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4th Sunday of Easter April 29, 2007 REVELATION 7:9-17 Fellow Christian Citizens of Heaven: Although none of us will probably ever travel around the world, we can be taken to practically every destination through books, magazine articles, television, or movies. We know what tropical islands are like. We know about the jungles of Africa. We have seen the large cities of Europe and Asia, the outback of Australia, and the rain forests of South America. If asked to describe what it is like in one part of the world or another, we could likely come up with a somewhat accurate description even though we haven’t personally been there. It is because of the pictures which we have of certain places that we may be led to visit or move to these destinations. We could spend a lot of time and discussion on where the best location is, and there would at the end still be many differences of opinions. Some prefer hot, others cold. Some choose mountains, others plains. Some seek civilization, others wilderness. The choice is difficult. Where would we say is the best location to live? The choice becomes very easy however, when we look past this life into the next. In eternity we are given two choices, heaven or hell. None of us as yet have been to either place, but we do have some pictures as to what they will be like. In his Word God has described them for us. Due to our faith in Jesus as our Savior, our choice is heaven. Hell is the place where unbelievers choose. It is a place where eternal suffering takes place. Relying on God’s help, this will be a place we won’t visit. It is heaven that we are to be concerned with since that is our future home due to the work of our Savior and our gift of faith in him. This morning let’s look to God’s Word and see how he answers the question, “WHAT WILL HEAVEN BE LIKE?” First, we will see that heaven will be full. There are some misconceptions about the idea of a full heaven. Some say because it is full there won’t be enough room for all. One religion, the Jehovah’s Witness, even limits the number in heaven to 144,000. What this kind of thinking does is put doubts in a person’s mind as to his or her being able to fit through the doors of heaven. What if heaven only holds a million and we are number one million and one? This misconception will be corrected when we look at our text. Another misconception about a full heaven is that some are led to believe that nobody will be turned away, that all will eventually make it to heaven for their eternal home. Many religions claim that eventually everyone will get to heaven regardless of what they did with their life on earth. Some will either have to spend more time in a made up place called purgatory, or some will be put in a lower position in heaven, but all will eventually be citizens of heaven. This kind of thinking leads to a “it doesn’t matter what you do with your life” kind of attitude, and it also leads one to think that God didn’t mean it when he said he would punish sin with eternal consequences. The truth is that not everyone will get through the doors of heaven. Unbelievers will make their eternal home in the slums of hell. But, even though heaven will be full, it won’t be overcrowded. The numbers will be many as John indicates by saying (Read vs. 9a). He saw more people than he could possibly count. When Jesus died on the cross, he didn’t set a numerical limit on the numbers who would have their sins forgiven. He died for all. Heaven was a home large enough to contain all who looked to Christ as their Savior. It didn’t matter what part of the world they were from or what the color of their skin was. All who have the proper credentials will find room available for them in heaven. And the proper credentials center on faith. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior from sin is the pass-key which opens heaven’s doors. With this gift in our possession, we never have to worry about having room in heaven. Jesus tells us that there are many rooms in heaven, and that one is reserved for each and every believer. Heaven will be full, but never will it have a “no vacancy” sign posted at it entrance. There will always be room for those who know their Savior and wish to spend eternity in his company. Not everyone will enter into heaven, as some try to tell us, but everyone who believes in Jesus will pass through its doors. This is a fact of which we can be sure, and in which we can always receive comfort. Why does God through John show us a picture of a full heaven? To see heaven as full is beneficial for a couple of reasons. Not always does our work of spreading news of Christ seem to be successful. The numbers outside appear to be much greater than the numbers inside of heaven. It can be quite discouraging to think that we are so few against so many, but in heaven we will have a lot of company. We will be in the presence of many other believers. Focusing on a full heaven encourages us. It is motivation for us to continue reaching out to others with invitations to join us. We want heaven to be as full as possible with people of all sizes and colors. In Gainesville it is presently being debated whether or not to allow growth in the form of the Spring Hills Development. Many want to keep such expansion away fearing that it would lead to overcrowding on our roads and in our area. You can have different opinions on that kind of growth, but we should never disagree in the desire for growth in heaven. Roads to heaven will never become too congested. Make sure that as we travel on this road after Christ we get as many others as we can to travel with us. Next, we are to picture a heaven that will be appreciated. Again there are misconceptions about this fact. Some claim they will be bored by their heavenly home instead of being appreciative of it. They get the idea that it will be like a constant church service, and they have heard too many boring sermons to be too enthused about setting through an eternity of that. Hollywood has often made heaven appear to be a place where all sit around playing harps or other musical instruments. Again, to everyone but an avid harp player or musician, this isn’t too thrilling of a thought. “What is there to appreciate in such a boring place” is the thinking of many, a thinking which our text shows to be wrong. Others make false claims that there will be no reason to thank anyone except themselves for their being in heaven. After all, they will only be getting what they think they deserve. Many religions give people every reason to think this way. Their members are told that heaven is obtained by the deeds they perform. If the good outweighs the bad, then heaven will be the destination reached. How often don’t we hear people express such ideas about heaven being entered by those people who are good? This thought process is one with which we often find ourselves connected. If it is because of what we do that we enter heaven, then we will have no reason to show appreciation to anyone. There would also then have been no need for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Of course such thinking is false. The truth is that we will show our appreciation to God when we make heaven our home. He alone is the one who opens the doors of heaven and then grabs us by the hand and brings us in. He sees to it that those who enter are able to be there. John was told this by those whom he viewed in heaven. They shouted (Read vs. 10). Those in heaven knew they were there only because of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They knew that “It is by grace that we are saved through faith and that not of ourselves. It is a gift of God not by works so that no one may boast.” The citizens of heaven will know that they are not there because of themselves, but only because of the work, love, grace, and mercy of the Triune God. And such knowledge will lead to a display of gratitude. Those whom John saw weren’t bored. They weren’t sitting around playing harps. They were displaying extreme happiness. They were celebrating their existence in heaven. They greatly appreciated what was happening to them. This is displayed by their saying (Read vs. 12). The truth about heaven is that all there will be thankful, bored- no, thankful- yes. We aren’t there yet, but the faith which we have makes our destination in heaven a sure thing. Why wait until there to show our appreciation? Every day on our journey to heaven we are to pause and thank God for what awaits us. Thank him for sending his Son to make it possible for us to complete this trip. If anything is boring, it is this life which might have fleeting moments of excitement but without the hope of heaven would be all too often unbearable. We through our gift of faith in Jesus as our Savior have the doors of heaven unlocked and waiting for our entrance. Heaven is a place which will be and is now to be appreciated. This is the case because it will be a paradise. Again the picture of this aspect of heaven has been distorted by misconceptions. It is often compared to earthly things. What will we eat? When will we sleep? Will we recognize each other? Will we miss those who aren’t with us in heaven? Will babies remain babies? These and other questions are often asked in confirmation class or other discussions. Asking these isn’t wrong, but to avoid false ideas we have to remember that our thinking will be different in heaven. Once there we won’t be concerned with time or material things. Many falsely think of it as though it will be another kind of earthly life. Wrong pictures are formed and many of the things seen take away from the fact of its being a paradise. People crippled now are looked on as also being pathetically crippled in heaven. The struggle for power now is seen as a struggle that will also exist in heaven with some getting better spots than others. Feelings of jealousy are thought to be carried over into one’s relationships in heaven. These are pictures that aren’t true. Heaven will not be like that at all. The truth is that it will be a place of eternal joy. A place where there will be no more tribulations. No matter how pleasant our life on earth is, we all face tribulation. We face those sad times when death takes a close friend or relative. We face those tempting times when it is very appealing to do something which we know is wrong. Sin is constantly harassing us. It is often not an easy life here on earth. This will change in heaven. There will be no trials and tribulations once there. It will be a never ending paradise. All of our wants will be supplied all of the time. Our life now is spent trying to make ends meet to supply the things needed or wanted by ourselves and our families. This won’t be necessary in heaven. Look at the picture which John gives us of those in heaven (Read vss. 15-17). Jesus, who saw to it that our sins were paid for, will be with us in heaven and see to it that all of our needs will be met fully for eternity. No paradise on earth can match that which awaits us in heaven. It will indeed be an all-inclusive eternal resort. With such a paradise awaiting us, we are to strive to let nothing cause us to detour from reaching the destination of heaven. Those times which come along and tempt us to do one thing or another which we know God doesn’t want us to do will be more easily dealt with if we remember what is at stake. Is it worth a few minutes of supposed pleasure, if in the process we are locking ourselves out of an eternal paradise? Just think, in heaven there will be no more problems, no more needs, no more wants. All of this is ours as long as we keep the faith we now have in Jesus as our one and only Savior from sin. What will heaven be like? Now the picture should be clearer. We aren’t given a lot of specifics, but we know all we need to know. It will be a place which will contain whatever it is that makes us happy. This is a destination which none of us want to fail to reach. May God lead us to experience the future by his side in heaven!. Amen.