Revelation 7, 15 says we're standing in front of the throne of God serving him day and night in his temple. And one wonders what the Lord has in store for us there.

Listen to this. Maybe you will be able to finish some of the tasks that remained uncompleted on earth. Or maybe dreams that were shattered here will be fulfilled there. Sometimes we act as though life on earth is it. You pass through this life.

It's over. And now this nebulous thing called the afterlife. I think we'd be thinking more accurately and more biblically if we instead thought of this life here as the before life. And then began to think of the afterlife or what it is. The afterlife friends is the main event you see.

And there are things that are going to happen there. So what if someone in this life is born with a disability? I think of someone like Nick Vujicic. Born without arms or legs. I think of Johnny Erickson Tada. Confined to a wheelchair for most of her life.

Now these two individuals have glorified God. But yet they've suffered in life haven't they? And I think of people that I know that their body is breaking down because of age. And then I think of others that their life, well it seems like it was cut short. Maybe a child died.

Maybe a young man or a woman died. And it just seems so unfair because you say why was their life cut short? And then you see other people that live long lives and break all the rules. And then to make it even worse they live wicked sinful lives.

And you say well what's going on here? I mean they live these awful lives and do nothing with it. Maybe even do evil things with the life. And then there's this other life with so much potential that's cut short. But that's because we're thinking about everything in the here and now. And we need to elevate our thinking a little bit.

And realize that life goes on you see. And so in the future I believe that God is going to more than compensate for these things. He's going to restore what we lost here. Heaven and the new earth will be the restoration of earth's lost privileges.

Let me say that again. I want you to think about this. Heaven and the new earth will be the restoration of earth's lost privileges. You see death for the believer is not the end of life.

It's a continuation of it in another place. And this place is heaven and ultimately on the new earth. So I believe that is when all these wrongs will be righted. Here now is one of the most beautiful promises in all of scripture.

Look at verse 4. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. There'll be no more pain for the former things have passed away. The question is often asked will there be tears in heaven? So what do you think? Will there be tears in heaven? Will there? We think no.

Why? Well Eric Clapton told us that there's no more tears in heaven. And we read this verse. See there's no more tears in heaven. Wait a second.

Chronologically what are we talking about? Are we talking about heaven here? No we're talking about the new earth. We're talking about when heaven comes to earth and at this time God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. There'll be no more pain for the former things have passed away. There will be tears in heaven.

So where do you get that? Well for starters when we cry God keeps our tears in a bottle. Now where does he store those? Maybe somewhere in heaven. And how about this scene in the book of Revelation where John begins to weep because no one is worthy to open the scroll.

And then we see Christ emerging as the lion of the tribe of Judah. Wait a second. He's crying in heaven. I thought there weren't tears in heaven.

Well I guess there are. But let's understand. You see there can be tears of joy and there can be tears of deep sorrow and mourning. Here's what you have in heaven. You have perspective. And I want to sort of attack a view that I think is unbiblical that is sometimes held by Christians. And it's the view that when I get to heaven I effectively have a spiritual lobotomy.

And I don't remember anything about earth. And the logic is well if I remembered sad things on earth heaven wouldn't be joyful. Therefore God will remove those things. And we come back to this verse where he says that he's going to wipe away every tear.

There's no more death nor sorrow. That doesn't mean that you're not aware of what's happening. But what it does mean is you have perspective because you're in the presence of the Lord.

Listen. In heaven you know more not less. Because the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13 we will know as we are known. People ask the question will we recognize one another in heaven? Do you think you'll be more stupid in heaven than you are on earth? Maybe I should ask you the question do you recognize one another on earth? No. Well maybe you won't in heaven.

Because you're just kind of dumb. No not really. But in heaven of course we'll recognize one another. And we'll have that perspective. But there is coming a day when God will wipe away all tears, all sorrow. No more death, no more pain.

The former things have passed away. Great news about what's to come when we're in heaven. Pastor Greg Laurie with insights from today's message called When Heaven Comes to Earth. And there's more to come from this presentation here on A New Beginning. Now if you'd like to recommend this teaching to someone else just go to harvest.org and click on today's broadcast. There's a share icon there that will allow you to copy the link that takes them right to the study. Or listen again yourself.

Again that's at harvest.org. Well it's such a joy to have children's author Sally Lloyd-Jones with us today, a good friend of the ministry. And Pastor Greg is speaking to her today about the great books we're making available, Near and Children's Carry Along Bible. Sally I think you have such a gift for communicating with children. Both in your writing but also when you speak it doesn't hurt that you have a British accent.

So no matter what you say it sounds better than my accent or any other American. But if you're sitting down with a child and you want to convey biblical truth. Give our listeners a few tips on how to do a little devotion with the child.

What should they do and maybe what should they avoid? Well parents know best how to reach their children. But I would say one of the things I've learned by watching a really amazing teacher is get on the same level as the child.

Literally sit on the floor with them. Because I think the one thing we shouldn't be doing is coming at them from on high as if we've got all the answers. Now we do have a lot of the answers and there are times when we should be teaching them. But my feeling is in a time of devotion it's really important that both of us the child and the adult come before our Heavenly Father together. Because that's how you would with a friend isn't it? And so I think with a child you want to just be honest.

Like this is how I feel with God and I wonder you can wonder out loud. So one time I heard a teacher talking to a child they just read the Jesus Storybook Bible. The story of the feeding of the five thousand.

And instead of what they could have done they could have said. Well now children what does this story teach us about how we should share our lunch with with other people? Which is to me a very sad thing because that's not the point of the story. And it suddenly turns the story into a sermon and makes it all about. And I love sermons but it takes the story and turns it into a moral lesson. Instead what you can say is wow that little boy gave Jesus everything. It wasn't very much but it was everything.

What would I wonder what would happen if I gave Jesus everything? So as an adult you can wonder with the child about your own devotional life. And that way you're being truthful you're not trying to force cram some moral lesson down the child's throat. You're together wondering at the amazing truth that you but you have a father who loves you.

No matter how grown up you are. Sally Lloyd-Jones is with us today. We're so happy to be making available two books of hers. Near based on Psalm 139 and Babies Carry Along Bible. A sturdy board book with ten memorable Bible stories told in rhyme. And we'll send both of these children's resources your way to thank you for your investment.

So Pastor Greg's teaching can continue to come your way each day. We so much appreciate your partnership. You can write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org. Are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions each day via email?

If not, let's take care of that right now. You can sign up today free of charge at harvest.org. And you'll receive a daily inspirational thought from God's word each day in your inbox.

Again go to harvest.org. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. You know my uncle Fred Jordan had one of the first Christian TV programs out there. It was called Church in the Home.

I remember watching it as a little boy when I was living with my grandparents. Well we have Church in the Home for you every weekend. It's called Harvest at Home and you can find it at harvest.org.

We have worship and a message from God's word. So join us this weekend for Harvest at Home at harvest.org. Well next time more insights on what's to come in the last days and candid counsel to those who aren't sure they're ready. Be sure to invite an unsaved friend to tune in next time for A New Beginning. This is the day, the day when life begins Thanks for listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for daily devotions and learn how to become a Harvest Partner at harvest.org.