The Christians Hour

Aaron Brockett: Welcome to The Christians Hour. Thank you for joining us today. It's a pleasure to have you with us. The Christians Hour is a ministry of Gospel Broadcasting Mission where we use radio and media to share the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth until all have heard. And we're grateful to do both right here in your backyard and around the world.

Well, in today's message, Gene Appel, senior pastor of Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California, takes a deeper look into the realities of heaven. Well, let me ask you, what comes to your mind when you think about heaven? Is it the picture we often see in children's books or comic strips where people float on clouds and strum harps for eternity? Is that really heaven? And honestly, does that sound even appealing?

Or maybe you imagine heaven as a kind of dream world, a place where all your favorite hobbies and pastimes simply exist forever. An endless stretch of time doing the things you enjoy most. Or perhaps it's something you simply can't imagine at all. Our culture tries to paint a picture of heaven, but often those images fall far short of what the Bible actually says. So what is the truth? What will heaven really be like? Who will be there? Let's open God's word and find out. Here's Gene.

Gene Appel: Now, I'm going to get started today in the book of Revelation where the apostle John is given a sneak peek of heaven by an angel. He's on the island of Patmos. And John writes this in Revelation chapter four, verse one: "I looked and there before me was a door standing open in heaven." Now what did he see beyond that open door? What is that place like? Would we even want to go there?

Even though life can be difficult, painful, confusing, wounding, frustrating, and deep inside we frequently long for something more, I think the honest truth is the thought of heaven, at least how most of us picture it, is not all that compelling for many of us. And so we don't think about heaven much.

The followers of Jesus who lived in the first century who were under constant persecution, they thought about heaven all the time. Nearly every follower of Jesus had friends who had been beheaded or fed to wild animals or dipped in vats of boiling oil and burned alive for their faith as torches at Nero's garden parties.

And so they often talked about the blessed hope of heaven and they would frequently pray, "Come back quickly, Lord Jesus, come." But I think if we're honest about it, we would have to say the hope of heaven doesn't appeal to us as strongly as it does to people who live in more difficult circumstances, whether then or now.

When we think of heaven, can we just be honest? It sounds kind of boring. Like we picture an endless tedium of cloud sitting, robe wearing, harp strumming, standing around in a sing-along in the sky that just goes on forever and ever and ever. And if that's the case, maybe you think, "I'd rather spend the weekend in Barstow than forever in heaven."

The apostle Paul writes in first Corinthians chapter two, verse nine. He says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." Some of us have read that verse for years and years and just said, "See, there's no way to even begin to grasp what God has prepared for us in heaven."

But that's not the end of this verse. Paul continues and he says, "But God has revealed it to us by his spirit." That means God the Holy Spirit speaks through descriptions in the Bible to describe this amazing place that the apostle John describes as he gets a glimpse beyond this open door to heaven.

I want to share with you today some things from God's word about heaven and trust that God the Holy Spirit will do what the words of a human being can't and help you imagine and feel and anticipate that place. So what is heaven like? What's beyond that door?

You need to know that first of all, heaven is a place of love and relationships. Heaven is a place of community, connection, closeness. Jesus told the thief on the cross on Good Friday, he said, "This day you will be with me in paradise." One of the things that's most attractive about heaven is who's there. People wonder, "Will we recognize each other in heaven?" Absolutely.

When Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus and his disciples in Matthew 17 on the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciples had no problem recognizing Moses and Elijah, even though they had never met them, never seen their Instagram profile pic. They had died hundreds of years before the disciples were even born.

Two years ago this month, our dear one-day-old granddaughter, Maisie Joy, went to be with Jesus. And some of the most precious, memorable moments of our lives will be the brief time that Barbara and I were able to hold her tiny body. And we know with certainty the angels had already come for her soul because the Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Barbara and I are so looking forward to the love and relationships of heaven and hugging our dear Maisie Joy again. Heaven is going to be a place of unbelievable reunions with families and friends and loved ones and spouses, and we'll recognize each other. For some of you, life has just been relationally hard.

You grew up in a home where those who should have loved and protected you wounded you. Or you've had a series of relationships that all ended in pain. Or maybe you just lead a very lonely existence, and for reasons you don't understand, you have no connection, no closeness, no safety in relationships.

Heaven's going to open up a whole new world and relational arena for you. John writes in Revelation seven, verse nine, he said, "There before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language because heaven is a place of love and relationships and reunion and connection."

Just as a sidebar, some of you probably wonder if there will be animals in heaven. Actually, the Bible describes in Revelation six and Revelation nine, horses in heaven. Isaiah 11 speaks of the lion and the lamb and the wolves in heaven, and maybe there will be new species as well.

Heaven will also be a place of intellectual growth and discovery. Some people assume that when you get to heaven, you'll just automatically know everything and there'll be nothing new to learn. Well, if that was the case, you'd be God. Notice Ephesians chapter two, six and seven says, "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

What are we going to do in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus? "In order that in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." Notice this word, "show." The word "show" means—the tense of it is—there is a progressive, ongoing discovery as we learn more and more while we're in heaven.

This is very exciting to me to think that heaven is going to be a place of intellectual growth and discovery and learning. I mean, there are so many unanswered questions on Earth. Think of being able to ask God why certain things happened in your life that had no earthly explanation.

You can hear God explain why certain tragedies were part of his unfolding plan and how he worked them together for good. Think of all the things we'll be able to learn in heaven. I want to spend an entire day with Adam and say, "Hey, Adam, I want to know the truth. What's the first thing you really thought when you saw Eve for the first time standing there?"

Because I know they couldn't put it in the Bible. I want to know that first thought. Imagine being able to take leadership classes from Moses or courage classes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Imagine being able to ask God, "Why didn't you get rid of Satan earlier?" or "Help me understand how predestination really worked," or "What happened from your perspective, God, during the COVID pandemic?"

Friends, our minds will be keen, our intellects will be sharp, and heaven will be a place of intellectual growth and discovery. And heaven will be a place with fascinating worlds to explore. Jesus said in John 14, "In my father's house are many rooms" or many mansions, some version. It means many homes, many places to explore and visit.

I like that because I'm going to do some traveling when I get to heaven. And this universe is a big place, and in my opinion, it would be the height of arrogance to believe that the only place in the universe God is ever going to deal with is this third little planet from the sun we call Earth.

Eternity is a long time and the universe is big. Science says it's still expanding and I want to get around in it. The Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, the Great Coral Barrier Reef, Niagara Falls, they're all just a sneak preview of what's to come. The Bible talks about water, trees, light, fruit, and animals in heaven. Heaven is a place with fascinating worlds to explore.

Heaven is also a place of productivity and accomplishment. Revelation chapter seven and chapter 22 point out that in heaven we will serve God. First Corinthians six, three says, "Do you not know we will judge angels?" We don't die and become angels. Angels are different beings. But we will govern and we will rule over angels.

Heaven will be a place where we make important decisions and where we work productively. Sometimes the Bible talks about heaven as a place of rest and that has led some to falsely assume that heaven is just this place of eternal rest. If you're exhausted right now, I hate to shatter your image, but heaven will not be endlessly lying around in a hammock in the sky sipping piña coladas forever.

If you think of work as a bad thing, it's probably because you're in or have been in a very dissatisfying or unfulfilled career or position that doesn't utilize your God-given gifts. But in heaven you could tackle projects that thrill you and you'll have jobs that you love.

You might not be doing the same thing there that you did here because that might not be needed in heaven. Since there's no death in heaven, there's no need for any funeral or mortuary directors. Since there's no decay, there will be no dentists in heaven. They'll be there, I didn't say that right. They'll be there, probably doing something else, like operating a jackhammer or something on streets of gold, I don't know. We will have an endless mission to glorify God with productivity and accomplishment.

Friends, I want you to know also heaven will be a place of joy and laughter, just like we're experiencing here. Now, hell is not that way. There's no laughter in hell. And just as there is this incredible place called heaven to be gained, there is a horrendous, awful, agony-filled place called hell to be avoided.

When John was given this glimpse, this is amazing glimpse of heaven, he also wrote this in Revelation 20, verse 15. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life—in other words, not saved by Jesus the way, the truth, and the life—was thrown into the lake of fire. I don't like to talk about that and you know I am not a hellfire and brimstone preacher.

But I am committed to truth-telling even when it's not pleasant. You know, Jesus warned more about hell than he actually emphasized and taught about heaven. You say why? Because that's just what love does. Friends, hell is not going to be an endless frat party with your friends and laughter with the devil for eternity, but it's eternal darkness, eternal separation from God, from others, eternal loneliness.

But heaven on the other hand is anything but a boring place. Like how can it be boring if the one who created this earth, who made every animal, every mountain, the one who makes rainbows and giraffes and platypus, is there? And he's been anticipating your arrival.

Heaven will be exhilarating and refreshing and fulfilling and thrilling. Everything good in this life will be perfect in the life to come. It'll be better than you could ever imagine. One time the late Billy Graham asked his wife Ruth if she thought there would be golf in heaven. And I know a few of you are concerned about that. I love her answer. She said yes, if that's what it takes to make you happy.

Jesus said in Matthew 25, 23 that the kingdom of heaven will be like a master who replies, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master's happiness." It's joy, it's laughter. Friends, the Bible has a lot to say about what heaven will be like. It'll be a place of love and relationships, a place of intellectual growth and discovery, a place with fascinating worlds to explore, a place of productivity and accomplishment, a place of joy and laughter.

Though the apostle John just attempted as best as he could with human words to describe what heaven is like, when he ran out of words, he moved to describing what heaven is not like. And he wrote in Revelation 21 beginning in verse three, he said, "God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Some of you live in physical pain in your body every day. But heaven will be pain-free, Advil-free, arthritis-free, cancer-free. You're going to have bodies that are quick and fit and perfect. No dentures, no counting fat grams, no drinking Ensure, no more colonoscopies.

Our brothers and sisters who are deaf are going to be able to hear. How fantastic is that? Our children and grandchildren with autism and special needs will be healthy and whole and able-bodied and mind. Our loved ones who even right now are sitting in wheelchairs in handicap sections in the room will be able to run and to skip and I can't wait for that.

It's going to be awkward the first 100 years in heaven because when you see people that you know for the first time, the only conversation is going to be, "Have you lost weight? You're looking good." Some of you who live with emotional scars and nightmares and memories and flashbacks of heartbreaks and disappointments, PTSD or mental illnesses that are overwhelming right now, none of them will be in heaven.

There'll be no more anxiety or addictions, no more anxious waiting rooms. No empty tissue boxes, no tear-stained divorce papers, no motionless ultrasounds, no more dementia or flag-draped coffins. And did you notice who the Bible said is going to wipe away the tears from your eyes when you get to heaven?

The same hands that carved the mountains, the same tiny fingers that reached up from a manger, the same hands that touched sick people and made them well, the same hands that were nail-pierced for our transgressions will wipe away every tear from your cheeks. What a day that will be.

Friends, one day's going to be your last day on planet Earth. Three people die every second, 11,000 every hour. Sometimes people die as a very young child, sometimes in the prime of their life like my dad did. Once in a while somebody lives to be around a hundred. It reminds me of the 95-year-old woman who said, "I hope I die pretty soon or all my friends who are already in heaven are going to think I didn't make it."

But we will not escape death. You know, sometimes I pray that Jesus will come back soon and then in the next breath I think about some guys I know and some family I have who mean a lot to me whose names are not written in the book of life yet and they aren't ready for that day. As much as I genuinely feel like the apostle Paul who said to die is gain, sometimes I just ask God please spin the earth one more time because some people I know and love aren't ready.

Jesus said in Revelation three, verse 20, he said, "I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I'll come in." But notice you gotta open the door, walk through the door. You see heaven is a prepared place but only for prepared people. He's knocking and he can't bear the thought of spending forever without you.

Maybe that's feeling like you're feeling a little convicted right now about that. Something's stirring inside of you. That's just like what happened to some people a few weeks after the resurrection of Jesus. They heard a sermon about how Jesus had died for their sins, was buried, resurrected on Easter Sunday morning so they too could be resurrected with him in heaven and the scripture says they were cut to the heart, which is maybe what you're experiencing right now as Jesus knocks on the door of your heart.

They asked, "What shall we do?" You see they were coming to faith, they were believing in Jesus and the apostle Peter replies, "Repent and be baptized every one of you." And so on that day, in that moment, thousands of people responded by demonstrating their faith in Jesus for salvation by repenting—in other words, turning from sin and toward God—and being baptized.

Notice they didn't say, "Hey, I'll be baptized someday when it's convenient and I'm not all dressed up for Easter." No, the moment they put their faith in Jesus they were baptized in honor of the one who hung naked on a cross for them and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday.

Listen, there is something so much better and so extraordinary out there. And even though it's hard for us to see on this side, you don't have to fear it if you've been redeemed by Jesus Christ. Death is the gateway to life, real life, eternal life. Heaven is beyond our wildest imagination. At our most creative moment, in our deepest thoughts, when our minds are in full throttle, we cannot paint a picture of the world that God has prepared for us. It's indescribable, we can't do it.

Revelation 19 says the first day in heaven will be like the wedding of the Lamb. I've performed hundreds of weddings over the years and to me one of the most exciting moments is when the bride starts down the aisle and the groom sees her for the first time. Like she's spent hours preparing herself. She's been at the manicurist, the hairstylist, the tanning bed. She's been spray painted. Like she's looking good. She's prepared herself.

Often while everyone is standing and they're all looking at the bride, I'll just lean over to the groom and ask, "What do you think?" And sometimes they'll say, "Wow," or "She's stunning." "But where's my fiancé?" No, they don't say that. She's beautiful because she's prepared herself. Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you." When did he say that? About 2,000 years ago, right? Can you imagine what he's been preparing for 2,000 years?

It's going to be an incredible place, a forever kind of place. Can you imagine the magnitude of that moment and heaven is your new reality? John's glimpse of heaven, he writes in Revelation 21, he says, "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.' And in that moment, let the worship begin. In that moment, we will encounter our forgiver, our risen savior, our best friend face to face.

And you will see his nail-scarred hands and feet and you will witness the smile on his face and you will hear the words from his mouth, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. Come home and share your master's happiness.' What a day that will be. What a glorious, indescribable, unbelievable, inconceivable day that will be.

Friends, don't miss that. Don't miss that for the world. At the end of Revelation, it says, "The spirit and the bride say come. And let the one who hears say come. Let the one who is thirsty come and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."

(Musical Performance: "God of Wonders" by A Cappella Ministries)

Aaron Brockett: Friends, did you know that God wants you there? Did you know that a place has been prepared for you? Jesus himself said he is preparing a place for those who belong to him. But we must be able to get there. And the Bible tells us there's a way. In fact, there's only one way. In the book of Romans chapter 10, verse nine, it says, "If you declare with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Friends, that is the hope we have. There is a God who loves you so much that he sent his only son to die for you so that you could be brought back into a relationship with him. Don't miss out on that gift. There is a way. Let today be the day that changes your eternal destiny. Well, our thanks to Gene for that powerful message. And our thanks as well to A Cappella Ministries for providing today's worship song.

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