The New Jerusalem - Heaven - Eternity

4. Heaven is a Place of Relationship

v. 3 This is what makes heaven heaven! If the streets were not gold but gravel, if the walls were particle board and not jasper, if mud was knee deep and weeds over our heads, it will still be heaven because Jesus is there!

If you’re lost, this thought should terrify you, not just that you would go to a fiery hell, but that you would go somewhere cut off from God! A lost person would be terrified even in His presence at the Great White Throne, but being face to face w/ Him is a precious contemplation for the believer…that’s what Heaven is!

And there we’ll see the only “man made” thing in heaven. As we study about all God is preparing for us, let’s not forget the paralyzing sight we’ll behold in the nail scarred hands and feet of Christ! [a constant reminder of how we got there!]

Heaven is not a reward for those who are faithful…we can’t work our way to heaven. We’ll be elated, yes, but only because we’re RELATED! Heaven is a place of relationship…

5. Heaven is a Place of Relief

v. 4-5 no more crying, sighing, or dying! No hospitals or graves! And Satan will not be able to get a passport. He will be in the bottomless pit. All the fallen angels will be chained up. There will be no aging, wrinkles. The fountain of youth will be there. One drink and all signs of age gone. Nothing will ruin, rot, or rust. There will be no thirsting, or hungering. No itching, no blindness, no deafness, no diabetes, no cancer, or heart attacks, or scars, no witchcraft, no drugs, no alcohol, or tobacco! No divorce, child abductions, accidents…and no more bills!

Ill.—5 year old girl had never stayed the night w/ a friend before/was nervous, but gave it a try/she did fine during the daytime, but when it got dark she got nervous in a strange place/ friend’s mother perceived this: “honey, are you getting homesick?”/with childlike innocence she replied, “no ma’am, I’m getting here sick!”

And the more you may go thru down “here”, the sweeter heaven will be for you!

Romans 8:18

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Some call it heaven/new Jerusalem/pearly white city/Glory/and some call it “home”.

“I’m kinda homesick for a country…”

Pt. 2

The New Jerusalem, Pt. 2

Rev. 21:1-8

This is the capital of the eternal kingdom. God has, by this time, destroyed our universe, our heaven and earth, and this is a new one. And this is the capital city!

Will there be room for everyone? Sure! First of all, not as many will be there as is commonly believed. [“narrow is the way, few there be that find it.”] But it will be 1,500 miles squared…a perfect cube…in other words, it’s that high, that long, that wide! There would be room for every human who has ever lived if they had all been saved.

6. Heaven is a Place of Refreshing

v. 6 Ever been really thirsty?…maybe this week! You don’t want milk. Sometimes you want a soda or tea or lemonade, but even those won’t do when you’re REALLY thirsty…you want what? Water!