Summary: Are Heaven and Hell real? Will Jesus return? Is death the end?

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#9 – Last Things

SONGS:

When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder

Jesus Will Be What Makes It Heaven?

“If you read history, you’ll find that the Christians who did most for the present world were those who thought the most of the next world.” -- CS Lewis

Swimmer in a thick fog who gave up less than 1 mile from shore swimming from Catalina Island to mainland. “I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”

“In 1952, Florence attempted to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California coastline. As she began, she was flanked by small boats that watched for sharks and were prepared to help her if she got hurt or grew tired. After about 15 hours a thick fog set in. Florence began to doubt her ability, and she told her mother, who was in one of the boats, that she didn’t think she could make it. She swam for another hour before asking to be pulled out, unable to see the coastline due to the fog. As she sat in the boat, she found out she had stopped swimming just one mile away from her destination.[5] Two months later, she tried again. The same thick fog set in, but she succeeded in reaching Catalina. She said that she kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind while she swam. She later swam the Catalina channel on two additional occasions.[4]”

SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Chadwick

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

When Bishop Philip Brooks, author of “O, Little Town of Bethlehem,” was seriously ill, he requested no friends come to see him. But when an acquaintance of his named Robert Ingersoll, a famous anti-Christian propagandist, came to see him he allowed him to come in right away. Ingersoll said, “I appreciate this very much. Especially when you aren’t letting any of your close friends see you.” Bishop Brooks responded, “Oh, I’m confident of seeing them in the next world, but this may be my last chance to see you.”

1. Jesus will return.

"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11

Christians have (and still do) disagreed about when or how. Will there be a 1,000 year reign of Jesus on earth? Will he come before, during or after the great tribulation?

I have my beliefs… but I don’t really care. The point is, Christians have NEVER disagreed about this basic fact: Jesus will come back, just as he promised.

2. Heaven and Hell are real places of physical existence.

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out-- those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

John 5:28-29

"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death… And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night…"

Revelation 22:8, 14:11

But there is another option: HEAVEN.

What is heaven like?

Gary Larson comic strip… guy sitting on a cloud with a harp: “Wish I’d brought a magazine.” 

ILLUS> from Huckleberry Finn:

Then she [Miss Watson] told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there. She got mad then, but I didn't mean no harm. All I wanted was to go somewheres; all I wanted was a change, I warn't particular. She said it was wicked to say what I said; said she wouldn't say it for the whole world; she was going to live so as to go to the good place. Well, I couldn't see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn't try for it. But I never said so, because it would only make trouble, and wouldn't do no good…”

“Now she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn't think much of it. But I never said so. I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would go there, and she said not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I wanted him and me to be together.Read more at location 97

Heaven is not just a never-ending church service. It is not just sitting on a cloud with a harp. It is not boring. We usually think of heaven as without a problem, no conflict, no relationship issues… never a need to rest unless you want to… no worry, grief… no tears… no temptation… and all that is true. But heaven isn’t just defined by what ISN’T there.

What if you knew that heaven was interesting people, exciting exploration, meaningful, enjoyable work, and incredible spiritual enjoyment? … It is conversation with those you love – with no time limit… times of worship and praise that will thrill your heart…

A glorified, perfect earth, with the capital city, the New Jerusalem (which is what we traditionally think of – streets of gold, mansions, etc.) resting on it.

God will have rulership work for us to do. Work that we will never get tired of, or wish we didn’t have this no-account job.

“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… And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

…The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

1,500 miles square… 2.2 million square miles… this city would take up about half of the size of the continental US.

And 1500 miles HIGH??! Do you know what the view is like from up there? The Hubble Space telescope orbits at 350 miles up! I want reservations at the restaurant at the top of that city!

So, a lot of times when people talk about heaven (if they are biblically smart enough not to see heaven as clouds and floating around with a harp!), the see it as the city of gold. But that’s still all they see.

But that’s not all there is to heaven… the earth is about 197 million square miles. That means that there are 190+ million square miles (no sea, remember?) to explore, to build, to discover.

Back to the scripture reading:

The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).

Knowing God, I’m certain that if the earth is this beautiful and challenging and exciting to explore NOW… how much more will the NEW earth be beautiful and exciting to explore? How much higher will the mountains be?

I have traveled and seen things that will nearly take your breath away – gorgeous waterfalls, beautiful forest trails, amazing mountains…

If THIS earth is that beautiful, what will it be when God gets done remaking it?

In C.S. Lewis' final book in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle, after the final fight, several characters are together in a new and wondrous land which looks vaguely familiar, but somehow new. They are trying to figure out where they are, when Jewel the unicorn shakes his mane and says:

"I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this. Come further up, come further in!...

[and] the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. For us this the end of all the stories, ... But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before. C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia, #7)

3. Death is a beginning, not an end.

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

You will live forever somewhere.

You were created to last forever. The stuff of eternity is wrapped up in your soul. It’s part of the image of God on you – he is eternal, and he created you to be like Him.

SO where are your loved ones NOW? They are with Jesus in Paradise… We don’t know much about that place, except that Paul says it is “far better” than this earth. But it is not their final home…

ALMOST MORNING Dr. W. A Criswell, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas Texas, said on one occasion on an airplane flight he found himself seated beside a well-known theologian. He desperately wanted to start a conversation and they did get to talk. The man told Dr. Criswell about how he had recently lost his little boy through death. Dr. Criswell listened as he told his story: He said he had come home from school with a fever and we thought it was just one of those childhood things, but it was a very virulent form of meningitis. The doctor said we cannot save your little boy. He’ll die. And so this seminary professor, loving his son as he did, sat by the bedside to watch this death vigil. It was the middle of the day and the little boy whose strength was going from him and whose vision and brain was getting clouded said, "Daddy, it’s getting dark isn’t it?" The professor said to his son, "Yes son it is getting dark, very dark." Of course it was very dark for him. He said, "Daddy, I guess it’s time for me to go to sleep isn’t it?" He said, "Yes, son, it’s time for you to go to sleep." The professor said the little fellow had a way of fixing his pillow just so, and putting his head on his hands when he slept and he fixed his pillow like that and laid his head on his hands and said, "Good night Daddy. I will see you in the morning." He then closed his eyes in death and stepped over into heaven. Dr. Criswell said the professor didn’t say anymore after that. He just looked out the window of that airplane for a long time. Then he turned back and he looked at Dr Criswell with the scalding tears coming down his cheeks and he said, "Dr. Criswell, I can hardly wait till the morning." SOURCE: Charles Lindquist, Jr.

Henry C. Morrison was a great missionary who served the Lord in Africa for over 40 years. On the way back to United States, he began to wonder “will anyone remember us? Will anyone recall who we are? Will anyone meet us at the boat?” Well, unknown to Henry Morrison and his wife, Teddy Roosevelt, President of U.S., was also on board that ship. He had gone to Africa for a hunting trip When ship pulled into New York harbor he looked to see if anyone had come to welcome them back home. Thousands of people were there cheering. Bands were playing. There were signs, banners, and billboards everywhere saying, “Welcome Home”. Henry and his wife were so excited about the crowds of people that were there to welcome them home and they went down to get their luggage, came back to the deck of the ship to get off and they realized that the parade of people were already gone. They had come to welcome Teddy Roosevelt. Henry Morrison went to his hotel room with a heavy heart. As he sat there on the bed, he asked his wife, “Honey, I just don’t get it…for 40 years we poured our lives into ministry and service. And yet we come back to America and not a single soul comes to welcome us home!” His wife came and sat down next to her husband, she put her hand on his shoulder, and comforted him with words that he would never forget, “Henry, you have forgotten something, you’re not home yet!” And may that be of comfort to you. It does not matter what takes place in this life, your reward is in heaven. Always remember, “You’re not home yet.”

4. We will all stand before God and His Son.

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28

You, then, why do you judge your brother? … For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. Romans 14:10

Called into the office at Exel. Tom Taylor… I knew the feeling of standing before God, when he knows everything I have done wrong.

When we stand before God…

Wrongs made right…

Evil repaid…

Injustice corrected…

Sin punished…

Final scores settled…

Righteousness rewarded…

Rewards handed out…

HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?

What kind of life would you live if you REALLY believed that at the end of all things, you would give an account of your life? Your possessions? Your words? Your attitudes, and even your thoughts?

How would you live, if you knew there really was a heaven to make it to, there really was a hell that sin would send you to?

What would you do right now if you really believed that this was true?

That’s the question before us today…

What do you think? Is it true? Look into your heart, and decide if it’s real. Right now, the Holy Spirit is speaking to you and telling you that you were made for something greater in this life, and something incredibly great in the next!

EXTRA ILLUSTRATIONS:

In Our Greatest Gift, Henri Nouwen tells a parable of faith and hope. He imagines twins–a brother and a sister–talking to each other in their mother’s womb: The sister said to the brother, "I believe there is life after birth." Her brother protested vehemently, "No, no, this is all there is. This is a dark and cozy place, and we have nothing else to do but to cling to the cord that feeds us." The little girl insisted, "There must be something more than this dark place. There must be something else, a place with light where there is freedom to move." Still, she could not convince her twin brother. After some silence, the sister said hesitantly, "I have something else to say, and I’m afraid you won’t believe that, either, but I think there is a mother." Her brother became furious. "A mother!" he shouted. "What are you talking about? I have never seen a mother, and neither have you. Who put that idea in your head? As I told you, this place is all we have. Why do you always want more? This is not such a bad place, after all. We have all we need, so let’s be content." The sister was quite overwhelmed by her brother’s response and for a while didn’t dare say anything more. But she couldn’t let go of her thoughts, and since she had only her twin brother to speak to, she finally said, "Don’t you feel these squeezes every once in a while? They’re quite unpleasant and sometimes even painful." "Yes," he answered. "What’s special about that?" "Well," the sister said, "I think that these squeezes are there to get us ready for another place, much more beautiful than this, where we will see our mother face-to-face. Don’t you think that’s exciting?" The brother didn’t answer. He was fed up with the foolish talk of his sister and felt that the best thing would be simply to ignore her and hope that she would leave him alone.

I heard about a rich man who was determined to take his wealth with him. He told his wife to get all his money together, put it in a sack, and then hang the sack from the rafters in the attic. He said, "When my spirit is caught up to heaven, I’ll grab the sack on my way." Well he eventually died, and the woman raced to the attic, only to find the money still there. She said, "I knew I should’ve put the sack in the basement."

Charles E. Fuller once announced that he would be speaking the following Sunday on “Heaven.” During that week, a beautiful letter was received from an old man who was very ill. The following is part of his letter: “Next Sunday you are to talk about Heaven. I am interested in that land, because I have held a clear title to a bit of property there for over fifty-five years. I did not buy it. It was given to me without money and without price. But the donor purchased it for me at tremendous sacrifice. I am not holding it for speculation since the title is not transferable. It is not a vacant lot. For more than half a century I have been sending materials out of which the greatest architect and builder of the universe has been building a home for me which will never need to be remodeled or repaired because it will suit me perfectly, individually, and will never grow old. Termites can never undermine its foundations for they rest on the rock of ages. Fire cannot destroy it. Floods cannot wash it away. No locks or bolts will ever be placed upon its doors, for no vicious person can ever enter that land where my dwelling stands. It is now almost completed and ready for me to enter in and abide in peace eternally, without fear of ever being rejected. I hope to hear your sermon on heaven next Sunday from my home in Los Angeles, but I have no assurance that I shall be able to do so. My ticket to heaven has no date marked for the journey -- no return coupon -- and no permit for baggage. Yes, I am all ready to go and I may not be here while you are talking next Sunday, but I shall meet you there some day.” (Ency of 7700 Illust. P. 545, #2183)

“If you read history, you’ll find that the Christians who did most for the present world were those who thought the most of the next world.”

-- CS Lewis

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

There’s lots of difficult things about end times prophecy… But here are four Truths that Christians agree on about the end times:

1. Jesus will ______________________.

"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11

2. Heaven and Hell are _______________________.

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out-- those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

John 5:28-29

"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death… And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night…"

Revelation 22:8, 14:11

The other option:

“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… And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

…The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). From Revelation 21

Heaven is a ______________________________ with the capital city of __________________ miles square… _________ million square miles… which leaves _________ million square miles to

…______________________

…______________________

…______________________

…______________________

3. Death is a __________________, not an _________.

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

You will live __________________ somewhere.

4. We will all ________________________________.

Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28

You, then, why do you judge your brother? … For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. Romans 14:10

What would you do ____________ if you really believed t