The Best is Yet to Come: From Tragedy to Triumph

Hey everybody, you're listening to A New Beginning, which is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners.

If this program has impacted you, I'd love to hear from you. So just send an email to me at greg.harvest.org. Again, it's greg.harvest.org.

You can learn more about becoming a Harvest Partner by going to harvest.org. Coming up today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out why we should ask the Lord to give us a sound understanding of the important book of Revelation. If the Holy Spirit opens your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear what God is saying in this book, it can make all the difference in the world.

Because reading and understanding the book of Revelation will energize and excite you and remind you that God is in control of your life. So many of us like to get to the end of a movie and see that the people lived happily ever after. Some will flip to the end of a book to see if the people lived happily ever after. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie directs us to the end of the Bible, and yes indeed, in many respects, we live happily ever after. Even after all the turmoil of the end times and the tribulation, we'll get a glimpse today of what life will be like as we spend eternity in the presence of the Lord. So we're talking together about heaven, which is a real place waiting for us. It's not some mysterious atmospheric realm of smoke in mirrors.

No, it's a real place for real people to do real things. This is the place Abraham was searching for, and it's really the place we're all searching for and longing for. In Hebrews 11 8, it says that when he reached the land God promised him, Abraham lived there by faith like a foreigner living in a tent. Abraham did this because he was constantly looking forward to a city with eternal foundations designed and built by God. That's what heaven is. It's a city designed and built by God. Abraham understood he was like a foreigner.

Guess what? You and I are like foreigners too. We're passing through this world. As the old song says, this world is not my home. I'm just a passing through.

My treasures are laid up way beyond the blue. And we are like someone in a different country. Sometimes I travel internationally.

I haven't done that for a while because of COVID. But I remember when I was in Italy. First of all, I don't understand their language. There's aspects of their culture I don't understand.

And definitely I don't understand their driving. So they have a different way of moving through traffic in Italy. So I thought it would be fun to rent a Vespa. And I said to my wife, Kathy, come with me. Well, it's different over there because the folks on the little scooters. And a lot of people ride Vespas and other scooters there in Italy. They're like swarms of bees.

They'll come to a light and go around other cars and in between lanes. And at first it was kind of terrifying. And after about 20 minutes I thought, okay, I got the rhythm of this.

I'm kind of liking it. It was like a different set of rules. And then inexplicably, despite these rather unusual traffic rules, I managed to get a ticket.

I found out later because three months or so afterwards I get a ticket from Italy because I actually pulled into the bus lane. It just looked like an open lane to me. But I was in the wrong lane. But I was a foreigner who did not understand what was going on around me. And we're that way in this world. There are things in this world that don't make sense to us. But we're longing.

We're looking forward to another world. And that is the hope of heaven. And now here are the closing words of the Apostle John in Revelation 22. Look at verse 1. And He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

And in the middle of its tree, on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations, and there'll be no more curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him, and they will see His face. And His name will be on their foreheads, and they'll need no night there. They'll need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.

Powerful words. So Revelation 21 gives us a glimpse of the New Jerusalem from an outside perspective. Here in chapter 22 we go inside to see what's actually waiting for us. John's description of heaven is actually getting clearer. He's described it as a kingdom. He's described it as a city.

Now he describes it as a garden. In the first chapters of the Bible we see paradise lost when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. The final two chapters of the Bible describe the paradise that God has created for us in heaven. Now if you're taking notes, here's a few things we learn about heaven from what we have read.

Number one. Heaven and the new earth are a place of satisfaction. Heaven and the new earth are a place of satisfaction. We will want for nothing. All of our needs will be met. Our thirst will be quenched because verse 17 says, let him who thirst come and whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Number two. Heaven and the new earth are a place of sufficiency. Sufficiency. Look at Revelation 22 too. In the middle of its street, on either side of the river, was a tree of life which were 12 fruits. In each tree yielding its fruit, every month the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. The Greek word used there for healing is theropia.

You can probably imagine what English word we get from that. Therapy. There's therapeutic value in these leaves. Not that we'll get sick in heaven, but there's this life-giving power in the trees that are there. And the curse is gone. Verse three. There'll be no more curse. The curse brought sickness. The curse brought aging. And worst of all, the curse that came upon humanity after Adam and Eve ate as a forbidden fruit. The worst part was death itself. But now we read death is gone. Here's the surprising thing.

Number three. Heaven and the new earth are a place of service. Heaven and the new earth are a place of service.

Look at verse three. His servants will serve him. And so there's going to be opportunities in heaven and the new earth.

There's going to be things to do. You artists get ready. God's going to utilize your creative abilities. You people who are mechanical. There'll be a place for you as well.

You singers and vocalists and instrumentalists. Get ready because God's going to use all of your skills in the afterlife. And it's going to be a fantastic time. And you wonder if we might be able to finish some of the tasks that remained uncompleted on earth in heaven. You wonder if dreams that were shattered here will be ultimately fulfilled there.

Point number four. Heaven is a place where tragedy turns to triumph. It's a place where tragedy turns to triumph. Sadness turns to joy. Disability turns to ability. Handicaps will be gone.

Mental and physical disability is banished. And there'll be joy. Heaven is a happy place. Heaven is a hopping place. Heaven is a joyful place. The psalmist says, in your presence there is fullness of joy.

And on your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. Let's read Revelation 22 verse 6. And he said to me these words are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophet sent his angel to show his servants the things which must shortly take place.

Behold I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Verse 8. Now I John saw and heard these things and when I heard and saw them I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said see that you do not do that. I'm your fellow servant and of your brothers the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book.

Worship God. And then he said to me do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book for the time is at hand. He who is unjust let him be unjust still. He who is filthy let him be filthy still. He who is righteous let him be righteous still. He who is holy let him be holy still. Behold I am coming quickly and my reward is with me and I will give to everyone according to his work. Remember I pointed this out to you many times as we have studied the book of Revelation together.

And by the way this is all archived on our website at harvest.org. If you missed any of the messages try to go back and watch the whole series in its proper order. But there is a blessing promised in this book. This is the only book in the Bible that has an actual blessing attached to it. And remember it says in Revelation 1 3 blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep the things that are written in it for the time is near. So if you want to receive the blessing first you have to read it. That's why I like to just read Revelation out loud as we have already done. This phrase read actually means to read out loud.

But it doesn't stop there. Secondly you must hear the words of the prophecy. You see if you just read the book of Revelation as a piece of literature or religious writing you are not necessarily going to get much out of it.

In fact you will probably be pretty confused. But if the Holy Spirit of God opens your spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear what God is saying in this book it can make all the difference in the world. Because reading and understanding the book of Revelation will energize and excite you and remind you that God is in control of your life. The events that are happening in our world right now are not random or haphazard. Everything is going according to plan.

God's plan. And we really will one day live happily ever after. And finally the blessing of Revelation is promised to those that keep the things that are written in it.

Keep the things. In other words applying these truths in your own lives. You know it is worth noting that whenever you read what the Bible says about the future there is always an exhortation to live a godly life.

Let me say that again. Whenever you read what the Bible says about the future there is always an exhortation to live a godly life. 2 Peter 3. 11 says, Since everything around us is going to be destroyed we should live holy and godly lives. Listen to this.

The reason we learn about the future is so we can live right in the present. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. It's encouraging to hear when these studies have truly impacted lives even through some dark times.

Hi Greg. I wanted to reach out and let you know how much my husband and I enjoy listening to you and watching your sermons on Sunday from our home. We lost our son just six months ago and we're struggling each day. God has been giving us strength to continue and listening to you has really helped. Your recent sermon, The Afterlife, was so amazing.

That was my birthday. The first one without our son. And what you were talking about really made my heart very happy. I love hearing about heaven and where my son and I will spend eternity together. I'm very sorry for the loss of your son.

No parent should have to bury their child. It's heart-wrenching. But you are an inspiration and I'm so thankful for you. If you have a story of how the Lord has touched your life through this ministry, why not call and share it with us? Here's the number 1-866-871-1144. It's a special number for this purpose.

1-866-871-1144. Well, we're in Revelation chapter 22 today, but Pastor Greg is reminding us of the words found earlier in the book. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it. But why should I keep these words? Verse 6, because they're faithful and true. We've all had promises broken to us, haven't we? Husbands and wives make vows to each other. To be faithful to each other. And those vows are violated.

Or maybe your parents made promises to you and they broke their promises and it broke your heart. I want you to know something. God keeps His promises. Jesus never breaks a promise because His words are faithful and true.

And listen to this. He says, I'm coming quickly. Verse 7. Now wait. Coming quickly. Wasn't Revelation written around 2,000 years ago?

Yes it was. Well it seems like God's definition of the word quickly is a little different than my definition of the word. Well it's sort of like when my wife and I are going out somewhere. I'll say, ok Kathy we're going out to dinner and we're going to meet someone at 5 o'clock so we need to be ready to walk out the door at 4.45. And I'll start counting her down. You have 20 minutes. You have 10 minutes.

You have five minutes. Someone might say, you shouldn't do that to your wife. No actually she likes it. Because the other day I didn't count her down. And I said, it's time to go Kathy. She says, I'm not ready. I said, I told you we're leaving in 15 minutes. She said, yes but you did not count me down.

See so she likes it. But anyway her definition of I'm ready and my definition of I'm ready are very different. My definition of I'm ready means I'm ready to walk out the door, get in the car, and drive away. Kathy's definition of ready is well I'm ready-ish. I may clean a couple things. I may run upstairs and grab a sweater.

I may bake a cake. I'm not sure. But it's a little different definition of the word ready for each of us. So what does Jesus mean when He says I come quickly? The Greek term here for quickly has less to do with how soon He will come and more to do with the suddenness of the event when it occurs. So when John uses this word quickly he's not using it in a sense of time as in hours or months but in a sense of a series of events happening together in rapid succession once they start. The final events of the end times are all very close together.

You can compare it to dominoes. Once the first domino falls the others fall in rapid succession. First domino would be the rapture of the church. Then the emergence of the antichrist. Then the tribulation period. Then the second coming. Then the millennium.

And so forth. And so Jesus is saying this is going to happen in rapid succession. And when that time arrives the events will follow one another quickly.

The whole machinery of history will be shifted into high gear and a race to judgment. So we must keep His word. He told us that. We must also do His work.

Do His work. He says in verse 12, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to His work. As I have already told you the Bible promises rewards, crowns, acknowledgement for your faithful service to the Lord. The Bible says don't be weary in well doing for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. And we hear that verse don't be deceived.

God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows that will he also reap if he sows that the flesh will reap corruption. So when we hear you will reap what you sow we always think of it in a negative way.

And there is a negative way that can play out in your life. But then the verse goes on to say but if you sow to the Spirit you will reap life everlasting. So just as surely as the person who is sown to sin will reap the consequences of it the person who is sown to righteousness will reap the blessings of it. Jesus says my reward is with me and I will give to everyone according to His work. So my question is are you working for the Lord? Not working for your salvation. Salvation is a gift from heaven to you.

But because I am saved I should want to do something for the Lord. Not working for salvation but rather working from salvation. A faith that works will produce works. A faith that doesn't won't. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 58, Therefore my brothers be steadfast and movable always abounding in the work of the Lord knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Listen to this.

The decisions and the lifestyle I choose in this life will impact me in the life to come. Look at verse 11. He who is unjust let him be unjust still. He who is filthy let him be filthy still. He who is righteous let him be righteous still.

He who is holy let him be holy still. Let's understand what John is saying. He is not saying that you should live an ungodly life. He is simply saying if you live this way in an ungodly way you will face the consequences of it.

Really it is a warning. So now Jesus gives us a stern warning here in the book of Revelation chapter 22 verse 18. If anyone adds to these things God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the book of this prophecy God will take away from the book of life and from the holy city and from the things which are written in this book.

Wow. Loose paraphrase. Don't mess around with the book of Revelation. This would speak of those who would disobey or disregard or distort or dilute Scripture. I mean who are we to edit the Bible? The story is told of Thomas Jefferson one of our founding fathers who had his own version of the Bible.

It came to be known as Jefferson's Bible. Apparently Jefferson went in with a pair of scissors and cut out all the parts of the Bible he did not agree with. He just sort of wanted the ethics of Christ without the miracles and other things the Bible records. You can't just make up your own Bible and cut out what you don't like. Someone might say well what if you don't agree with what the Bible says on this topic. Well the simple answer is change your opinion because the Bible is right. Our objective is not to conform Scripture to culture.

It is to conform culture to Scripture you see. But this warning that is given to us here would include disobeying God's Word. It would also include disregarding it. Sort of tuning it out. That is why Jesus would often use the statement he that has ears to hear let him hear.

Allow me to update that. Listen up. Pay attention to what is being said. We all know what it is like to tune things out. Maybe someone is saying something to us and we don't want to hear it. So we just tune it out. Jesus is saying tune it in.

Listen to what I am saying to you. Another way that we would do this is by distorting the Word of God. Sort of forcing it to fit into the lifestyle that we have perhaps chosen. Well I don't know if I really agree with that interpretation.

I have come up with my own interpretation. That is what the devil did with Jesus and what we call the temptation in the wilderness. Remember Satan quoted Scripture. He said to Jesus go ahead and jump off of the temple because the Bible says that His angels will give charge over you.

And so the devil quoted the Bible but then Jesus quoted the Bible back in context to Satan and Jesus said it is written you shall not test the Lord your God. Good insight today from Pastor Greg Laurie about how we can keep those things written in God's Word. Our message today on A New Beginning the best is yet to come. It is our final study in Revelation and we will wrap up Pastor Greg's insights from it next time. You know Pastor Greg when we look at world events, global hostility toward Israel, of course a worldwide pandemic, contempt for biblical values, it sure seems like the time is right for the Lord to return. Yes. But many people our age remember Pastor saying that back in the 70s.

Yeah. What can we learn from your new book on Revelation? Well I think we want to always live our life ready for the Lord's imminent return. He may come tonight. He could come in a year. He may come in 10 years, 20 years. We don't know when He's coming.

I've always avoided any kind of date setting because Jesus says no one knows the day or the hour. However, there are so many passages that tell us to wake up spiritually and to put on the armor of God because the day of the Lord is coming. It will come. It could come in our lifetime. It may come after but no matter what life will come to an end and we will enter eternity so we want to be ready for that moment. But there are many signs of the times happening right now that I think we should pay attention to. The Bible tells us that in the end times it would be like a woman having labor pains. Now you know when a mother is ready to give birth her labor pains become more frequent and they're closer together and that is exactly the analogy Jesus issues.

When you see these things begin to happen He says look up for your redemption is drawing near. We've had an increase in many things the Bible said would be happening. As an example, the Bible predicted that one day there would be a cashless society.

A hundred years ago that would have seemed absurd but today with modern technology, with cryptocurrency, with all of the tech that's happening around us, we can see how we could step into that immediately. The Bible tells us in the last days that there would be a spread of plagues globally. I think that you could say that this pandemic, COVID-19, was a plague and that is a sign of the times. I could go on and on and things that are happening, the tension in the Middle East and much much more.

As we see these things happen they're reminders that Jesus is coming again. Well I'll tell you what the book of Revelation unlocks this for us and I've written a brand new book simply called Revelation subtitled A Book of Promises. This is a thick book. This is a hardcover book that will be a resource that you can go to again and again and it's going to help make the book of Revelation more understandable to you and you'll begin to understand perhaps for the first time how to apply these truths in your own life. Listen I want to send this book to you for no charge.

It's actually for your gift of any size. So we're encouraging you to send something to help us continue to reach out through this radio broadcast A New Beginning and our other outreach efforts as well as how we proclaim the gospel. This is how we do it. You pray for us.

You support us. You give us the ability to reach new people and as our way of saying thanks we'll send you your copy of this brand new book I just wrote Revelation subtitled A Book of Promises. Yeah and we'll be glad to get it on its way to you immediately and we'll also include a custom bookmark we produced that lays out the timeline of the events of Bible prophecy. The rapture, the second coming, the tribulation, the millennium.

See them all displayed in proper order. It's very helpful and the bookmark is automatically included with Pastor Greg's new hardcover book. When you send your donation be sure to ask for Revelation A Book of Promises and we won't be mentioning this much longer so contact us soon. You can write A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside, California 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300.

Our team is standing by around the clock so dial 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org. Next time the final installment in Pastor Greg's in-depth study series in the book of Revelation. You don't want to miss the encouragement. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie. A New Beginning is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. If this show has impacted your life, share your story, leave a review on your favorite podcast app and help others find hope.