Participants: Ivor Myers (Host), James Rafferty (Host), Yvonne Lewis, Jason Bradley
Series Code: SISS
Program Code: SISS000071A
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00:30 What a great journey it has been...
00:33 what a great journey it's been, 00:34 I think we got 70 Programs behind us in Revelation, 00:37 we've been talking about Daniel 00:38 and it's going to be a little different, 00:40 we've done this in about four sessions... 70 Programs... 00:44 but when we get Daniel going, 00:46 I think we're going to knock it out in a week, 00:48 maybe 20 Programs or less 00:50 because it's not as complicated... not as detailed 00:52 so, I want to just put that little plug-in for our Viewers 00:54 that Daniel is next and we're going to cover it soon 00:57 and it's not going to be... it's going to be... 00:59 it's going to become coming, it's going to be coming, 01:01 Daniel 11 is going to be a little bit challenging 01:03 but it's going to be coming. 01:05 And the Study Guides are coming, 01:07 I thought that they were going to be done 01:12 but we have some other things that have to be added to them, 01:15 when they're released, 01:17 we want them to be as comprehensive as possible 01:20 and so, it's... there's a little delay 01:23 but those are coming too just hold on. 01:26 I'll be studying those guides too. 01:28 I know... me too... me too. 01:30 That'll be good... that'll be good, 01:32 all right, so we're in Revelation chapter 21 01:34 and we just want to jump right in 01:36 and get going on this so Jason, will you pray for us? 01:39 Sure, "Dear Heavenly Father, 01:41 we thank you for bringing us this far in the study 01:44 we ask that you would continue to be with us, 01:46 that you would continue to pour out your Holy Spirit 01:48 that we may understand everything that we're reading 01:51 and please bring back to our remembrance 01:53 the things that we've studied in the past, 01:55 we thank you for revealing your love for us... to us... 02:01 and showing us that Revelation is truly a love story 02:06 thank you for hearing our prayer, 02:08 in Jesus' name we pray, amen. " 02:10 "Amen. " 02:11 And so this love story ends with a happy ending... 02:14 an incredible ending, 02:15 Revelation chapter 21 and I'm just tempted... 02:18 "Oh, let's just read the chapter let's read the chapter," 02:20 and I think we should read it... 02:22 not all in one setting but I think we should read it 02:24 and then we'll just... we'll start with a few verses here 02:27 Yvonne, can you start us out... Revelation chapter 21 02:29 and just read verses 1 through 4. 02:32 Sure, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth: 02:35 for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away; 02:38 also there was no more sea. 02:40 Then I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, 02:44 coming down out of heaven from God, 02:46 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 02:49 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 02:51 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 02:54 and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, 02:57 God himself will be with them, and be their God. 03:01 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; 03:04 there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, 03:07 there shall be no more pain: 03:09 for the former things had passed away. " 03:13 Alleluia, alleluia, this is God's ideal, 03:16 it's always been God's ideal for us 03:18 so, whenever anyone asks the question, 03:21 "Why sin and suffering... why?" 03:23 My immediate answer is, 03:25 it wasn't part of God's original plan, 03:27 for whatever reason it's been allowed 03:29 and there are many, 03:30 for whatever reason God has had to allow 03:33 sin and suffering to continue, He's bringing it to an end 03:35 and we know that as we study the Bible 03:39 but we primarily see it right here in Revelation 21, 03:41 the primary mission of Revelation chapter 21 is... 03:44 it's over... all that pain, all that suffering, 03:48 all that evil has ended, God is going to be with us 03:51 and when God is with us, there's no pain, 03:52 there's no suffering, there's no evil, 03:54 all of that former stuff is gone 03:56 but the other message here that I really love, 03:59 it says here that John saw the Holy City... 04:02 the Holy City where God dwells coming down to Planet Earth 04:06 the one planet of rebellion in all this universe 04:10 is where he is going to place the center of the universe 04:14 because where God is, that's where the center is, 04:17 He says, "I'm coming to dwell with men 04:19 I'm going to dwell with them, 04:21 I'm going to be their God, they're going to be my people, 04:22 but the Holy City is coming down to this earth, 04:24 and it's going to land right here and be here... 04:27 so to me, Revelation 21 is the ultimate message 04:31 of the grace of God. Hmmm... 04:32 See, the Bible is filled... 04:34 it's saturated with the grace of God 04:35 and here... it just doesn't end, 04:37 the grace of God doesn't end, 04:38 we're going to remember as we look at the presence of God 04:41 on Planet Earth, we're going to remember 04:42 grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, 04:45 so this picture is just beautiful. 04:47 You can take Revelation chapter 21 04:49 and just print it out into a tract form 04:52 and just hand it out to people... 04:54 hand it out to people, 04:56 "Hey, you want to know what God's like, 04:57 you want to know what God has for each one... 04:58 you want to know what the future holds?" 05:00 "Hey, you want to know about prophecy? 05:01 Revelation 21... here it is... 05:02 Revelation 21... here it is... here you go... " 05:05 You were talking about God dwelling with us, 05:09 when Jesus 05:11 left and went to heaven, 05:13 He said, "I'm going to come again 05:15 that where I am, there you may be also. " 05:19 And He's talking about, 05:20 "I'm going to bring you up to heaven. " 05:22 We've just seen that... 05:24 that is the whole millennium, right, 05:26 that's... we go to dwell with God 05:28 but at the end of the millennium, He says, 05:31 "Now, I'm coming to dwell with you. " 05:34 You see what I'm saying? "I'm coming to live with you. " 05:36 James: "I'm coming to your place. " 05:38 Ivor: I'm coming to your place. Yvonne: Hmmm... 05:39 James: We're like, "Wait a minute let me get it cleaned up" 05:41 Yvonne: Yeah, yeah, yeah... 05:42 He says, "I'm going to take care of that... 05:45 I'll clean it up for you" 05:47 so, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, 05:49 for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. " 05:52 That is because the fire has consumed 05:57 that old heaven and old earth. 05:59 And so now you've got this new Jerusalem 06:02 and it's a happy ending, you know, 06:04 it's... you know the bride is adorned... 06:10 the city is adorned as a bride 06:12 and that's very significant 06:13 because that actually plays right into the theme 06:16 we've been building the whole time... it's a love story, 06:19 this is the marriage finally happening 06:24 and what is a marriage? 06:25 A marriage is when two become one, 06:29 we may call it... "at-one-ment. " 06:32 It's a state of, "at-one-ment," 06:35 which... "Hey, that reminds me of the word, 'Atonement'" 06:38 so you know what? That's what's going on. 06:41 So, remember in the Old Testament, 06:44 we saw that there was a yearly cycle 06:47 for the people of Israel, right, 06:49 that yearly cycle dealt with the process through which 06:54 God would rid His people from sin 06:57 and so, we saw that that process... 07:00 we found it in the book of Revelation, right, 07:03 you begin in the Holy Place, 07:06 seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, 07:08 then you get to the Most Holy Place, 07:10 Revelation 11, onward... Most Holy Place, 07:13 right, this is where the day of atonement 07:16 symbolically begins to take place. 07:19 Now, at the end of the day of atonement, 07:22 you had the punishment of the wicked 07:24 that's Revelation chapter 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 07:27 and after that, the Day of Atonement is over 07:31 there was one feast left, there was a Feast of Tabernacles 07:35 it was a celebration... 07:37 Ah... 07:38 A tabernacle... this is what we're seeing here 07:41 in Revelation 21, 22... 07:42 the Tabernacle of God is with men, right, 07:45 this Feast of Tabernacles was like, 07:47 "Whew! we made it through the year! 07:49 You know, sin's been forgiven, the judgment has passed 07:53 and we celebrate... " 07:55 this is what's happening in Revelation 21, 07:57 sin has been removed and "at-one-ment" has taken place 08:02 so Revelation 1 all the way to Revelation 20 08:05 simply explains to us the process through which 08:08 God removed sin so that He and His people could be at one. 08:15 And you know, I really like that because 08:17 when we look at this picture here 08:19 and we look at the Feast of Tabernacles, 08:20 they would make these little booths to dwell in 08:24 and when you brought up that Scripture in John 14, 08:27 where Christ says, 08:28 "I'm going to prepare a place for you" 08:31 and that's what the book of Revelation 08:34 or Chapter 21 of Revelation reveals, 08:36 there's this new Jerusalem City and this new Jerusalem City 08:40 right here it has 12 gates three gates on the east 08:45 and three gates on the north and three gates on the south, 08:47 three gates on the west, I love that song. 08:48 Yvonne: Yeah, me too. 08:50 James: And the names above the gates 08:52 are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, 08:54 a 144,000... the redeemed... 08:56 that means, every one of us goes through one of those gates, 09:00 every one of us has a place in the City, 09:02 everyone has a place to "tabernacle" in the City 09:05 because we're going to have our own place 09:07 out in the country somewhere 09:08 but when we come to worship God, 09:09 we're checking into our Condo, 09:11 we're checking into our place, in the City 09:13 and so, this Feast of Tabernacles 09:16 reminds us that God has this place... 09:19 this special place for us decorated and set up 09:24 in relation to us, I mean, 09:26 there are places that I've gone 09:28 and I've walked into a room and it's just like, 09:33 "Wow! I like this, this is me... this is me... " 09:37 you know what I'm saying? Yvonne: Yeah. 09:38 James: But that Decorator had no idea what my tastes were 09:43 but the Heavenly Decorator... He knows exactly what we like. 09:48 Yvonne: Yeah. 09:49 James: He knows things that we like 09:50 that we don't even know we like. 09:52 You know what I mean? 09:53 And He's like, 09:54 "Ah, I'm preparing a place for you 09:56 and you're just going to love this place, 09:57 this is going to be you... " 09:59 and so, we're going to... 10:00 I know we're going to spend some of our time... 10:01 "Hey, Ivor, you got to come check out my place... " 10:03 "Woooo... you got to come check out my place!" 10:06 and I'm going to look at Ivor and... 10:07 "I didn't know that about you till I saw your face, 10:10 I didn't know that's about you... " 10:12 so you... "that's... whoa... Ivor, Man!" 10:14 Ivor: Beautiful Places, yeah, yeah. 10:17 James: It's a beautiful picture really 10:19 because when you look at Revelation chapter 21, 10:22 you're seeing here a picture of God's care, 10:26 He hasn't forgotten the tribes, their names are over the gates, 10:31 He hasn't forgotten the apostles, 10:33 their names are on the foundation 10:34 and the city is just incredible, it's like streets of gold, 10:38 it's like gates of pearl and one pearl is a gate, 10:42 it's not like pearls... it's like pearl... 10:45 and yet when you realize that... and all these precious stones... 10:49 you realize, "that's secondary to God... 10:52 that's building material to God" 10:54 we don't build with gold, 10:56 we wear gold, we put it in a vault, 10:58 we might put it on ourselves in order to... 11:03 for... to decorate ourselves but it's precious stuff... 11:06 in heaven, it's building material... 11:08 it's building material, you know. 11:11 We think of wood and we think of stone... 11:13 but in heaven... streets of gold that's like blacktop 11:16 because that's all secondary 11:18 what's the most important thing is the people, 11:21 the humans... the souls... that's what God is focusing on. 11:25 I think that's a powerful thought because 11:28 if you go back to the Old Testament 11:30 God instructed the children of Israel 11:33 to make Him a Sanctuary 11:36 and if you read Exodus 25, 11:38 it tells of all the things the Sanctuary is to be made of... 11:41 gold and silver and all these different... 11:44 you know it's... yeah... and... 11:46 so remember the children of Israel... 11:48 when they make this appeal 11:50 they bring all this gold and silver... 11:54 all the stuff to make the... to make the tabernacle 11:57 but the weird thing is... "Well, wait a minute... 12:00 these are... these were just... they were just slaves... 12:04 what are they doing with all this gold and silver... where?" 12:07 Well, the question is, "Where did they get it from?" 12:10 Well, guess where they got it from? 12:11 They got it from the Egyptians, 12:13 God told them, "This is what I want you to do" 12:16 and the Egyptians gave them their stuff and so, 12:19 the people that had enslaved them... 12:22 the people that were their oppressors, 12:25 He said, "I want you to take their stuff 12:28 and that's what we're going to use... to make the temple. " 12:30 Okay, "that's what we're going to us to make the temple" 12:33 so, when you think about it, it's almost as if God is saying, 12:37 "Hey, the things that they treasured... 12:40 I'm going to give you the spoils of the enemy" 12:44 and the things that they treasured 12:46 is just going to be the street in heaven. 12:50 The things that you... 12:51 "Ah man! I wish I had their gold... 12:53 I wish I had their stuff... their silver... " 12:56 God's going to show... all that is secondary. 12:59 We're going to... 13:01 "The things that you missed out on in this life 13:04 is going to be like nothing 13:06 compared to what I have for you in heaven. " 13:09 And I love that, I love the picture too 13:11 of the fact that God recompensed their labors, 13:15 they were slaves... and the thing... 13:18 the reason why that's so important to us is because 13:20 we... many human beings in this life 13:23 are abused and taken advantage of 13:25 but God has a heavenly record, 13:27 He has a heavenly record 13:28 and we will be recompensed for every ounce of labor... 13:31 everything we've ever done will be recompensed to us, 13:35 you see it all through the Old Testament. 13:36 They left there wealthy... not because they got free stuff 13:40 they earned all of that 13:42 and God said, "You're going to be recompensed 13:43 for all those years of labor and slavery... 13:45 you're going to be recompensed" 13:46 and then it's interesting... He puts it in our hand. 13:48 I was reading a story recently about a guy who robbed a widow, 13:55 she was at the gravesite of her husband 13:58 and she was there mourning her husband 14:01 and the guy robbed her, 14:03 took her to her car, took her money... $700... 14:07 robbed her right there at the gravesite 14:08 and then they caught the guy 14:09 and they put him up on this "news" thing 14:13 and his son recognized... "That's my dad... " 14:17 now, he'd never been his dad so to speak... 14:20 he was an absent father but he had just given him $250... 14:24 the father had... 14:25 and the son said, "That's my dad 14:27 and I want nothing to do with that, 14:29 I... I... this is wrong, he never should have done that" 14:31 and this son went to the widow with the $250 14:35 that had been robbed... 14:36 set up a meeting with her and her family, 14:39 went to her, apologized on behalf of his dad 14:42 and gave her the $250 back, he gave it to her, 14:44 you know what she did? 14:46 She took the money, 14:48 she said, "This is my money right now, 14:50 you've returned it to me, thank you, 14:52 now I want to give it to you" 14:53 because he was going to use it to go on a band trip 14:56 with his school... "I want to give it back to you" 14:58 so, when you look at the story in the Bible, 15:02 God gives all the stuff... it's there... it's ours... 15:05 He gives it to us, you know what we do? 15:07 We give it back to God 15:09 and that is the ultimate... see, 15:12 everything that God is giving to us, we're giving back to Him, 15:14 it's the cycle... it's the circle of beneficence, 15:18 we have been freed now from selfishness... completely free, 15:21 our lives... our hearts... are given to God 15:24 He gives to us, we give to Him, 15:26 He's trying to renew us back to the thing where 15:28 it's not about holding on, it's not about keeping, 15:30 it's not about exalting, it's not about anything else, 15:33 it's just... you just give... and as you give, you get back 15:36 and the circle of beneficence just continues 15:39 throughout all eternity. 15:40 That's good because it's like, He's saying, 15:42 "Hey, everything that you've suffered in this life 15:46 I will make it up to you" 15:48 and heaven will be... it will be beyond what you suffered. 15:57 Yvonne: Yes. 15:58 Ivor: Right, it will be beyond... 16:00 "I'll recompense you... and more" 16:02 it will be... it will be... you know... 16:04 it will be like streets... 16:05 you're talking about... gold... the streets in heaven 16:09 gold is a dirt... that whole idea of God saying, 16:13 "Hey, I've seen every slight against you, 16:15 I've seen every tear, we're going to make that up, 16:21 you will be recompensed and more" 16:23 and so, just the idea of understanding, 16:26 "You know what? This is what heaven... 16:29 God does in heaven, everything will be worth it, 16:32 it will be cheap enough" 16:33 and it just... it comforts us so that we know, 16:42 "Hey, I may be suffering now," 16:44 you may be going through trials now... 16:46 but remember, remember, remember, 16:48 the things that you suffer now, God is going to make it up. 16:52 It reminds me of a verse in Romans 8, 16:54 we should read this, it's Romans, 16:55 Jason, can you find this for me? Romans 8 and verse 18. 17:00 Paul is talking here 17:02 and you know... Paul went through some tremendous... 17:04 I mean, horrendous stuff, 17:06 I mean, the guy was beaten three times with stripes, 17:09 40 stripes except for one, actually five times, 17:13 so, 195 stripes... 17:15 he was stoned to death, he was shipwrecked... 17:17 and he had this attitude and this experience 17:20 that was just amazing 17:21 and in Romans 8:18, if you got it there, 17:23 here is what he says. 17:25 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time 17:28 are not worthy to be compared 17:29 with the glory which shall be revealed in us. " 17:31 What? Not worthy to be compared... 17:34 the sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory. 17:37 So we're like, "Yeah, you know, 17:39 we were going to suffer... 17:41 and we were going to go through some things... 17:42 and people are going to tell you about it 17:44 but God's going to recompense us... 17:45 He's going to give... you know... He's going to... " 17:47 no... no He's not... 17:48 it's not... you can't... you can't even compare... 17:51 it's not even what... 17:53 the worst stuff you're going on the planet... isn't even worthy, 17:55 you can't even say, "Hey God, 17:56 I went through some bad stuff down here, 17:57 so yeah... obviously... " 17:59 No... what God is going to give to us 18:01 is like way beyond... 18:03 it's kind of like this whole experience 18:05 where you're just like, 18:06 "Um, let me try to pay you back... " 18:09 no, no, no, no... no, not even close... 18:11 God is going to go over the top 18:14 and here's the deal, 18:15 and I'm just thinking about it in relation to 18:17 the context of what Paul is saying, 18:19 I'm just thinking about... in relation to eternal life... 18:20 because, when I was a kid, 18:22 I mean, I just wanted to get old, 18:25 I wanted to be ten... I wanted to be ten, you know, 18:29 double digits... ten... it took forever to get to ten, 18:34 I don't know if you remember, 18:35 then I wanted to be 15 and a half 18:37 because that's when you get your Driver's Permit, 18:39 and 16... man! Driver's License 18:41 and 18... I'm legal now, 21... hooo... 18:44 when I got to 21... you know what? 18:46 I just kind of wanted to put on the brakes. 18:49 Let's slow this down, you know what I mean? 18:52 21 to 30... went like that... 18:54 I was like, "Wait a minute... 18:56 when I was a kid... it took a lot longer, 18:58 how come it's going so fast?" 19:00 40... 50... hooo! yesterday... I cannot believe it 19:07 you know what I mean? 19:09 When I'm a kid I'm like, 19:10 "I'm five and a half... " 19:11 I don't tell people, "I'm 54 and a half" 19:18 you know what I mean? 19:20 "I'm 54 and three quarters" 19:21 but you know, one day, 19:23 I'm going to be a 1,054 years old 19:27 and then I'm going to be a million and 54 years old 19:29 and then I'm going to be a billion and 54 years old 19:32 and then I'm going to be a billion and 54 years old. 19:34 Yvonne: Come on... come on... 19:36 James: And then I'm going to be a trillion. Yvonne: Yes. 19:37 James: When I'm a trillion and 54... you know... 19:39 and Adam's a trillion and a 1,000... he lived 900 years, 19:45 we're going to be about the same age, 19:47 what's the difference when you're a trillion years old 19:50 you know what I mean? Who cares... 19:52 but then, you go on to decillion and nonillion... 19:56 and the highest number, this is what they call it, 19:59 googolplex... because it's so... 20:02 it's so high that it googles the mind... 20:04 it's like... "Ah... " 20:06 and then... and that's... eternity is just beginning. 20:08 I reckon that the suffering in this world 20:11 is not worthy to be compared with the glory, 20:14 just the glory... 20:15 just the fact that we're going to live for eternity, 20:17 just that alone is not worthy to be compared. 20:19 Jason: Plus when you look at the sacrifice of Christ, 20:22 what Christ endured when He was on this earth 20:24 and then you look at what you are going through, 20:25 take a look at the cross... focus... 20:28 keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus 20:30 and what He did for us 20:32 and look at your life, 20:34 the trials and the tribulations that you're going through 20:38 and think about just what He gave up... what He risked... 20:43 we don't even fully understand 20:44 everything that He gave up... the risk... coming down... 20:48 and He's got our flesh. 20:51 James: And not only the death but the life... 20:54 He lived a perfect life. 20:56 I think about living a perfect life... 20:57 like, every single moment of every single day was perfect, 21:01 perfect... we can't get out of here with just the cross, 21:05 we need the life... we're saved by His life... 21:08 and justified by His death. 21:09 We need all of it, He did that... day after day... 21:13 week after week, month after month, 21:15 year after year... He lived in total obedience to God 21:17 and He gives it to us as a gift... 21:19 here's yours... here's yours... here's yours... 21:20 fulfilled all righteousness, 21:22 yeah, when you think about this, and here's the thing, 21:26 Revelation chapter 22 and I just want us to look at this, 21:29 in the context of what we were talking about 21:31 in the last... in our last program together, 21:34 Yvonne, can you read Revelation 22 21:38 verses 1, 2, 3 and 4? 21:42 Yes, "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, 21:46 clear as crystal, 21:47 proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 21:50 In the middle of the street and on either side of the river 21:53 was the tree of life which bore 12 fruits, 21:56 each tree yielding it's fruit every month: 21:59 the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 22:02 And there shall be no more curse: 22:05 but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; 22:07 and his servants shall serve him: 22:10 They shall see his face; 22:11 and his name shall be on their foreheads. " 22:14 What? what? what will they see? 22:17 All: His face... 22:19 Have you ever wondered what the face of Christ looks like? 22:25 Yvonne: Oh yeah. Jason: Absolutely. 22:26 James: The face of God looks... 22:28 And I'm not even talking about necessarily, like, the features 22:31 but like the expression on His face. 22:33 Hmmm... 22:34 What kind of expression is going to be on the face of God? 22:38 This is the way I picture it. 22:39 I think all of us are going to get an embrace from God 22:44 an embrace... and He's going to embrace us 22:47 and in that embrace He's going to whisper in our ear 22:51 and He's going to say something like this, 22:53 "I'm so glad you're here. " 22:55 Hmmm... Hmmm. 22:56 "I'm so glad you're here, 22:58 eternity wouldn't be the same without you" 23:03 and we're going to feel, I think because He says, 23:05 He's going to wipe away our tears from our eyes, 23:07 we're going to feel His tears trickling down on our shoulder 23:14 on our faces and we're not sure, 23:18 because you know how that is... when you hug someone, 23:19 you're not sure how long you hold... 23:20 and so we're... and He's just holding on to us 23:24 He's like, "I'm so glad you're here" 23:25 and He's just holding us, holding us... holding us... 23:27 "I'm so glad you're here" 23:29 and His face is going to be filled 23:32 with this expression of love and satisfaction 23:36 and, "You're home... you're home... you're home" 23:39 I mean like, "I don't want to let go of you, 23:42 now that I've got you, I don't want to let go of you. " 23:44 That's what I sense when we see His face. 23:46 That's just this incredible picture... 23:49 Yvonne: It puts tears in my eyes because you can see... 23:52 when you think about Christ... for me... 23:55 I think about His eyes and what His eyes must look like 23:58 and the love that I'm going to see 24:01 coming to me from those eyes 24:03 and I picture myself like, holding on to His feet... 24:07 He's trying to shake me off... "Okay Child, you can get up now" 24:13 but it's just so... 24:14 it's so beautiful to think that He is going to personally... 24:19 and I do believe that too, 24:20 that He's going to welcome each one of us. 24:22 Ivor: Yeah, I think... 24:25 I remember before I became a Christian 24:27 and the thought of heaven was actually scary to me 24:31 because I was like, 24:33 "Man! do I want to be in a cloud forever and ever 24:37 with just nothingness for all eternity with a harp?" 24:40 Because Hollywood had painted this picture of heaven 24:44 as this just... nothingness... you know 24:48 you're just like this little light... floating around, 24:50 I'm like, "A little light floating around 24:54 forever and ever and ever and ever and ever... 24:57 and ever... what if I get tired of that? 24:59 You mean, I have to live forever?" 25:01 and so the Revelation 21 25:04 lets us know that heaven is a real place. 25:06 You know what I'm saying? 25:08 It's not something that we're like 25:09 "Man! I'm going to be bored" it's a real, real, real place, 25:15 real people... God... Jesus... He's really going to embrace 25:20 and it just paints a totally different picture 25:24 than what is out there in the public eye. 25:26 Who wants to be a little white light floating around? 25:30 James: Buildings, rivers, trees, 25:33 land, earth, heaven, houses... 25:37 getting together... hanging out... 25:40 I mean, it's just the reality... 25:41 Ivor: Flying to different planets. 25:43 James: You have all the time. 25:44 Ivor: You have all the time to go to Escron. 25:48 I've never been to Escron, Man! 25:49 James: I just made that up... 25:51 if God's going to let him have that, then that's well enough. 25:53 laughter... 25:55 Yvonne: What a day that will be! 25:56 James: You know how we always say, 25:58 "Man! if I have more time, I can visit... I could do this" 25:59 and I'm just like, "Yeah... " 26:02 and not only that, not only that... 26:04 there's no night there. 26:06 And not only that, "you shall run and not be weary, 26:11 you shall walk and not be faint" 26:13 there's no need for sleep, there's no need for night, 26:15 there's... you have tireless energy... you don't get tired, 26:21 you don't lie down and take a nap, 26:22 you're just going from one adventure to the next... 26:25 to the next... what? 26:26 That's what God wanted for us, 26:30 He has always wanted that for us... 26:31 this eternal happiness and joy 26:35 never ending, never ceasing, never interrupted, 26:38 the one thing that's just going to be heaven for me 26:41 no more worry about my kids, 26:44 no more worry about the people that I love and what's going on, 26:49 no more angst because of the latest news report... 26:51 the latest misery, the latest sin, the latest evil, 26:54 the latest, you know... 26:55 Ivor: Yeah, because nothing that defiles will enter there. 26:59 God has a vetting process and everyone... 27:04 whoever gets into heaven... 27:05 it's because they had the love of Jesus, 27:09 they followed His commandments and so, those who... 27:12 in heaven we will not have to worry 27:15 about sin rising again a second time. 27:18 Yes... 27:20 People of every nation, kindred, tongue and people 27:23 will enter that place and we will live... 27:25 like the love stories says, "Happily ever after. " 27:29 Yvonne: Yes. 27:31 Jason: Selfless love... not selfish... but selfless... 27:34 that's going to be there. 27:35 James: It's cool because there's one verse here 27:37 that kind of says it all in that sense... 27:39 verse 25 of chapter 21... 27:41 "The gates shall not be shut by day 27:44 and there shall be no night there. " 27:46 You know, we go home... we lock our doors. 27:47 Jason: Hmmm... Yvonne: That's right. 27:49 James: We lock our car doors... the gates shall not be shut. 27:50 Yvonne: That's right. 27:51 James: No fear... nothing... 27:53 we're just... we're there... we're home. 27:55 Praise God. 27:56 Yvonne: Hallelujah! |
Revised 2017-05-31