[Music] [Music] you [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hi I'm Robert Jefferson welcome for worship on 1st Dallas iCampus we're so glad you joined us for the worship service from First Baptist Church in Dallas Texas and today you're going to hear some thrilling music by our first Dallas choir and orchestra and then I'm going to preach a special message about heaven you know one thing that is for sure and that is the world we're living in is not the world that God originally intended he created the world perfect free from sin and sickness and suffering the good news is this world is not what its going to be one day when Jesus Christ returns he's going to create a new heaven and a new earth and we're going to be talking about that new heaven and new earth in the weeks ahead and today as we talk about what the Bible says about heaven we're going to answer the question is heaven a real place or just a state of mind but before I come back with a message from God's Word let's enjoy the incredible worship from First Baptist Church Dallas [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] there's no [Music] [Music] bless his name this morning [Music] Singh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] - [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] our scripture on this Sunday is found in the book of Acts Acts chapter 1 and we'll be reading verses 8 through 11 in preparation for the pastor's message reading from the new American Standard Bible will have the words on the screen for you so that we can all read God's Word together so join me in reading Acts chapter 1 beginning with verse 8 ending with verse 11 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth and after he had said these things he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight and as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was departing behold two men in white clothing stood beside them and they also said men of Galilee why do you stand looking into the sky this Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven and may God greatly bless the reading of his word now let's continue a time of worship together on this Sunday [Music] [Applause] [Music] night [Music] you restore every ha [Music] [Applause] [Music] it's your breath [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] good morning church thank you for worshiping with us online this morning while we certainly miss gathering together at our physical campus we are grateful for the opportunity to worship with you and thousands of others throughout the nation and the world through the first Dallas I campus our church family is growing as hundreds of thousands of people connect with us as members of the body of Jesus Christ and we approach God's throne of grace together and God is working mightily in our midst last week on Easter Sunday over 1 million people worshiped with us live online Sunday morning and over 7,000 people registered decisions for Christ through the I campus that means in the last 4 weeks we've been under shelter-in-place orders over 10,000 people have indicated they've trusted in Christ as their Savior and we're confident many more thousands have made decisions for Christ as well praise God for the great things he has done and will do as we trust in him to redeem his people through Jesus Christ our Savior please remember that no matter who you are or where you are you're invited to join our church family and engage with our community throughout the week we've developed online ministries for every age and stage of life for example in the last week over 100 families from Canada connected with our children's ministry to learn more about how to disciple their children to learn more about our online ministry simply click on the link to access our online ministry directory we also have a new digital resource that we'd like to send you to thank you for worshiping with us today our booklet entitled what 7 world religions teach about heaven it will be a helpful resource for you as our pastor teaches us what God's Word says about our eternal home when you register to receive this booklet you will also have the opportunity to receive other free resources in the future personally connect with the members of our ministry staff and join the I campus global Facebook group so you can engage with others in our community finally for those of you who are joining us as guests today we are grateful you're here and we simply hope to minister to you but to our church family I want to remind you that God has called you to transform the world with his word one life at a time one way you can fulfill this calling is by giving to support God's work through the ministries of First Baptist Dallas so many of you have remained faithful to give over the last few weeks and the Lord has provided what we've needed to meet our budget and to maintain our operations however as you can imagine this pandemic has had an economic impact and we are dependent on all of you to remain faithful in your giving as we pursue our mission together to give online you may click on the link or click give in the upper right hand corner of the screen on the I campus you may also go directly to first Dallas org /give online thank you for your support and your participation in our work and our service to the Lord now let's all go to the Lord and prayer together Heavenly Father you are the Lord Almighty the master the creator the sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everything in them we praise your holy name this morning Lord and we trust in you we know that even when the circumstances in this world seem to be spinning out of control you are on your throne and you are sovereign over everything you have placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name you know when a single sparrow falls to the ground and you know the circumstances of every individual that is worshiping with us online today Lord and so we trust in you we find faith in you we know that there is nowhere that we can go that is outside the power of your presence and we look to your hand to guide us and to hold us fast Lord we know that nothing can separate us from your love and so we thank you for the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ and we ask that you equip us and empower us through your Holy Spirit to do your work to advance your kingdom to build your church and to make disciples of Jesus Christ and we pray this in the holy and the saving name of Jesus amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the show [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] one morning in early 1971 famed Beatle John Lennon sat down at his Steinway piano and composed what became the anthem for the ages it's a song entitled imagine and in that one word tribute to utopian ideals lemon Lennon asked us to imagine what it would be like if there were no heaven or for that matter no Hell of course critics would say just because an atheist like Lennon doesn't imagine heaven to be real doesn't mean it isn't real of course a theist would say just because Christians imagine heaven to be real doesn't make it real either fair enough but where do we go to find out if heaven or for that matter hell or actual places are just figments of our nation or for those of us who believe that this book is the inspired truth from God's own breath the Bible is the place we turn to find out is heaven a real place or is it simply a state of mind and that's the question we're going to answer today as we continue our series a place called heaven now to whom should we turn to in the Bible to find out if Heaven is really real or not it seems like a good place to start would be with the only person who is actually lived in heaven and has come to earth to tell us what is really there his name is Jesus Christ and if you have your Bibles this morning as we begin to answer this question is heaven a real place or simply a state of mind let's turn to John chapter 14 now remember the setting of John 14 it was the Passover meal Jesus was in the upper room with his disciples and in just a few hours after the Passover meal Jesus would be betrayed in the garden of gethsemane he would go through a series of trials by the next day he would be on the cross crucified and so Jesus was preparing his disciples for this reality it was a very troubling evening not only for Jesus as he contemplated what he was about to do but also for the disciples who believed him when he said I'm getting ready to leave you of course Jesus reassured them with the truth that even though he was getting ready to leave them he would return again to take them to be with him in his father's house now that's the background for John 14 look at verse 1 through 3 verses one two three the teaching of john 14 jesus said let not your heart be troubled believe in God believe also in me for in my father's house are many dwelling places if it were not so I would have told you for I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am there you may be also I want you to notice three key words in this passage that help us answer the question is heaven a real place first of all the word tapas tapas in Greek literally it is translated places heaven is a place Jesus says this three times in verses 2 to 3 I go to prepare a place for you now this Greek word tapas is the word the root word for our word topography when we talk about topography that is the act of detailing the actual physical features of land on a map when Jesus said heaven is a place he is saying heaven is an exact geographical location that's why I titled this series a place called heaven that comes from the lips of Jesus himself the second word is the Greek word Moana that is in my father's house are many Mona its translated dwelling-places this word means the habitat the lodging the domicile of a person again underscoring the fact that heaven is a real place in my father's house are many dwelling places when our two girls were old enough they each got a room for themselves and they were allowed to decorate that room almost any way they wanted to but they could choose the colors and what they wanted in their room that room was individually designed for their tastes and the Bible is saying Jesus is saying in my father's house there's a place designed just for you it's called a dwelling place heaven and then the third significant word here is the word prepare I go to prepare a place for you guess what you don't have to prepare a state of mind no this indicates Jesus is in heaven right now preparing a future residence for us it's an actual geographical location now that should be enough to settle the issue whether heaven is a real place but let me tie a bow on it by having you turn to Acts chapter 1 verses 9 through 11 remember after Jesus was crucified on the third day he arose from the dead he spent 40 days on the earth in his new resurrection body but at the end of those 40 days he fulfilled his promise to ascend back to his father in heaven and his followers gathered with him on the Mount of Olives the Mount of Olives is a real geographical location many of us have stood there before reading this passage many of us will be there in March next year to do the very same thing and it was at that geographical location the Mount of Olives overlooking the city of Jerusalem that Luke records what happened verse 9 and he that is Jesus was lifted up while they that is the disciples were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight and as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was departing behold two men in white clothing stood beside them and they also said men of Galilee why do you stand looking into the sky this Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven now this is so simple but it's so profound at the same time Jesus was at an actual geographical location the Mount of Olives and he ascended into this place called heaven now can you think of somebody who goes from a geographical location into a state of mind that doesn't make sense does it you don't go from a location to a state of mind but that's what happened Jesus went from one location have the Mount of Olives to another location heaven and then the angel said one day Jesus is going to go from that place called heaven a real location - a real place back on earth you don't come from a state of mind back to a real physical location and by the way notice that the angel said he will do it in just the same way just as Jesus was literally and visibly brought from Earth to heaven one day Jesus is literally and visibly going to return from heaven back to earth when Jesus comes as some pagan so-called Christians say the second coming of Jesus isn't when he comes into your heart I heard a well-known preacher from another denomination said now the second coming of Jesus is when he comes into your heart obviously he never came into that preachers heart because he would know the truth the Bible says he is coming back visibly literally and when he comes every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord is a geographical location but of course that brings up the question where then is this place called heaven where is it can you locate it on a map where is this place called heaven Thomas had that question after Jesus said I'm going to prepare a place for you Thomas asked the question and verse five Lord we don't know where you are going how can we know the way that's a logical question you've told us you're going to the father's house where is that and by the way how do you get there and so Jesus helped the disciples recalibrate their spiritual GPS he said you want to know how to get to heaven verse six I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the Father but by me you want to get to my father's house this place called heaven follow me he told us where it is or how to get there the way but how did he answer the question where where is this place called heaven well we have a few clues in the Bible about where this place called heaven is now there are only clues but we can put some things together if we look at the clues first of all the Bible seems to indicate heaven is wherever it is it's up how do we know this Satan told us so now I know you can't depend on Satan for a lot of things most of the time he's a liar but you know just kind of like a broken clock is Right at least twice a day Satan is right about a few things he tells us a few things and Isaiah 14 verse 13 when Satan mounted his rebellion against God he said I Lucifer will ascend to heaven I will raise my throne above the stars of God wherever the throne of God is it's up he said I'm going to ascend to where you are God go back to acts 1 verse 9 for a moment the Bible says dr. Luke records Jesus was lifted where up he went up while they the disciples were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight so we can say heaven wherever it is is up secondly the Bible indicates heaven is north now we can't make too much out of this but there is some indication it's north of course north is a different direction depending on where you're standing but north is where heaven is again go back to Lucifer in Isaiah 14 verse 13 and I Lucifer will sit on the Mount of Assembly in the recesses of the North even job said in job 37 22 out of the north comes gold and splendor around God is awesome Majesty heaven is up in some sense it tends to be north but some people wonder what is this place called heaven a place that actually exists in a time space situation even though it may be a gazillion miles away is it a place in this universe or is perhaps heaven existing in some other dimension that we can't even see right now kind of like that fifth dimension unknown to man that Rod Serling used to talk about in the twilight zone is that what heaven is it's just a whole other realm of existence that we can't see right now I read with great interest this week that analysts from the Bank of America one of the most respected financial institutions of the world analysts from the Bank of America said there is at least a 50% chance there right now we are living in a computer-generated virtual reality game that was created by artificial intelligence these are the people handling our money it's kind of a scary thought hope I don't make virtual deposits that disappear you know and go off someplace but that's what they're saying say we're in this computer-generated virtual reality game that's created by artificial intelligence and the worst thing is because we're inside the game will never know that we're inside the game or some people wonder away is heaven like that is it just in a whole different dimension that we can't see right now what answer that question and this is the foundation of this message we need to understand the difference between the present heaven and the future heaven this will help you understand the Bible it will help you understand what awaits you as well and your loved ones who are Christians there is a difference between the present heaven and the future heaven let's talk about the present heaven for just a moment right now in the present world there are actually three heavens the Bible talks about the first heaven is the Earth's atmosphere that is the air we believe breathe that's where the birds and jetliners fly the Earth's atmosphere that's the first heaven the second heaven in the Bible is outer space were the stars the planets the galaxies galaxies exist but there is a third heaven right now that is the abode of God it's where God is the presence of God that's the third heaven by the way in 2nd Corinthians 12 Paul said that he had an experience in which he was caught up into the third heaven and he was told he saw marvellous things but he was told to write down none of those things and he came back to earth it made a profound impact on his life next week we're gonna have to answer the question if some people already been to heaven and come back again what about these people who died or nearly died take a brief tour of heaven and come back and write a best-selling book about it are those experiences real are they fraudulent what are we to make of it we're gonna talk about that next week but Paul had an experience in which he at least was caught up to the third heaven where God is by the way this third heaven is the place you and I go when we die if we're a Christian we go into the presence the abode of God 2nd Corinthians 5:8 says for a Christian to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord the moment we die or a Christian we know dies he goes to be in the presence of God but that is all part of the present heaven the third heaven and even though we as Christians go to be with God that is not our permanent eternal dwelling place as we're gonna see in just a few moments heaven for us our final residence is not up there it's right down here on the earth and that leads me to the future heaven that God is preparing for us right now there is a future heaven a fourth heaven if you will that Jesus is constructing for us right now right now Jesus said I'm going to be with the Father I'm preparing a place for you right now Jesus is overseeing what I call the ultimate in prefab housing he's building a city for us to live in it's called the New Jerusalem and one day that city that is being built where God is is going to descend out of the third heaven and come down to a newly recreated earth turn over to Revelation chapter 21 Revelation chapter 21 we're gonna stay in these chapters for the remainder of the message as we talk about the future heaven your eternal dwelling place now let me give you 120 second review of Bible prophecy so you understand the setting of this we talked about this in our series perfect ending remember right now this current age where we're living we're waiting the next great event on God's prophetic timetable it is the rapture of the church when all believers who are alive will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air that's the third heaven where God is right now that's what's gonna happen at the rapture the rapture will be followed by the last seven years of Earth's history called the Great Tribulation God pours out his judgment on the world the climax of that seven years will be the babble of Armageddon and the return of Jesus Christ Jesus returns earth he sets up his millennial thousand-year reign on the earth the earth is improved but it's not recreated at that time it's basically the present world were living in with some improvements that is the renovated earth at the end of the thousand years there's the great white throne judgment in which all unbelievers were judged and cast into the lake of fire and once all of that has happened then the fire of God's judgment destroys the present heaven and earth and look at what John sees in revelation 21 and verses 1 & 2 John says and I saw a new heaven a new heaven that's the fourth heaven the future heaven I talked about the one that Jesus is working on now I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there's no longer any sea and I saw the holy city the New Jerusalem that's what Jesus is working on now the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband the new heaven the New Jerusalem that Jesus is creating for us is going to come out of the current heaven and rest on the newly recreated earth and that is our future and permanent home right here on earth now maybe the concept of a present heaven and a future heaven is a little bit confusing to you let me illustrate it for you this way let's say that you had this dream that one day when you retire you're going to move to the city where all of your children and grandchildren are for you that will be heaven to be with your children and grandchildren the same city it's heaven for you of course it'll be hell for them but that's another sermon that we'll get to you know but for you that's a great thought that you would actually be with them so the day of your retirement comes and you go to that city and you decide you want to construct your retirement home you find a little place by the lake a piece of land and you buy it and you're gonna build the home of your dreams there while that construction project is going on you've got to have a place to live so you're in a condominium in an apartment and it's nice and it's comfortable but it's not your permanent dwelling place you have a present home but you also have a future home now the same thing is true for Christians when they die when we die right now we go into the presence of God we don't sleep we're awake we're aware we're with our loved ones but it's only a temporary place God is building a permanent home for us right now this place called heaven that will come out of heaven back to earth one day and that's what John saws no way to saw here now let me give you some characteristics of this future heaven that will be our eternal place and all of this comes straight from Scripture revelation 21 through 22 first of all John says our future home will be new look at verse 1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first Earth passed away and there is no longer any sea after the Millenium the thousand-year reign of Christ and the white throne judgment talked about in Revelation chapter 20 after all unbelievers are judged at the end of Revelation 20 in the white space of your Bible between the end of chapter 20 in the beginning of chapter 21 there is a great destruction of the present heaven and earth they passed away John says in verse 1 it's already happened when we get to chapter 21 verse 1 the Apostle Peter tells us about the burning up of the present heaven and earth as well in 2nd Peter 3 verse 7 he says but the present heavens and earth by his word are being reserved for fire kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of ungodly men but the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed within tense heat and the earth and its works will be burned what is this fire of judgment that is coming upon the earth to destroy the earth it's an intense heat obviously because even the elements the basic building blocks of this world are completely destroyed some have speculated that perhaps this fiery judgment that burns up the earth perhaps it's a great nuclear holocaust that comes at the end of the Great Tribulation in Revelation 16 we find that when the final judgment the bold judgment has poured out it has poured out in the air you see the sky on fire followed by peals of lightning and thunder the destruction of the earth at that time or a large portion of the earth some people say well that's what it's talking about here the problem with that interpretation is it's a thousand years too early that final judgment that accompanies the Battle of Armageddon right before the return of Christ is before the millennium it's not until a thousand years after Christ who's here on earth reigning over the renovated earth that we find this complete destruction of the world the truth is we don't know how God accomplishes this but what he says is everything you see around you everything you've accumulated everything you've set your affections on in this world is one day going to be completely burned up you know God destroyed the world once before he did it with a flood he said I'll never do that again but he did say there's going to be a final destruction of the world it will come by fire why is it important that God completely destroyed this present heaven and earth why can't he you know just have a little renovation project of this earth make it a little bit better kind of do a few upgrades here and there there's one reason God has to destroy everything around us it's a little three-letter word sin sin has infected and ruined everything in this world you know the reason you and I have to have a new body dinner to heaven first Corinthians 15 is because this body has been infected with sin Romans 5:12 as through one man Adam sinned under the war and death spread to all men because all sinned we have to have a new body for eternity this body is not fit for eternity we're going to have a sin free body but just like our bodies have to be destroyed in order to receive a new body this world has also been infected with sin the dirt of the ground has been infected with sin that's why the Bible says there are thorns and thistles that's why it's so hard to work in this world everything about this world has been infected with sin Romans 8:22 says the whole world groans in anticipation let me illustrate to you how sin has infected this world and causes everything in this world to deteriorate let's say you are car collector and you decide to go out and spend thousands of dollars on buying a 1955 classic Corvette you've been looking for it you decide to pay the money you buy that cult Corvette and you set it outside in your backyard and you do nothing to it in five years ten years what's gonna happen to that Corvette it's gonna become a rust basket isn't it I mean it's just gonna deteriorate out in the elements it will be worthless but I don't care how many years you leave that 1955 Corvette outside and do nothing to it I don't care how long you leave it out there it will never evolve into a 2018 Lamborghini it just never is gonna do it it will never through natural selection become a Lamborghini and I'll tell you something else that will certainly never happen is it will never change from a simple Corvette to a complex 777 airline or jetliner even though the basic building blocks were there for it to become that jetliner it doesn't evolve into something better that's what's so ludicrous about the theory of evolution the whole direction of everything in this world is downward everything is deteriorating your body is deteriorating can I get an amen on that I mean don't you feel that I certainly feel it but it's not just our bodies that deteriorate it's everything in this world is deteriorating as well and it's because we've been infected with the same virus but God is going to remove that for the new heaven and new earth and all of it will be a fulfillment of Isaiah 60 65 17 for behold I create new heavens and a new earth and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind secondly the new heaven our eternal place will be a physical location you know we are not disembodied spirits once we die we inhabit a new body we were created to be physical beings as well as spiritual beings and therefore since we are physical beings we need a physical location in which to live thirdly this new place called heaven is going to be familiar to us you know if we injected most of you with truth serum and asked you are you excited about going to heaven many of you would say I'm not sure how excited I am about heaven because after all I mean it seems so unfamiliar we don't know much about it we're not sure what it's going to be like the fact is we like the familiar we get a little bit upset about the idea of moving to a new location that we know something don't know much about or we don't know the people there an unfamiliar destination but the fact is heaven is going to be a very familiar place because it's gonna be this world not some other world in which will live for eternity my predecessor dr. Criswell used to talk about that a lot he said on one occasion I wouldn't look forward to God sending me to live for eternity on some planet I know nothing about a hundred million miles away I like almost everything about this earth the only thing I don't like are the tears the separation and the heartache but those will be gone forever in heaven indeed they will in Revelation 21 for John says and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes and there shall no longer be any dead or mourning or crying or pain for the first things have passed away number four heaven will have no oceans look at verse 1 again of chapter 21 and I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there is no longer any sea you realize the oceans take up 71% of the space on our planet there'll be no oceans I didn't say no water but no oceans why is that some people have speculated well we'll need all the land we can get to inhabit everybody who's going to be on the new earth maybe that's true some other people have said well salt is necessary from the oceans to serve as a preservative that in the new heaven and earth will be no sin and no need for preservation we don't know the reason but the fact is there are no oceans in the new heaven and earth next the new heaven will have no Sun or moon look at verse 23 and the city the New Jerusalem has no need for the Sun or the moon to shine on it for the glory of God has illumined it and though it's lamp is the lamb that's again a filming of Isaiah 60 verse 19 no longer will you have the Sun for light by day nor the brightness with a moon give you light but you will have the Lord for an everlasting light next the new heaven and new earth will be free from sin not only will the oceans and the lights in the sky be missing though no longer be any sin now you can applaud for that that's not good news for me because that means I'm gonna be out of a job there are no postures in heaven either well let me rephrase that we're gonna be there but we have to have some job retraining because there'll be no need for preaching I mean think about it what do preachers talk about what are we supposed to talk about what spar is supposed to talk about sin and the gospel of Jesus Christ well the fact is there'll be no sin to condemn revelation 22 verse 3 they'll no longer be any curse furthermore everybody will know the Lord at that time Habakkuk 2:14 says for the earth will filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea the next truth about the new heaven is it will have a pop Atal there will be a capital the centerpiece of the new heaven and earth called the New Jerusalem that's interesting even from the Old Testament the focus of heaven was a focus on a city not just some undefined space up there it was an actual city in Hebrews 11:10 we find this about Abraham for he was looking for the city which has foundations whose architect and builder is God revelation 3:12 calls Jerusalem the city of my God look again at revelation 21 verse 2 and I saw the holy city the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband verse 10 and the angel carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy spirit Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God and it's gonna be unlike any city we have ever seen or visited let me mention several things about this city which is by the way your future residents first of all the Bible talks about its size have you ever heard people say well I just don't know how heaven especially if it's on earth is gonna fit everybody well maybe there won't be that many people to fit into heaven but that's another sermon as well but the fact is it's gonna be much larger than you might first think look at verse 16 and the city is laid out as a square and its length is as great as the width and the angel measured the city with the rod and it was fifteen hundred miles in length and width and its height are equal let's just take the length and the width here before we get to the height let's just say it is a true square 1,500 miles by 1500 miles that is to point to five million square miles now to put that in perspective New York City is 305 square miles and you fit ten million people into that this is 2.25 million square miles for the New Jerusalem but the fact is it's not just a square because John mentioned the height of it the height is 1,500 miles you know what that means that means it is six hundred and sixty thousand stories high the largest skyscraper in the world and Dubai is 162 stories the New Jerusalem will be six hundred and sixty thousand miles six hundred sixty thousand floors high I can't imagine the elevators necessary to get people to the top and that thing that is one large city and notice not only that verse 17 and the angel measured the wall there's going to be a wall around the city and it is 72 yards thick that is three-quarters of a football field thick there's a lot of talk today about building walls this is one big wall and who's gonna pay for it God's gonna pay for it and that gonna be great God's gonna build it for us big wall now people say no wait a minute this is too fantastic surely the angel is speaking symbolically here we can't take these measurements literally that's just too much we can't take it literally look again verse 17 and he measured its wall 72 yards according to human measurements which are also angelic measurements God knew would be tempted to write this off as oh well that's just hyperbole that's just symbolism he said remember this the angels measure things just the same way we do it is literal this is the size of this new city the New Jerusalem one mathematician calculated that if the New Jerusalem Jerusalem is shaped like a cube it would have enough room for 20 billion residents if each individual residents were a massive 75 acres there would also be plenty of room left over for parks and streets and other features that you'd likely see in any major city that's the size of the New Jerusalem God is preparing for you secondly its gates look at verses 12 and 13 and it had a great and high wall with 12 gates and at the gates twelve angels verse 13 there were three gates on the east the north the south and the West then ancient civilizations gates were very important they were a way that you would protect for civilization you would close the gates at night in order to protect the citizens but notice in verse 25 about these gates in the daytime there will be no night there no gates will ever be closed and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life you know today if you live in a gated community the gates are shut they're locked at night if you don't you at least lock your door don't you even the happiest place in all the world Disneyland locks its gates at night but in the New Jerusalem they'll be no locking the gates you won't have to lock your windows lock your doors you can leave the windows open of your car you can leave your keys in the car and nothing will happen because sin and sinners will be eliminated forever which means there'll be no police in heaven either my brother's gonna have to find a new line of work as well anybody in law enforcement no need for that because sin will be eradicated number 3 the permanence of heaven look at verse 14 and the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones and on them were twelve names of the Twelve Apostles and the lamb you know this only means something probably to those of you who've had to move a lot maybe you were in the military maybe you were in Street maybe something else in your job means you're continually uprooting and going to an unfamiliar location the fact that there are foundational stones means this residence is permanent you'll never move again this is your forever home and notice the splendor of the New Jerusalem as John describes it it is more beautiful even than the Emerald City of the fictitious Land of Oz we've seen verses 10 and 11 the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God having the glory of God her brilliance was like a very costly stone and a stone of crystal-clear Jasper and then chapter 22 verse 1 and the angel showed me a river of the water of life clear as crystal coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb I said there wasn't going to be an ocean in heaven but there's going to be plenty of clear fresh water pouring from the throne of God and look at verse 2 and on either side of this river was the Tree of Life burying 12 kinds of fruit yielding its fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation's do you remember the Tree of Life last time we saw it was in the book of Genesis in the Garden of Eden and after Adam and Eve rebelled against God God banished them from the garden why so that they would not eat of that tree of life had they eaten of the tree of life after they sinned they would have been forever doomed in their sin it was an act of mercy that God banished them from the garden but now in the new heaven and new earth we see that tree of life again bearing fruit every month and the leaves are for the healing of the nation's you know what that means I don't have a clue what it means but one thing I do know for sure is it's telling us there is no sickness in heaven no sickness because there's no sin and that means not only will there not be any pastors or policemen or lawyers there won't be any doctors in heaven either this is sounding better do you all all the time isn't it come on you can laugh there I mean the idea you won't have to deal with us anymore because you won't need that the fact is there'll be no more sickness we're in bodies that will endure forever and by the way something else that's not in heaven chapter 21 verse 22 I did not see a temple either because God Almighty and the lamb are the temple if you go to Jerusalem right now even though the temple has been pretty much destroyed you can see it was the focal point of the city of Jerusalem but in the New Jerusalem there'll be no house of worship there'll be no temple there'll be no First Baptist Church it won't be necessary because God and his son will represent the temple of God and it is in God's presence that we will live and work and play and worship Him forever the Bible says right now Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for you you know the greatest thing about that are those two words for you the God is creating heaven right now with you in mind CS Lewis said it this way your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone because you were made for it made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand there's a contemporary Christian song I can only imagine the truth is that place God is preparing for you right now is beyond our wildest imagination don't you want to go I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also one thing is certain in the Bible and that is heaven is a real place but equally certain is the fact that not everybody will go to heaven the only people who are allowed into heaven are those who have been forgiven and the only way to be forgiven of your sins is through faith in Jesus Christ trusting in him and him alone to save you from your sins I don't think it's an accident you tuned into the iCampus today let me ask you the all-important question when you die not if you die but when you die are you absolutely certain that God will welcome you into heaven if you're not sure of that and would like to be sure I want to invite you right now to join me in asking for God's forgiveness in your life by trusting in Jesus to be your Savior if you would like to receive that free gift of salvation I want you to pray this prayer aloud with me as I prayed outloud sentence-by-sentence knowing that God is listening to you right now would you pray this with me dear God thank you for loving me I know that I have failed you in many ways and I'm truly sorry for the sins in my life but I believe what I've heard today that you love me so much you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins to take the punishment that I deserve to take from you and right now I'm trusting in what Jesus did for me not in my good works but in what Jesus did for me to save me for my sins thank you for loving me and help me to spend the rest of my life serving you and I pray this in Jesus name Amen if you prayed that prayer and you really meant it you're a part of God's forever family and one day God will welcome you into his presence if you did pray that prayer with me I'd like to know about it and the way to let me and others know about it is to click on your screen where it says I prayed the prayer with dr. Jeffress there are other screens that may give you other directions but if you will follow whatever direction you see on your screen right now would like to know of your decision and we want to send you some free literature about what it means to live as a Christian thank you so much for doing that if you enjoy the teaching you're hearing on first Dallas iCampus my messages are also available on television Monday through Friday mornings on TV and the Trinity Broadcasting Network and we would love you to tune in every morning at 7 a.m. Central Time 8 a.m. Eastern Time on TBN the Trinity Broadcasting Network and I hope you'll join us again next Sunday on iCampus we're going to answer another frequently asked question about heaven and that is do Christians immediately go to heaven when they die I'll answer that question next week on first Dallas on campus in the meantime from all of us here at First Baptist Church in Dallas we hope you have a god last week thank you for tuning in today [Music] [Music] [Music] you you [Music] [Music] [Music] you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hi I'm Robert Jefferson welcome for worship on 1st Dallas iCampus we're so glad you joined us for the worship service from First Baptist Church in Dallas Texas and today you're going to hear some thrilling music by our first Dallas choir and orchestra and then I'm going to preach a special message about heaven you know one thing that is for sure and that is the world were living in is not the world that God originally intended he created the world perfect free from sin and sickness and suffering the good news is this world is not what its going to be one day when Jesus Christ returns he's going to create a new heaven and a new earth and we're going to be talking about that new heaven and new earth in the weeks ahead and today as we talk about what the Bible says about heaven we're going to answer the question is heaven a real place or just a state of mind but before I come back with a message from God's Word let's enjoy the incredible worship from First Baptist Church Dallas [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] bless his name this morning [Music] [Music] single [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] our scripture on this Sunday is found in the book of Acts Acts chapter 1 and we'll be reading verses 8 through 11 in preparation for the pastor's message reading from the new American Standard Bible will have the words on the screen for you so that we can all read God's Word together so join me in reading Acts chapter 1 beginning with verse 8 ending with verse 11 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth and after he had said these things he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight and as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was departing behold two men in white clothing stood beside them and they also said men of Galilee why do you stand looking into the sky this Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven and may God greatly bless the reading of his word now let's continue a time of worship together on this Sunday [Music] [Applause] you breathe [Music] you restore every ha [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] good morning church thank you for worshiping with us online this morning while we certainly miss gathering together at our physical campus we are grateful for the opportunity to worship with you and thousands of others throughout the nation and the world through the first Dallas I campus our church family is growing as hundreds of thousands of people connect with us as members of the body of Jesus Christ and we approach God's throne of grace together and God is working mightily in our midst last week on Easter Sunday over 1 million people worshiped with us live online Sunday morning and over 7,000 people registered decisions for Christ through the I campus that means in the last 4 weeks we've been under shelter-in-place orders over 10,000 people have indicated they've trusted in Christ as their Savior and we're confident many more thousands have made decisions for Christ as well praise God for the great things he has done and will do as we trust in him to redeem his people through Jesus Christ our Savior please remember that no matter who you are or where you are you're invited to join our church family and engage with our community throughout the week we've developed online ministries for every age and stage of life for example in the last week over 100 families from Canada connected with our children's ministry to learn more about how to disciple their children to learn more about our online ministry simply click on the link to access our online ministry directory we also have a new digital resource that we'd like to send you to thank you for worshiping with us today our booklet entitled what 7 world religions teach about heaven it will be a helpful resource for you as our pastor teaches us what God's Word says about our eternal home when you register to receive this booklet you will also have the opportunity to receive other free resources in the future personally connect with the members of our ministry staff and join the I campus global Facebook group so you can engage with others in our community finally for those of you who are joining us as guests today we are grateful you're here and we simply hope to minister to you but to our church family I want to remind you that God has called you to transform the world with his word one life at a time one way you can fulfill this calling is by giving to support God's work through the ministries of First Baptist Dallas so many of you have remained faithful to give over the last few weeks and the Lord has provided what we've needed to meet our budget and to maintain our operations however as you can imagine this pandemic has had an economic impact and we are dependent on all of you to remain faithful and you're giving as we pursue our mission together to give online you may click on the link or click give in the upper right hand corner of the screen on the I campus you may also go directly to first Dallas org /give online thank you for your support and your participation in our work and our service to the Lord now let's all go to the Lord and prayer together Heavenly Father you are the Lord Almighty the master the creator the sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everything in them we praise your holy name this morning Lord and we trust in you we know that even when the circumstances in this world seemed to be spinning out of control you are on your throne and you are sovereign over everything you have placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name you know when a single sparrow falls to the ground and you know the circumstances of every individual that is worshiping with us online today world and so we trust in you we find faith in you we know that there is nowhere that we can go that is outside the power of your presence and we look to your hand to guide us and to hold us fast Lord we know that nothing can separate us from your love and so we thank you for the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ and we ask that you equip us and empower us through your holy to do your work to advance your kingdom to build your church and to make disciples of Jesus Christ and we pray this in the holy and the saving name of Jesus amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] one morning in early 1971 famed Beatle John Lennon sat down at his Steinway piano and composed what became the anthem for the ages it's a song entitled imagine and in that one word tribute to utopian ideals lemon Lennon asked us to imagine what it would be like if there were no heaven or for that matter no Hell of course critics would say just because an atheist like Lennon doesn't imagine heaven to be real doesn't mean it isn't real of course a theist would say just because Christians imagine heaven to be real doesn't make it real either fair enough but where do we go to find out if heaven or for that matter hell are actual places are just figments of our nation well for those of us who believe that this book is the inspired truth from God's own breath the Bible is the place we turn to find out is heaven a real place or is it simply a state of mind and that's the question we're going to answer today as we continue our series a place called heaven now to whom should we turn to in the Bible to find out if heaven is really real or not it seems like a good place to start would be with the only person who is actually lived in heaven and has come to earth to tell us what is really there his name is Jesus Christ and if you have your Bibles this morning as we begin to answer this question is heaven a real place or simply a state of mind let's turn to John chapter 14 now remember the setting of John 14 it was the Passover meal Jesus was in the upper room with his disciples and in just a few hours after the Passover meal Jesus would be betrayed in the garden of gethsemane he would go through a series of trials by the next day he would be on the cross crucified and so Jesus was preparing his disciples for this reality it was a very troubling evening not only for Jesus as he contemplated what he was about to do but also for the disciples who believed him when he said I'm getting ready to leave you of course Jesus reassured them with the truth that even though he was getting ready to leave them he would return again to take them to be with him in his father's house now that's the background for John 14 look at verse 1 through 3 verses one two three the teaching of john 14 jesus said let not your heart be troubled believe in God believe also in me for in my father's house are many dwelling places if it were not so I would have told you for I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am there you may be also I want you to notice three key words in this passage that help us answer the question is heaven a real place first of all the word tapas tapas in Greek literally it is translated places heaven is a place Jesus says this three times in verses 2 to 3 I go to prepare a place for you now this Greek word tapas is the word the root word for our word topography when we talk about topography that is the act of detailing the actual physical features of land on a map when Jesus said heaven is a place he is saying heaven is an exact geographical location that's why I titled this series a place called heaven that comes from the lips of Jesus himself the second word is the Greek word Moana that is in my father's house our mini Mona it's translated dwelling-places this word means the habitat the lodging the domicile of a person again underscoring the fact that heaven is a real place in my father's house are many dwelling places when our two girls were old enough they each got a room for themselves and they were allowed to decorate that room almost any way they wanted to but they could choose the colors and what they wanted in their room that room was individually designed for their tastes and the Bible is saying Jesus is saying in my father's house there's a place designed just for you it's called a dwelling place heaven and then the third significant word here is the word prepare I go to prepare a place for you guess what you don't have to prepare a state of mind no this indicates Jesus is in heaven right now preparing a future residence for us it's an actual geographical location now that should be enough to settle the issue whether heaven is a real place but let me tie a bow on it by having you turn to Acts chapter 1 verses 9 through 11 remember after Jesus was crucified on the third day he arose from the dead he spent 40 days on the earth in his new resurrection body but at the end of those 40 days he fulfilled his promise to ascend back to his father in heaven and his followers gathered with him on the Mount of Olives the Mount of Olives is a real geographical location many of us have stood there before reading this passage many of us will be there in March next year to do the very same thing and it was at that geographical location the Mount of Olives overlooking the city of Jerusalem that Luke records what happened verse 9 and he that is Jesus was lifted up while they that is the disciples were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight and as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was departing behold two men in white clothing stood beside them and they also said men of Galilee why do you stand looking into the sky this Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven now this is so simple but it's so profound at the same time Jesus was at an actual geographical location the Mount of Olives and he ascended into this place called heaven now can you think of somebody who goes from a geographical location into a state of mind that doesn't make sense does it you don't go from a location to a state of mind but that's what happened Jesus went from one location have the Mount of Olives to another location heaven and then the angel said one day Jesus is going to go from that place called heaven a real location - a real place back on earth you don't come from a state of mind back to a real physical location and by the way notice that the angel said he will do it in just the same way just as Jesus was literally and visibly brought from Earth to heaven one day Jesus is literally and visibly going to return from heaven back to earth when Jesus comes as some pagan so-called Christians say the second coming of Jesus isn't when he comes into your heart I heard a well-known preacher from another denomination said now the second coming of Jesus is when he comes into your heart obviously he never came into that preachers heart because he would know the truth the Bible says he is coming back visibly literally and when he comes every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord heaven is a geographic location but of course that brings up the question where then is this place called heaven where is it can you locate it on a map where is this place called heaven Thomas had that question after Jesus said I'm going to prepare a place for you Thomas asked the question and verse five Lord we don't know where you are going how can we know the way that's a logical question you've told us you're going to the father's house where is that and by the way how do you get there and so Jesus helped the disciples recalibrate their spiritual GPS he said you want to know how to get to heaven verse six I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the Father but by me you want to get to my father's house this place called heaven follow me he told us where it is or how to get there the way but how did he answer the question where where is this place called heaven well we have a few clues in the Bible about where this place called heaven is now there are only clues but we can put some things together if we look at the clues first of all the Bible seems to indicate heaven is wherever it is it's up how do we know this Satan told us so now I know you can't depend on Satan for a lot of things most of the time he's a liar but you know just kind of like a broken clock is Right at least twice a day Satan is right about a few things he tells us a few things and Isaiah 14 verse 13 when Satan mounted his rebellion against God he said I Lucifer will ascend to heaven I will raise my throne above the stars of God wherever the throne of God is it's up he said I'm going to ascend to where you are God go back to acts 1 verse 9 for a moment the Bible says doctor Luke records Jesus was lifted where up he went up while they the disciples were looking on in a child received him out of their sight so we can say heaven wherever it is is up secondly the Bible indicates heaven is north now we can't make too much out of this but there is some indication it's north of course north is a different direction depending on where you're standing but north is where heaven is again go back to Lucifer in Isaiah 14 verse 13 and I Lucifer will sit on the Mount of Assembly in the recesses of the North even job said in job 37 22 out of the north comes golden splendor around God is awesome majesty heaven is up in some sense it tends to be north but some people wonder what is this place called heaven a place that actually exists in a time space situation even though it may be a gazillion miles away is it a place in this universe or is perhaps heaven existing in some other dimension that we can't even see right now kind of like that fifth dimension unknown to man that Rod Serling used to talk about in the twilight zone is that what heaven is it's just a whole other realm of existence that we can't see right now I read with great interest this week that analysts from the Bank of America one of the most respected financial institutions of the world analysts from the Bank of America said there is at least a 50% chance there right now we are living in a computer-generated virtual reality game that was created by artificial intelligence these are the people handling our money it's kind of a scary thought hope I don't make virtual deposits that disappear you know and go off someplace but that's what they're saying say we're in this computer-generated virtual reality game that's created by artificial intelligence and the worst thing is because we're inside the game will never know that we're inside the game or some people wonder why is heaven like that is it just in the hole different dimension that we can't see right now what answer that question and this is the foundation of this message we need to understand the difference between the present heaven and the future heaven this will help you understand the Bible it will help you understand what awaits you as well and your loved ones who are Christians there is a difference between the present heaven and the future heaven let's talk about the present heaven for just a moment right now in the present world there are actually three heavens the Bible talks about the first heaven is the Earth's atmosphere that is the air we believe breathe that's where the birds and the jet liners fly the Earth's atmosphere that's the first heaven the second heaven in the Bible is outer space were the stars the planets the galaxies galaxies exist but there is a third heaven right now that is the abode of God it's where God is the presence of God that's the third heaven by the way in 2nd Corinthians 12 Paul said that he had an experience in which he was caught up into the third heaven and he was told he saw marvelous things but he was told to write down none of those things and he came back to earth it made a profound impact on his life next week we're gonna ask answer the question if some people already been to heaven and come back again what about these people who died or nearly died take a brief tour of heaven and come back and write a best-selling book about it are those experiences real are they fraudulent what are we to make of it we're gonna talk about that next week but Paul had an experience in which he at least was caught up to the third heaven where God is by the way this third heaven is the place you and I go when we die if we're a Christian we go into the presence the abode of God 2nd Corinthians 5:8 says for a Christian to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord the moment we die or a Christian we know dies he to be in the presence of God but that is all part of the present heaven the third heaven and even though we as Christians go to be with God that is not our permanent eternal dwelling place as we're gonna see in just a few moments heaven for us our final residence is not up there it's right down here on the earth and that leads me to the future heaven that God is preparing for us right now there is a future heaven a fourth heaven if you will that Jesus is constructing for us right now right now Jesus said I'm going to be with the father I'm preparing a place for you right now Jesus is overseeing what I call the ultimate in prefab housing he's building a city for us to live in it's called the New Jerusalem and one day that city that is being built where God is is going to descend out of the third heaven and come down to a newly recreated earth turn over to Revelation chapter 21 Revelation chapter 21 we're gonna stay in these chapters for the remainder of the message as we talk about the future heaven your eternal dwelling place now let me give you 120 second review of Bible prophecy so you understand the setting of this we talked about this in our series perfect ending remember right now this current age where we're living we're waiting the next great event on God's prophetic timetable it is the rapture of the church when all believers who are alive will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air that's the third heaven where God is right now that's what's gonna happen at the rapture the rapture will be followed by the last seven years of Earth's history called the Great Tribulation God pours out his judgment on the world the climax of that seven years will be the babble of Armageddon and the return of Jesus Christ Jesus returns to earth he sets up his millennial thousand-year reign on the earth the earth is improved but it's not recreated at that time it's basically the present world were living in with some improvements that is the renovated earth at the end of the thousand years there's the great white throne judgment in which all unbelievers were judged and cast into the lake of fire and once all of that has happened then the fire of God's judgment destroys the present heaven and earth and look at what John sees in Revelation 21 and verses 1 and 2 John says and I saw a new heaven a new heaven that's the fourth heaven the future heaven I talked about the one that Jesus is working on now I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first Earth passed away and there's no longer any sea and I saw the holy city the New Jerusalem that's what Jesus is working on now the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband the new heaven the New Jerusalem that Jesus is creating for us is going to come out of the current heaven and rest on the newly recreated earth and that is our future and permanent home right here on earth now maybe the concept of a present heaven and a future heaven is a little bit confusing to you let me illustrate it for you this way let's say that you had this dream that one day when you retire you're going to move to the city where all of your children and grandchildren are for you that will be heaven to be with your children and grandchildren the same city it's heaven for you of course it'll be hell for them but that's another sermon that we'll get to you know but for you that's a great thought that you would actually be with them so the day of your retirement comes and you go to that city and you decide you want to construct your retirement home you find a little place by the lake a piece of land and you buy it and you're gonna build the home of your dreams there while that construction project is going on you've got to have a place to live so you're in a condominium you're in apartment and it's nice and it's comfortable but it's not your permanent dwelling place you have a present home but you also have a future home now the same thing is true for Christians when they die when we die right now we go into the presence of God we don't sleep we're awake we're aware we're with our loved ones but it's only a temporary place God is building a permanent home for us right now this place called heaven that will come out of heaven that to earth one day and that's what John saws nobody I saw here now let me give you some characteristics of this future heaven that will be our eternal place and all of this comes straight from Scripture revelation 21 through 22 first of all John says our future home will be new look at verse 1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first Earth passed away and there is no longer any sea after the Millennium the thousand year reign of Christ and the white throne judgment talked about in Revelation chapter 20 after all unbelievers are judged at the end of Revelation 20 in the white space of your Bible between the end of chapter 20 in the beginning of chapter 21 there is a great destruction of the present heaven and earth they passed away John says in verse 1 it's already happened when we get to chapter 21 verse 1 the Apostle Peter tells us about the burning up of the present heaven and earth as well in 2nd Peter 3 verse 7 he says but the present heavens and earth by his word are being reserved for fire kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of ungodly men but the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned what is this fire of judgment that is coming upon the earth to destroy the earth it's an intense obviously because even the elements the basic building blocks of this world are completely destroyed some have speculated that perhaps this fiery judgment that burns up the earth perhaps it's a great nuclear holocaust that comes at the end of the Great Tribulation in Revelation 16 we find that when the final judgment the bold judgment has poured out it has poured out in the air you see the sky on fire followed by peals of lightning and thunder the destruction of the earth at that time or a large portion of the earth some people say well that's what it's talking about here the problem with that interpretation is it's a thousand years too early that final judgment that accompanies the Battle of Armageddon right before the return of Christ is before the millennium it's not until a thousand years after Christ is here on earth reigning over the renovated earth that we find this complete destruction of the world the truth is we don't know how God accomplishes this but what he says is everything you see around you everything you've accumulated everything you've set your affections on in this world is one day going to be completely burned up you know God destroyed the world once before he did it with a flood he said I'll never do that again but he did say there's going to be a final destruction of the world it will come by fire why is it important that God completely destroyed this present heaven and earth why can't he you know just have a little renovation project of this earth make it a little bit better kind of do a few upgrades here and there there's one reason God has to destroy everything around us it's a little three-letter word sin sin has infected and ruined everything in this world you know the reason you and I have to have a new body dinner to heaven first Corinthians 15 is because this body has been infected with sin Romans 5:12 as through one man Adam's sin under the war and death spread to all men because all sinned we have to have a new body for eternity this body is not fit for eternity we're going to have a sin free body but just like our bodies have to be destroyed in order to receive a new body this world has also been infected with sin the dirt of the ground has been infected with sin that's why the Bible says there are thorns and thistles that's why it's so hard to work in this world everything about this world has been infected with sin Romans 8:22 says the whole world groans in anticipation let me illustrate to you how sin has infected this world and causes everything in this world to deteriorate let's say you our car collector and you decide to go out and spend thousands of dollars on buying a 1955 classic Corvette you've been looking for it you decide to pay the money you buy that Corvette and you set it outside in your backyard and you do nothing to it in five years ten years what's gonna happen to that Corvette it's gonna become a rust basket isn't it I mean it's just gonna deteriorate out in the elements it will be worthless but I don't care how many years you leave that 1955 Corvette outside and do nothing to it I don't care how long you leave it out there it will never evolve into a 2018 Lamborghini it just never is gonna do it it will never through natural selection become a Lamborghini and I'll tell you something else that will certainly never happen is it will never change from a simple Corvette to a complex 777 airline or jetliner even though the basic building blocks were there for it to become that jetliner it doesn't evolve into something better that's what's so ludicrous about the theory of evolution the whole direction of everything in this world is downward everything is deteriorating your body is deteriorating can I get an amen on that I mean don't you feel that I certainly feel it but it's not just our bodies that deteriorate it's everything in this world is deteriorating as well and it's because we've been infected with the same virus but God is going to remove that for the new heaven and new earth and all of it will be a fulfillment of Isaiah 60 65 17 for behold I create new heavens and a new earth and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind secondly the new heaven our eternal place will be a physical location you know we are not disembodied spirits once we die we inhabit a new body we were created to be physical beings as well as spiritual beings and therefore since we are physical beings we need a physical location in which to live thirdly this new place called heaven is going to be familiar to us you know if we injected most of you with truth serum and asked you are you excited about going to heaven many of you would say not sure how excited I am about heaven because after all I mean seem so unfamiliar we don't know much about it we're not sure what it's going to be like the fact is we like the familiar we get a little bit upset about the idea of moving to a new location that we know something don't know much about or we don't know the people there an unfamiliar destination but the fact is heaven is going to be a very familiar place because it's gonna be this world not some other world in which will live for eternity my predecessor dr. Criswell used to talk about that a lot he said on one occasion I wouldn't look forward to God sending me to live for eternity on some planet I know nothing about a hundred million miles away I like almost everything about this earth the only thing I don't like her the tears the separation and the heartache but those will be gone forever in heaven indeed they will in Revelation 21 for John says and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes and there shall no longer be any death or mourning or crying or pain for the first things have passed away number four heaven will have no oceans look at verse 1 again of chapter 21 and I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth passed away and there is no longer any sea do you realize the oceans take up 71% of the space on our planet there'll be no oceans I didn't say no water but no oceans why is that some people speculated well we'll need all the land we can get to inhabit everybody who's gonna be on the new earth maybe that's true some other people have said well salt is necessary from the oceans to serve as a preservative that in the new heaven and earth will be no sin and no need for preservation we don't know the reason but the fact is there are no oceans in the new heaven and earth next the new heaven will have no Sun or moon look at verse 23 and the city the New Jerusalem has no need for the Sun or the moon to shine on it for the glory of God has illumined it and though it's lamp is the lamb that's again a fulfillment of Isaiah 60 verse 19 no longer will you add the Sun for light by day nor the brightness with a moon give you light but you will have the Lord for an everlasting light next the new heaven and new earth will be free from sin not only will the oceans and the lights in the sky be missing go no longer be any sin now you can applaud for that that's not good news for me because that means I'm gonna be out of a job there are no postures in heaven either well let me rephrase that we're gonna be there but we have to have some job retraining because there'll be no need for preaching I mean think about it what do preachers talk about what are we supposed to talk about what spar is supposed to talk about sin and the gospel of Jesus Christ well the fact is there'll be no sin to condemn revelation 22 verse 3 they'll no longer be any curse furthermore everybody will know the Lord at that time Habakkuk 2:14 says for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory the Lord as the waters cover the sea the next truth about the new heaven is it will have a pop Atal there will be a capital the centerpiece of the new heaven and earth called the new jerusalem that's interesting even from the Old Testament the focus of heaven was a focus on a city not just some undefined space up there it was an actual city in Hebrews 11:10 we find this about Abraham for he was looking for the city which has foundations whose architect and builder is God revelation 3:12 calls Jerusalem the city of my God look again at Revelation 21 verse 2 and I saw the holy city the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband verse 10 and the angel carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy spirit Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God and it's gonna be unlike any city we have ever seen or visited let me mention several things about this city which is by the way your future residents first of all the Bible talks about its size have you ever heard people say well I just don't know how to heaven especially if it's on earth is gonna fit everybody well maybe there won't be that many people to fit into heaven but that's another sermon as well but the fact is it's gonna be much larger than you might first think look at verse 16 and the city is laid out as a square and its length is as great as the width and the angel measured the city with the rod and it was 1,500 miles in length and width and its height are equal let's just take the length in the width here before we get to the height let's just say it is a true square 1,500 miles by 1500 miles that is 2.25 million square miles now to put that in perspective New York City is 305 square mile and you fit 10 million people into that this is 2.25 million square miles for the New Jerusalem but the fact is it's not just a square because John mentioned the height of it the height is 1,500 miles you know what that means that means it is six hundred and sixty thousand storeys high the largest skyscraper in the world and Dubai is a hundred and sixty two storeys the New Jerusalem will be six hundred and sixty thousand miles six hundred sixty thousand floors high I can't imagine the elevators necessary to get people to the top and that thing that is one large city and notice not only that verse 17 and the angel measured the wall there's going to be a wall around the city and it is 72 yards thick that is three-quarters of a football field thick there's a lot of talk today about building walls this is one big wall and who's gonna pay for it God's gonna pay for it and that going to be great God's gonna build it for us big wall now people say no wait a minute this is too fantastic surely the angel is speaking symbolically here we can't take these measurements literally that's just too much we can't take it literally look again verse 17 and he measured its wall 72 yards according to human measurements which are also angelic measurements God knew would be tempted to write this off as oh well that's just hyperbole that's what symbolism he said remember this the angels measure things just the same way we do it is literal this is the size of this new city the New Jerusalem one mathematician calculated that if the New Jerusalem Jerusalem is shaped like a cube it would have enough room for 20 billion residents if each individual residents were massive 75 acres there would also be plenty of room left over for parks and streets and other features that you'd likely see in any major city that's the size of the New Jerusalem God is preparing for you secondly its gates look at verses 12 and 13 and it had a great and high wall with 12 gates and at the gates twelve angels verse 13 there were three gates on the east the north the south and the West then ancient civilisations gates were very important they were a way that you would protect the civilization you would close the gates at night in order to protect the citizens but notice in verse 25 about these gates in the daytime there will be no night there no gates will ever be closed and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life you know today if you live in a gated community the gates are shut they're locked at night if you don't you at least lock your door don't you even the happiest place in all the world disneyland locks its gates at night but in the New Jerusalem they'll be no locking the gates you won't have to lock your windows lock your doors you can leave the windows open of your car you can leave your keys in the car and nothing will happen because sin and sinners will be eliminated forever which means there'll be no police in heaven either my brother's gonna have to find a new line of work as well anybody in law enforcement no need for that because sin will be eradicated number 3 the permanence of heaven look at verse 14 and the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones and on them were twelve names of the Twelve Apostles and the lamb you know this only means something probably to those of you who've had to move a lot maybe you were in the military maybe you were in ministry maybe something else in your job means you're continually uprooting and going to an unfamiliar location the fact that there are foundation phones means this residence is permanent you'll never move again this is your forever home and notice the splendor of the New Jerusalem as John describes it it is more beautiful even than the Emerald City of the fictitious land of Oz we've seen verses 10 and 11 the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God having the glory of God her brilliance was like a very costly stone and a stone of crystal-clear Jasper and then chapter 22 verse 1 and the angel showed me a river of the water of life clear as crystal coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb I said there wasn't going to be an ocean in heaven but there's gonna be plenty of clear fresh water pouring from the throne of God and look at verse 2 and on either side of this river was the Tree of Life burying 12 kinds of fruit yielding its fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation's do you remember the pre of life last time we saw it was in the book of Genesis in the Garden of Eden and after Adam and Eve rebelled against God God banished them from the garden why so that they would not eat of that tree of life had they eaten of the tree of life after they sinned they would have been forever doomed in their sin it was an act of mercy that God banished them from the garden but now in the new heaven and new earth we see that tree of life again bearing fruit every month and the leaves are for the healing of the nation's you know what that means I don't have a clue what it means but one thing I do know for sure is it's telling us there is no sickness in heaven no sickness because there's no sin and that means not only will there not be any pastors or policemen or lawyers there won't be any doctors in heaven either this is sounding better do you all all the time isn't it come on you can laugh there I mean the idea you won't have to deal with us anymore because you won't need that the fact is there'll be no more sickness we're in bodies that will endure forever and by the way something else that's not in heaven chapter 21 verse 22 I did not see a temple either because God Almighty and the lamb are the temple if you go to Jerusalem right now even though the temple has been pretty much destroyed you can see it was the focal point of the city of Jerusalem but in the New Jerusalem there'll be no house of worship there'll be no temple there'll be no First Baptist Church it won't be necessary because God and his son will represent the temple of God and it is in God's presence that we will live and work and play and worship Him forever the Bible says right now Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for you you know the greatest thing about that are those two words for you the God is creating heaven right now would you in mind CS Lewis said it this way your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone because you were made for it made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand there's a contemporary Christian song I can only imagine the truth is that place God is preparing for you right now is beyond our wildest imagination don't you want to go I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also one thing is certain in the Bible and that is heaven is a real place but equally certain is the fact that not everybody will go to heaven the only people who are allowed into heaven are those who have been forgiven and the only way to be forgiven of your sins is through faith in Jesus Christ trusting in him and him alone to save you from your sins I don't think it's an accident you tuned into the iCampus today let me ask you the all-important question when you die not if you die but when you die are you absolutely certain that God will welcome you into heaven if you're not sure of that and would like to be sure I want to invite you right now to join me in asking for God's forgiveness in your life by trusting in Jesus to be your Savior if you would like to receive that free gift of salvation I want you to pray this prayer aloud with me as I prayed outloud sentence-by-sentence knowing that God is listening to you right now would you pray this with me dear God thank you for loving me I know that I have failed you in many ways and I'm truly sorry for the sins in my life but I believe what I've heard today that you love me so much you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins to take the punishment that I deserve to take from you and right now I'm trusting in what Jesus did for me not in my good works but in what Jesus did for me to save me for my sins thank you for loving me and help me to spend the rest of my life serving you and I pray this in Jesus name Amen if you prayed that prayer you really meant it you're a part of God's forever family and one day God will welcome you into his presence if you did pray that prayer with me I'd like to know about it and the way to let me and others know about it is to click on your screen where it says I prayed the prayer with dr. Jeffress there are other screens that may give you other directions but if you will follow whatever direction you see on your screen right now we'd like to know of your decision and we want to send you some free literature about what it means to live as a Christian thank you so much for doing that if you enjoy the teaching you're hearing on 1st Dallas iCampus my messages are also available on television Monday through Friday mornings on TV and the Trinity Broadcasting Network and we would love you to tune in every morning at 7 a.m. Central Time 8 a.m. Eastern Time on TBN the Trinity Broadcasting Network and I hope you'll join us again next Sunday on iCampus we're going to answer another frequently asked question about heaven and that is do Christians immediately go to heaven when they die I'll answer that question next week on 1st Dallas I campus in the meantime from all of us here at First Baptist Church in Dallas we hope you have a God last week thank you for tuning in today [Music]
