Let's Talk About Heaven, Part 2 | Eternal Worship

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. The reason for the unbridled worship in heaven is because now we know all things, all of our questions are answered, all of our pain is removed, all of our tears are dry. Okay, that's going to be amazing. Sometimes we just can't hold back the joy, when our favorite sports team wins the big game, when our young child takes his first steps, when you hear the words, you may kiss your bride. Well, when we get to heaven, we just may not be able to hold ourselves back from worship. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us see what we'll be doing in heaven, and what things will be different from this life, and what things will largely be the same.

It's one of our most requested messages. This is the day, the day when life begins. Let's answer some often asked questions about the afterlife. Number one, what will our new bodies be like in heaven? Number two, will we know each other in heaven? Number three, will we be married in heaven? Number four, what will we do in heaven? Fifth and lastly, and this is often asked, do people in heaven know what's going on with us on earth?

Let's go question by question. By the way, in our last message, we discovered, of course, heaven is an actual place, not a state of mind. It's a real place. Jesus said in John 14, I've gone to prepare a place for you. Jesus tells us, and the rest of the Bible tells us, heaven is a city. Heaven is a country. Heaven is a paradise. Whatever you've experienced on this earth, the best of the best of the best doesn't even come close to the glory of heaven.

Why? Because earth, at its best, is a pale imitation of the real thing, which is heaven. Heaven is not a watered-down version of earth. It's kind of the other way around, and so whatever you are thinking, it's going to be far better than you ever imagined. All right, so what about these new bodies the Bible talks about? What will they be like?

Short answer, amazing. You will be given a new body, but it will still be you. It'll just be the radically upgraded version of you, okay? Here's what the Bible says. 1 Corinthians 15, our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they'll be full of glory. They're weak now, but when they're raised, they'll be full of power. They're natural bodies now, but when they're raised, they'll be spiritual bodies.

Listen to this. Our new bodies that God will give to us later will be both different and at the same time the same as our body here. By that I mean you are still you, as I've already said, but again, a radically upgraded version of you. Okay, so Jesus says in John 14, in My Father's house are many mansions or dwelling places if it were not so I would have told you. If I go, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, you may be also. In My Father's house are many mansions. So what is this mansion referring to in John 14?

A couple of options. One, it may be our new body that God will give to us. 2 Corinthians 5, 1 in New Living Translation says, When this earthly tent we live in is taken down, when we die and leave these bodies, we have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself. We'll put on the new body like new clothes. Okay, so it could be a description of our new body, but it could be a house. I mean literally a house in heaven. Why not? The idea is that it's a real place waiting for you.

What it is exactly, I don't know, but it's going to be amazing. We know that. And you know, I'll tell you what, the thing is with life, as you get older, it seems like it goes more quickly.

But here's the good news. Though your body is wearing out like a tent, which is not meant to last forever, God's going to resurrect it and your soul will live forever and your body will be resurrected. So now when we're in heaven, will we know each other in heaven? Do you think you're going to be more stupid in heaven than you are on earth? Maybe I should ask the question, well, do you know each other on earth? Well, then you're going to of course know each other in heaven. So I think when you get to heaven, yes, we'll see each other.

Yes, we'll know one another. We're told in 1 Corinthians 13, we will know as we are known. We'll know everything we know on earth except more.

We'll know everything we know on earth but with divine perspective now. Sometimes people have this mistaken notion that when you get to heaven, you have some kind of a brain wipe. It's almost like heaven's a giant lobotomy or something.

No, I want to know. There's memories of earth in heaven. Oh, that can't be true, Greg, because we would be sorrowful. Well, you have perspective.

See, I understand things now. How can I be rewarded for something I did on earth if there's not a memory of what I did on earth? So you're going to remember earthly things but now with perspective. There's no break in my love for my loved ones. Death breaks ties on earth but renews them in heaven.

We're the same people we were here. Here's one that sometimes asks, will we be married in heaven? Interesting question. All right. First of all, let's take a quick poll. How many of you are married? Raise your hand up.

Okay. How many of you want to be married in heaven? You want to continue to be married in heaven? How many of you would rather not be married in heaven?

There's a few hands going up. And some of you are not totally committed in that other question. Kelly, my wife's next to me. I do.

Liars. No. Okay. You will be married in heaven. Now let me return to that and I'll explain it in a moment. You will be married in heaven.

Okay. So one day a group of people called the Sadducees came to Jesus. Now the Sadducees were different than the Pharisees. The Sadducees did not believe in life beyond the grave. The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection of the body. The Sadducees had a pretty bleak outlook. In fact their name said it all. Sad. You see?

Right? Because that's a sad way to see life. So they thought they were going to trap Jesus with a question. Okay Jesus we have a question for you. There's this woman who was married and her husband died and then she married the guy's brother and he died. Then she married another brother and he died and went on seven times in the resurrection whose wife is she? I would have asked what is this woman cooking and feeding these men?

What's going on? The point of that is they thought you know oh if you are going to be together in the afterlife who is going to be married to this person? And now Jesus sets a record straight and he says in Matthew 22 You are mistaken not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage.

You are like the angels of God in heaven. So they neither marry nor are given in marriage. Okay so let's say you have a really close marriage and you can't bear the thought of not being married to your spouse anymore. Well in heaven you will not have the same kind of relationship but it will be better.

It will be stronger. You will be closer but you will not marry or be given in marriage in heaven. But you will have the fully realized version of everything that marriage points to.

So you say well you are contradicting yourself. You just told me we won't be married in heaven but earlier you said we will be married in heaven. You will be married in heaven.

Not to each other. You are the bride married to Jesus Christ who is the bridegroom. So you are married in heaven. Of all the things God could have chosen to show his love for the church and the church's love for him God chose marriage.

And of all the witnesses God could have chosen to a lost world he chose marriage effectively saying hey non-believers check this out. See how this Christian husband loves his wife. That is how I love my church.

Hey check this out. You see how this wife loves her husband. That is how my church loves me. So marriage is a beautiful symbol that will be fully realized in heaven.

It will be different than it is now but trust me it will be better. 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. Hi Pastor Greg. My wife and I listen to you on the radio daily and love your teaching. We also watch most of the movies you've produced including Johnny Cash The Redemption of an American Icon. We grew up with Johnny Cash and this movie made us cry.

We also love the movies A Rush of Hope and Jesus Revolution. As we share this message with you we're still grieving the loss of our grandson who was killed in a hit and run accident. Please keep up the great teaching as we are so thankful for everything you do. We appreciate hearing how these daily studies are impacting lives even through painful situations.

Would you consider sharing your story? If so call us and let us know. Call 1-866-871-1144.

That's a special number 866-871-1144. Well today Pastor Greg is presenting the answers to five common questions people ask about heaven. All centered on how different life will be there than it is here.

It's one of this past year's most requested messages. Number four, what will we do in heaven? I think some people think heaven is going to be super boring. Well we know we will be worshipping and that's of course why I exist to bring glory to God. But Revelation 15 says, I saw a glassy mix with fire and there stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast.

That would be the anti-Christ and his image and the number representing his name. They were holding harps. So there are harps in heaven. And God had given them and they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb. So there will be singing in heaven and I think one of the reasons for the unbridled worship in heaven is because now we know all things. All of our questions are answered. All of our pain is removed.

All of our tears are dry. Don't misunderstand. This doesn't mean heaven is going to be a long worship service. Because oh it's going to be like a church service forever. No you're going to do other stuff okay. But you're going to be doing a lot of worshipping okay and it's going to be amazing. But here's something else you're going to do in heaven. I guarantee this. You're going to be eating amazing food in heaven.

Come on you want that don't you. See well where do you get that? From the Bible.

The only authoritative source in heaven. Revelation 19, 19, then the angel said, blessed are those who invited to the wedding supper. Let's remind it we're the bride of Christ. The wedding supper of the Lamb.

Now these are the two words of God. I like the word supper. In the south they call dinner supper. And I was raised by my grandparents for many years of my life. Stella and Charles McDaniel. I called my grandmother Mama Stella. And I called my grandfather Daddy Charles. And then when my mom was running around with all of her guys and getting divorced and getting drunk and all that crazy stuff. She sent me to live with my grandparents.

And so there with them it was a very stable home. It was almost like being raised from someone from another century actually. My grandfather was quite a strict disciplinarian I have to say. But my grandmother was an amazing cook. She made everything from scratch.

She never served leftovers one time in her life. And we had all that good southern cooking. And if you know the southern cooking you know fried chicken that was just incredible. Black eyed peas. Okra.

Collard greens. You ever tried those before? Now these are the things my grandmother would make. But her crowning achievement was her biscuit. I've never had a biscuit anywhere like this. Like if a biscuit could be literally anointed by God. This is what I'm talking about.

It was like so insane. It was a buttermilk biscuit. And when my grandmother was getting older I said to my wife Kathy. Watch Mama Stella make the biscuit. Learn the secret of the biscuit. Grasshopper.

You must learn it. And you know she did a pretty good job reproducing them. But no one could quite produce the biscuit that my grandmother Mama Stella made. And I just think you know when we get to heaven I'm hoping to get some of those biscuits again.

I'm going to find Mama Stella. But some of you don't you know connect to southern cooking. You're into Mexican food.

Ok. So you're thinking enchiladas and tacos and all those things. And then others are going no no no it's Italian food. Italian food. No it's you know the pasta and the pizza. I had pizza today.

Here's my problem. I love all those foods. Everything I love is fattening.

I don't love anything that's not fattening. I don't love kale salad. I don't even know what the point of eating salad is. To me eating salad is like practice. It's just like ok I can chew and swallow. Good. You know someone says I had a nice salad for lunch. I'm like what? It's just nothing. It's just lettuce and stuff you know. But whatever it is that rings your bell.

Good chance it will be in heaven. And if it isn't there there will be something better there. I'm into sushi. Ok. Sushi then. Whatever you like it's going to be better than what you could ever dream of. And not only will you have that meal but you'll be with people. The whole thing about having a nice meal is having it with someone you like to be with.

Right? Being with friends and family. Enjoying a meal together.

Well check this out. You're going to have some pretty amazing company. Matthew 8 11 says, When that day comes you will take your place at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

How's that for starters? Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to have a meal with. You can sit down at a table with Moses. Moses could you pass the manna? Elijah my meat is a little undercooked.

Could you give it a little more fire? Lot could you pass the salt? Oh Lot you're so sensitive. Get over it. He made it to heaven. Come on man. You have to know the Bible to get these jokes.

Ok. These are insider Bible jokes. But one of the things that I have enjoyed over the years is getting to meet a lot of wonderful men and women of God. And whenever I am around older people who have known the Lord for many years I pick their brains. You know I have gotten to know people like Chuck Sundahl, David Jeremiah, Dr. Dobson, Alan Redpath, and of course Billy Graham.

I think I drove Billy Graham insane with all of my questions. Because whenever I was with him I wanted to know everything about everyone. Because he was like Mr. History. He knew all these people I have read about. He knew Golda Meir the Prime Minister of Israel. He knew Muhammad Ali came over to his house for lunch. He knew every president going back to Truman. Bono from U2 came and visited him and read poetry to his wife Ruth. And his wife Ruth was as amazing as Billy was. She was just a wealth of Bible knowledge.

And it was so wonderful to be with them. He knew C.S. Lewis.

I mean I quote C.S. Lewis. He met C.S.

Lewis for Pete's sake. It is just amazing the people he knew. So I mean thinking of that think about meeting people of the Bible. Asking David what was it like to slay Goliath. Noah so how did that work being in that ark all that time. Or Moses when you parted the Red Sea give me some details about it. Esther what was it like to save the entire Jewish race. Deborah what was it like to lead all those people into battle.

Hey Mary Mary what was it like to carry Jesus in your womb and later have him in your heart. You know I mean don't you want to ask those questions. I do because when I'm around godly people I want details. I want information.

I want to learn from them. And you'll have access to all these great men and women of God from the Bible. Who've gone before us to meet the Lord.

And but of course it's being reunited with loved ones that we miss. How many of you have someone that was very close to you who has gone to heaven. Right now you have someone that's pretty much everybody. So you think about those people don't you. And you think about being with them. Because one of the hardest things about death is communication is cut off immediately. And you want to communicate with them.

And it's so hard when you can't. And sometimes people want to try to talk to their loved ones. And they'll go to mediums who will tell them I'm getting messages from your loved one right now. And just understand that is never real.

It's either not real or it's demonic. But that you don't want to go there. You don't want to ever try to communicate with your loved ones in heaven.

And I'll hear people say well I sensed my loved one who died is with me. And they spoke to me the other day. Can I be blunt with you? No they didn't. They didn't speak to you. They're not guiding you. And they're not involved in your life right now. They aren't.

Okay I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you they were. I wish I could tell you that they're you know helping you right now.

No they aren't. They're in the other side. As David said of his son who died. He cannot come to me but I will go to him.

So they're not talking to you. They're not coming to you. But one day you will go to them. You will be reunited with them. If they died in faith. Biblical truth today on matters of eternity from Pastor Greg Laurie. The only information we can count on about the hereafter comes from the Lord himself. And Pastor Greg will have more insight as he continues this best of message here on A New Beginning. It's exciting to know that we'll reunite with our loved ones in heaven. Those who put their faith in the Lord. But you know that's only if we've put our faith in the Lord.

Have you done that? Have you come to Jesus and asked him to forgive you of your sin? Here's Pastor Greg once again. Would you like to know that you will go to heaven when you die? Would you like to fill that big hole deep inside of you? Listen, it's about a relationship with God.

And here's the good news. God loved you so much that 2,000 years ago he sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins. And then to rise again from the dead. And now Jesus who died and rose is standing at the door of your life and he is knocking.

And he says if you'll hear my voice and open the door I'll come in. Would you like Jesus Christ to come into your life? Would you like your sin forgiven?

Would you like to fill the hole in your soul? Would you like to go to heaven when you die? If so, just stop what you're doing and pray this prayer with me. You can pray it out loud if you like. You can pray it in the quietness of your heart if you choose. But pray this prayer. This is a prayer of asking Jesus Christ to come into your life.

Pray these words. Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. But I know that you're the savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from that sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Hey, did you just pray that prayer? If so, I want to congratulate you and be the first to say welcome to the family of God.

Yeah, that's right. And we want to help you get started in this new walk with the Lord. We want to send you Pastor Greg's New Believers Bible. It's an easy to understand translation and it features hundreds of helps, especially for new believers.

It'll answer many of your questions and help you build a strong foundation for your faith. We'll send it free of charge. So get in touch and ask for the New Believers Bible. You can call 1-800-821-3300. Call any time 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.

Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God. Well Pastor Greg, we're so pleased to mention your new book on the afterlife called As It Is in Heaven. Now you've mentioned before that your ministry focus and intensity changed in the year 2008.

What happened to bring about that change? Well what happened was my oldest son Christopher died in an automobile accident and he went to be with the Lord. It was the worst moment of my life, for sure. It's something I haven't completely recovered from, to be honest with you. And anyone who's lost a child knows what I'm talking about. And honestly, if God had not come through for me, I would have given up preaching altogether.

But I have to say God did come through for me and he comes through for me. Because here's the thing that I had to deal with. It's so shocking to lose someone so suddenly. I never got to say goodbye.

We didn't have a final conversation. And to have all context suddenly cut off. It's devastating. But I would reassure myself with what the Bible says. And the Bible tells us that we will see our loved ones again.

In fact, in 1 Thessalonians 4, when Paul is addressing the topic of the rapture of the church, he says that dead in Christ shall rise first and we which are alive and remaining shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. With them.

With who? With our loved ones that are in heaven now. So if you have someone that has died and gone to heaven, you will see them again.

They're not just a part of your past, they're also a part of your future. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And then he says this, and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. The Christian never dies.

Now you might say, Greg, you're delusional. Of course they die. I understand. Yes, there'll be that moment where we breathe our last breath and we are laid in a grave. But that's our body. Our soul lives on. And one day God will resurrect our bodies as well. So for me, though that was the worst day of my life, my hope is that I'll see my son Christopher again.

And I'm really looking forward to that day. So I've written about this in this book called As It Is in Heaven. And I think as we think deeply about the next life, it will impact us in this life. In the decisions we make, in the things that we do, in the way that we live, in the way we invest our finances, and what we do with our time, and what our priorities are. And the Bible actually tells us in Colossians 3 to set our mind on things above.

You could translate it this way. Think about heaven. It's a good thing to think deeply about heaven. But you might say, well, how can I think about a place I've never been to?

Well, you need to know more about it. So I'll send you this book, As It Is in Heaven, for your gift of any size as you invest in our ministry and lay up for yourself treasures in heaven. If you want to know more about heaven, order your copy right now of this book that I've written called As It Is in Heaven. Yeah, that's such great encouragement. Don't you want to know more about heaven?

It really belongs in everyone's library. And we'll send it to you to thank you for your partnership in helping us bring the gospel each day here on A New Beginning. So get in touch with your support, and be sure to ask for As It Is in Heaven. You can call us anytime night or day at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org. And by the way, Pastor Greg talks more about what's waiting for us in the afterlife in a new podcast available right now at harvest.org and on the Harvest Plus app. Look for the title, As It Is in Heaven, a new podcast at harvest.org, the Harvest Plus app, and on other podcast apps. The salvation of an American icon, Steve McQueen, the salvation of an American icon, and our newest film, Fame. Plus, our TV programs, our podcast, Harvest at Home, and a lot more.

Stream it all on any device for free using the new Harvest Plus app. Well, next time, this best of message continues as Pastor Greg helps us sharpen our focus on eternity. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Warren. This is the day, the day when life begins The preceding podcast was made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Learn how to become a Harvest Partner, sign up for daily devotions, and find resources to help you grow in your faith at harvest.org.