Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is being with him that is the heart of him.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Doctor Tony Evans says, no matter how many wonderful things
we experience in heaven, there's really only one that will
make it what it is.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
It is Beig with the save here that will make
Heaven have been leaved.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
This is the Alternative with doctor Tony Evans, author, speaker,
senior pastor of oak Cliffe Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas,
and President of the Urban Alternative.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
It's been said heaven is the place we go to
spend eternity among people we couldn't get along with on earth.
But today doctor Evans tells us about the relationship that's
the true centerpiece of our eternal future. Let's join him
as he begins John fourteenth.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
It is Jesus's promise to his disciples about heaven. He
is getting ready to leave them because of the death
and the resurrection and the ascension to his father, and
they want to know how we're going to make it.
In your absence, he says, why are you absent from me?
(01:03):
Let me tell you a little bit about heaven, because
even though you're not with me, you need to know
that I'm going to prepare a place for you, he says,
Let not your heart be troubled, even though.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I'm leaving, and even though you're going to be here in.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
This world with all of its difficulties and problems, don't
let it send you off tilt. Don't let it cause
you to lose sight of something bigger. Believe in God.
Believe also and me. In my father's house are many
dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have
(01:42):
told you for I go to prepare a place for you.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
We would call it heaven. Now, first of all, I want.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
You to know that heaven is a promised place. Jesus
makes a promise to his disciples that I Am going
to prepare a place for you.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
It's based on a promise. Now, a promise is only.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
As good as the one making it. It has to
do with the capacity of the promiser and the integrity
of the promiser to produce the promise made. He says,
I go to prepare verse two of John fourteen, a
(02:30):
place for you. It's a place You're not out there
floating in never never nothing land. I go to prepare
a place for you. Now, the word heaven means to
raise up. That's why we always talk about people going
up to heaven. It is a paternal place. Verse two says,
(02:56):
in my father's house, heaven is a family affair. It's
the gathering of a daddy with his kids. So heaven
is a promised place, a particular place, a paternal place.
It is also a populated place. He says, I go
(03:16):
to prepare a place for you. Look very quickly at
Hebrews chapter twelve, verse twenty two. But you have come
to Mount Zion, and to the city of the Living God,
the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to number one myriads of angels.
(03:37):
The first group that will be living in the heavenly
city are millions of angels.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
The angels that you can't see now, you will be
able to.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
See then because you will have a spiritual body, so
you'll be able to see things you can't see now.
Angels are all over this room right now. Because every
believer has an angel. The Bible says every time a
person becomes a Christian, they are assigned at least one
angel whose job it is to look after that person's
well being. So if there are fifteen hundred to two
(04:10):
thousand people here, there are fifteen hundred to two thousand
angels right here, right now. You can't see them. Why,
because you're limited to the physical. In heaven, you will
be able to interface with angels. Second group that's there,
he says, is the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn.
(04:31):
That's other Christians church. So your spiritual family is there
people who know Christ like you know Christ. One parishioner
asked me, not too long ago, will I know them
in heaven?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Answer? I really won't know you till we get to heaven.
You know why, because.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I cannot fully know you now. I only can know
what I see and what you tell me. Those the
only two things I can know about you. What I
see and what you tell me. And what I see
is not all of you that there is, And I
know what you tell me is not all of you
that there is. I see somebody this morning, how are
(05:18):
you doing?
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Fine?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
But unless I see different, I can only deal with
what I see in what I hear. Once we get
to heaven, there will be total removal of all facades,
total removal of all shams, and I will get to
see you as God created you to be. One of
(05:41):
the great glories of Heaven is that everybody will fulfill
their potential. And listen, all of us in this room
right now are gonna die with things unfulfilled. Things that
we hope to do in our businesses that we never
got done, Things we hope to do with our kids
we never got done, things we off to do, dreams
(06:02):
that will go fulfilled.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
We'll accomplish a lot of them.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
We'll accomplish many of them, and maybe some will accomplish
most of them. But nobody in this room will fulfill
that potential on this earth in heaven. Nobody will stop
you in heaven. Nobody will hold back your progress in heaven.
Nobody will limit you in heaven. And now I know
what you're thinking, Well, what are we going to be
doing that I will have the potential to fulfill everything
(06:28):
you're doing now apart from sin. You have a job, now,
you have a job in heaven. We'll be apart from
sin heaven and nothing that some boring place. In fact,
when you look at Revelation and talked about the nations
coming in and out, they're gonna be nations and cities
and cultures and all the stuff that you have now,
it would just be apart from sin. So this is
(06:49):
a busy place it's not a boring place with nothing
to do. So he says, the church will be there,
and we will know each other, fulfilling our potential, with
nobody trying to stop you crabs in a barrel. I'm
not trying to pull you down, he says. There's another
group in heaven. He says in verse twenty three, the
(07:10):
spirits of righteous men made perfect, Old Testament Saints, the
spirits of righteous men made perfect. You can mosey on
down to the corner of Gold Street and Silver Boulevard,
run into Abraham and say, let me ask you a
few questions. Eve David, talk to me. How you threw
(07:33):
that stone upside Golia's big head, Jodah, How did feel
living in a fish for three days? You're gonna be
able to hang out with folks on it and get
to know people who you only read about.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
And heard about, and all of that.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Because the Old Testament saints are there, he says in
verse twenty four, And to Jesus, he's there the mediate
of the New Covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood,
which speaks better than the blood of Abel, our Savior
is there.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
So God is there. Angels are there.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
The Church of Jesus Christ is there. All Testament saints
are there. It's a busy place, billions of people. Billions
of people because we're talking about all people who have
ever lived, and there have been a lot of Christians
over the ages, billions of people. Nobody crowded, no sin.
(08:35):
Maximizing your potential in an environment that is utopia.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
That' said.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
The next thing I want to say is that Heaven
is a prepared place. I go to prepare a place
for you. Now, let me tell you the good news
about its preparation. Is prepared with you in mind. Is
not only preparing a place for y'all, He's preparing a
place for you.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
There's a difference.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
When I prepare a place for y'all, that's just a
group gathering. When I prepare a place for you, that's
with your taste in mind, your personality, your interest, your taste.
While it will be a group gathering, it will be
personalized for every Bleever, it is a prepared place. In fact,
(09:31):
you'll determine how well it's decorated. The story told of
a woman who was very rich went to heaven and
found out that the gardener had a bigger house than
she did. She ticked off. So how is the gardener
gonna have my gardener gonna have a bigger house than me? Well,
Peter said, I'm sorry, but we only use the material
you send up. See is what you're forward a head
(09:53):
that determines how nice your place gonna be. Because, by
the way, all place is not equal in him. Some
build with gold, silver and precious stones. Some build first
grid in this three says with wood hand stumble.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Everything's not equal. Everybody's not equal. There's not equality in heaven.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
They're the real faithful, the somewhat faithful, and those who
were casually faithful or not faithful at all.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Doctor Evans will have more for us on heaven when
he returns in just a moment. First, though, I'd like
to tell you about a powerful book that explores dealing
with the grief and loss we experience when we lose.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
A loved one.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
It's called Divine Disruption, Holding onto Faith when life breaks
your heart. Before her passing, Lois Evans urged her family
to work together on a collaborative project, and this book
is the product of her wish. In Divine Disruption, doctor
Evans and his four adult children candidly share honest questions
they've asked, as raw emotions they've felt, and solutions they've
(11:03):
learned through the tumultuous experience of losing eight loved ones
in less than two years time. Through their shared experiences
and individual viewpoints, you'll discover your own path to persevere
in difficult times and ultimately to experience God's peace through
it all. We'd like to send you your own copy
of Divine Disruption as our thank you gift when you
(11:26):
make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on
this station. Along with it, we'll send you CDs or
access to digital downloads of all five lessons in our
current series called The Afterlife Glimpses of Heaven and Hell,
as well as a companion's steady guide for the series.
This package of resources is yours with our thanks when
(11:47):
you make a donation online at Tonyevans dot org or
call our resource center day or night at one eight
hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. That's one eight
hundred eight hundred three two. Doctor Evans, welcome back with
more of our message right after this.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Far too many of us want to throw in the
towel before we've thrown up the prayers.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
Doctor Tony Evans says, Christians have a habit of under
using or overlooking our most valuable spiritual resource.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Grace is available but only at the Throne, and you
can only approach the Throne through prayer.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
You can deepen your connection with the Lord through our
in depth course on Kingdom Prayer at the Tony Evans
Training Center. You'll discover how God has wired the world
to work by prayer and experience for yourself how it
connects Heaven with Earth and time with eternity. You'll not
only gain a new understanding and appreciation for prayer, you'll
(12:44):
actually pray in transforming ways you've never experienced before. The
course is intense, but you've can work through it at
your own face and get all the help you need
through our online forum. And of course there's custom content
from Tony not available anywhere else. Connect with the Tony
Evans Training Center at Tonyevans dot org. It's like having
(13:06):
a seminary on your smartphone or other device. Start today
Tonyevans dot org.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Now this is gonna be very interesting. You don't have
to turn there. But second p to three ten says
that this heaven and this Earth will burn with fervent heat.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
When it's time for the end of the age.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Not if you die and go to heaven now, but
when it's time for the end of the age. God
is going to replace or renovate this Earth and this
current heaven with fervent heat.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
What does that mean.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
He's gonna split all the atoms in the universe. We
know how that's done now. They said the atom couldn't
be split. Now it can be split. That produces nuclear fission.
And when that happens and the atom splits, you get
here'shia knakasaki. You get intense heat. It burns the skin
(14:04):
right off the body. All God is gonna do is
split every atom in the universe. Whoof and it will
be totally consumed. This heaven and this Earth will be gutted, and.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
The rest of Earth and Heaven. Watch.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
This will look like the New Jerusalem of Revelation twenty one.
So what you see in Revelation twenty one about the
New Jerusalem will become the universe. That's why you can't
get bored for a billion years.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
You can't get bored because when you want to leave
the capital.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
And check out.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Pluto, the New Pluto, it will.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Be as luxurious as the capital. And if you want
to check out Venus, it will be as luxurious as
the capital. And if you want to take a trip
to another galaxy, it will be as luxurious as the capital.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
So it will be NonStop. It will be NonStop.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
New Heaven, new Earth all merge together in one glorious
revelation of God. It will be spectacular. Just touring the
universe will take a couple of billion years. Go on vacation,
and you go on a little tour. That's nothing.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
You go a week, you still don't get to see everything.
That's nothing.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Finally, Heaven is a personal place, and I go to
prepare a place for you Verse three. And I will
come again, That is unless Jesus is a liar. But
if he rose from the dead, no problem coming again.
I will come again and receive you unto myself. Watch
(16:01):
this now and receive you unto myself. You didn't hear
that I'm coming again, and I'm going to receive you
unto myself. That where I am you may be. Also,
(16:23):
before you get too high on heaven, Jesus Christ wants
you to get high on something else. First, being with him.
You see, it is being with him that is the
heart of heaven. It is being with the Savior that
(16:44):
will make heaven heaven leave. Yes, it'll be nice to
go to a spectacular environment. Yes, it'll be nice not
to have any nighttime, any thunderstorms anymore. Yes, it will
be nice to be able to eat and never get
full and never get overweight. Yeah, it'll be nice to
(17:06):
talk the folk and not misunderstand each other. Yeah, it'll
be nice to live in a plus palatial rum or
whatever the apartment is that God have for us. Yes,
it'll be nice to tour the universe. But all of
that is secondary. That's why Jesus is gonna rapture you
and take you to heaven, because he wants you to.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Be with him.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
He's interested in being with him. The closer you are
to Christ now, the more precious Heaven will look then,
because it will be a relationship that makes heaven heaven,
not simply the place, or to put it in another way,
the place will be the backdrop for the relationship. It'll
(17:54):
just be the scenery behind the central picture. You and
your Savior hand in hand for all eternity. I ap
preached in Hawaii Now, if you've got to preach somewhere,
I mean, if you just gotta preach, that's the spot.
(18:19):
They call it the island Paradise, and many of you
have been, and you know, it's a pretty spectacular place.
You get away from all of the commercialism. You go
into some of the areas where there's more pristine beauty.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Kawaii or even some parts.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Of Honolulu where they still keep that more native flair.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
It's magnificent. I mean. The temperature was perfect, not too hot,
not too cool, you.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Know, one of them seventy two and a half. The
grease spots just perfect. Some would be shining and a
light mist of rain would start coming down, but not
rain that was inconvenient.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
This was convenient rain like a mist.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
But the sun shining, beautiful clouds, sky blue.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
The water was impeccable, almost being able to see to
the bottom. Just magnificent.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Plants and trees just naturally growing, just growing.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Because of the environment.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
They don't have to be you know, I mean they
have people who manicure them.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
But just natural growth, just magnificence.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Natural ponds here coming off of the Pacific Ocean, and
you just say, wow, if my wife would have told
me that she could not make the trip. I would
not have gone because you can't really enjoy.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
It right.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Unless you're enjoying it with somebody you love. Oh, let
me work this thing here right now. What made Hawaii
and Waii was not just the beach, but holding somebody's
hand while walking. You ain't praying with me, y'all, y'all,
(20:53):
don't y'all don't know nothing about this. What made Hawaii?
Why was the conversation sitting out on the patio. In
other words, what made it really nice was to have
the backdrop of the environment against the front of the.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Photo of a man and his bride.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
What made it special was I was enjoying it with
someone that I cared about and who cared about me,
and you put the.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Backdrop against that. See. I can't go walking out there.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Right now because the backdrop isn't right.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Isn't that why when you were dating your wife, when
you were.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
Dating to think back, take as much time as you need.
When you were when you were dating your wife, you
you wanted to know not only how good the food was,
but what kind of i'mbiyond was in the restaurant Because.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
You understand to do this thing right. You needed a.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Backdrop that reflected where you were going around the table,
around the table you were wrapping, You were talking, You
were you were telling that that same old job that
everybody else tells somebody. You were talking a good game.
You want to backdrop with nicely lit candles and wonderful
fragrance and nice flowers and waiters with things around their
(22:18):
arms coming and people playing violins. You want a backdrop
that reinforces your point. Brothers and sisters. The palatial state
of heaven is simply a backdrop, because Jesus says, what's
gonna make heaven Heaven is you and me, You with
your safe forever never and.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
That Doctor Evans will return with a final word to
wrap up today's message in just a moment. First, though,
I want to let you know that the full length
version of today's message is available as a part of
Tony's current five part series, The Afterlife Glimpses of Heaven
and Hell. Remember it's yours with our thanks, along with
(23:02):
the Divine Disruption book I told you about earlier. When
you make a contribution to help keep this listener supported
ministry coming your way, just visit Tonyevans dot org, or
you can make a donation request the Afterlife and Divine
Disruption package and instantly download the messages from this series. Again,
that's online at Tonyevans dot org, or call us anytime
(23:25):
of the day or night at one eight hundred, eight
hundred thirty two twenty two, where one of our helpful
team members is ready to assist with your request. Again,
that's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two.
You know, when something in life is really good, we
refer to it as heavenly. But tomorrow doctor Evans will
explain why nothing here can compare with what's waiting for
(23:49):
us there. Right now, though, he's back with these final words.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
So how do we close?
Speaker 3 (23:54):
We close it? Verse six, Thomas wanted to know. I
don't know how to get there. Jesus says, I am
the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father, but through me. Do you want to
go to heaven? Do you know you're going to heaven?
There's only one way to get there, Jesus says in
(24:15):
verse six, through me, because I'm the only one who
knows where it is. I'm the only one who knows
where it's located. I'm the only one who knows the
standards of the Father that gets you in, and so
you must come through me.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
If you want to go to heaven. Jesus Christ love
to take you there.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
The Alternative with doctor Tony Evans.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Is brought to you by the Urban Alternative, and
Speaker 2 (24:39):
It's made possible by the generous contribution so listeners like
you
It is being with him that is the heart of him.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Doctor Tony Evans says, no matter how many wonderful things
we experience in heaven, there's really only one that will
make it what it is.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
It is Beig with the save here that will make
Heaven have been leaved.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
This is the Alternative with doctor Tony Evans, author, speaker,
senior pastor of oak Cliffe Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas,
and President of the Urban Alternative.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
It's been said heaven is the place we go to
spend eternity among people we couldn't get along with on earth.
But today doctor Evans tells us about the relationship that's
the true centerpiece of our eternal future. Let's join him
as he begins John fourteenth.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
It is Jesus's promise to his disciples about heaven. He
is getting ready to leave them because of the death
and the resurrection and the ascension to his father, and
they want to know how we're going to make it.
In your absence, he says, why are you absent from me?
(01:03):
Let me tell you a little bit about heaven, because
even though you're not with me, you need to know
that I'm going to prepare a place for you, he says,
Let not your heart be troubled, even though.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I'm leaving, and even though you're going to be here in.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
This world with all of its difficulties and problems, don't
let it send you off tilt. Don't let it cause
you to lose sight of something bigger. Believe in God.
Believe also and me. In my father's house are many
dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have
(01:42):
told you for I go to prepare a place for you.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
We would call it heaven. Now, first of all, I want.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
You to know that heaven is a promised place. Jesus
makes a promise to his disciples that I Am going
to prepare a place for you.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
It's based on a promise. Now, a promise is only.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
As good as the one making it. It has to
do with the capacity of the promiser and the integrity
of the promiser to produce the promise made. He says,
I go to prepare verse two of John fourteen, a
(02:30):
place for you. It's a place You're not out there
floating in never never nothing land. I go to prepare
a place for you. Now, the word heaven means to
raise up. That's why we always talk about people going
up to heaven. It is a paternal place. Verse two says,
(02:56):
in my father's house, heaven is a family affair. It's
the gathering of a daddy with his kids. So heaven
is a promised place, a particular place, a paternal place.
It is also a populated place. He says, I go
(03:16):
to prepare a place for you. Look very quickly at
Hebrews chapter twelve, verse twenty two. But you have come
to Mount Zion, and to the city of the Living God,
the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to number one myriads of angels.
(03:37):
The first group that will be living in the heavenly
city are millions of angels.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
The angels that you can't see now, you will be
able to.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
See then because you will have a spiritual body, so
you'll be able to see things you can't see now.
Angels are all over this room right now. Because every
believer has an angel. The Bible says every time a
person becomes a Christian, they are assigned at least one
angel whose job it is to look after that person's
well being. So if there are fifteen hundred to two
(04:10):
thousand people here, there are fifteen hundred to two thousand
angels right here, right now. You can't see them. Why,
because you're limited to the physical. In heaven, you will
be able to interface with angels. Second group that's there,
he says, is the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn.
(04:31):
That's other Christians church. So your spiritual family is there
people who know Christ like you know Christ. One parishioner
asked me, not too long ago, will I know them
in heaven?
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Answer? I really won't know you till we get to heaven.
You know why, because.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I cannot fully know you now. I only can know
what I see and what you tell me. Those the
only two things I can know about you. What I
see and what you tell me. And what I see
is not all of you that there is, And I
know what you tell me is not all of you
that there is. I see somebody this morning, how are
(05:18):
you doing?
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Fine?
Speaker 3 (05:20):
But unless I see different, I can only deal with
what I see in what I hear. Once we get
to heaven, there will be total removal of all facades,
total removal of all shams, and I will get to
see you as God created you to be. One of
(05:41):
the great glories of Heaven is that everybody will fulfill
their potential. And listen, all of us in this room
right now are gonna die with things unfulfilled. Things that
we hope to do in our businesses that we never
got done, Things we hope to do with our kids
we never got done, things we off to do, dreams
(06:02):
that will go fulfilled.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
We'll accomplish a lot of them.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
We'll accomplish many of them, and maybe some will accomplish
most of them. But nobody in this room will fulfill
that potential on this earth in heaven. Nobody will stop
you in heaven. Nobody will hold back your progress in heaven.
Nobody will limit you in heaven. And now I know
what you're thinking, Well, what are we going to be
doing that I will have the potential to fulfill everything
(06:28):
you're doing now apart from sin. You have a job, now,
you have a job in heaven. We'll be apart from
sin heaven and nothing that some boring place. In fact,
when you look at Revelation and talked about the nations
coming in and out, they're gonna be nations and cities
and cultures and all the stuff that you have now,
it would just be apart from sin. So this is
(06:49):
a busy place it's not a boring place with nothing
to do. So he says, the church will be there,
and we will know each other, fulfilling our potential, with
nobody trying to stop you crabs in a barrel. I'm
not trying to pull you down, he says. There's another
group in heaven. He says in verse twenty three, the
(07:10):
spirits of righteous men made perfect, Old Testament Saints, the
spirits of righteous men made perfect. You can mosey on
down to the corner of Gold Street and Silver Boulevard,
run into Abraham and say, let me ask you a
few questions. Eve David, talk to me. How you threw
(07:33):
that stone upside Golia's big head, Jodah, How did feel
living in a fish for three days? You're gonna be
able to hang out with folks on it and get
to know people who you only read about.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
And heard about, and all of that.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Because the Old Testament saints are there, he says in
verse twenty four, And to Jesus, he's there the mediate
of the New Covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood,
which speaks better than the blood of Abel, our Savior
is there.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
So God is there. Angels are there.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
The Church of Jesus Christ is there. All Testament saints
are there. It's a busy place, billions of people. Billions
of people because we're talking about all people who have
ever lived, and there have been a lot of Christians
over the ages, billions of people. Nobody crowded, no sin.
(08:35):
Maximizing your potential in an environment that is utopia.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
That' said.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
The next thing I want to say is that Heaven
is a prepared place. I go to prepare a place
for you. Now, let me tell you the good news
about its preparation. Is prepared with you in mind. Is
not only preparing a place for y'all, He's preparing a
place for you.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
There's a difference.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
When I prepare a place for y'all, that's just a
group gathering. When I prepare a place for you, that's
with your taste in mind, your personality, your interest, your taste.
While it will be a group gathering, it will be
personalized for every Bleever, it is a prepared place. In fact,
(09:31):
you'll determine how well it's decorated. The story told of
a woman who was very rich went to heaven and
found out that the gardener had a bigger house than
she did. She ticked off. So how is the gardener
gonna have my gardener gonna have a bigger house than me? Well,
Peter said, I'm sorry, but we only use the material
you send up. See is what you're forward a head
(09:53):
that determines how nice your place gonna be. Because, by
the way, all place is not equal in him. Some
build with gold, silver and precious stones. Some build first
grid in this three says with wood hand stumble.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Everything's not equal. Everybody's not equal. There's not equality in heaven.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
They're the real faithful, the somewhat faithful, and those who
were casually faithful or not faithful at all.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Doctor Evans will have more for us on heaven when
he returns in just a moment. First, though, I'd like
to tell you about a powerful book that explores dealing
with the grief and loss we experience when we lose.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
A loved one.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
It's called Divine Disruption, Holding onto Faith when life breaks
your heart. Before her passing, Lois Evans urged her family
to work together on a collaborative project, and this book
is the product of her wish. In Divine Disruption, doctor
Evans and his four adult children candidly share honest questions
they've asked, as raw emotions they've felt, and solutions they've
(11:03):
learned through the tumultuous experience of losing eight loved ones
in less than two years time. Through their shared experiences
and individual viewpoints, you'll discover your own path to persevere
in difficult times and ultimately to experience God's peace through
it all. We'd like to send you your own copy
of Divine Disruption as our thank you gift when you
(11:26):
make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on
this station. Along with it, we'll send you CDs or
access to digital downloads of all five lessons in our
current series called The Afterlife Glimpses of Heaven and Hell,
as well as a companion's steady guide for the series.
This package of resources is yours with our thanks when
(11:47):
you make a donation online at Tonyevans dot org or
call our resource center day or night at one eight
hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. That's one eight
hundred eight hundred three two. Doctor Evans, welcome back with
more of our message right after this.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Far too many of us want to throw in the
towel before we've thrown up the prayers.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
Doctor Tony Evans says, Christians have a habit of under
using or overlooking our most valuable spiritual resource.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
Grace is available but only at the Throne, and you
can only approach the Throne through prayer.
Speaker 5 (12:24):
You can deepen your connection with the Lord through our
in depth course on Kingdom Prayer at the Tony Evans
Training Center. You'll discover how God has wired the world
to work by prayer and experience for yourself how it
connects Heaven with Earth and time with eternity. You'll not
only gain a new understanding and appreciation for prayer, you'll
(12:44):
actually pray in transforming ways you've never experienced before. The
course is intense, but you've can work through it at
your own face and get all the help you need
through our online forum. And of course there's custom content
from Tony not available anywhere else. Connect with the Tony
Evans Training Center at Tonyevans dot org. It's like having
(13:06):
a seminary on your smartphone or other device. Start today
Tonyevans dot org.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Now this is gonna be very interesting. You don't have
to turn there. But second p to three ten says
that this heaven and this Earth will burn with fervent heat.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
When it's time for the end of the age.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Not if you die and go to heaven now, but
when it's time for the end of the age. God
is going to replace or renovate this Earth and this
current heaven with fervent heat.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
What does that mean.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
He's gonna split all the atoms in the universe. We
know how that's done now. They said the atom couldn't
be split. Now it can be split. That produces nuclear fission.
And when that happens and the atom splits, you get
here'shia knakasaki. You get intense heat. It burns the skin
(14:04):
right off the body. All God is gonna do is
split every atom in the universe. Whoof and it will
be totally consumed. This heaven and this Earth will be gutted, and.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
The rest of Earth and Heaven. Watch.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
This will look like the New Jerusalem of Revelation twenty one.
So what you see in Revelation twenty one about the
New Jerusalem will become the universe. That's why you can't
get bored for a billion years.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
You can't get bored because when you want to leave
the capital.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
And check out.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Pluto, the New Pluto, it will.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Be as luxurious as the capital. And if you want
to check out Venus, it will be as luxurious as
the capital. And if you want to take a trip
to another galaxy, it will be as luxurious as the capital.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
So it will be NonStop. It will be NonStop.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
New Heaven, new Earth all merge together in one glorious
revelation of God. It will be spectacular. Just touring the
universe will take a couple of billion years. Go on vacation,
and you go on a little tour. That's nothing.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
You go a week, you still don't get to see everything.
That's nothing.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Finally, Heaven is a personal place, and I go to
prepare a place for you Verse three. And I will
come again, That is unless Jesus is a liar. But
if he rose from the dead, no problem coming again.
I will come again and receive you unto myself. Watch
(16:01):
this now and receive you unto myself. You didn't hear
that I'm coming again, and I'm going to receive you
unto myself. That where I am you may be. Also,
(16:23):
before you get too high on heaven, Jesus Christ wants
you to get high on something else. First, being with him.
You see, it is being with him that is the
heart of heaven. It is being with the Savior that
(16:44):
will make heaven heaven leave. Yes, it'll be nice to
go to a spectacular environment. Yes, it'll be nice not
to have any nighttime, any thunderstorms anymore. Yes, it will
be nice to be able to eat and never get
full and never get overweight. Yeah, it'll be nice to
(17:06):
talk the folk and not misunderstand each other. Yeah, it'll
be nice to live in a plus palatial rum or
whatever the apartment is that God have for us. Yes,
it'll be nice to tour the universe. But all of
that is secondary. That's why Jesus is gonna rapture you
and take you to heaven, because he wants you to.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Be with him.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
He's interested in being with him. The closer you are
to Christ now, the more precious Heaven will look then,
because it will be a relationship that makes heaven heaven,
not simply the place, or to put it in another way,
the place will be the backdrop for the relationship. It'll
(17:54):
just be the scenery behind the central picture. You and
your Savior hand in hand for all eternity. I ap
preached in Hawaii Now, if you've got to preach somewhere,
I mean, if you just gotta preach, that's the spot.
(18:19):
They call it the island Paradise, and many of you
have been, and you know, it's a pretty spectacular place.
You get away from all of the commercialism. You go
into some of the areas where there's more pristine beauty.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Kawaii or even some parts.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Of Honolulu where they still keep that more native flair.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
It's magnificent. I mean. The temperature was perfect, not too hot,
not too cool, you.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Know, one of them seventy two and a half. The
grease spots just perfect. Some would be shining and a
light mist of rain would start coming down, but not
rain that was inconvenient.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
This was convenient rain like a mist.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
But the sun shining, beautiful clouds, sky blue.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
The water was impeccable, almost being able to see to
the bottom. Just magnificent.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Plants and trees just naturally growing, just growing.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Because of the environment.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
They don't have to be you know, I mean they
have people who manicure them.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
But just natural growth, just magnificence.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Natural ponds here coming off of the Pacific Ocean, and
you just say, wow, if my wife would have told
me that she could not make the trip. I would
not have gone because you can't really enjoy.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
It right.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Unless you're enjoying it with somebody you love. Oh, let
me work this thing here right now. What made Hawaii
and Waii was not just the beach, but holding somebody's
hand while walking. You ain't praying with me, y'all, y'all,
(20:53):
don't y'all don't know nothing about this. What made Hawaii?
Why was the conversation sitting out on the patio. In
other words, what made it really nice was to have
the backdrop of the environment against the front of the.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Photo of a man and his bride.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
What made it special was I was enjoying it with
someone that I cared about and who cared about me,
and you put the.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Backdrop against that. See. I can't go walking out there.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Right now because the backdrop isn't right.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Isn't that why when you were dating your wife, when
you were.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
Dating to think back, take as much time as you need.
When you were when you were dating your wife, you
you wanted to know not only how good the food was,
but what kind of i'mbiyond was in the restaurant Because.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
You understand to do this thing right. You needed a.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Backdrop that reflected where you were going around the table,
around the table you were wrapping, You were talking, You
were you were telling that that same old job that
everybody else tells somebody. You were talking a good game.
You want to backdrop with nicely lit candles and wonderful
fragrance and nice flowers and waiters with things around their
(22:18):
arms coming and people playing violins. You want a backdrop
that reinforces your point. Brothers and sisters. The palatial state
of heaven is simply a backdrop, because Jesus says, what's
gonna make heaven Heaven is you and me, You with
your safe forever never and.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
That Doctor Evans will return with a final word to
wrap up today's message in just a moment. First, though,
I want to let you know that the full length
version of today's message is available as a part of
Tony's current five part series, The Afterlife Glimpses of Heaven
and Hell. Remember it's yours with our thanks, along with
(23:02):
the Divine Disruption book I told you about earlier. When
you make a contribution to help keep this listener supported
ministry coming your way, just visit Tonyevans dot org, or
you can make a donation request the Afterlife and Divine
Disruption package and instantly download the messages from this series. Again,
that's online at Tonyevans dot org, or call us anytime
(23:25):
of the day or night at one eight hundred, eight
hundred thirty two twenty two, where one of our helpful
team members is ready to assist with your request. Again,
that's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two.
You know, when something in life is really good, we
refer to it as heavenly. But tomorrow doctor Evans will
explain why nothing here can compare with what's waiting for
(23:49):
us there. Right now, though, he's back with these final words.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
So how do we close?
Speaker 3 (23:54):
We close it? Verse six, Thomas wanted to know. I
don't know how to get there. Jesus says, I am
the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father, but through me. Do you want to
go to heaven? Do you know you're going to heaven?
There's only one way to get there, Jesus says in
(24:15):
verse six, through me, because I'm the only one who
knows where it is. I'm the only one who knows
where it's located. I'm the only one who knows the
standards of the Father that gets you in, and so
you must come through me.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
If you want to go to heaven. Jesus Christ love
to take you there.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
The Alternative with doctor Tony Evans.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Is brought to you by the Urban Alternative, and
Speaker 2 (24:39):
It's made possible by the generous contribution so listeners like
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