Jesus’ Perfect Home For You (New Heaven and Earth)

Text: Colossians 1:3, 5—“We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ... For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the
word of the truth of the gospel.”

1. The Closing of Earth’s History

A. Events during the seventh plague. Revelation 16:17-21

1. Flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. V.18

2. Terrible earthquakes—the worst of all. V. 18
3. Cities of the nations destroyed. V. 19
4. Inhabited islands disappear. V. 20
5. Mountain chains are sinking. V. 20
6. Great hailstones each weighing as much as fifty kilograms. V. 21

B. Special resurrection. Daniel 12:2

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

1. “All who have died in the faith of the third angel’s message come forth glorified”
(Great Controversy, p. 637).

2. “Those that mocked and derided Christ’s dying agonies, and the most violent
opposers of His truth and His people, are raised to behold Him in His glory and to
see the honor placed upon the loyal and obedient” (Ibid.).

3. “They also which pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7).

2. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

A. Saints in joyful exclamation. Isaiah 25:9.

“Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.”

1. The first resurrection. 1 Thessalonians 4:16

The righteous dead shall rise clothed with immortal glory.

“All come forth from the graves the same in stature as when they entered
the tomb… all rise with the freshness and vigor of eternal youth…All blemishes
and deformities are left in the grave.” (Great Controversy, pp. 644, 645)

2. The living righteous put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53

B. Wicked bound for destruction. Revelation 6:15-17

1. The wicked pray to the rocks, “fall on us.” They prefer to die than see Him.
 (Silver and gold cast to the bats and moles—Isaiah 2:10-12, 19-21)

2. The wicked destroyed by His glory. 2 Thessalonians 2:7, 8, 10

Those who did not received the truth shall be destroyed with the brightness of
Christ’s glory.

C. The angels gather the elects from the earth.

“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall
gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”
(Matthew 24:31).

1. The risen saints with the living righteous ascend to heaven with Christ.

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1
Thessalonians 4:17).

2. Christ welcomes the heirs of God’s kingdom in heaven.

As they enter into the Paradise of God, an invitation is given: “Come ye blessed of
My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world” (Matthew 25:34).

3. The Glimpse of Eternity

A. The benefits of glimpsing eternity

1. Focusing on the eternal gives us a proper sense of priorities today.

2. Focusing on the eternal gives us a shield against temptation.

B. The perfect immortal bodies

1. “The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:2

The original word for “healing” could also mean “restoration.” The restoration of
man in his original state when God created Adam.

In the time of Jesus’ resurrection: “Those favored, risen saints came forth
glorified. They were chosen and holy ones of every age, from creation down even
to the days of Christ… “Those risen ones differed in stature and form, some being
more noble in appearance than others… Those who lived in the days of Noah and
Abraham resembled the angels in form, comeliness, and strength. But every
succeeding generation have been growing weaker and more subject to disease,
and their life has been of shorter duration.” (Early Writings, p. 184)
 2. “Adam was more than twice as tall as men now living” (The Story of
Redemption, p. 21). Around 12 or 13 feet tall. About 3,000 pounds and could
walk at a speed of 20 mph at the average.

C. The perfect peace and pleasure

1. There is perfect harmony in the new heaven and earth.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the
kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall
lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down
together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play
on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice'
den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9).

In the new earth, peace will prevail and there will be genuine harmony—hostility
among creatures will cease.

2. The saints will enjoy the works of their hands.

“And they shall build houses, and inhabit them ; and they shall plant vineyards,
and eat the fruit of them.” Isaiah 65:21

Our being with God will make heaven attractive. We shall be in the presence of the
King of kings—our Redeemer; we shall be forever with the Lord.

D. The perfect life in eternity

What is life going to be like in eternity?

1. Perfect life on the new earth will be without the negatives. In this life and on
this earth, time withers flowers and human beauty, it encourages good intentions
to evaporate, it deprives us of our loved ones. In a universe ruled by time, the
happiest marriage ends in death, the loveliest woman becomes a skeleton. Fading
and aging, losing and failing – these are the negative aspects of life in time.

In the new earth there are no negatives. Life will be everlasting, beyond the
ravages of time. “There shall be no night there” (Rev 22:5); the first glorious
morning on the new earth will never be followed by evening. Life will be pure
and holy, without the taint of sin. This is what John says: “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” (Rev 21:4). There are no negatives,
only positives, on the new earth.
  No more death. There is no funeral, mortuaries, and cemeteries there
because there is no death and nobody will die. Revelation 21:4
 No more mourning, crying, or loneliness. There is nothing to cry about in
the new heaven and earth. Revelation 21:4
 No more pain. Mental or physical pain cannot exist in the new heaven and
earth. Revelation 21:4
 No more sickness. There is no hospital there to visit the sick because there
is nobody sick and will ever get sick in the new heaven and earth. Isaiah
33:24
 No more trouble. All the troubles you can think of here including the
verbal fight between husbands and wives will never arise because there
will never be a problem there. Isaiah 65

2. Perfect life in eternity will be life with God and Christ. John speaks to this
when he writes, “And I John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down
from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God” (Rev 21:2-3).

Here in this old world, we cannot see the visible presence of God because of sin.
So, our fellowship with God and with Christ is by faith. But in the new heaven
and earth we can see God face to face and have physical fellowship with Him.
Take note that while John is beholding the descending of the New Jerusalem, he
heard a great voice saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he
will dwell with them…” God, in His great love for mankind, longs to dwell
among His people in order to have fellowship with them for all eternity. This
ought to touch our hearts and cause us to love Him with all our hearts, with all our
soul, and with all our strength.

3. The supreme joy of the future is life with God. Between God and man there
will be perfect fellowship and love. This also means it is a life of splendor and
glory. John says, “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to
shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof”
(Rev 21:23). “And there shall be no night there… for the Lord God giveth them
light; and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev 22:5).

God is the object of our excitement, of our joy, of our affection. King David
expressed it beautifully in Psalm 73:25, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And
there is none upon earth that I desire besides You” (NKJV).

Conclusion:

Paul, in describing the great future of God’s people, describes, 1 Corinthians 2:9—“But as
it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
My friends, words are not enough to describe the glories of eternity with Jesus. Even the
glimpse of eternity is beyond our comprehension. Try to imagine a place where there is no
more stealing, no more sickness, no more loneliness, and no more death. The Lord himself
will live with us (Revelation 21:3). There will be pleasure and joy forever (Psalms 16:11).
Do you want to be there in the new heaven and earth? Do you really want to be there? If you
want to go there you have to surrender everything that you are and have to Jesus Christ.
Great majority of people will not be there because they are not willing to pay the price. Are
you willing to pay the price? Can you say to Jesus, “Lord, By Your grace, I surrender all to
You. I surrender my heart, my will, my whole soul, and everything to You. I will do
whatever You want me to do.” That is the price of going to heaven.

We look forward, of course, to that future full of hope. We pray for it, we wait for it, and we
even hasten it. The future life will be far, far better. That future life is our hope, our goal, our
strength and our longing. Let us all have a divine commitment this morning that we will see
each other there in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

The new heaven and earth is not simply the old renovated but an act
of new creation (cf. Revelation 20:1f with 20:11 and 2 Peter 3:10,
which describes the dissolving of the old heaven and earth). The word
"new" here is kainos which means fresh, new in quality and character.
Further, in the Greek text the words "heaven" and "earth" are without
the article stressing the aspect of quality rather than identity.

Old experiences will be excluded (21:4)

In this life certain sorrows and perplexities are always with us. And
from the nature of this life we may wonder how they could ever be
removed, that they must follow us into eternity. It's perhaps hard to
imagine life without our sorrows and pain. Take for instance the
sorrow and regret that one might have over sin and failures. What
about the loved one who never trusted in Jesus Christ, say a father or
sister or son or daughter? How can the pain of their eternal separation
ever be removed? These verses give us God's assurance that our
present perplexities and sorrows, and indeed even their remembrance,
will be wiped away, which undoubtedly includes answers with
understanding. Note that "tear" is singular, every single tear.

Verse 4 promises us no more tears, mourning, crying, or pain. This

means perfect, uninterrupted happiness and peace. It appears that with
God visibly and personally in our midst, there will be absolutely no
possibility of unhappiness. Today we all experience pain, sorrow, and
misery to some degree. Even with believers who are walking
intimately with the Lord and know the joy of His care there are still
many times of pain and sorrow. That is life as we know it today. Of
course, the more we walk with the Lord and rest in His goodness and
care, the greater our peace and joy even in extreme pressure, but even
then, there will still be pain.

The emphasis of these verses is that it is God's visible and personal

presence that gives this perfect happiness and blessing and not simply
the removal of the sources of our problems. Oh, how this should be a
reminder and an exhortation to us now to put fellowship with the
living Christ as our number one priority. We need to practice
awareness of and faith in the personal presence and care of our Lord
(Hebrews 13:4-5; Matthew 28:20; Philippians 4:5b-7).

"The first things have passed away" refers to all the conditions of this
present world--Satan, sin, a sinful nature, and death, etc. Everything
associated with Satan and his rebellion and man, his fall and
rebellion, everything except believers themselves, will be removed,
put away. In fact, "the former things shall not be remembered or come
to mind" (see Isaiah 65:17b).

This city, the eternal abode of the saints, will give out a dazzling
display of the glory of God. It will be more beautiful and exquisite
than words can describe. This teaches us that everything in eternity
 will redound to the glory of God and will demonstrate God's eternal
love and care for His saints. Oh, what a Savior!

In summary of this section of Revelation, what do we have in the

eternal and blessed city of the New Jerusalem?

%6%. Perfect restoration (no more curse, paradise regained);

%6%. Perfect administration (the very throne of God and the Lamb shall
be in it);
%6%. Perfect subordination (His servants shall serve Him);
%6%. Perfect transformation (the saints shall see His face and we shall be
like Him [1 John 3:2]);
%6%. Perfect identification (His Name on our foreheads);
%6%. Perfect illumination (He Himself shall illumine us); and
%6%. Perfect exaltation (we shall reign forever and ever).
Here are seven perfect conditions pointing to one absolutely perfect
state. Hallelujah, what a Savior! How great is our salvation in
Christ!!!

HEAVEN, THE DWELLING PLACE OF JESUS

HEAVEN DEFINED Heaven mentioned 582 times in scripture

1) Atmosphere (birds, plane, etc.)

2) Firmament of Heaven (Stars, Planetary System)
3) Heaven of Heavens “Dwelling Place Of God”

 HEAVEN IS NOT “STATE OF MIND”…

1. HOUSE “In my Father’s House”

2. CITY “Whose Builder & Maker is God
3. PLACE “I go to prepare a Place

-In contrast to Earth unstable / insecure / fleeting

 Heaven is stable / secure / eternal

“This World is Not a Home to a Christian…”

“We are but Temporary Dwellers”…

“This is a Land of Testing”…

(Samuel Rutherford)
There is required patience on our part till the summer fruit of Heaven is ripe for us. It
is in the bud; but there are many things to do before our harvest is to come. And we
take ill with it, and we can hardly endure to set our fragile face to one of Christ
storms, and to go to heaven with wet feet… We would love to carry heaven with us to
heaven just as we would love to have two summers in one year., But this will not do
for us.

YOU WOULD DESIRE INFO, IF YOU WHERE TO IMMIGRATE

Genesis 17 -“God went up from Abraham

John 3 -“He told him that he came down from Heaven;”
Acts 1 -“They saw him go up into heaven”
-“Not dawn” -and the clouds received him out of their site.”

SOME PEOPLE ASK, HOW FAR AWAY IS HEAVEN?

“It is not so far away that God can’t hear us…

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my
face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their
sin, and will heal their land.
“Our Citizenship and Treasure should be in Heaven….

 ALL STUDENTS OF NATURE:

know of the Instinct of Direction…

Cats & Dogs…wide stretches of land

Pigeons…. Fly home from hundreds of miles

Seabirds…Straight over land, cliff, Borough

Swallows…. Migrate birds take confident journeys between thousands of miles

Salmon…. Return to spawn in Rivers

Eel…in sea

Nothing in nature is more fascinating than this “instinct of lower creation”…

????DEEP IN THE HEART OF A CHRISTIAN

IS THERE A DESIRE TO GO HOME….

“There is Something in Man That Earth Can’t Satisfy

 “MANY PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO FIND HEAVEN ON

EARTH…

MONY

Jay Gould…

Died possessing 50 million dollars. Summed his life with Final Statement:

“I suppose I’m the most miserable devil on earth…”

POWER
Benjamin Disrali…
2 time Prime Minister of England summed life
“Youth is a mistake”
“Manhood a struggle”
“Old Age a regret”
PLEASURE
A man who sought Pleasure drifting from 1 bedroom to another
Summed his life on deathbed old man at age 35
“My days are in the Yellow leaf….”
“The Flowers & Fruit of love gone…
“The worm & the canker & the grief are mine alone.
D. FAME Sir Walter Scott
Great and worthy man deserved all fame:
Bring me the book…
What book?
There is only one book…The Bible….

My point “earth can not satisfy, not even the best of earth

E. There is still a longing

“In ways we have a kinship w/ the beast I described yet as far as I can tell earth satisfies them

F. “I WARN YOU EARTH CANNOT SATISFY YOU…”

- “Gaining Satisfaction from Earth is an Illusion of the Devil.”

- “One Glimpse of Heaven & Earth Loses Value”

- “As Christians we should Desire Heaven”

Then said one unto him “Lord are there few that be saved?” And he said unto them
“Strive to enter in at the straight gate; for many I say unto you will seek to enter & shall not
be able.

(Strive: means to agonize)

-God will manage our affairs if we are filled with his affairs

 As Christians we should focus on heaven

- “The Devil is Not Trying to Take Heaven From Us, because he can’t.”
- “ He wants to Take our Focus & Vision Away from Heaven.”
 - Your victory is in your vision…

- I Pray “God Give Us a Vision!”

(This earth is a decaying cemetery; Peace & happiness won’t be found.)

- Don’t let the devil Rob You!”

(Love not the world neither the things that are in this world.)

 IT WON’T BE THE PEARLY GATES

“ “ Walls of Jasper
“ “ Streets of Gold

“If this was all there was to Heaven we would not want to stay forever.”

ILLUSTRATION: of mother who was sick

(Home had lost its attractions)

No its not going to be jasper walls not pearly gates that will make Heaven attractive,

“IT SHALL BE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE REDEEMER!”

“WE SHALL BE FOREVER IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD!”

“To Dwell in the Presence of God.”

 The bible gives an interesting,

record of the Dwelling Places of God.

-God walked w/ man in Garden

-He dwelt in ark of Covenant
-In Tabernacle & Temple.

-Later God was manifest in Flesh Through Jesus.

-Today God Does not Dwell in man-made temples but in the bodies of his people..

“STILL W/ THE HOLY GHOST WE STILL DESIRE TO KNOW HIM

MORE…

“Paul said, Oh, that I might know Him…

Even though God dwells in believers today with filling us w/ the Holy Ghost we still have
not begun to understand God or Fellowship w/ Him as we would like, But One Day we shall
dwell in His Presence Forever…

WE WILL HAVE HEAVENLY BODIES (HOLY)

(Richard Baxter)

In Heaven we shall live in our own element. We are now like the fish in the bowl of

water. Only so much as will keep them alive. But what is that to the ocean? We have

here a little air let in to afford us breathing, but what is that to the sweet fresh gales of

Zion? Here we have a beam of the sun to lighten our darkness and a warm ray to keep

us from freezing. But there we shall live in the light and be revived by its heat.

 ETERNAL CITY IS SO WONDERFUL THAT THE BEST WAY

JOHN COULD DESCRIBE IT IS WITH CONTRAST TO EARTH.

No More ………….. Sun

Night
Seas
Curse
Death
Tears
Pain
  MEN WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THEMSELVES TO HEAVEN.

They would like to join a church that would take them to heaven.

They would like to make heaven by their deeds.

There are men who might even pay $money$

-Without health
-Without wealth
-Without fame
-Without great name
-Without learning
-Without works
-Without culture
-Without beauty
-Without friends
-Without thousands of things
“But You cant go To heaven Without Jesus!”

JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY!

He is the straight way & the narrow gate.

Jesus is more than the Way Shower He is the way Himself…

Jesus said ”If any man thirst, let him come unto me & drink.”

Jesus said
“Come unto me all ye that labor & are heavy laden and I will give you rest…

Peter summed up old Test.

(To him gave all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth
in him shall receive Remission of Sin…”
“THE SAME JESUS WHO DIED TO PREPARE SINNERS FOR HEAVEN

HAS GONE TO PREPARE HEAVEN FOR FORGIVEN SINNERS.”

“NOT ONE IN HEAVEN WOULD IF HE COULD, RETURN TO EARTH….”

“DEATH FOR SINNERS IS A “TRAGEDY…”

“ “CHRISTIANS IS A “VICTORY…”

illustrate 2 FATHERS WITH Dying SONS Terrible car accident

$$$ 1ST son: “dad, CANT YOU TEACH ME TO PRAY How come you never taught
me to pray?”

(Poor) 2D Dad you were praying father “WHEN I GET TO HEAVEN I’LL TELL
JESUS YOU
HAVE ALWAYS POINTEDE TO
HIM.”