Sermon
Heaven - Frank Brancato 12/6/15
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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It's wonderful to be here with you today.
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We appreciate everyone for being with us and it is an honor,
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every time that we have an occasion to worship God in
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spirit and in truth on his day. So we appreciate that
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opportunity. Very much as always is the case,
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it is an honor to speak concerning the word of God and I
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would hope that what we have to consider for a little while.
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This morning will be both edifying and encouraging to you.
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I invite your attention as I have on the screen there.
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Revelation chapter 21 and I want to begin reading in verse 1.
Revelation 21 chapter mention
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Revelation chapter 21 beginning in verse 1.
Revelation 21 chapter mention
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Now, I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven,
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and the first Earth had passed away, and there was no more sea.
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Then I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out
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of Heaven, from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,
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and I heard a loud voice from Heaven.
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Saying, behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will
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dwell with them and they shall be his people, God himself will
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be with them and be their God and God will wipe away every
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tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death nor
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Sorrow, nor crying, there shall be no more pain for the, former
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things have passed away. For a little while.
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I want to talk to you about what Will Heaven be like, you know,
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we spend our entire life trying to live our life, obedient to
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the call of Christ, obedient to the word of God, serving him,
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with every fiber of our being. So that we one day can make
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heaven. Well if we're going to work that
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hard to get somewhere maybe we ought to know a little bit more
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about that. Great place.
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People have all kinds of Concepts about heaven.
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What does the Bible say? What will it be like?
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We'll talk about these things in Greater detail in just a few
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minutes. But this time let's pray the
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word heaven. Comes from a word or a nose from
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the original and it means to cover or Encompass.
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A general definition is the vaulted expanse of the sky with
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all things visible in it. That the Bible says in Hebrews
Hebrews 1 chapter mention
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chapter 1 and verse 10, you Lord, in the beginning, laid,
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the foundation of the earth and the heavens.
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Plural are the work of your hands.
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Another passage that we find to is in 2nd.
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Peter chapter 3 and verse 5 Peter says for this, they
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willingly forget that by the word of God, the heavens were of
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old and the Earth standing out of the water.
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And in the water, one more passage along this line in
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second, Peter chapter 3, and verse 7, but the heavens and the
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Earth which are now preserved by the same word are reserved for
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fire until the day of judgment and Perdition of ungodly men.
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Now the question is, what is the Bible talking about when it says
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Heavens? Plural are going to be destroyed
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and it's going to be burned up and it's going to be destroyed.
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As the Bible says by fire. What is it talking about?
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Well, it's talking about to Heavens.
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The first one is called the aerial Heavens or the sky.
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It is defined like this, it's the region, the region, where
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the clouds and the Tempest gather and where thunder and
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lightning. Are produced.
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If I were to talk about the aerial Heavens, really?
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You can look up into the sky and what you see immediately there
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with the clouds right there, that is the aerial Heavens or
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aerial Sky, that's one of the heavens.
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It's going to be destroyed when Jesus comes back to judge the
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world. James chapter 5 and verse 18 and
James 5 chapter mention
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he prayed again and Heaven gave up rain and the Earth produced
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its fruit now. Do you remember in Acts chapter
Acts 22 chapter mention
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22? Paul was giving he was now the
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Apostle Paul and he was giving a recount of the idea of when he
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was converted and he was on the road to Damascus, Acts chapter 9
Acts 9 chapter mention
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that happened but in Acts 22 and verse 6.
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The Bible says that of Paul. He says, I Paul as I journeyed
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along and came near Damascus about noon.
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He said suddenly, there was a great light that shine shine,
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drowned about me. Me from Heaven, that's the
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aerial Heavens or Scott. Then there's the severe, real
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Heavens or Starry heavens and Hebrews chapter 11, and verse
Hebrews 11 chapter mention
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12. Therefore, from one man, and him
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as good as dead were born, as many as the stars of the sky in
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multitude innumerable as the sand, which is by the seashore.
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Now, that's the region above the Guy that we look up and see
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above the clouds. That's where the stars are.
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In fact, interestingly, in Mark, chapter 13 and verse 26, it's
Mark 13 chapter mention
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referring to the time when Jesus would come back on the day of
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the judgment and the Bible says, he will come back in the clouds.
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That's the aerial Heavens. But in this verse Mark, 13 and
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25, it says he will utterly destroy the stars of Heaven.
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Talking about both. Will be destroyed.
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When the Lord comes back. Now I'll tell you I really don't
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care. About the aerial heavens.
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And I really don't care about the cereal or Starry heavens.
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I don't care about the makeup of them and I have never in my
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life, nothing wrong with that but I've never in my life had a
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desire to study about the Stars I really don't care.
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What I'm concerned about is the area or the region that is above
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the area, land above the scenario.
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And that's the third heaven That's the only one that really
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matters in our life. Will we have an opportunity to
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go to that place? The third heaven, it's beyond
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the stars. It is defined like this.
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It's the region above the severe aerial.
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It's the seat of Order of Things.
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Eternal and consummately, perfect, and get this.
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You know why I want to go there, because it's the place where God
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dwells and it's the place where other Heavenly beings are.
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That's where I want to go. That's the most important place
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we could ever talk about in our life is going there.
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That is the third heaven. Now in second Corinthians,
2 Corinthians 12 chapter mention
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chapter 12, and verse 2, You know, interestingly Jesus was
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our the Apostle Paul on the Damascus Road and the Bible says
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that a light Shone round about them.
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We know the story goes into Damascus, he prays for three
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days and a nyhus, ananias comes up to him and says, why you're
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waiting, what are you waiting for arise and be baptized and
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wash away? Your sins?
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Calling on the name of the Lord, he obeyed the gospel.
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All right, he was a Christian for 10 years.
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And then this happened in second Corinthians chapter 12 and verse
2 Corinthians 12 chapter mention
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two. He said I knew a man in Christ.
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Speaking about himself, 14 years ago, he said, whether in the
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body, I do not know whether out of the body, I do not know, God
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knows such a one was caught up into the third heaven.
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I'm going to talk about the place where it is later on in
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our study. But right now, he talks about
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the third heaven. That's the place where God
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dwells. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse
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10. Speaking of Jesus, he who
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descended is also the one who ascended far above all the
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heavens that he might fill all things.
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Now, the question is this, what's the new Heaven?
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And the new Earth? I had a fellow come to my house
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the other day. Knocked on the door.
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Very well-dressed gentleman older gentleman.
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In one hand, he had a Bible on the other hand, he had a
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magazine and he wanted to discuss what the new heavens and
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the new Earth were. Well, the question is, what is
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the new heavens and the new Earth?
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First of all in Revelation, chapter 21 and verse 1, it says,
Revelation 21 chapter mention
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and I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth for the first Heaven, what
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is that? That is the aerial and the
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severe Ariel, the sky and the ours, and the first Earth,
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that's this Earth had passed away and there was no more sea.
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That's what John saw. You know, all we got to do
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really is look to a word study from this past it dry here and
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take some of the words, the keywords that are in second
2 Peter 3 chapter mention
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Peter chapter 3. And we could prove beyond a
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shadow of a doubt that the position that this Earth is
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going to be restored and refurbished for all eternity is
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false Second Peter chapter 3 beginning in verse 10, but the
2 Peter 3 chapter mention
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day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which
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the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements
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will melt with fervent heat both the earth and the works that are
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in. It will be burned up.
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Therefore since all these things will be dissolved, what manner
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of persons ought you to be in, holy conduct and godliness,
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looking for, and hastening the coming of the day of God,
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because of which Which the heavens will be dissolved being
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on fire and the elements will melt with fervent heat.
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Nevertheless, we according to his promise, look for new
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heavens and a new Earth in which righteousness dwells.
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All right, let's take a look at some of these words.
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First of all, the word knew the word new comes from the Greek
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word kano's. Look at the definition of this
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word, In this passage as respects to form, it is recently
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made. It is fresh.
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It is recent, it is unused. And it's unworn Now, can't, we
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look at that. And logically think that there's
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no way in the world that it comes from something that
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already exists. It is something that is unused,
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and it's going to be unworn, mr. Thayer further says it is that
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which is made recently, is superior to what it succeeds now
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that's found in second Peter 3 and 13 and Revelation, 21, and
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verse number 1, let's look at some more words.
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The Bible says that the heavens that now are will pass away,
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that is Perico met and that means to perish.
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Or pass away to vart to vanish or disappear out of sight.
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What else? Then Peter says, and the
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elements will melt with fervent heat, you know the word melt
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there, in this past that little four-letter, English word comes
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from two. Small Greek words.
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One is luo, and luo means to dissolve something coherent into
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Parks or destroy according to mr.
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Thayer. It's the same word or part of a
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word that is translated dissolved in.
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Second Peter 3, 11 and 12, and it smelt.
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It, second Peter 3 and verse 10. What else?
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Not just luo, but Tico and Tico means to make liquid or become
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liquid to perish or be destroyed by melting.
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That look what's going to happen.
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We're going to get something new and that's great, you know, why?
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Because everything that we know is going to pass away, it is
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going to melt, it is going to be utterly destroyed.
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But there's more. but by the Bible further says, when it
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says, the elements will melt with fervent heat, you know what
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elements mean? So not only the Earth will be
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destroyed, but even the elements.
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You know what the word elements here means, it is the elements
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from, which all things have come, it is the material causes
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of the universe. Let me ask you this, does that
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sound to you like God is going to do something with this Earth
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and refurbish or do a remodel on it.
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Spruce it up, it's going to be utterly destroyed.
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Not only that, even the elements that made up the universe will
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be destroyed. And what's going to happen to
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the Earth? The Bible says, and the earth,
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and the works there of will be burned.
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Which means to consumed by fire. According to mr.
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Thayer. I'm going to tell you something
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my whole life. I have in school maybe it's the
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same way. I don't know.
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But in school, everybody wanted to talk about how man is going
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to destroy the Earth. My whole life as a kid in
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school. Nuclear war, destroy the Earth.
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We're not very good environmentalist, so we're going
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to destroy the Earth. You can rest assured and be
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confident that it is impossible for a man to destroy the Earth.
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When God said he is going to do it, it's going to exist until
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the Lord comes back and then all of those things are going to
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pass away. Watch the heavens will pass
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away. The elements will melt with
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fervent Heat and the earth, and the works.
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There in will be burned up and guess what?
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We're getting something new that is superior.
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Rior to what it succeeds in that great.
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Had a discussion with this felon.
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He was telling me that he said well, well Heaven is is all
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filled up. And I want to, I want to go and
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be here on the Earth. and I said, I have no desire to be on
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this Earth any longer than I have to The place that I want to
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go up, go to I said, is the place that's new a place that
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did not exist for our benefit yet, that is so more Superior
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and farther Superior than anything we have ever known.
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That's where I want to go. And, you know, he said, can't
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even imagine saying it. I don't want to go to heaven.
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I can't even fathom. So, what are we talking about?
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We're talking about the new heavens and the new Earth, where
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is that? And what is that?
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First of all, it's the Eternal place of the redeemed.
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Peter talks about it as the new heaven.
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John talks about it as the new Heaven and John also talks about
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it as the New Jerusalem in First Peter chapter 1 verses 3 and 4.
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It says blessed be the God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ
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who according to His, abundant Mercy, has begotten us again to
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a Living Hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
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from the dead to what an inheritance Incorruptible.
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And Undefiled and that does not fade away.
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Where is it? Reserved in heaven for you.
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That's the new heaven. That's the new Earth.
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It is a place reserved in heaven.
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What else? Second Peter 3:13 nevertheless
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we according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
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Earth in which righteousness dwells I'm going to taste some
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people have all kinds of Concepts about heaven.
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Heaven is not a concept. It is a real place.
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It's where righteousness. Dwells what else?
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Who's going to get in there? Revelation 21:27.
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Please get this. But there shall, by no means
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enter into it. Anything that defiles or causes
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an Abomination or a lie, but only those that are written in
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the Lamb's Book of Life. You know, I didn't say that.
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That did not come from me. That came right out of the Bible
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who is going to go to the new heavens and the new Earth.
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The place that is reserved in heaven for who those that are
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found written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
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Christians. Members of the body of Christ
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reserved in heaven. For those that are pigs now.
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What about musical instruments? Remember when I talked about
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when I talk about singing and the worship of Music in the
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worship. And I talked about instrument
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music and I said, one of the arguments that people have
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trying to support instrumental music in the worship in the
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world today in the denominational world is because
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they say, well after all, all you got to do is turn to the
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Revelation letter and it says that there's instruments.
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So, if there's musical instruments in heaven, shouldn't
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there, be musical, instruments? Right in the church today, I
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made that point and I talked about a couple of these
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passages, this will be very, very quickly.
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Watch this, the first thing that's described is trumpets in
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Revelation, chapter 8, and verse 2.
Revelation 8 chapter mention
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It says, and I saw the seven angels, who stand before God and
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to them were given seven trumpets.
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Now, Revelation chapter 1 and verse 10 though.
Revelation 1 chapter mention
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It says, I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and I heard
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behind me, a loud voice of a trumpet.
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Revelation 4 verse 1, after these things, I looked and
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behold a door standing, open in heaven.
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And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet
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speaking with me. Now.
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Trumpets as far as I can understand.
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We're never used for its melodious sound, it's never
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described by John and Heaven for its musical melodious ability.
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It is always referring to what I can understand.
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It is referring to a time when a woe is being pronounced or an
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announcement is given not only that trumpets here while.
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And but let me just say, let me just say while it's true that
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oftentimes Times, you can use the word Voice or voices.
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Just to talk about the sound of an instrument.
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If you look at other passages of scripture, it appears to me
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Beyond a doubt that when we talk about the voices, it's talking
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about voices and it just describes the voices as a
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trumpet. Let's go further.
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I'll tell you why. We got to go further.
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You ever seen the little cartoon?
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Yeah. The cartoon.
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Somebody dies, and all of a sudden they come up out of their
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body. And they got white on now.
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And they fly on up. And when they get there they got
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Wings sticking out of their back.
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Got a Halo on over their head. What do they got?
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I got a harp. What about HARP?
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What about Harps in the Book of Revelation, Revelation, chapter
Revelation 5 chapter mention
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5 in verses 89. Now, when he had taken the
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scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four
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Elders fell down before the lamb each having a harp and the
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golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of saints
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and notice. And they sung a new song, Let's
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go further. In Revelation chapter 14 and
Revelation 14 chapter mention
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verse to the King James says, I heard the voices of Harpers
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harping with their harps. Now, the new King James says, I
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heard the sound of Harpers harping with their Harps.
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Let's look to some other translations.
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In the American Standard Version.
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It says this and the voice which I heard was like the voice of
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Harpers harping with their harps.
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The revised Standard Version says, the voice.
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I heard was like the sound of Harpers harping or playing on
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their Harps. Do you see what it says?
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He said, I heard voices and the voices sounded like Harper's
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harping on their harps. Now, I'm going to tell you.
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There are things that I do not understand, and I do not know
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what's going to be in heaven. In fact, I don't think we can
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know everything. I do know this though.
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When we've exhausted every possible thought of what heaven
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could possibly be like, we haven't even scratched the
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surface to how beautiful and how great is going to be.
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From these passages though. This doesn't support that
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there's literal instruments of Music in heaven.
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It says the voices that said that he heard John heard.
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We're like the sound of Harper's playing on their Harps.
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The next verse in Revelation, 14 and 3.
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It says they simply they sang as it were a new song.
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So the melodious harp is a symbol of Praise one.
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Scholar said they are the voices of the redeemed praising God in
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song and Revelation, 15 and 3. It says they sang the song of
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Moses, one scholar said therefore it is highly symbolic
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in this book and trumpets and harps are symbols of voices All
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right. Have you ever wondered where it
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is? I know one thing.
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I can't pinpoint the place, but I sure know the direction where
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is heaven. Where is this great place?
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Where's the new Heaven? And the new Earth?
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Where is the third heaven? Well, first of all and second
2 Corinthians 12 chapter mention
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Corinthians chapter 12 and verses two through four, and I
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mentioned this that I'm going to get back to this before.
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So now, you have the Apostle Paul and it's 10 years as he's a
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Christian, and he says, I Know a Man in Christ who fourteen years
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ago, whether in the body or the body, I do not know.
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God knows such was caught up. Into the third heaven.
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I got to tell you something. Bob Smith.
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Example, 13 years ago. The Bible says in second
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Corinthians 12, it says that he was given a view up into the
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third heaven, and Paradise, and Bob taught a sermon.
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And he said that paradise was the same as the third heaven,
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and I have to service us at Bob. I think you're wrong on that.
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I think what it was talking about is the third heaven, is
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heaven, and Paradise is the hadean realm.
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That Jesus says today, you will be with me in Paradise, all
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right? You were right, I was wrong.
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The third heaven. And Paradise is the same word
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and it's the same word that's found in Revelation 21 as the
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paradise of God. So what was he saying?
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He says, I knew man, 14 years ago.
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I don't know if it was in the body or out of the body.
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God knows, I was taken up into the third heaven and then he
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further, says, and Paradise talking about the same place.
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Good job on that, I missed it. 13 years ago.
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In fact, you know, it's beautiful and Revelation Chapter
Revelation 2 chapter mention
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2 and verse 7. it says that the Tree of Life, more on that in a
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minute. but the tree of life is in the midst, Of the paradise of
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God. Now, where is it?
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It's up. In Acts chapter 9, verses 1,
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verses 9 through 11. And when he had spoken these
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things while they watched, he was taken up and a cloud
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received him out of their sight. And while they looked
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steadfastly toward Heaven, as he went up, behold two men stood by
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them in white apparel who also said men of Galilee, why do you
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stand gazing up into heaven? Now, I know.
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It's up. And it is somewhere past the
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Ariel. Region, and it's past the
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Sevierville or the starry region its up.
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You know what I said? a few minutes ago, I said,
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Heaven is a place, a real place in not a concept.
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Have you ever stopped to consider that heaven is
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populated with real people? Beautiful Immortal.
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Strong bodies will have Bodies, that will be as visible and
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recognizable as Moses and Elijah on the Mount of transfiguration.
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Furthermore, in first John, chapter 3 and verse 2, it says,
1 John 3 chapter mention
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when he shall appear, we shall be like him for.
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We shall see him as he is. So what is it?
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It's number one, it's a place. John 14 verses 2 and 3 in my
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father's house are many mansions.
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If it were not. So I would have told you I go to
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prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you,
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I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am,
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there you may be also. So number one, it is a place.
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Look number two, it is a city in Hebrews 11 and 16 it says, but
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now they desire, a better that is Heavenly country.
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Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for.
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He has prepared a city for them. John's description.
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Watch this. John describes the third heaven.
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Now, I thought of something, when I thought of this first
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point, I thought his sister Morgan, I'm going to tell you
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why. John said there were foundations
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and the foundation's were great. In fact, John said, the
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foundations of the walls were massive.
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There were twelve foundations and on the twelve foundations
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were what the names of the Apostles of the Lamb.
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Years ago, she and I were talking.
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She said, if it's Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, who do you
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think the 12th is we both understood?
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It couldn't be Judas. There's no way that's Judas.
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What are the original could it be Mathias?
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That was added to the 11 in the book of Acts?
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Or was it the Apostle Paul? I don't know for certain in the
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Bible doesn't say, but I think it's got to be pull.
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Just my thoughts. He wrote over 2/3 of the New
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Testament as a chosen vessel of the Lord.
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I would imagine, he's the one that's the 12th.
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The foundations of the Apostles, the names of the Apostles of the
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Lamb. What else?
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There were 12, identical Gates. I want a, what I read this week.
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One scholar said The Identical part.
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Is the fact that that is a symbol of the fact that
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everybody must meet the same exact requirements in order to
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get in. They're identical.
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But I'm going to tell you something folks.
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There are people in this world to have all manner of things and
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all manner of ways that they think are going to get to
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heaven. Isabel it said this to my,
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excuse me, said this to my dad when I was a kid.
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He said, well, Bob, I don't agree with you.
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You don't agree with me. You do your thing, I'll do my
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thing and we'll all just meat heaven anyway, and it really
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doesn't matter. You know what, the identical
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Gates, represent an identical way that you have to enter in.
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There's only one way to enter in.
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Also, at each gate was an angel and the angel stood like a
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soldier on guard. One scholar says that symbolized
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that you can't enter in as you please.
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We're also the names of the 12 tribes of Israel.
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But then, the gates were made of Peru.
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What does that mean? I read some Scholars said
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something about that. Get this one said, the Pearl was
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symbolic of those that have overcome trials and tribulations
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in order to enter Heaven. And the reason for that is the
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Pearl produced is produced by the oysters response to
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suffering. Yeah, you're going to suffer.
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Now we don't suffer like the early church kind of embarrasses
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me. When we talk about persecution
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today compared to some of those of old that we read about But
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I'll tell you something, we're going to have persecutions in
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our life. There are going to come times
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when you have to show the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ, when
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you stand against something that's wrong, and you don't go
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and do things that other people do that are wrong.
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And when you stand out as being different, that's a scar.
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That's a mark of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Paul had literal marks, we do not we have symbolic or
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figurative marks. What else is there?
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It was a city Foursquare. Look at this.
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That means that the length and the breadth and the height are
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equal and John said each measure 12,000 furlongs.
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Now, The Furlong you never hear about furlongs except at horse
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racing, I think. But a furlong is 1/8 of a mile.
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So John said, each measured, twelve thousand furlongs.
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It is a city for square. In other words, it's about 1,500
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miles. Now, how big is heaven going to
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be? Watch this.
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It's like, you went from Dallas to New York City.
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The New York City to Bismarck, North Dakota from Bismarck North
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Dakota to San Francisco San Francisco back to Dallas.
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But guess what? It's a city Foursquare.
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So now you got to go up 1500 miles, straight up and do it
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again. You know, big Heavens going to
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be. 500 quintillion, cubic feet. I don't know if I've ever used
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the word quintillion in my whole life.
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I had to get this from somebody else quintillion, you know what
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it is. It's the it's the number 500
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here with 18 zeros after that. 500 quintillion ft3 think we're
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going to have some Elbow Room. That's how big Heaven is.
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And, you know, there's a symbol there that heaven is big enough
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for anyone, that would come in obedience to the Lord and serve
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him all the days of their life and go to that City.
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That New Jerusalem that John talked about.
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What about the wall? John said he saw a wall there
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and the wall was forty, two, forty, four, cubits tall, or 218
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feet. Now, interestingly about this, a
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cubit is 18 to 21 inches, so about two hundred and eighteen
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feet. Now, what's interesting, or what
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I thought was interesting, is the fact that the wall is never
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described by its width ever. John doesn't talk about how wide
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the wall is, and do you remember our study and in the Old
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Testament, Talked about Nineveh and we talked about ancient
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cities were fenced or walled cities for what reason.
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Keep the enemy out. Are you kind of seeing a picture
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here? You kind of get in the point it
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was to keep the enemy out. In fact Nineveh had walls that
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were 100 feet tall and so wide that three chariots.
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You remember this could drive a breast of it of themself on top
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of the wall. That's How wide it was.
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You know why? Keep the enemy out and it was
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imperative that it was thick enough that it would do just
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that. The Bible says, when the Tigris
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River overflowed and God did all this.
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When God said I'm going to destroy Nineveh the Tigris,
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River overflowed. And it broke breaches into the
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wall and it opened up at what happened.
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The enemy got in and attacked them and destroyed them.
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So, how come the width is not mentioned in heaven?
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I kind of think that. It's not going to matter.
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Because we'll never have to protect ourselves from the enemy
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ever again. He had hard times.
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You had to stand and be strong and stand for your faith.
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What are the enemies of the Cross badmouth?
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You put you down, criticize, you take things away.
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I don't know what it's going to be, like we talked about this, I
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don't know what the country's going to get like, I don't know.
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There may be a time when we're really persecuted for our faith
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and those that do that are the enemies of the cause of Christ
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are the enemies of God's people. Yes yes.
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What just hang on. just hang on because once we get there, they
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can't get in. We need no protection at all.
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City Foursquare. It's a city of pure gold.
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John said his, he pictured it. He said it looked like
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transparent glass. He said there was a wall of
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Jasper. There were Gates of Pearl and as
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we sing in our songs a street. Of gold.
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Finally though, let me talk about what things are in heaven.
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What things are going to be in heaven?
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Number one, God's going to be there.
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And he's going to be honest thrown, do you remember when
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Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, he said all power, all authority is
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given unto me in heaven and in Earth.
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Who gave him the authority. The one who is all
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authoritative, and that's God. But what does the Bible say is
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going to happen on that last and final day God is going to send
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Jesus back to this earth. And what's he going to do?
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He's going to take the redeemed, he's going to take the church
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and hand it over to his father and Jesus will step down from
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his rule or Reign Over the church and God will be on his
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throne for all eternity in the Bible says that God would be all
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in all. So who's going to be there?
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God's going to be there on his throne.
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What else, who else? The Bible says in Revelation
Revelation 5 chapter mention
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chapter 5, if the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ is going to be
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there. And by the way, there is no need
-
for artificial light. We're talking about a spiritual
-
place. There's no need for artificial
-
light because the light is the Lamb of God.
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The light is the Lord. How do I explain all that in our
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vernacular? No idea.
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When we get there, we can see. It just says there's no need for
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light. Because the light is the Lord.
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It's going to be the multitude of the redeemed there to
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Revelation 7 and 9. There's going to be the tree of
-
life. You remember, in the garden when
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Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden?
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The tree of life was removed from them.
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And they now could die physically.
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They were no longer Immortal. I like what my father-in-law
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said. One time he says, I'll never
-
forget this. He said we talk about the tree
-
of life. He is.
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And you know what? He said we're getting it back.
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They lost it in the garden. But we're getting it back.
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You know, what else is going to be there?
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A pure River of water, a pure River of Water of Life.
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One scholar suggested that the fact that there's the tree of
-
life and a pure River of Water of Life shows that the hunger
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and thirst of the redeemed will be satisfied forever.
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Isn't that great? Now, you got to come back next
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Sunday. because next Sunday, I'm going to talk about this one
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part right here, our treasure and our inheritance Heaven as
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our inheritance. Finally though.
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The name of every child of God will be written there.
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Luke 10 and 20 says, nevertheless do not rejoice in a
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Jesus, is talking to his disciples, who had the power to
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cast out demons and he said, nevertheless do not rejoice in
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this that the spirits are subject to you, but rather
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Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.
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That tells me that there's nothing greater than we will
-
ever be better. Christian.
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Now as I close, let me ask you a question.
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When you look up at this list, you see your hobbies. my whole
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life, I've heard people say, We're going to get to do
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whatever we loved in this life. We're going to get to do it for
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eternity over there. If I like playing golf, I'm
-
gonna get to play golf on the greatest golf course in the
-
world ever saw beautiful perfect.
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I don't see anything at all about Hobbies.
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I see a spiritual place. And the only thing that matters
-
is having your names written in heaven.
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And what did we already say those that are in heaven?
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The place that's waiting for the redeemed.
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Are those that have their names in the Lamb's Book of Life?
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So let me ask you is your name written in the Lamb's Book of
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Life. Because that's all that matters.
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Your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life when you
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obey the gospel and live faithful unto death, Jesus says
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that he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
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We must believe in Jesus. We must repent of our sins.
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We must make the determination in our mind, we're going to
-
change our life, we must be willing to confess the name of
-
Jesus Christ. And say those words I believe
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that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
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And then upon taking those steps, we are ready for baptism.
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When we go down into the Waters of baptism contact, the blood of
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Jesus have our sins washed away becoming the Book of Life and
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continue on that path. So our names will be written in
-
heaven forever. We thank you for listening to
-
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
-
Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional
-
information or you would like to receive a free Bible
-
correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at True
-
Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.
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Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and
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Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us.
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We would love for you to be our honored guest.