Quotation: Philippians, 3:20-21
| 20 | But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, |
| 21 | who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. |
The title of this message is "The Heaven".
For me, the most significant change when I was saved by Jesus is that I can testify not only I spend a delightful life everyday, but also my view on a death is changed.
Before my salvation, the biggest problem was a death. I have been thinking, "At my death, all will be nothing".
But after I was saved with His compassion, I feel a death in rather different way, that is, "after my death, I will be in the Heaven".
There, I can meet Him face to face, and move toward God our Father.
What I think when I hear "the heaven" is that, as we often hear in a funeral at Japanese Christ Fellowship, "It is really good for him(her) to be in the heaven!", or, "I envy him(her)!"
It is written in the Holy Bible,
Philippians, 3:20
| 20 | But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, |
I keenly think our citizenship is not in this world, but in heaven. We know this word tells things in this world are nothing, and in a life in the heaven which starts after our deaths, we have all hopes.
Thus, I would like to read words in the Holy Bible, related to the heaven, focusing four frequently asked questions.
- When will the heaven start?
- How will I be in the heaven?
- What shall I do in the heaven?
- How will I be treated in the heaven?
First, when will the heaven start?
Of course, it starts when a man who was saved by Jesus dies, or when the LORD comes again.
Then before that, in the present status, can't we take pleasure in the heaven?, or do we have to wait until we die? There are very interesting words, and the status of a saved man is clearly written in them.
Ephesians, 2:1-3
| 1 | As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, |
| 2 | in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. |
| 3 | All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. |
We can't deny these words.
Ephesians, 2:4-6
| 4 | But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, |
| 5 | made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. |
| 6 | And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, |
Those who were saved with His compassion were raised up with Christ and seated with Him.
By His words we know that we are now seated with Him, not in the future.
Anytime I read this, I always feel marvelous, and interesting.
In Chapter 4 of Matthew, the very first preach of Jesus is stored.
Matthew, 4:16-17
| 16 | the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." |
| 17 | From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." |
Jesus promises we will be saved and the kingdom of heaven is near, if we cordially repent to the LORD our God and believe a salvation by Jesus.
John, 17:13-16
| 13 | "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. |
| 14 | I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. |
| 15 | My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. |
| 16 | They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. |
and,
Hebrews, 4:14-16
| 14 | Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. |
| 15 | For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. |
| 16 | Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. |
It is promised that we can approach the throne by our fellowship with Jesus.
These words tell those who are saved can not only wait for entering the heaven, but also sit near His throne, and live a heavenly life in this world. A fellowship with Jesus is a wonderful heaven.
This is an affluent comfort during our life in this world.
The next question is: How will we, saved by the LORD, be after a death of our body, or His coming, and after leaving the earth? The Holy Bible tells,
1 Corinthians, 15:40-52
| 40 | There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. |
| 41 | The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. |
| 42 | So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; |
| 43 | it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; |
| 44 | it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. |
| 45 | So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being" ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. |
| 46 | The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. |
| 47 | The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. |
| 48 | As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. |
| 49 | And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. |
| 50 | I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. |
| 51 | Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- |
| 52 | in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. |
and,
Philippians, 3:20-21
| 20 | But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, |
| 21 | who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. |
The answer to a question, how our body will be, is written here, "it will be transformed". Furthermore, it will be not only transformed, but also changed into a "glorious body like Jesus". It is explicitly promised.
It is told we will enter the heaven in a brilliant glorious body, in which we will have no disease, no pain, no anxiety, no tears. How wonderful isn't it!
Actually, as for the details of the body, I can't imagine it at all, but I'm quit eager to be changed.
The next question is: What shall I do in the heaven? What does a life in the heaven looks like?
It is written that there's no night in the heaven, so there will be a lot of time, then how shall I spend it? But the Holy Bible doesn't tell much about it.
The exception is Revelation. It tells I will worship the God our Father, and His son, Jesus, and by worshiping Them, I will serve the LORD.
Let me read 3 parts from Revelation.
Revelation, 4:1-11
| 1 | After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." |
| 2 | At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. |
| 3 | And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. |
| 4 | Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. |
| 5 | From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. |
| 6 | Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. |
| 7 | The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. |
| 8 | Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." |
| 9 | Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, |
| 10 | the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: |
| 11 | "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." |
and,
Revelation, 5:9-14
| 9 | And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. |
| 10 | You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." |
| 11 | Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. |
| 12 | In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" |
| 13 | Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" |
| 14 | The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped. |
one more part,
Revelation, 7:9-17
| 9 | After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. |
| 10 | And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." |
| 11 | All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, |
| 12 | saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" |
| 13 | Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" |
| 14 | I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. |
| 15 | Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. |
| 16 | Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. |
| 17 | For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." |
Other than these, you will find more about a worship in the heaven in Chapter 11, Verse 15-17, Chapter 15, Verse 3-4.
Tomorrow, we will worship the LORD here. I usually attend worship at Miyota, with 50 to 60 brothers and sisters, and filled with blessing at a center of a week. However, according to His words, in the heaven, thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand brothers and sisters worship, with one accord, the God our Father, Jesus the savior.
I can't imagine how it will be. But I'm sure we will get a great blessing and REJOICE. I'm looking forward to joining the worship.
The last question is: How will I be treated in the heaven? What position will I be?
Galatians, 3:26-29, 4:1-7
| 3:26 | You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, |
| 3:27 | for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. |
| 3:28 | There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. |
| 3:29 | If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. |
| 4:1 | What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. |
| 4:2 | He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. |
T | So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. |
| 4:4 | But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, |
| 4:5 | to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. |
| 4:6 | Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "<Abba>, Father." |
| 4:7 | So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
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Those who were saved are children of the God our Father. It is unimaginable and wonderful.
Also, it is unthinkable blessing that we will be heirs of the God.
And, there're more promises,
2 Corinthians, 11:1-2
| 1 | I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. |
| 2 | I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. |
and in Revelation,
Revelation, 19:6-8
| 6 | Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. |
| 7 | Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. |
| 8 | Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) |
(Side A -> Side B)
It is amazing but promised through His words that each one of us will be a bride to glorious Jesus. It is the heaven.
In this world, there's relationship of husband and wife, will it still exist? Jesus said in the Holy Bible, "In the heaven, a relationship like husband and wife doesn't exist."
It may sound strange that those who were husband and wife in this world, will not have the relation anymore in the heaven. As a matter of fact, each one of us, brothers and sisters, will have a better relationship than the most blessed couples had in this world. In other words, a place where brothers and sisters love each other and are blessed is the heaven.
Thus, I suppose, Jesus said, in the heaven, there we will not have a relationship like husband and wife, because there we will have more wonderful relationship than we had in this world.
It means a place where a new command the LORD told, "Love one another." is fulfilled perfectly is the heaven.
It's so wonderful, and I can't wait until I enter there.
At last, let me read some parts of His words in Revelation related to the heaven.
Revelation, 21:22-27, 22:1-7
| 21:22 | I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. |
| 21:23 | The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. |
| 21:24 | The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. |
| 21:25 | On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. |
| 21:26 | The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. |
| 21:27 | Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. |
| 22:1 | Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb |
| 22:2 | down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. |
| 22:3 | No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. |
| 22:4 | They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. |
| 22:5 | There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. |
| 22:6 | The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place." |
| 22:7 | "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." |
Revelation, 22:16-17
| 16 | "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." |
| 17 | The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. |
finally,
Revelation, 22:20-21
| 20 | He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. |
| 21 | The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen. |
Thanks for your listening.
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