Christ Wesleyan Church
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“Will You Be There?
Jesus Revealed: A Study Through Revelation”
“Heaven: A Forever Place”
Revelation 21:1 NIV
A. The heaven God created...
Revelation 21:1 NIV
1. The first two chapters of Genesis and the last two chapters of Revelation deal with the creation of heaven and earth.
Genesis 1:1 NLT
2. The first heaven is the atmosphere above us.
James 5:18 NLT
3. The second heaven is the stellar heaven; the sun, moon, and stars.
Matthew 24:29 NLT
4. The third heaven is where God resides.
2 Corinthians 12:2 NIV
B. God gives us a picture of our future...
1 Thessalonians 4:13, 18 NIV
1. When we die, we will immediately go to a place of heaven or hell.
2 Corinthians 5:8 NIV
2. When we die, there is a separation and some type of judgment to determine our place of residence.
Luke 16:22-23 NIV
3. When we die, we will not go to heaven where we will live forever.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…”
4. When we die, we will live with Christ forever.
Luke 23:43 NIV
C. A new heaven and a new earth are formed, then a New Jerusalem appears...
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem…”
1. The only eternal city will appear!
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
2. This new city will be the capital of Heaven!
“…the Holy City…”
3. A dwelling place for all those who have trusted Christ by faith and have been overcomers!
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.’”
4. The city will be a place of eternal beauty!
1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV
D. The Holy City will…
1. Have a brilliance like a very costly stone as clear as jasper.
2. Have a great and high wall, with 12 gates guarded by an angel at each one.
3. Have the names of the 12 tribes of Israel will appear on the gates.
4. Have three gates on each of the four sides of the city.
5. Have walls of the city with 12 foundation stones, and on them are the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.
6. Have a cube measuring 1500 miles wide, 1500 miles long, and 1500 miles high.
7. Have a wall made out of jasper.
8. Be pure gold, like clear glass.
9. Have foundation stones of the city wall that are made from the following precious stones; jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst.
10. Have 12 gates that are 12 pearls; each one of the gates is a single pearl.
E. Heaven will be much more…
1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT
1. Heaven will be a restoration of the Garden of Eden.
“Then the angel showed me…”
2. We will all be equipped with our glorified bodies.
Philippians 3:21 NLT
3. There is no longer any curse so the consequences of the curse are forever gone.
“No longer will there be any curse…”
4. The glory of God will be our complete light and there will be no darkness.
“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and the Lamb is its lamp.”
5. Jesus will be our Alpha and Omega or our A-Z. Everything we need will be forever satisfied.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
"If Heaven is truly our home, we should expect it to have the qualities we associate with home. Home as a term for Heaven isn't simply a metaphor. It describes an actual, physical place... a place we'll share with loved ones; a place of fond familiarity and comfort and refuge; a place of marvelous smells and tastes, fine food, and great conversation; a place of contemplation and interaction and expressing the gifts and passions that God has given us. It will be a place of unprecedented freedom and adventure."
Randy Alcorn in “Heaven”
F. God’s final appeal…
1. Jesus makes one more appeal to the water of life!
Revelation 21:6 NIV
2. Because only believers will make it to heaven.
Revelation 21:8 NIV
3. Everyone must have their name written in the Book of Life.
Revelation 21:27 NIV
4. So, Jesus says, “Come!”
Revelation 22:17 NIV
Revelation Summary:
Chapter 1 – A Picture of Jesus Christ
Chapters 2/3 – Letters to the Churches
Chapters 4/5 – A Look into Heaven
Chapters 6/7 – Judgments Begin
Chapters 8-10 – Judgments Continue
Chapters 11-13 – Three Key Figures
Chapters 14-16 – Angels and the Final Set of Judgments
Chapters 17-19a – Coming to the End with a Mighty Cheer!
Chapters 19b-20 – The Victor’s Return and the Thousand Years!
Chapters 21-22 - Heaven
Giving & Attendance Update
Giving last Sunday: 62.7% of goal
Giving year to date: 87.9% of goal
Attendance last Sunday: 1,822
Salvations to date: 179 | Baptisms to date: 25