Christian Life Church
November 03, 2024 at 8:30am & 10:00am
“The emphasis on the present heaven is clearly rest, cessation from earth’s battles and comforts from earth’s sufferings. The future heaven is centered more on activity and expansion, serving Christ and reigning with Him. The scope is much larger, the great city with its twelve gates, people coming and going, nations to rule. In other words, the emphasis in the present heaven is on the absence of earth’s negatives, while in the future heaven it is the presence of earth’s positives, magnified many times through the power and glory of resurrected bodies on a resurrected Earth, free at last from sin and shame and all that would hinder both joy and achievement.” Rene Pache
Locations & Times
Christian Life Church Columbia
2700 Bush River Rd, Columbia, SC 29210, USA
Sunday 7:30 AM
THE KING & HIS KINGDOM NOVEMBER 3, 2024
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
SCRIPTURE
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be My children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 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. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 21-22:1-5
THE NEW HEAVEN & NEW EARTH
The present Heaven and Earth will both be made new.
1/ It will be a place of newness and wholeness. (Revelation 21:1, 5)
The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 1 Corinthians 15:40
“The first thing I plan to do on resurrected legs is to drop on grateful glorified knees.” Joni Eareckson Tada
2/ It will be a place of perfect joy and fulfillment. (Revelation 21:4)
There will be a removal of pains and an addition of pleasures.
“The emphasis on the present heaven is clearly rest, cessation from earth’s battles and comforts from earth’s sufferings. The future heaven is centered more on activity and expansion, serving Christ and reigning with Him. The scope is much larger, the great city with its twelve gates, people coming and going, nations to rule. In other words, the emphasis in the present heaven is on the absence of earth’s negatives, while in the future heaven it is the presence of earth’s positives, magnified many times through the power and glory of resurrected bodies on a resurrected Earth, free at last from sin and shame and all that would hinder both joy and achievement.” Rene Pache
3/ It will be a place of light. (Revelation 21:23)
4/ It will be a place of magnitude. (Revelation 21:15-17)
5/ It will be a place of worship. (Revelation 7:9-12; 22:9)
…there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Revelation 7:9-12
6/ It will be a place of beauty. (Revelation 21:18-21)
“Christians have always believed the current world is not the original or final version.”
“What if Earth be but the shadow of Heaven?” Paradise Lost
Heaven will be multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-generational!
7/ It will be a place of reward. (Ephesians 6:8)
This life is training time for reigning time.
8/ It will be a place of roles and responsibility. (Revelation 22:5)
9/ It will be a place of rest. (Hebrews 4:9; Revelation 14:13)
10/ It will be a place of life. (Revelation 22:5)
11/ It will be a place of God’s presence. (Revelation 21:3)
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
what we assume about heaven
Non Earth
Unfamiliar; otherworldly
Disembodied
Foreign
Leaving favorite things behind
No time and space
Static
Neither old (like Eden) nor new and earthly; just strange and unknown
Nothing to do; floating on the clouds
No learning or discovery; instant and complete knowledge
Boring
Loss of desire
Absence of the terrible
(but presence of little we desire)
what the bible says about heaven
New Earth
Familiar, earthly
Resurrected (embodied)
Home (al the comforts of home
with all the innovations of an infinitely creative God)
Retaining the good; finding the best ahead
Time and space
Dynamic
Both old and new
A God to worship and serve; a universe to rule; purposeful work to accomplish; friends to enjoy
An eternity of learning and discovering
Fascinating
Continuous fulfillment of desire
Presence of the wonderful (everything we desire and nothing we don’t)
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
SCRIPTURE
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be My children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 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. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 21-22:1-5
THE NEW HEAVEN & NEW EARTH
The present Heaven and Earth will both be made new.
1/ It will be a place of newness and wholeness. (Revelation 21:1, 5)
The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. 1 Corinthians 15:40
“The first thing I plan to do on resurrected legs is to drop on grateful glorified knees.” Joni Eareckson Tada
2/ It will be a place of perfect joy and fulfillment. (Revelation 21:4)
There will be a removal of pains and an addition of pleasures.
“The emphasis on the present heaven is clearly rest, cessation from earth’s battles and comforts from earth’s sufferings. The future heaven is centered more on activity and expansion, serving Christ and reigning with Him. The scope is much larger, the great city with its twelve gates, people coming and going, nations to rule. In other words, the emphasis in the present heaven is on the absence of earth’s negatives, while in the future heaven it is the presence of earth’s positives, magnified many times through the power and glory of resurrected bodies on a resurrected Earth, free at last from sin and shame and all that would hinder both joy and achievement.” Rene Pache
3/ It will be a place of light. (Revelation 21:23)
4/ It will be a place of magnitude. (Revelation 21:15-17)
5/ It will be a place of worship. (Revelation 7:9-12; 22:9)
…there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Revelation 7:9-12
6/ It will be a place of beauty. (Revelation 21:18-21)
“Christians have always believed the current world is not the original or final version.”
“What if Earth be but the shadow of Heaven?” Paradise Lost
Heaven will be multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-generational!
7/ It will be a place of reward. (Ephesians 6:8)
This life is training time for reigning time.
8/ It will be a place of roles and responsibility. (Revelation 22:5)
9/ It will be a place of rest. (Hebrews 4:9; Revelation 14:13)
10/ It will be a place of life. (Revelation 22:5)
11/ It will be a place of God’s presence. (Revelation 21:3)
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
what we assume about heaven
Non Earth
Unfamiliar; otherworldly
Disembodied
Foreign
Leaving favorite things behind
No time and space
Static
Neither old (like Eden) nor new and earthly; just strange and unknown
Nothing to do; floating on the clouds
No learning or discovery; instant and complete knowledge
Boring
Loss of desire
Absence of the terrible
(but presence of little we desire)
what the bible says about heaven
New Earth
Familiar, earthly
Resurrected (embodied)
Home (al the comforts of home
with all the innovations of an infinitely creative God)
Retaining the good; finding the best ahead
Time and space
Dynamic
Both old and new
A God to worship and serve; a universe to rule; purposeful work to accomplish; friends to enjoy
An eternity of learning and discovering
Fascinating
Continuous fulfillment of desire
Presence of the wonderful (everything we desire and nothing we don’t)