Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000088
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00:19 Hello everyone, and welcome to another Wednesday night
00:21 Bible study here at the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:25 Thank you for tuning into A Sharper Focus 00:27 as we continue our study 00:29 on the topic of "Heaven and the New Earth." 00:33 And wherever you're joining us from, 00:35 we have people here that would like to welcome you 00:37 with a hearty amen. 00:38 Can we do that right now? 00:40 Amen. 00:41 And thank you for tuning in. 00:42 For the next hour or less, 00:44 we're going to walk 00:45 through the Word of God together 00:46 on a very vitally important topic. 00:48 You know, if you're planning on going to heaven 00:50 and living in the new earth, 00:51 we need to know what the Bible teaches 00:53 about heaven and the new earth, 00:55 isn't that right? 00:56 So spend the time with us. 00:59 Get your Bibles, get your pens, 01:01 invite your family, and your friends, 01:02 that we can walk together through the Word of God. 01:05 I'll tell you in just a moment 01:07 how you get a copy of the lesson 01:08 for tonight as well as the new lesson 01:10 that we're going to be covering 01:12 in just a moment 01:13 if we finish this one for tonight, 01:16 but before we do anything, let us pray together. 01:19 Heavenly Father, 01:21 we thank You for the opportunity tonight 01:22 to open your Word. 01:24 We thank You, Lord, that we could focus on a lesson 01:26 that really gives us forward vision 01:30 about Your kingdom that is soon to come. 01:33 Strengthen our hearts, Lord, 01:35 we've talked about heaven, we've studied about heaven, 01:38 we pray that we could begin to live lives 01:41 in preparation for heaven. 01:42 So send Your Spirit tonight, 01:44 Lord, to be our teacher we pray in Jesus' name, amen. 01:50 Now, if you go to this following website 01:52 asf.3abn.org, 01:55 you can download the lesson, lesson number 26. 02:00 There are 33 questions on lesson number 26. 02:03 And then also download lesson number 27. 02:07 On lesson number 27 is the truth 02:10 about God's true church. 02:12 Lesson number 26 02:14 is the truth about heaven and the new earth. 02:18 And we're going to begin with question number 26 tonight 02:21 but before we do that, 02:22 we are going to sing our theme song. 02:23 What is our theme song? 02:25 "Victory in Jesus." 02:27 Let's sing our theme song tonight. 02:38 I heard an old, old story 02:41 How the Savior came from glory 02:45 How He gave His life on Calvary 02:49 To save a wretch like me 02:53 I heard about His groaning 02:56 Of His precious blood's atoning 03:00 Then I repented of my sin 03:04 And won the victory 03:07 Together. 03:08 O victory in Jesus 03:12 My Savior, forever 03:15 He sought me and bought me 03:19 With His redeeming blood 03:23 He loved me ere I knew Him 03:27 And all my love is due Him 03:30 He plunged me to victory 03:35 Beneath the cleansing flood 03:38 I heard about a mansion 03:42 He has built for me in glory 03:46 And I heard about the streets of gold 03:49 Beyond the crystal sea 03:53 About the angels singing 03:57 And the old redemption story 04:01 And some sweet day I'll sing up there 04:05 The song of victory 04:07 Key change. 04:09 O victory in Jesus 04:12 My Savior, forever 04:16 He sought me and bought me 04:20 With His redeeming blood 04:23 He loved me ere I knew Him 04:27 And all my love is due Him 04:31 He plunged me to victory 04:35 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:39 He plunged me to victory 04:42 Beneath the cleansing flood 04:49 Amen. 04:51 Wonderful song, He plunged us to what? 04:54 To victory beneath the cleansing flood, 04:57 that is His shed blood. 04:59 Bible says, 05:00 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful 05:02 and just to forgive us our sins 05:04 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 05:09 Now to lead into our topic tonight, 05:11 lesson number 26, we are at question number 26. 05:15 Now I wanna just lay some foundation. 05:17 Whenever my wife and I 05:19 are getting ready to go on vacation, 05:20 and I think this is true about many of us. 05:22 We try to learn about the place we're going. 05:24 Just recently, 05:26 the Hutchinsons went to Lithuania. 05:28 And I've never been there but if I look on the internet, 05:32 I'll find out some things about it, 05:33 but it's not the same. 05:35 You can find out information on the internet. 05:37 You can read in brochures, 05:39 but there's nothing that can replace going there 05:42 and having the experience. 05:44 One day we're going to go to heaven, amen, somebody? 05:47 But as we prepare to go to heaven, 05:50 we need to study our Bibles 05:51 to find out what's special about heaven, 05:54 what's going to be there, what's not going to be there. 05:57 What are some of the amenities, how it's going to look, 06:00 and I said this before, 06:02 but I think it fits right here again, 06:04 you know, the Bible talks about the New Jerusalem. 06:08 But the Bible says also, 06:09 we'll find out in just a moment 06:11 that the New Jerusalem descends from God out of heaven, 06:17 so the New Jerusalem is in heaven. 06:20 The New Jerusalem is not the totality of heaven, 06:24 the New Jerusalem is in heaven. 06:26 So when the New Jerusalem descends, 06:28 heaven will still be heaven. 06:30 But the New Jerusalem, 06:32 as we know, will be now on the earth. 06:35 And so we don't really know in great detail 06:38 a lot about what heaven is going to be like. 06:41 But the Bible does reveal to us 06:43 what the New Jerusalem is going to be like, 06:45 which is located in heaven. 06:47 And I'm looking forward to that 06:49 because there's a promise that the Lord has made. 06:50 Go with us now to the Book of John. 06:53 John Chapter 14, 06:54 I'll begin with the promise that Jesus made. 06:58 John Chapter 14, look at the verses there. 07:02 And you know the verse, John 14:1-3. 07:07 John 14:1-3, and the Bible says, 07:10 we could even quote this together. 07:12 Are you ready? 07:14 "Let not your heart be troubled. 07:16 You believe in God, believe also in Me, 07:19 in my Father's house are many mansions, 07:23 if it were not so I would have told you. 07:25 I go to prepare a place for you. 07:28 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 07:31 I will come again and receive you unto Myself 07:35 that where I am, there you may be also." 07:38 Now notice this, I did this intentional. 07:41 Now where I am vertically, 07:42 there you horizontally may be also, 07:45 we're right here right now. 07:47 We want to be there, amen? 07:49 So because we're here, 07:51 as is the case when we study about vacations 07:54 and places that we long to be a part of. 07:56 I think that sometimes 07:58 we get more excited before we go, 08:01 we get this level of excitement 08:03 that just says to us four more days, 08:06 two more days. 08:08 I know in some cases, people say, 08:10 "I cannot wait till July, 08:12 whatever, so I can go on vacation." 08:15 And people say, 08:16 "Well, have you learned much about where you're headed?" 08:18 "Oh, man, they have swimming, 08:20 and snorkeling, and there's warm weather. 08:22 Oh, I tell you, 08:23 they have so many different things 08:25 that I can do when I get there." 08:26 And I think in the very same way, 08:28 what brings us excitement is to know what is going to be 08:31 and what is not going to be in heaven. 08:33 So tonight, let's begin with question number 26. 08:36 And we're going to begin with a question 08:38 that really tells us 08:39 about what's not going to be in heaven. 08:42 Now, we have learned about some things 08:44 that are going to be in heaven 08:45 but now I want to transition 08:47 into what's not going to be in heaven. 08:49 Let's go to question number 26. 08:51 Here it is. 08:53 What are some of the traits 08:54 that will no longer be in the new earth? 08:57 That is in the new earth or in heaven? 09:01 What are some of the traits that will no longer be 09:03 in the new earth? 09:04 Okay. 09:07 Just take it easy. 09:09 Go to the Book of Revelation Chapter 21. 09:13 Revelation Chapter 21. 09:15 Come on in, we have some seats here. 09:17 Really we're glad to have you. 09:18 Revelation Chapter 21. 09:19 Let's look at verse 1. 09:21 Here it is, here it is. 09:23 And the Bible says, "Now, I saw a," what? 09:27 Let's say that together, "I saw a," what? 09:29 "New heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven 09:34 and the first earth had passed away. 09:36 Also there was no more," what? 09:39 "There was no more sea." 09:40 Now there is no sea in heaven. 09:42 So we know it has to be referring to the earth. 09:45 And let me ask you the question. 09:46 Where did all the water in the seas come from? 09:51 Do we not remember? 09:53 From the flood, from the great deluge. 09:56 Now Genesis names four rivers, 09:59 but when the world was first created, 10:02 there was no massive oceans, 30,000 feet deep, 10:07 where it just separated countries 10:10 and continents from one another. 10:12 There were bodies of water. 10:14 But we have now these massive oceans. 10:16 As a matter of fact, 10:17 many of us have become more educated 10:19 since this flight 370 disappeared, 10:22 and they talk about the Indian Ocean, 10:24 and how uncharted it is and how deep it is, 10:27 and how many mountains are below that ocean, 10:30 and how there's some places on earth 10:32 that we know less about 10:34 than we know about the moon. 10:36 And so the Bible is in essence 10:37 saying one of the reasons I believe 10:38 there's not going to be any more sea is, 10:41 there is going to be a need of room 10:44 for all the redeemed of all the ages. 10:45 Amen to that? 10:47 So we're not going to have... 10:48 Man, how do I get to the New Jerusalem? 10:50 How do I get to, and I don't know 10:51 what the continents are going to be called. 10:53 I don't know what it's going to be described 10:55 as in the new earth. 10:57 But I do know this, 10:58 that there is going to be no more sea. 11:01 My brother is the President of the Fisherman's Association 11:05 in the Virgin Islands there in St. Thomas. 11:08 And when fishermen read this text, they said, 11:11 "You mean, there's going to be no more sea? 11:13 How are we going to fish?" 11:16 Well, I didn't tell them that 11:17 but there'll be no more dead fish 11:19 in the new earth, amen. 11:21 So there'll be no more killing of animals. 11:24 So you won't be throwing your tackle out there 11:26 to reel the fish in, because death will be no more. 11:30 So that's why there will be no need 11:32 of all these fishing vessels and these massive nets, 11:35 and scooping up squid and shark 11:38 and all the stuff that's in the sea. 11:40 There'll be no need for that 11:41 because we will not be killing any longer 11:44 in the new earth. 11:45 Amen? 11:46 So put the answer on the first one, 11:48 Revelation 21:1, "There'll be no more," what? 11:50 "No more sea." 11:51 Now let's go to Revelation 21:4. 11:54 Revelation 21:4, 11:56 although there are just about seven questions, 11:59 there are lots of verses that we're looking up. 12:01 Here's the next one, 12:02 Revelation 21:4, and the Bible says, 12:05 "And God will wipe away," what? 12:09 "Every tear from their eyes 12:12 and there will be no more death, 12:14 nor sorrow, nor crying. 12:17 There shall be no more pain, 12:20 for the former things have," what? 12:22 "Passed away." 12:24 So now when something... 12:25 When someone dies, 12:27 there's another phrase we often use, 12:28 we say, well, they passed away. 12:31 Now, this is strange to think about it this way. 12:33 But death according to this verse, 12:36 death is going to pass away. 12:39 So death will die, sorrow will die, 12:42 pain will die, crying, all these will pass away, 12:46 which means when something passes away, 12:48 it's no more. 12:49 So in the new earth, 12:50 as well as in heaven 12:52 there will be no more of the things 12:53 that we experience down here. 12:54 And I want to tell you, I did a study briefly. 12:57 When I say I study, I mean, very shallow, 13:00 just enough to find out 13:01 about the different kinds of tears that there are. 13:04 And when a person is excited, 13:05 I discovered that they shed a different type of tear 13:09 chemically than they do when they're sad. 13:12 And when they're angry, 13:14 they shed a different kind of tear 13:16 than when they're happy. 13:17 You know, some people say, 13:18 "I'm so happy, I could just cry." 13:20 Some people say, 13:21 "I'm so angry, I could just cry." 13:23 And some people 13:24 just show emotions various ways. 13:25 And I'm amazed by the fact 13:27 that I know that whatever tears we have, 13:30 they're not going to be because of death, 13:32 sorrow, and pain. 13:34 Ain't that right? 13:35 So we're not going to be crying because we lost a loved one. 13:38 There'll be no more death. 13:40 But I believe this is my own analogy, 13:44 and I have to find evidence for this 13:45 but because the human body is created 13:48 with the ability to shed a tear, 13:51 I think we're going to be so happy 13:52 we're going to shed a tear. 13:54 Amen? 13:55 We're going to shed happy tears, 13:57 but the tears that are connected 13:58 with death, and pain, and suffering, 13:59 and sorrow, and crime, 14:01 and violence will not be in the new earth 14:03 and will not be in the kingdom. 14:04 So write them down question, the second question. 14:08 There'll be no more no death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain, 14:12 there are four dashes there. 14:14 No death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain. 14:17 So so far, we found out two traits 14:19 about the new earth. 14:21 Let's look at the third one. 14:23 Let's look at the next one. 14:24 Isaiah 65:17. 14:28 Isaiah 65:17. 14:35 Wow. 14:37 Here's what the Bible teaches. 14:38 "For behold, the Lord says, 14:40 I create new heavens and a, "what else?" 14:43 New Earth and the former 14:46 shall not be remembered or come to mind." 14:49 Now when you think about that, just for a brief moment, 14:52 can you think of anything in this earth 14:55 that you would like to forget? 14:57 Can I get a yes? 15:00 Can I get an amen for many things 15:02 you'd like to forget? 15:04 I mean, think about that. 15:06 There are many things in this earth 15:07 and I listen to the news every day. 15:09 If it's not another argument between the Republicans 15:13 and the Democrats, 15:14 I am not going to miss the Republicans 15:16 and the Democrats, amen? 15:17 There will be no more politics in the new earth. 15:20 And then there'll be no more wars in Syria, 15:24 there'll be no more starvation in this country, 15:26 there'll be no more earthquakes in that region, 15:28 there'll be no tsunamis in the Pacific. 15:30 Amen? 15:31 So all these things, these former things, 15:34 you'll be able to sit on your sea front porch, 15:39 because I think there's gonna be some water 15:42 and you won't have to worry about the mountains rumbling, 15:44 you don't have to worry about heavy torrential rains. 15:47 Come on, let me ask you the question. 15:49 We live in the Midwest. 15:50 Are you going to miss the threat of tornadoes? 15:53 No. Right. 15:55 And those of you who live in California 15:56 or maybe in Japan, 15:58 you're not going to miss 16:00 the threat of another earthquake. 16:01 Matter of fact, 16:02 there's no threat of an earthquake, 16:04 it just happens. 16:05 So we're not going to miss that either. 16:07 All these things, 16:08 if you really think about the former things, 16:11 these things will not be remembered, 16:13 won't even come to mind. 16:14 Bill won't say in the new earth, 16:16 "Man, I wonder how long it's been 16:17 since an earthquake." 16:19 There won't be any earthquakes. 16:20 So all the bad things about this life, 16:23 all the things that draw out of us fear, 16:26 there'll be no more angry animals. 16:30 Think about that. 16:31 There'll be no more crime and no more violence. 16:33 So, Isaiah, if you answer the question, 16:37 what are some of the traits 16:39 that will no longer be in the new earth? 16:40 Put bad things of the old earth. 16:44 You can modify that and put your own answer, 16:47 but there'll be no more bad things 16:49 from the old earth. 16:52 It's an amazing comparison 16:54 between what we have now and I tell you, 16:56 this world is really in trouble. 16:59 There's some individuals 17:01 that whenever people move around, 17:03 we were just not too long ago up in northern New England, 17:06 it's beautiful up there, 17:08 it's gorgeous up there in the summer. 17:13 But when the winter comes, 17:14 it gets so cold that they said 17:17 they can drive their cars on the lake. 17:19 They do something called ice fishing. 17:22 They snow, they snow... 17:24 What's that, snowmobile? 17:25 They could walk 17:27 from one end of the lake to the other. 17:28 And these are huge lakes, 17:31 which in the summertime you're drown. 17:33 And they said people live on the ice in the winter. 17:36 Now, when I met people, 17:37 oh, it's beautiful, wonderful rolling hills. 17:40 And somebody said, 17:41 "It's a beautiful place to be in the summer." 17:44 But Florida is the ideal place for the wintertime, 17:48 where it's nice and warm. 17:49 And so there are people that live up there, 17:50 they call them snowbirds, 17:52 they all aim south when the winter comes. 17:56 Even the birds know that northern New England 17:59 is not the place to be. 18:00 Have you ever seen the migration? 18:02 It's like when the cold weather begins to come in, 18:04 the birds begin to fly, which way they go? 18:07 Fly south. 18:09 They're getting out of there. 18:10 And so in the new earth, 18:11 we won't have to worry about freezing cold weather. 18:14 Not to worry about ice. 18:15 We had the worst ice season this year. 18:17 Most of the years, 18:18 I can remember here in Southern Illinois, 18:20 I mean treacherous, life threatening sheets of ice, 18:23 in the new earth there'll be no more ice. 18:27 Amen, Vanita? 18:28 No more ice. 18:30 So there's so many things in the new earth 18:33 that are not going to be 18:35 brought over from the old earth, 18:37 and praise God for that. 18:38 Let's look at the next one. 18:39 Isaiah 60:18. 18:41 Isaiah 60:18. 18:44 Look at another one, so wonderful. 18:47 It says, 18:49 "Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, 18:53 neither," what? 18:54 "Wasting nor destruction within your borders, 18:57 but you shall call your walls," what? 19:01 "Salvation." 19:02 When you think of violence, go to Genesis 6:11, 19:05 so what you want to put there, 19:07 Isaiah 60:18, 19:08 no more violence, no more destruction. 19:11 I looked up the word, the word there, wasting. 19:15 And the word wasting is also translated robbery 19:20 and oppression, robbery and oppression. 19:23 So wasting a person's resources, 19:25 wasting a person's life, robbery and oppression. 19:28 But look at Genesis 6:11. 19:30 And you'll discover one of the very reasons... 19:33 Hold on, I'm getting there. 19:36 Genesis is a hard book to find. 19:40 Not really. 19:41 Genesis 6:11. 19:42 Notice one of the reasons 19:44 why we're excited about the new earth. 19:45 The Bible says in Genesis 6:11, "The earth also was," 19:50 what's the next word? 19:52 "Corrupt before God 19:53 and the earth was filled with violence." 19:58 I mean, think about it. 20:01 Cold cases, court cases, 20:04 kidnapping babies dying in hot vehicles. 20:08 Just think about the awful heart wrenching reports 20:12 that we hear on the news day to day. 20:15 But that's not in this category. 20:17 Violence, in this earth violence sells. 20:21 People pay to see other people 20:24 beaten to death in a boxing ring. 20:28 Wrestlers, now although to some degree, 20:31 a lot of that is, 20:32 you know, acting, 20:34 but you have these cage fighters 20:35 that are not acting 20:36 and they're beating each other to a pulp, 20:38 attacking the very temple that belongs to God. 20:40 Bloody eyes and broken nose 20:42 and they do all that to the accolade 20:44 and the praise of humanity. 20:46 Violence, violence sports, 20:48 there's a lot of things that are happening. 20:49 I was listening to the news the other day, 20:51 for the love of game 20:53 many football players had to play, 20:55 and they're now beginning to see 20:57 all the effects of playing in the NFL 20:59 because they said just to win a game, 21:01 the team doctors would give them 21:04 these heavy, heavy painkillers. 21:07 And one guy played for a season 21:09 and a half with a broken foot and didn't know it. 21:13 And now he's suing the NFL. 21:14 Because the painkillers were so strong, 21:17 that he was made to run on a broken foot 21:19 just to win the game. 21:21 The love of money is the root of all evil. 21:24 Those kinds of things won't happen in the new earth. 21:28 All these things that oppress, and rob us of our joy, 21:32 and of our health won't be in the new earth. 21:35 Okay, let's go to number... 21:36 The last one, Revelation 22:3. 21:40 Revelation 22:3, of question number 26. 21:43 Here it is. 21:45 Revelation 22:3. 21:47 And for those of you that have your Bibles, 21:49 great, if not, it's going to appear on the screen. 21:52 Revelation 22:3, and here's what the Bible says, 21:55 "And there shall be no more," what? 21:58 "Curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, 22:03 and His servants shall," do what? 22:05 "Serve Him." 22:07 Now think of what was 22:08 one of the first effects of the curse? 22:11 Adam and Eve. 22:12 Think about it. 22:14 Adam and Eve being expelled from the garden. 22:16 And think about it, 22:17 all those things that seemed normal to us now, 22:20 you know, trees, plants, fear in animals. 22:24 Trees begin to die, the climate becomes much colder, 22:28 and even though God had given, 22:30 you know, the stars, and the moon, 22:31 and the sun for signs, and seasons, and times, 22:34 God never intended for there to be sub zero weather 22:37 or blazing hot dried up deserts. 22:40 All these things are the result of sin, 22:42 the result of the curse, 22:44 as the Bible says the curse has devoured the whole earth, 22:47 Isaiah the prophet says. 22:49 So in the new earth, there'll be no more curse. 22:52 Can I get a hallelujah to that? 22:53 No more curse. 22:55 And let me add another thing, no more cursing. 22:58 The curse is gone, 23:00 the language connected to it is also gone. 23:02 Praise the Lord to that. 23:04 Okay, let's go to number 27. 23:06 Let's go to question number 27. 23:08 All right. 23:10 What does the Bible 23:12 reveal about the barren places of the earth? 23:15 What does the Bible reveal about the barren 23:17 places of the earth? 23:18 I hope my geography is correct. 23:20 But I think I studied a number of years ago, 23:23 that the Sahara Desert, 23:25 which is probably 23:26 one of the largest deserts in our world 23:29 used to be 23:31 more of a place of greenery. 23:34 It used to be a lush place of greenery, 23:37 but clear cutting and destroying the greenery 23:40 in such a region, 23:42 the desert began to grow and grow and grow. 23:45 And what we see now as the Sahara Desert, 23:48 is the result of thousands of years of just... 23:53 This is hard to imagine because the desert is huge, 23:56 the Sahara Desert is huge, 23:57 but it's hard to think that that used to be a place 23:59 where there were trees and plants, 24:02 but now it's a barren dry place. 24:04 And I am just speculating, 24:06 but I've also heard that there are places 24:11 like in Ethiopia 24:12 and some of the Central African countries 24:15 where it doesn't rain as much as it used to, 24:18 somehow maybe climate shift 24:19 or whatever the scientists may say. 24:21 And there's a big controversy over that. 24:24 But desert land is increasing day by day by day. 24:27 But look at the news that the Lord has given to us 24:29 about the new earth. 24:30 Here's what He says, Isaiah 35:1. 24:33 And look at this wonderful text, 24:36 "The wilderness and the wasteland 24:38 shall be," what? 24:40 "Glad for them," and let's read this all together, 24:42 "and the desert shall rejoice 24:45 and blossom as a rose." 24:49 I don't know, I'm going to imagine 24:51 just a little bit but think about 24:52 how beautiful a rose smells. 24:56 Now, these are these roses that are thousands of years 24:58 removed from perfection. 25:01 But just imagine roses restored to perfection. 25:04 Carnations and what are the other... 25:07 Come on, ladies that like plants, 25:08 what are some of the other ones? 25:10 Give me some names, 25:11 got daisies and gardenias and lilacs, 25:15 am I getting close? 25:16 Huh. 25:17 Gladiolus and orchids? 25:19 Can you imagine? 25:20 When you walk in a flower shop... 25:22 There was a time that my nose used to go into conniption, 25:25 because of so much smells. 25:27 But it's beautiful, 25:28 just, you go there and you close your eyes like, 25:31 "Oh, just smells so good." 25:33 And you come out of there and it lingers with you. 25:35 But just imagine in the new earth. 25:38 No more dying orchids, and lilacs, and daisies, 25:41 and carnations, and no more of that, 25:43 but the deserts now will blossom as a rose. 25:47 Amen, somebody? 25:49 And for ladies that like plants, 25:51 you'll be able to pick a plant. 25:53 You'll have some fresh flowers on your table 25:55 and they won't die. 25:57 Wow, that's hard to think. 25:58 But that's God's plan. 26:00 So God is going to not... 26:01 God is not going to patch up this earth, 26:03 but He's going to completely redo it 26:06 and deliver to us a new earth, 26:08 not like the one we have now. 26:10 Let's look at some other facts about the new earth. 26:13 All right. 26:14 This is a very interesting category. 26:16 Look at this. 26:18 How different will the dangerous animals 26:21 of today be? 26:23 Number 28. 26:24 How different will the dangerous animals 26:26 of today be? 26:29 I'm amazed, I looked at a video on YouTube about a guy, 26:32 he's called the lion whisperer. 26:35 And this guy has had the privilege 26:39 of walking into the wastelands of Africa. 26:42 He just walks out there with no protection. 26:44 I don't know how he does it. 26:46 And the lions both male and female, 26:48 run to him and just jump on him 26:50 and their massive paws on his shoulder, 26:52 and they roll around in the dust 26:55 and he leans back and rest on their back 26:57 and then another lion comes and licks his face. 27:03 And I think, either he's insane, 27:07 or the lions are insane, because it's amazing. 27:10 They said that some of these he's raised 27:12 from young but in other cases, 27:15 he didn't raise many of the other ones 27:16 that are there. 27:18 And they also showed that his photography crew 27:19 or his video crew, 27:20 they're there to videotape this but they have to be in a cage. 27:24 The lions that were friendly to him 27:27 even ran after the vehicle that his video crews 27:30 and they had to take off 27:32 because the lions attacked the doors of the video crew. 27:34 And as soon as the video crew left, 27:36 lions came right back at him and said, good to see you. 27:40 And they just lay down and walk around together. 27:42 And then the hyenas, when the lions were gone... 27:45 See hyenas and lions are enemies. 27:47 When the lions were gone, the hyenas came to him, 27:50 and I'm thinking what does this guy have? 27:52 But you know what? 27:54 One day we gonna all get the privilege 27:56 to know what it's like 27:57 to spend the night in a lion's den 28:00 and get up in the morning and pet them 28:02 and say good morning. 28:04 Look what the Bible says, 28:06 Isaiah 11:6. 28:11 Is that what I put there? 28:13 Okay, Isaiah 11:6. 28:15 Now, I think I put the wrong text. 28:18 Here it is, Isaiah 11. 28:21 Let me turn my Bible there. 28:23 So I think I substituted one of those same text. 28:26 Okay, I'm almost in Isaiah Chapter 11. 28:29 Here we are, I'm there with you. 28:33 Isaiah 11:6. 28:37 It says, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb. 28:41 The wolf shall dwell with the," what? 28:44 "The lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the," what? 28:48 "Young goat or the kid, 28:49 the calf and the young lion and the fatling together," 28:53 and this blows me away, 28:55 "and a little child shall lead them." 28:59 Amen, Abby? 29:00 One day Abby will say, 29:02 "Come on lion, come on, wolf..." 29:05 A little child shall lead them. 29:09 I think I got the next one. 29:10 So put this one down. 29:11 How different will the dangerous animals be? 29:13 Just simply summarize, a little child shall lead them. 29:18 Okay, I got the next one correct. 29:20 I know it's going to be right on the screen. 29:21 Here it is. 29:23 Here's the next one. 29:24 And verse 7, 29:27 "The cow and the bear shall," do what? 29:32 Shall do what? 29:33 "Graze, their young ones shall lie down together, 29:38 and the lion shall eat straw like the ox." 29:42 Now that is unusual, because lions are carnivorous. 29:48 The lions today because of sin, they're not going to eat straw, 29:51 they'll eat the animals that eat straw. 29:54 But look how amazing this is, 29:56 and what's amazing Isaiah 29:58 the prophet is putting in the category, 29:59 side by side animals that are now 30:04 in opposition to each other, 30:05 is that a right way of saying it? 30:06 Animals that will naturally kill each other. 30:09 Cows don't pet, 30:10 I mean, bears don't pet cows and lions don't eat straw. 30:16 So let's put that one down. 30:19 Isaiah 11:7. 30:21 You could summarize it however you'd like. 30:23 I'll give you the freedom to do that. 30:25 Let's look now the very next one, 30:26 Isaiah 11:8. 30:28 Now this is a mother's nightmare removed. 30:32 Here it is. 30:34 Isaiah 11:8. 30:35 The Bible says, 30:37 "The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, 30:41 and the weaned child 30:43 shall put his hand in the viper's den." 30:46 Now come on, think about that today. 30:48 How many parents... 30:50 Where's your child, Riesa? 30:52 "Oh, he's down by the viper's hole, 30:55 just playing with the cobras." 30:58 They had a anaconda snake last week 31:03 in one of the studios here at 3ABN, 31:05 to do some production. 31:07 An anaconda, 31:09 that is a huge snake. 31:11 They said it was about 11 to 12 feet long. 31:14 And some of the people had no fear, 31:17 they put them over their shoulder. 31:19 I am not putting a 12 foot snake 31:22 that is known for squeezing the life 31:24 out of people around my shoulder. 31:26 Can somebody say amen to that? 31:28 I am not giving him the location 31:30 that he prefers above any other location. 31:33 I mean snakes wanna be, 31:34 they squeeze the life out of you, 31:36 they want to be around your neck. 31:38 That's not where I'm going to put a snake 31:39 and there were some of them that were smiling. 31:41 One of the young ladies 31:42 that work over in Latino I think, Maryssa, 31:44 she said, "Oh, I loved holding the snake," 31:46 and I'm thinking, 31:47 "Do you realize that chances were 50/50 31:51 that you wouldn't be here the next week." 31:54 They put that anaconda right around 31:56 and they smiled at it. 31:57 Then the guy also had a little alligator 31:59 and he puts his nose up to the alligator 32:02 and I'm thinking, "Not me." 32:04 But he, you know, you saw what happened to this guy 32:07 in Australia many years ago, remember that? 32:09 I forgot his name now. 32:11 Steve, what a tragedy 32:14 and an odd situation. 32:17 A stingray, just fear, 32:20 and just shoots a barb right in his heart, a barb, 32:23 they call barb, right in his heart, kills him. 32:26 And that animal just was out of fear. 32:28 But normally, if you approached him 32:29 from the front, it would not have occurred. 32:31 But the whole point of the matter is 32:33 in this earth 32:34 animals will do what their natural instincts 32:37 will tell them to do anytime they feel 32:38 that they are in danger. 32:40 And I tell you, cobras and vipers, 32:44 I'm going to take a little time to warm up 32:45 to them even in the new earth. 32:46 Anybody else? 32:48 "Oh, in the new earth?" 32:50 Yeah, that's a cobra, go and pet him. 32:51 You sure this is the new earth? 32:53 It's going to take a little for us psyche, 32:55 that's why I like the way that Isaiah says it. 32:57 He says the former things will not be remembered 33:01 nor come to mind, 33:02 which means the fears that we had of them now, 33:05 the fear that we have of them now, 33:07 we won't have that fear then. 33:09 That's wonderful. 33:10 We'll see a bear and run up to him and say, 33:12 "Oh, give me a hug." 33:14 A bear hug. 33:15 Fine, a bear hug. 33:17 Finally we get our bear hug. 33:19 I don't know, it's wonderful, it's coming. 33:22 And lastly, verse 9. 33:26 This is beautiful, this is beautiful. 33:28 Verse 9, it says, "They shall not hurt 33:31 nor destroy in all My holy mountain," 33:35 and this is beautiful, 33:37 "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge 33:39 of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." 33:42 Ain't that wonderful? 33:43 North, south, east, west. 33:46 Nowadays, it's hard, when you travel 33:48 there's some places on earth 33:49 that people still don't know about God. 33:51 But the Bible says the earth 33:52 will be full of the knowledge of the Lord. 33:55 Wouldn't that finally be a nice thing to walk up 33:57 to somebody and say, 33:58 "Hey, can I talk to you about Jesus?" 34:00 "Sure, let's talk." 34:02 And they won't have to rush. 34:03 They won't say, well, you know, I gotta go back to work, 34:05 I have lunch. 34:06 We could talk about Jesus forever, 34:08 ain't that right? 34:09 The earth will be full of the knowledge 34:11 of the Lord and all the hardship 34:12 that we have now 34:15 won't even be a factor in the new earth. 34:17 All these things that we just read about, 34:19 how wonderful it is that the new earth is a place 34:21 that we are going to enjoy forever, 34:24 and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever. 34:28 Number 29, number 29. 34:32 Here it is. 34:37 In what way will the new earth 34:39 differ from the cities of today? 34:41 In what way will the new earth 34:43 differ from the cities of today? 34:45 I'm going to give a little spin to this 34:46 because you may read the text and say, 34:48 "Well, that happens today." 34:49 In what way will the new earth 34:51 differ from the cities of today? 34:53 Zachariah 8:5, Zachariah 8:5. 34:57 I was raised in Brooklyn, New York, 35:02 and we had a lot of fun growing up then, 35:05 that was before the Nintendo's 35:07 and the Xbox's and the PS3's. 35:11 Children actually went outside, does anybody remember that? 35:15 When we actually rode bikes. 35:17 We actually did things outdoors. 35:21 Hopscotch and I didn't do this but jumping rope, 35:24 and stickball, and baseball, and football, 35:27 children were practically in much better shape. 35:29 What else? Playing in the pool. 35:31 Playing in the pool in the summertime. 35:33 All the kids that go to the community pool 35:36 and swim together. 35:37 Nowadays, we have the highest obesity 35:41 among the young people of today. 35:43 And when they go to Walmart, instead of him saying, 35:45 "Mom, get me a baseball bat. 35:46 Mom, get me this video game." 35:48 I heard a mom said, 35:50 "Now your limit today is only five games." 35:53 "Only five games." 35:55 Mom, remember, 35:56 well, your limit is only five games 35:59 and I'm thinking say to him, 36:01 get something that you could do outside, 36:03 buy him a bicycle, get him outside, 36:05 get him active. 36:06 And that five games would buy a bike. 36:08 Isn't that amazing, five games, you get a good bike, 36:10 nowadays game's are $60 each, that's 300 bucks. 36:14 But anyway, here's the question. 36:16 And here's the answer. 36:17 In what way will the new earth 36:19 differ from the cities of today? 36:20 The Bible says "The streets of the city shall be," what? 36:24 "Full of boys and girls playing in his streets, 36:28 which means there'll be no Xbox, no PS3, 36:33 no Nintendo 64, 68 or whatever, 36:36 there'll be no televisions keeping us in the house. 36:39 That's why I wanted to give you an approach here. 36:42 "The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls 36:47 playing in the streets." 36:49 Nowadays, children can't go outside, 36:53 they disappear. 36:54 You know how many kids get kidnapped during the week? 36:58 One of the most ridiculous stories 36:59 I heard was a little girl in the front of her house, 37:02 mother just turned around to get something, 37:05 just stepped within her screen door 37:07 and stepped back out 37:08 and the girl was gone just like that. 37:12 Today, one of the reasons why parents are so careful, 37:15 you won't go to many cities 37:17 and find the streets full of boys and girls playing. 37:22 Because there's so much corruption 37:24 in the hearts of humanity, 37:25 that this is not something that we experienced 37:27 but in the new earth. 37:29 They'll be... 37:30 Where you going? 37:32 You won't have to ask your children 37:33 where they're going? 37:34 Where? I'll be back. 37:36 All right, whenever you get back, 37:37 doors will be unlocked. 37:39 There won't be any locks. 37:40 I went to L.L. Bean, 37:41 there in northern New England, in the state of Maine, 37:45 and I was shocked that a store opens 24 hours a day, 37:49 seven days a week. 37:50 In all their lifespan they only closed three times. 37:53 That's when Kennedy was shot, 37:56 when the store owner died, 38:00 and when there was a fire locally 38:02 that they asked them to close for the safety of humans. 38:04 They don't even have locks on the doors of their stores. 38:09 And that store exemplifies 38:11 what the new earth is going to be like. 38:12 You go 4:30 in the morning to buy a jacket. 38:14 Want to buy a bicycle? 38:15 Go at 6 o'clock in the morning. 38:17 Go 1:15, go 4 o'clock. 38:19 I can't sleep, let me go buy something at L.L. Bean, 38:22 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 38:24 This is not a commercial by the way. 38:27 But the fact of the matter is, they don't lock their doors. 38:30 And I'm thinking, 38:31 either this is the safest town on earth, 38:34 or they just have a whole lot of security 38:37 that we don't see. 38:38 And maybe a little bit of the both. 38:40 But I tell you what? 38:43 Don't get upset with me, New Yorkers, 38:44 but they won't be an L.L. Bean in Brooklyn, 38:48 maybe the new Brooklyn. 38:50 But I tell you the Brooklyn that I was raised in 38:52 there will be no L.L. Bean open 24 hours a day. 38:55 They'll be closed at five, 38:57 because the streets were much more violent 38:59 than they are now. 39:01 So the city streets will be full of boys and girls, 39:03 quite a change from how the world is today. 39:06 Let's go to number 30. Let's go to number 30. 39:09 What will the condition 39:11 of the New Jerusalem inhabitants be? 39:14 What will the condition of their... 39:16 What would the condition 39:17 of the New Jerusalem inhabitants be? 39:20 Now it's amazing, think of New Jerusalem, 39:22 New Jerusalem doesn't mean Jerusalem 39:25 in the Middle East, 39:27 that one's going to be removed, 39:28 there's going to be a New Jerusalem. 39:31 Those are the Bible lands, 39:32 but this Jerusalem is the Holy Land. 39:36 There's difference all together. 39:38 Those are the Bible lands today. 39:39 But this Jerusalem is going to be the Holy Land. 39:42 Here it is Isaiah 33:24. 39:45 Look at the answer. 39:46 What's going to be different? 39:47 What's the condition 39:49 of the New Jerusalem inhabitants? 39:50 The Bible says, 39:52 "And the inhabitants will not say," what? 39:54 "I am sick, 39:55 the people who dwell in it 39:56 will be forgiven their iniquities." 39:59 Now, this is an amazing text. 40:01 First of all, there'll be no need 40:02 for a new health plan. 40:05 Because nobody is going to get sick, 40:06 ain't that right? 40:08 So there'll be no sickness 40:10 but an amazing connection is made here. 40:13 Because when Jesus met a man who had been bound to his bed, 40:18 you know, the paralytic that had to be let down 40:20 through the roof. 40:21 One of the first things He said to him 40:23 was your sins are forgiven you. 40:25 This text is suggesting 40:27 that sin is connected to sickness. 40:31 And some people are sick because of their sin. 40:35 And iniquity and sickness are not far removed. 40:39 The Lord first said to him, "Your sins have forgiven you." 40:41 And then He said, "You know, take up your bed and walk." 40:45 He forgave him of his illness 40:47 after He forgave him of his sin. 40:49 So here it is. 40:50 There'll be no more illness in the New Jerusalem, amen? 40:53 No more illness, no more pills. 40:58 That should have been like a 1000 hallelujahs, right? 41:01 No more pills. 41:03 Now what pill do I need to take when? 41:04 Well, this one you take to wake up, 41:06 and this one you take to go to sleep, 41:07 don't reverse them 41:09 because you'll never get any rest. 41:10 You know this when you take the go fast 41:12 and this when you take the slow down, 41:14 you need this one for your right eye 41:15 and this one for your left eye. 41:16 I mean, think of all the pills we take. 41:18 They said that Elvis when he died, 41:19 he was taking 27 pills a day. 41:22 And how I thought myself, how do they know where to go? 41:25 I mean, that's just my mind. 41:27 You don't have to worry about that. 41:29 But sometimes I think when they swallow the pill, 41:31 doesn't say, "Okay, I need to make a right right here. 41:33 I'm looking for the shoulder. 41:35 Need to make a left. 41:36 Do you think about that? 41:38 How do they know where to go, let alone 27 pills, 41:42 in different colors, I mean... 41:46 And the doctors today, 41:48 instead of leading you to be healthy, 41:51 instead of saying, 41:52 "What you have is because of the way you eat 41:54 and your lifestyle." 41:55 They say, "Here's a pill. 41:57 Take two and call me in the morning." 41:58 And that's what's happening nowadays. 42:00 Really, think about it. 42:01 And anytime somebody comes up with a natural remedy, 42:05 the FDA says, "Be careful, because it's natural, 42:08 it may hurt you." 42:10 And then they resolve and just take in medication. 42:13 Now I want to be balanced here. 42:15 We need medication for some things. 42:16 Amen to that? 42:18 But I tell you in the new earth, 42:19 we won't need medication at all. 42:21 Because the reason for sickness is sin and sin will be removed, 42:26 there will be no more sickness, praise God for that. 42:29 But let's look at the next text. 42:31 Look at the next text. 42:33 All right. 42:34 Isaiah 35:6. 42:36 Isaiah 35:6, also about the inhabitance, 42:40 and, you know, my mother in law is 87 now. 42:43 She's not as fast as she used to be 42:45 when she was young. 42:46 She'd get up in the morning and cook all day 42:48 and go to work at night and come back 42:50 and keep the house together, eight children. 42:54 But today she walks a little slower 42:56 and some of you with the aid of a walking stick 42:58 or a cane or some people need a wheelchair, 43:01 some people need a stroller, 43:02 I mean, all types of apparatus to keep us mobile. 43:07 That's what our world is like nowadays. 43:09 But notice what the Bible says about the new earth. 43:12 Here's what it says, Isaiah 35:6, 43:16 "Then the lame shall leap like a," what? 43:19 "A deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall," do what? 43:23 "Sing. 43:24 For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, 43:29 and streams in the desert." 43:32 So now, will there be any people 43:35 walking really slow in the new earth? 43:38 Only if they want to. 43:40 Only if they... 43:41 They could stroll 43:42 because they're not in a hurry to go anywhere. 43:44 But I tell you, the people that are bound 43:47 by some inability to move today, 43:51 there's good news in the new earth, 43:53 you'll be as mobile as a deer. 43:55 And if you in the city, come to Southern Illinois, 43:57 you'll understand what we mean by mobile as a deer. 43:59 They're everywhere, you gotta be careful, 44:01 the deers are darting out, and they're all over the place, 44:05 which means simply, they will be quite agile. 44:08 And those who cannot sing, those who for whatever reason, 44:12 either born that way, 44:13 or by some incapacitated experience 44:16 are not able to sing. 44:18 There will be no one 44:19 in the new earth that can't sing. 44:20 Amen to that? 44:22 Some people I have met, 44:23 like my good friend Doug Batchelor, 44:25 Pastor Batchelor, 44:26 you know, he plays guitar, he writes songs. 44:31 He wouldn't... 44:32 Maybe he'll get exciting to do this. 44:34 But he would not necessarily 44:36 put out a CD of him singing songs. 44:40 But in heaven, I remember him telling me one day, 44:42 he said, John, when I get to heaven, 44:43 you'll know where to find me. 44:45 I'll be the only one in heaven singing every day. 44:49 He's a great preacher. 44:50 But I think I'll leave it there. 44:52 And we're good friends, 44:54 but he'll be singing in the kingdom 44:55 and I'll be preaching in the kingdom. 44:56 Amen? 44:58 How wonderful it is. 44:59 We're going to change places. 45:01 But God is going to alter the conditions 45:02 of this new earth. 45:04 And all the things that are debilitating down here 45:06 will not be a part of our heavenly experience. 45:08 Let's go to the next one. 45:10 Number 31. Number 31. 45:13 Wow. Hmm. 45:16 How do we know that everyone 45:20 in the new earth will own a new home? 45:23 How do we know that everyone 45:25 in the new earth will own a new home? 45:29 Go with me to Isaiah Chapter 65. 45:33 And we're going to look together 45:34 at verse 21 and verse 22. 45:36 How do we know that everyone 45:37 in the new earth is going to own a new home? 45:40 Look at this beautiful text. 45:43 All right, here it is. 45:45 The Bible says, "They shall build," what? 45:48 "Houses and," what else? 45:51 "Inhabit them, 45:53 they shall plant vineyards and," what else? 45:56 "Eat their fruit. 45:57 They shall not build and another in habit, 46:00 they shall not plant and another eat, 46:04 for as the days of a tree, 46:06 so shall the days of My people, 46:10 and My elect shall long enjoy the," what? 46:14 "Work of their hands." 46:16 Now, this is an amazing text. 46:18 We lived in Northern California 46:19 where there were some beautiful vineyards. 46:21 And in Central California there are places 46:25 where you get orange, and cabbage, and lettuce, 46:28 and all kinds of agriculture. 46:30 But the people that work there 46:34 can't freely eat all that stuff up, 46:38 right? 46:39 They are there to work, 46:41 they are there to make it available to us. 46:43 But they're not going to go out in the vineyard. 46:44 Imagine, if you imagine, 46:46 you know, 300 migrant workers out in the field 46:47 and they're eating up all the profits, 46:49 the owner will get upset, 46:50 but in new earth we will plant and eat our own crops. 46:55 Amen to that? 46:56 God is going to give us the freedom to do that. 46:59 We will plant and I tell you what? 47:01 I have seen some big tomatoes, 47:02 but hold on, I think in the new earth, 47:05 the tomatoes are going to be 47:06 bigger than the ones down here, what do you say? 47:07 Every year they had this watermelon contest. 47:09 Some of you may have seen that. 47:11 The biggest watermelon. 47:12 And you know what? 47:14 Some of these farmers go to extreme lengths 47:16 and chemicals and inject these 200, 47:19 300 pound watermelons. 47:20 Now, I'm not looking forward to a 300 pound watermelon. 47:23 I don't think anybody is, but I can tell you 47:25 it's going to be sweeter than any watermelon 47:27 we have down here right now. 47:29 And I must say this, it fits, it just came into my head. 47:33 It'll all be non GMO, right? 47:37 No genetically modified organism, 47:39 this is going to be fresh from the hand of God. 47:42 We'll have beautiful houses. 47:43 I don't need a mansion, 47:44 you know, I'm not going to build a big house, 47:46 you know, I'm not going to build a big house anywhere 47:48 because I'm not going to be home. 47:49 I got places to go. 47:51 Come on everybody, can you say amen? 47:52 I got worlds to visit. 47:54 I'm not gonna build a big old house. 47:56 I don't need a big house. 47:58 Matter of fact, if I have a backpack throughout eternity, 48:00 that'll be just fine 48:01 because I'm not going to waste all my time on this planet. 48:04 I'm going to be wing myself to worlds afar. 48:07 Think about it. 48:08 All those galaxies that 48:11 astronomers are saying are there, 48:13 we'll have access to that 48:16 throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. 48:18 And when we come back home, 48:20 everything in our house will be intact. 48:22 Ain't that right? 48:24 No need for locks, no need for security, 48:26 when nobody will have to come and sleep 48:28 over to keep all your stuff in place. 48:30 It's going to be beautiful. 48:32 Let's go to the next one. 48:33 So how do we know that everyone in the new earth 48:35 will own their homes? 48:37 They'll build and they will inhabit. 48:39 There are a lot of builders nowadays, 48:42 not a lot, but I'm sure 48:43 that some people that work at certain construction sites, 48:46 they work on building a house, but they can't afford a house. 48:50 But that's not going to be the case in the new earth. 48:53 Number 32, number 32. 48:56 All right, here it is. 49:00 What preparation must we make to enjoy 49:03 these eternal pleasures? 49:05 What preparation must we make to enjoy 49:08 these eternal pleasures? 49:11 Beautiful text? 49:12 John 1:12, John 1:12. 49:17 This is beautiful. 49:19 I want us to read this together, 49:20 it's going to be on the screen. 49:22 Are you ready? Here we go. 49:23 "But as many as received Him, 49:27 to them He gave the right to become children of God, 49:32 to those who believe in His name." 49:35 You know why that text is so vitally important? 49:37 If we are His children, 49:38 He's our Father and then He's going to say, 49:42 "Come you blessed of My Father, inherit." 49:45 What word? 49:46 Inherit. 49:48 We are inheritors of the kingdom of God. 49:51 We are inheritors of the new earth. 49:54 He's getting all that ready for His children, 49:56 beautiful text. 49:57 He's getting all that ready for us. 49:59 So we're children. 50:00 And I like the text, 50:02 you know, the King James Version says, 50:04 "As many as received Him, to them He gave power." 50:08 But I like the word right. 50:09 Because down here 50:10 we don't have the right to a lot of things, 50:12 but in heaven we'll have the right, 50:14 in the new earth we'll have the right. 50:16 And the Lord says, "Don't prevent him. 50:18 He's my child, he has the right." 50:20 There'll be no prevention, 50:21 there'll be no thought of prevention, 50:23 because we as children of God will have the right. 50:28 Wow, that's a thought. 50:30 Just hold on to that one. 50:31 That's a thought. 50:33 Let's go to the last one. 50:35 Let's go to the last one, number 33. 50:37 And we'll be able to transition into the new lesson. 50:41 Here's the last question for this lesson. 50:43 How do we know that the invitation 50:46 for eternity is available to all? 50:49 How do we know that the invitation 50:50 for eternity is available to all? 50:55 Let's go to Revelation 3:21, 50:59 Revelation 3:21. 51:03 Wow! 51:05 I remember growing up, 51:07 before I discovered that Santa Claus wasn't real. 51:11 I always admired, I remember going to downtown Brooklyn, 51:15 there was a store called A&S, downtown Brooklyn. 51:19 And Abraham and Strauss, 51:21 they abbreviated to A&S 51:22 and never forgot that whenever December came around, 51:25 you know, getting close to Christmas, 51:27 maybe a long line of children, 51:30 they all wanted to sit in Santa's lap. 51:34 They want to sit with Santa. 51:36 While you think about that, 51:37 this text is going to come alive to you. 51:40 Here it is. 51:42 Revelation 3:21. 51:45 The Bible says, 51:46 "To him who overcomes I will grant to," do what? 51:51 "Sit with Me on My throne, 51:54 as I also overcame 51:56 and sat down with My Father," where? 51:59 "On His throne." 52:01 Not sitting in Santa's seat, 52:03 we're sitting on the throne of the Lord. 52:05 Amen to that? 52:06 Now, you know, what that means, 52:08 that doesn't mean he's going to get out of the seat 52:09 and say it's yours. 52:10 That means we are going to be a part of the royal family. 52:13 We are going to be in royalty for eternity. 52:15 God's not relinquishing His position. 52:18 We're not becoming Him, and He becoming us. 52:20 But I tell you, when we see the throne of God, 52:23 and I think of this sometimes, 52:26 because we've never seen God face to face, 52:28 but when you read Revelation Chapter 21, 52:30 He says, "And they shall see His face." 52:34 They will see His face. 52:35 No more Moses' experiences, no more. 52:40 Turn your back and you get a glimpse of me 52:42 when you pass by, we will see God's face, 52:45 ain't that a privilege? 52:47 Because the one who created all things, 52:49 the one who is the creator of heaven and earth, 52:51 we'll see His face 52:53 and then we will know as my favorite text has become. 52:56 Look at this with me. 52:57 Come on, here we go. 52:59 What are we going to see when we see His face? 53:01 My favorite verse in the Bible now, 53:03 just over the last few months has become my favorite. 53:06 1 John 3, you all know where I'm headed. 53:09 1 John 3. 53:11 This is a beautiful text, 53:12 summarizing all of the amenities 53:15 of the redeemed. 53:17 1 John 3. 53:20 Here it is. 53:21 Look at this. 53:23 1 John 3, "Behold, 53:25 what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, 53:29 that we should be called together, 53:31 children of God. 53:34 Therefore, the world does not know us 53:35 because it did not know Him." 53:37 And here is the text. 53:39 "Beloved," what's the next word? 53:41 "Now, we are children of God, 53:43 and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. 53:46 But we know," I like this, 53:48 "but we know that when He is revealed, 53:53 we shall be like Him. 53:55 For we shall," what? 53:57 "See Him as He is." 54:00 Praise the Lord for that. 54:02 Not only are we going to see His face, 54:04 but we will be like Him. 54:05 We'll say, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, 54:08 I look like You." 54:10 He'll say "You look like Me." 54:12 And then we'll understand 54:13 what Genesis meant when it says, 54:15 "In the image of God He created male and female. 54:20 In the image of God He created them." 54:23 When we were created, 54:25 sin marred that image that God created a sin, 54:28 but in the new earth, in the new kingdom, 54:31 we're going to see the Lord and it always amazes my mind 54:34 that one day, I'm gonna think about it, 54:35 we're all different, 54:37 but we gonna all look like our Heavenly Father, 54:38 ain't that wonderful? 54:40 We're going to all finally be restored to the image 54:42 that has been taken away by the entrance of sin. 54:46 That's why this next passage is, 54:47 that's why this next lesson is so vitally important. 54:50 I'm just going to give a brief introduction to it. 54:52 Let's go to lesson number 27. 54:55 Lesson number 27. 54:56 Just a brief introduction to it. 54:58 The Truth about God's True Church. 55:01 The Truth about God's True Church, 55:03 we may just get one done. 55:05 But I want to go ahead 55:06 and just tap on it very quickly, 55:08 because God has a church, 55:10 and God has a message for His church to proclaim. 55:13 I'm just going to go ahead and give you the introduction. 55:15 And I may not start it tonight, but let me lay some foundation, 55:18 because this is a vitally important topic. 55:20 You know, we're living in a day and age 55:22 where there are many churches. 55:24 Somebody just recently said, 55:26 and I heard this statistic that said, 55:28 there are probably 30 to 33,000 different churches, 55:33 things, organizations claiming to be official churches, 55:37 including the Church of Satan. 55:40 So the word church does not necessarily mean 55:44 that God is behind it. 55:46 That's very important. 55:47 When you say church, what church do you go to? 55:49 Like Mark Finley saw a man praying on the airplane, 55:52 thought he was a preacher, 55:54 came to find out he was not a preacher, 55:55 but he was a Satanist praying against preachers. 55:59 So not everything that's titled church is from God. 56:03 Then you go on the Bible, and you see the Old Testament, 56:06 people of God, the children of Israel. 56:10 There were not nine nations that were the children of God, 56:13 there was just one, He chose one nation. 56:15 So they were the Jews and they were the Gentiles. 56:19 They were those that were called of God. 56:21 And they were those that God's people 56:23 were called to minister to. 56:25 Matter of fact, Isaiah Chapter, not Isaiah, 56:27 but Acts Chapter 13 makes it clear that God said, 56:30 "The children of Israel 56:31 were to be a light to the Gentiles, 56:34 to the uttermost parts of the earth." 56:37 So God had a church established in the New Testament, 56:40 God had a people in the Old Testament, 56:43 and the purpose of them were to be a light, 56:46 say that word together, light. 56:48 Let your light so shine 56:50 was not a New Testament injunction, 56:52 but was an Old Testament injunction. 56:54 God had called the children of Israel to be a light 56:59 and He even says in Isaiah Chapter 60, 57:01 "Arise and shine, for your light has come 57:05 and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you." 57:08 At a time when gross darkness covers the earth, 57:11 when darkness covers the earth, in gross darkness, the people, 57:14 God has a people. 57:16 And no matter what the conditions 57:17 around them, God's light will never go out. 57:20 Amen to that? 57:22 So when we studied the topic about the Church of God, 57:24 what's going to be most instrumental about it 57:26 is not the doctrine so much, 57:27 we'll get to those 57:28 and we've been covering some of those already. 57:31 But what we're going to establish very clearly, 57:33 is what does the Bible define as God's true church? 57:37 Now many people watching the program will say, 57:39 "You're going to talk about your church." 57:41 Well, you know, I'm going to say unashamedly, 57:43 "Yes, I am." 57:45 But I'll also say this, 57:47 and this is a challenge that I put out to the world. 57:49 If you can find a place on earth 57:51 where the truth of God is clearer than here, 57:53 I'll join it." 57:55 But until then, 57:56 let's keep studying the Word of God 57:57 and, friends, whatever doesn't make sense, 57:59 one day it will come into A Sharper Focus. 58:02 God bless you. |
Revised 2019-07-12