Eternity is in Our Heart: Session 9 – Living with an Eternal Perspective

Notes:

Living with an Eternal Perspective    See Session Slides Here

Rev. 21:1. Heaven is mentioned in 53 books of Bible. There are three kinds of heavens:

  • The atmospheric heavens where birds fly and weather forms and functions (Ps.147:8). The realm of man
  • The celestial ‘When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which You ordained…’ (Psa.8:3-4). This is the realm of Satan.
  • The eternal The third heaven. ‘Look down from heaven and behold, and from the habitation of Your holiness and glory…’ (Isa.63:15). The eternal dwelling place of God. (Psa.33:13-14).

The first we see by day; the 2nd by night; the 3rd by faith. What will it be like?

1) The joy of heaven consists partly in the absence of things which hinder happiness now:

  • Hunger and thirst, sickness or pain, sorrow, death. No funeral homes, abortion clinics, hospitals, psychiatric wards, divorce courts, AIDS, cancer, suicide, drive-by shootings, rape, racial tension, depression, slander, gossip, war, murder, theft, anxiety, starvation.
  • No Satan and no sin, ‘But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life’ (Rev.21:27).
  • No fear of disappointing God. Nor having to say sorry, be misunderstood, fix anything, defend ourselves, etc. But it will not be possible for us to want to sin. We will be established in holiness, like the angels.

2) The positive side:

  • A greater knowledge of God, 1 Cor.13:9-12. The throne of God is the centre and focal point of heaven.
  • The joy of being with and like Jesus, ‘Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me’ (Jn.17:24). ‘As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness’ (Psa.17:15).
  • Spontaneous worship. ‘And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power
    Be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever’     Rev. 5:13-14
  • Untold pleasures and delight. For us, eternal life will be enjoying earth’s experience at its best. All the pleasures we enjoy: food, scenery, relationships – we will enjoy in a multiplied way. ‘In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore’ (Psa.16:11).
  • ‘But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect’ (Heb.12:22,23). To the angels we will be a source of joy. They have served us and rejoiced over our salvation.
  • Happy reunion with loved ones. (Heb.12:23). We will not only know those we knew before but even those we didn’t. (Matt.17:3). In a sense we will not know anyone until we die.
  • Unceasing, yet untiring service. ‘Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them’ (Rev.7:15). There was work in Eden before the Fall. Work is not a product of the curse. Rather the curse made it difficult and tiring. We will have rest from weary We will assist God in running the universe! ‘And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him’ (Rev.22:3)
  • ‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh’ (Lk.6:21). ‘Will we be bored?’ is like saying God is boring. People tend to link fun with sin and boredom with holiness. ‘If it feels good it must be sin!’ It’s not God who is boring, but us. God is creative, fun-loving, pleasure-giving. He invented humour.
  • Increased knowledge and understanding. We won’t know all things, even as angels don’t (1 Pet.1:12). Only God is omniscient. We will know more accurately. We will grow in our knowledge and understanding

 Summary: We will worship without distraction, serve without exhaustion, rule without failure, fellowship without division, rest without boredom.