Shocking Truths About Heaven - Part B

You'll never say have a good day in heaven. It's the dumbest thing you could ever say in heaven. Have a good day. You'll never say that.

If somebody says that, you'll go, you're new here, right? Because every day is like awesome. Every day is the best day ever.

Nor sorrow. Today on Connect with Skip Heitzig, Pastor Skip wraps up his message, Shocking Truths About Heaven, and shows you why every day in eternity will be filled with goodness and joy. But first, here's a timely new resource about the current war in Israel and how it fits in God's plan for His nation. Israel at War.

That's the title of a new book by Skip Heitzig. Modern Israel has been at war from its very first day of existence. As Skip points out, On the day after Israel became a nation, that was May 14th, 1948. On May 15th, virtually every Arab neighbor attacked Israel to destroy it. Israel had been a nation one day.

They didn't have an organized army. Israel at War is up to date concerning current events in the Mideast and includes Skip's comments during his December tour of the Gaza border and a video link to Skip's interview in Jerusalem. The new book Israel at War is our gift to you this month to anyone who encourages the growth of Connect with Skip with a gift of $50 or more.

Make your financial vote of support at connectwithskip.com or by calling 1-800-922-1888. Israel at War will give you Skip's insight from over 40 trips to Israel and decades of Bible study. I know the Middle East seems like a very complex situation.

It's actually pretty basic. One side wants the other side dead. On one side you have a Jewish nation, a Jewish state called modern day Israel. Israel wishes to exist as a sovereign state living in peace. Most Palestinians and other Arab nations, not all but many of them, deny the right of Israel to exist. Receive Israel at War by Skip Heitzig with your gift.

Go to connectwithskip.com or call 1-800-922-1888. Now let's turn to Revelation 21 and hear what Skip has to teach us today. I hope that you can see that your eternal life will have distinct phases. There's a lot of variety. When you say, well, I'm going to die and go to heaven, and you're thinking cloud harp, please never think that again.

Think instead, you have a lot of variety coming up. Just like your earthly life, there are phases to your earthly life, right? Let's go through them. Gestation, that's the first phase, nine months in a womb. Birth, babyhood, toddler phase, adolescence, teenage, adult, geriatric, kick the bucket, right? That sort of sums up the phases of life.

Well, so too, your eternal life comes in phases. So the moment a believer dies, his body goes into the grave. It's left on earth, but his soul goes where?

God's presence. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, a place of joy, a place of comfort. Now, unfortunately, there's not a lot of information about this phase of heaven. Some theologians refer to it as the intermediate heaven.

Some think that's the throne room of God in Revelation 4 and 5. But one thing we know is that your soul, your spirit will be in God's presence. You will be fully aware, fully awake, fully able to communicate, fully enjoy God's presence, but just your soul will be there, not your body. Second comes the rapture. At the rapture, that's when you get your new body. There's a resurrection that takes place. Your old body is resurrected and transformed into a new body with new capabilities. That happens at the rapture. If you want to know more information about that, you read 1 Corinthians 15, very detailed about what your resurrection body will be able to do. Then comes the judgment seat of Christ. You stand before Jesus Christ at the judgment seat, not the great white throne.

The bema seat is the Greek word. You get a reward or two or three or many for your faithfulness to Jesus Christ in serving Him while you were on the earth. Then there's the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Probably the last seven years, some think that's the whole millennial kingdom. I tend to think it's the seven-year tribulation period. While we're in heaven, we enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb. Sounds like a party, right?

Sounds good to me. After that, you are coming back from heaven to the earth at the second coming for a thousand years on a restored, recreated earth. Then, fifth phase of heaven, the eternal state, what we're talking about here, new heaven, new earth, new Jerusalem. So there's different phases of your eternal existence, not cloud, not harp, none of that nonsense, just a lot of variety. So it will require destruction.

It will be a fresh design. Third, shocking thing about heaven and the new earth, it won't have an ocean. Go ahead, get it out.

Yeah, I feel the same way. This is harsh to me. It says in verse one, also, look at it, also there was no more sea. Now, listen, I'm a preacher. I don't get to, well, I don't think it really means what it says it means.

I don't do that. It says no sea. I got to exegete what's here. I will admit I have wrestled with this verse for years of being a surfer. I find this verse very disappointing. What, a brand new world with a humongous city and no ocean?

Really? You know, if I'm designing it, I design no cities, lots of beach, lots of ocean. Anyway, it says, and there was no more sea. Now, I've discovered the Bible is silent about features regarding the new earth in the eternal state except in negatives. It tells us what's not there. Tells us what's not there.

So, go down to verse 23 regarding the new city, holy city, New Jerusalem. There's no sun. There's no moon.

And by implication, there are no stars. And we first read in verse one, there is no more sea. Now, I will tell you that I have tried to rationalize this verse thinking, well, maybe it's really just a metaphor that there won't be nations that are not in covenant with God because sometimes the Bible likens the sea to nations who are not right with God. For instance, Isaiah 17, the uproar of many peoples who roar like the roaring of the seas, the rumbling of nations rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters.

So that gave me hope when I read that. Well, maybe that's just a reference to that. Also, the Antichrist comes out of the sea in Revelation 13 from the Sea of Nations. Revelation 17 goes on to say, the waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. So, I looked at it and started rationalizing. Well, maybe that's just a metaphor for there's no more large nations. Well, but that's not true because the nations of the earth will be there. So, here's what I've come to believe this means.

Ready? No sea. No ocean. That this is John's very simple but profound way of saying the earth will be completely different than new earth from the old earth. It will be not a water-based climate.

It will have a different kind of a climate. The world now is watery. Three-quarters of the surface of the earth is ocean.

Three-quarters. Do you know that your body is mostly water? Ninety percent of your blood is water. Sixty-five percent of your flesh is water. If you don't drink water, you will die. Maybe this is John's simple way of saying, yeah, but the new world will not operate on this system any longer.

Won't operate on a water system. There won't be evaporation, distillation, condensation, completely new bodies in new climatic conditions. Life on the new earth will be completely different from what we know now. Something else about seas. Seas divide people. Oceans divide people. There won't be any sea. There won't be any separation.

You will have continuous access to everyone. Now, I'm looking at you. Some of you are not comforted by any of this still, even with all this explanation. Yeah, but no sea. I mean, listen, I live in Rio Rancho. I don't get much water anyway, so I'd like to know that there's some kind of water in heaven. Well, there is some kind of water in heaven.

Revelation 22, 1, I saw a pure river of the water of life. That's going to be there. We'll look a little bit at that next time as we close this series. This we know. It will require destruction. It will be a brand new, fresh design. It won't have an ocean, but hold on, hold on. It's going to, fourth truth, it's going to feel very unfamiliar. Unfamiliar. I know, I've been at funerals too.

He's up there right now playing golf. No, it's going to be completely unfamiliar. I know it says there's no sea, and that's a bummer until you read what else is not there.

Then you go, I'm okay now. Look at verse three. 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.

God Himself will be with them and be their God, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Here it is. You ready?

You ready? There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. In other words, heaven is so unlike any experience so far that John has to write about it in negatives to make an impact.

Before we look at what else is not there, look at what is there. Look at verse three. The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them. Three times in one verse, God is with them. God is with them. God is with them. In heaven, you will be with God in a very unique sense, a very intimate sense. Not like here. No more behind the veil.

No more looking through the glass darkly. No more, well, God is present with us in His Holy Spirit. No, you will have, in heaven, God moves into the neighborhood, and He says, y'all come to my house. Live with me in my Father's house.

There are many mansions. Come on in. You will have access to God. You will have instant access to God. You won't have to make an appointment. Okay, God said in 22,500 years, I got a slot with Him for five minutes.

Not like that. He will be with you. You will be with Him.

I can't wait to just hang out and just have a conversation. I have a few questions, not like negative ones, but like when you created the heavens and the earth, tell me how that felt. When you walked on the water, tell me more about that. Or here's one.

What did you have in mind when you created the mosquito? I can't quite understand that one. You don't have to explain it, but I've always wondered. Wayne Grudem in his systematic theology writes, heaven is the place where God most fully makes known His presence to bless. He's with us.

He's with us. Now, verse four, one of the most comforting verses in scripture. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And among the things that won't be there, you go down a few words that says, nor crying. Crying. No Kleenex in heaven.

No sniffling in heaven. No tears. Can you remember days of tears in your life? Of course you can.

We all can. Have I told you before that my first day of kindergarten, I cried all day? Did I tell you I was the biggest baby in class?

How many of you are surprised that I was the biggest baby in class? Raise your hand. Really, that's all that are going to raise their hand? God bless you, those who did.

I see that hand. Other days were days of tears. The day my brother died and the days thereafter, the day of his funeral, how I wept. The day my father died, the day my mother died, and so many friends, the older I get, who have gone before have been days of tears. Tears of loneliness, tears of regret, tears of poverty, sympathy. We've cried them all. God will wipe away every tear. There will be no crying.

Look at what else won't be there. No more death. In the next 24 hours, 150,000 people will die. That equates to 6.7 million people dying on earth every year.

6.7 million people. Death scars life. It scars human existence, not in heaven. In heaven, no death, no cemeteries, no funerals, no funeral homes, no heart-rending goodbyes, no death. And because there's no death, there's no living with the fear of death. Every parent has that fear, I don't want my child to die. That's a fear that some of you have actually encountered, and sadly, you have lost a child. My parents lost a child.

I watched their misery and anguish when that happened. But there's no death in heaven, and if there's no death, then there's no conditions that bring death. No doctors. No dentists. No cavities. No surgeries. No disease.

No hospitals. Then it says, nor sorrow. You ever get cranky? I'm watching husbands and wives right now. Ever get moody? Ever get down? Depressed?

Sure, you do. Everybody does. Even the psalmist said, I am weary with my groaning. My eye wastes away because of my grief.

We relate to that. There's coming a day when you won't relate to that. It'll be rear-view mirror, won't even come to mind any longer, nor any sorrow. No sadness.

No depression. You'll never say, have a good day in heaven. That's the dumbest thing you could ever say in heaven. Have a good day. You'll never say that.

If somebody says that, you'll go, you're new here, right? Because every day is like, awesome. Every day is the best day ever. Nor sorrow. Then it says, there's no more pain. How much aspirin do you think we use? How much ibuprofen? So I did a little digging, as you would imagine I would. I was just curious, how much over-the-counter analgesic pain medication is sold every year, worldwide?

Get this, ready? $22 billion worth over-the-counter pain. That's not prescription.

That's just over-the-counter, I need something for my pain. There'll be no more pain in heaven. You'll have a perfect body. You'll have a perfect body. You'll have a perfect body. You'll have a perfect body. You'll have a perfect body. Some of you are really happy right now.

Some of you are looking at me like, I already got a perfect body. Okay, wait five minutes. Just let time take its toll. You won't. And this will become more meaningful to you the older you grow. No pain means no relational pain as well.

No confrontation, no strife, no needing to reconcile, no relational breakdown. And get a load of verse six. He said to me, it's done. The one who spoke at the beginning and said, let there be light, now says, it's done. This is the end of world history.

It is done. I am the alpha and the omega, first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. That's a picture of abundance. That's a picture of satisfaction. We don't right now experience everything our heart longs for. In heaven, there's this sense of eternal abundance and satisfaction. It's like, it's awesome. You know, people ask me about heaven, and typically they do at funerals or after funerals, what's heaven going to be like?

What's my loved one going through? Or, you know, they think about their own life, and they say, you know, are we going to have our pets in heaven? This is always a big one, because I can't imagine heaven without little Gracie.

I don't know how to answer that. Maybe I'll just say, yeah, there's dogs in heaven, no cats. Let's send all correspondents to Pastor Antonio, if you didn't like that comment. But fifth and finally, let's end with this.

Let's get back to reality. Heaven won't be for everyone. Heaven won't be for everyone.

Verse seven, he who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son, by implication, daughter. But the cowardly, those who push it away, were too afraid to make a commitment for Christ. The unbelieving, they should have believed, they could have believed, they wouldn't believe, they didn't do it. The abominable, that's the out-and-out, just flagrant sinner. Murderers, now this implies unrepentant murders, because murderers will be in heaven. Those who ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins and came to Christ will be there, but if they didn't, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

You get the picture? Heaven is exclusive. Not everybody gets there. You don't get to live however you want to live, and be very sincere in your little worldview and belief system, and expect God to say, okay, good enough, come into heaven. It's very exclusive.

Not everybody goes there. Not everybody listening to me right now will go to heaven, because some people are listening, and as they're hearing it, they're rejecting what I'm saying. So who's it for? Him who overcomes, he who overcomes.

Who's that? Every Christian has overcome. If you believe in Christ, you are an overcomer. 1 John 5, everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world. Even our faith, who is that that overcomes the world?

He who believes that Jesus Christ is God's son. If you're a Christian, truly I can say this, the best is yet to come. The best is yet to come. If you are not a Christian, the worst is yet to come. If you're not a Christian, the worst is yet to come. You're just going to grow old on this earth, and the only thing you have are memories. Hopefully you got some good ones to hold on to as you age out, and then it's really bad after that. If you're a believer, it's better and better and better. The best is coming. No broken homes, no broken hearts, no rehab, no hell.

No hell. And listen, as good as the Christian life is here, I'm the first to admit there's something missing. And some of you live, why is something missing? You are designed to feel that way. Listen to what C.S.

Lewis says that will help you, I think. He said, if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. You were made for another world. And this is the world you were made for, and this is the world you are going to, if you are an overcomer, meaning you believe in Jesus Christ.

If you don't, do so. Believe in Him. Decide to put your faith in Him. Heaven really is something amazing to look forward to. That concludes Skip Heitzig's message. From the series, The End is Near, find the full message, as well as books, booklets, and full teaching series at connectwithskip.com. Now, here's Skip to tell you how you can connect others with the truth of God's word with a gift to keep these messages you love going around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig. Jesus is coming back for His church, and we want to make sure that as many people as possible hear the good news of salvation in Him.

You can be part of taking the teachings that you love to even more people and places. Your gift today helps connect even more people to the gospel and keep these messages that you love coming to you. Here's how you can give now. Visit connectwithskip.com slash donate to give a gift. That's connectwithskip.com slash donate, or call 800-922-1888.

800-922-1888. Thank you for your generosity. And did you know the Connect with Skip app is designed to put tons of great resources right at your fingertips, from sermon notes and entire series, as well as reading plans. You'll love the features of this app, so be sure to download it today wherever you get your apps. Come back next week to hear more verse-by-verse teaching to connect you with the God who loves you. Connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.