Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The reality of the promise of heaven is tied to
the person of God.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Doctor Tony Heaven says, the same God who created the
heavens and the earth has promised an eternal dwelling place
with him.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
If you believe he did it the first time, don't
doubt he can do it the second better.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
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. Want to live a
more passionate, purposeful life on earth. Doctor Evan says, the
way to do it is to think more about heaven.
Let's join him as he helps us learn how to
(00:36):
do that.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
What is heaven before we can talk about what we're
gonna do there, what it's going to look like, and
all of those things which we're going to get into.
What will we be like there? A very important concept.
What are we talking about when we use the term heaven?
God fourteenth It is Jesus's promise to his disciples about heaven.
(01:01):
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 gonna make it
in your absence, he says, why are you absent from me?
Let me tell you a little bit about heaven, because
even though you're not with me, you need to know
(01:23):
that I'm going to prepare a place for you. He says,
Let not your heart be troubled.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Even though I'm leaving, and even though you're going to
be here in this.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
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 told you
(01:56):
for I go to prepare a place for you. We
would call it heaven. Now, first of all, I want
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 3 (02:17):
It's based on a promise. Now, a promise is only
as good as the one making it.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
First of all, he says that the promise of heaven
is predicated on the character of God. Let not your
heart be troubled. Believe in God. If you doubt Heaven.
Believe God. If you doubt whether there is this place
that we're going to go to when we're gonna die, don't.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Get stuck on heaven. Turned back to God.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
The reality of the promise of heaven is tied to
the person of God.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
To put it in another.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Way, if Heaven is a lie, then God is alied.
And if God is a lie, then that means we
must disprove or stop bleeding everything and anything else that
God has said. He says, believe in God, the character
of God. The Bible says in Hebrews eleven sixth it
(03:21):
is impossible for God to lie. The Bible says in
Second Corinthians five, verse one, that we know when this
body is torn down, that we have a home in heaven.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Prepared by God.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
So if you don't doubt that God created the heavens
and the earth in Genesis one, and it's the same
God who makes the promise of a new heaven and
a new Earth at the end of time and at
the end of your life. And we're talking about the
same God. If you believe he did it the first time,
(04:04):
don't doubt he can do it the second time. It's
tied to the character of God. But it's not only
tied to the character of God. The promise of heaven
is also tied to the character of Christ. He says,
you believe in God, believe also in Me. Now this
would have been very meaningful to the disciples because they
(04:25):
had walked with Jesus for three years and had seen
him do mega miracles. They had seen him produce sight
in the eyes of the blind. They had seen the
lame walk, they had seen the dumb talk, they had
seen him walk on water.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
In other words, we can't see God, but they did
see Christ.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
So even if God is not concrete enough for you,
he says, bleed in me. That is the son of
Man who you've seen in everyday life, bleeded in me.
One of the important things about knowing Jesus Christ is
that Christ is God in the flesh. John one eighteen says,
(05:08):
so with Christ, you see God with skin on. And
the closer you get to Christ, the closer you get
to Heaven. Because the closer you get to Christ, the
more you see Christ work in your life, and the more.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
You see Christ working in.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Your life, the more really becomes, and the more really becomes,
you do not doubt heaven because you do not doubt him.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Intimacy with Christ.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Believe in Me brings reality to the invisible God. And
once the visible Christ brings reality to the visible God,
you have a second confirmation of heaven. The other thing
that Christ does that he gives you somebody who can
feel what you feel, understand what you understand, because He's
gone through what you've gone through, and so you have
(05:53):
somebody who can relate to you.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
God the Father cannot relate to death. Jesus's son can.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
He died, and so he understands the transition process.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
He's been there, and so you can call on him.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
The promise of heaven, however, not only rest on the
character of God, not only rest on the character of Christ,
and also rest on the character of Scripture. The Bible
is replete with the concept of heaven. Philippians three twenty says,
our citizenship is in heaven. We are citizens there, we
are aliens here. First Peter, chapter one, verse four says,
(06:33):
the inheritance and our reservations are in heaven. Now, if
you call up and make a reservation at a hotel,
you don't need to see the hotel to know the
reservation is firm. In fact, the only way you know
the reservation is there is because they give you a
confirmation number. If you've never been there before, you take
(06:56):
it by faith. When they give you a confirmation number
that you have a place located in the city you're
going into under the name of that hotel, based on
the integrity of the chain.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
If it's a.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Chain, that there will be a room awaiting you. And
if they don't have a room and you have a confirmation,
they got to come up with something because you made
your reservations. I have good news for everybody here who's
made their reservations. In heaven, there is a room if
you have a confirmation number. Or by the way, it's
got to be written in blood, the blood of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
He says, you have a reservation.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
And whenever you make a reservation, it means you're not
there yet. And if you've made reservations to go to
heaven based on the blood of Jesus Christ, then it
is a confirmed reservation.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
First Peter one fourth says.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Matthew five point twelve says, our true wealth is there.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
No matter how.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Successful you are on earth, you are pauper compared to
the reservations made in heaven. Luke ten twenty says, our
names are recorded there.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
You have your name written and inscribed in heaven.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Look at Hebrews chapter eleven. Will come back to John
in a moment. But Hebrews chapter eleven, how passionate men
of old were about Heaven all the way back in
the Old Testament. Hebrews eleven talked to about the saints
of old. Notice what they say in verse nine, for example,
(08:36):
talking about Abraham by faith, he lived as an alien
in the land of Promise, as in a foreign land,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of
the same promise. For he was looking for the city
which has foundation, whose architect and builder is God. He
(08:59):
lived as an air because he had his eyes set
on Heaven. No this verse thirteen. And all these died
in faith, without receiving the promises seen them, and having
welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they
were strangers in exiles on the earth. And those who
(09:19):
say such things make it clear that they are seeking
a country of their own. And if indeed they had
been thinking of that country from which they went out,
they would have had opportunity to return, and as it was,
they desired a better country, that is.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
A heavenly one.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Therefore, God is not a shame to be called their god,
for he has prepared a city for them.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
The Old Testament saints live on earth with sights.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
In heaven, and when you become passionate about heaven.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
You'll be fulfilled.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
In history, the reason why we're unhappy on earth is
because we don't have a view of.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
A few of Heaven.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Doesn't mean, as I said, your mormid, you want to die,
you think about death all the time.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
It means just the opposite.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
It means you're thinking about life all the time, because
Heaven is pulsating with life. So to be passionate about
heaven is to be fulfilled. Why you wait to go there.
To be passionate about earth is to be unfulfilled. Why
you're waiting to go to heaven. If you want to
enjoy earth, think about heaven. Learn about heaven. For the
(10:31):
great saints of old we're passionate about heaven as they
lived on earth.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Doctor Evans will continue on wrapping our look at heaven
when he continues in just a moment. First, so what
you're hearing Today is part of Tony's five message series,
the Afterlife Glimpses of Heaven and Hell. It covers all
your biggest questions about what's out there beyond the grave,
gives you a biblical look at what eternal life is
all about, and describes the kind of faith you need
(10:59):
to get it right now. We're offering the complete Afterlife
Series on CD or digital download, along with a companion's
study guide as our thank you gift when you make
a contribution to help support Tony's ministry, and as a
special bonus if you contact us right away. We'll also
include a copy of Divine Disruption. In this book, from
(11:20):
doctor Evans and his grown children, they share the raw
emotions they've felt and the tough questions they asked following
the passing of Loa sevens. They also explore ways to
keep faith from crumbling and how to keep moving forward
when grief and pain make it hard to even breathe again.
The Afterlife Series, study Guide and the Divine Disruption book
(11:43):
are all yours, with our thanks when you make a
donation online at Tonyevans dot org or call a resource
center day or night at one eight hundred eight hundred
thirty two twenty two. That's one eight hundred eight hundred
three two two two. Well, Doctor Evans, we'll come back
with more of today's message right after this. These days
(12:05):
everything seems more expensive.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
At the Tony Evans Training Center, we go against the
grin to bring you education on the Word of God.
That's why we're lowering our monthly fee. Our users are
just as excited as we are. Susan says, I've been
looking for a personal pace, study and tetc. Is an
answer to my prayers. Today's reduced subscription announcement was confirmation
to dive in and do it. Visit tonyevanstraining dot org
(12:30):
to subscribe today and explore the Kingdom.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
So the first thing is that heaven is based on
the integrity of God, the Father, God the Son, and
the scriptures which were authored and coded and inspired by
God the Holy Spirit. The second thing I want to
say about heaven is that not only is it a
promised place, Heaven is also a particular place. He says,
(12:58):
I go to verse two of John fourteen, a place
for you. You're not out there floating in never never
nothing land. Oftentimes you read in the Bible the word
heaven always regularly has an s on it to the heavens,
because they're not one heaven.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
There's not two heavens. There are three heavens in the Bible.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
The first heaven is the atmospheric heaven, or the realm
in which man lives, the realm where we can breathe oxygen,
the realm of the clouds. The second heaven is the
stellar or planetary heavens. You would call it outer space,
(13:45):
where the planets are, where the galaxies are.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
It's huge.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
That's where the angels operate from. And then there is
the third heaven, which is what we refer to when
we talk about going to heaven, and that is the
dwelling place of God. When Jesus ascended, after he rose
from the dead, he had to go to all three heavens.
(14:14):
He had to go through the first heaven, the atmosphere,
out through the second heaven, the planets, the stars, and
into the third heaven to be with his Father and
sit in his right hand, into the very presence of God.
When Jesus Christ arose, he did not go nowhere. He
went somewhere. If I tell you I'm going to La,
I'm going somewhere. If I tell you I'm going to
(14:35):
San Francisco, I'm going somewhere. Heaven is a place I
go to prepare a place for you, our father, who
aren't in what heaven. Matthew ten thirty two and thirty
three talks about the fact that when you and I go,
that Jesus Christ won't deny us before our Father, who
(14:56):
is in heaven. Isaiah sixty five fifteen and fifty seven
fifteen says that God has a dwelling place on high
in heaven.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
You say, well, how can I relate to that.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I don't know how to grab heaven when I'm dealing
with this kind of beig So what God has done
if you've given you a snippet of heaven, And that's
why in the Bible you see the reference to a city,
the capital of Heaven, downtown Heaven. All of Heaven is
(15:35):
not described for us in the Bible as too big.
So what God has given us is one city, so
that you can understand from the one city what the
rest of heaven is like. That's why we read men
looked for a city. That's because we can relate to
a city. We can't relate to even the whole world.
(15:57):
Almost nevertheless, all the hell, heavens, all the things that
have been created. So the Bible has given us the
snippet by telling us about one city. Look at Revelation
twenty one. Revelation, Chapter twenty one.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Verse ten.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
And he carried me away in the spirit to a
great and high mountain, and showed me the Holy City Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Having the glory of God.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a
stone of crystal clear.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Jasper. Let me read verse twenty three.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
And the city had no need of the sun or
of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory
of God had illumined it. And its lamp is the lamb.
Now this is the capital of Heaven. We see it
coming down out of heaven, because it's not all of heaven.
(17:07):
It's just the capital of Heaven. But it will let
you know what the rest of heaven is like. Now
we won't get into that, but you can read it
if you want. But this is a spectacular place. You
have never seen anything like what you're going to describe.
In fact, when exec you'll try to describe it, he
couldn't come up with the words. All he saw was
lights flashing, wheels turning. It was beyond his ability even
(17:30):
come up with the right language to describe this place.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
When Paul went there, the only Christian who.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
God ever took there physically and brought back to talk
about it, says that what he saw that he saw things.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
That were unlawful to even speak of.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
The third thing about heaven is that heaven is not
only a promised place in a particular place, It is
a paternal place. Verse two says, in my father's house, heaven.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Is a family affair. It's the gathering of a daddy
with his kids.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Please notice, in my father's house are many dwelling places.
The house already exists heaven, But in the heaven are
many dwelling places. This will be a word that we
would say today apartments, many places to live in to
hows the people going there now? Without getting into the details,
(18:32):
the capital city is fifteen hundred square miles around and
watch this and fifteen hundred miles high.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
This is just a capital fifteen hundred square.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Miles around, fifteen hundred miles high, with levels of streets
going up and out. Enough room in the capital city.
The New Erusalem to house billions of people because the
city is not just out, The city is out and up.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
You know how high. Fifteen hundred miles up.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
One city is the size the New Jerusalem of almost half.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Of the United States.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
That's just the ground, and it is that much high,
so that there are layers in heaven.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
With see through streets.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
See through streets, no concrete, no tar, see through streets.
What he wants you to do is just see one
city to let you know that this is a staggering
place with many dwelling places. And he calls it the
father's house. Now, there are two important factors to know
(19:52):
that it's the father's house. Number One, it's a family issue.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Only the kids get to live here because it's the
father's house. If he's not your father, you don't get
in this house.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
The second thing is that the house reflects the character
of the daddy who lives there because it's the father's house.
So the father is going to make the house conducive
to himself. God can do anything he wants to do,
whenever he wants to do it. So can you imagine
(20:27):
that house, my heavenly father, is eternal in nature. If
you have limited information about God. You'll have limited appreciation
for Heaven right now because you don't know Daddy. Some
of you, if I were to ask you about your
father's you would have very little to say because you
didn't grow up with him.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
You never got to know him, so.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
You can't appreciate him or anything he has done.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Many Christians can't.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Appreciate Heaven because they don't know Daddy. To put it
in another way, heaven is consumed with God. Let me
read again from Revelation twenty one. Heaven is consumed with God.
Revelation twenty one says these words. Verse eleven says that
this new city will have the glory of God. Verse
(21:16):
twenty two says, and I saw no temple in it,
for the Lord God the Almighty, and the lamp are
the temple. There are no churches in heaven because Heaven
is one big church. Isaiah, when he looked up and
he saw heaven in Isaiah six one through three, saw
the consuming presence of God. Heaven is where the glory
(21:41):
of God shines unabated. It is where God fully expresses himself,
unhindered by sin. Every day you see a beautiful day,
you say this show is a gorgeous day.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Well, guess what on the best.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Day that you see, it's limited beauty because one it's
hampered by sin, and two God works through other agencies.
He works through the sun to give you sunshine. He
works through the moon to give you light at night.
He works through other agencies. Not so in heaven. In heaven,
(22:19):
since there won't be any sin, there won't be any
blockage of beautiful days. So the best day you've ever
seen will be like the rain and darkness outside compared
to what a day will look like in heaven. And
since there's no night there, all the weather will be
the same all the time. But not only that, God
(22:41):
will not work through any intermediary agencies. He will not
give light through the sun, He will not give light
through the moon.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
He himself will be the light Chkina glory. Now, guess what.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
God is brighter than the sun. So God, who created
the sun, is brighter than the sun. So God is
going to fully express himself without working through anything. So
you and I will see the undiminished glory of Doctor.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
It will be staggering.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Doctor Evans will have more about heaven for us tomorrow.
But if you'd like to get the complete full length
version of this message. It's available on CD or digital
download as part of Tony's current series called The Afterlife
Glimpses of Heaven and Hell. In fact, as I mentioned earlier,
this complete series is Companion's study guide and a copy
(23:40):
of Divine Disruption, the book written by Tony and his
children following Lois's death. Are all a part of a
special package of resources we're sending out the listeners like
you who come alongside us with the donation to help
carry on the ministry. You can find out more right
from our homepage at Tonyevans dot org or by calling
one of our friendly team members at one eight hundred
(24:03):
eight hundred thirty two twenty two. They're ready to help
with your resource request anytime of the day or night. Again,
that's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two,
or online at Tonyevans dot org. It's been said Heaven
is the place we go to spend eternity among people
we couldn't get along with on Earth. But there's an
(24:25):
even more important relationship that's the centerpiece of our eternal future.
Doctor Evans will tell us about that tomorrow. I hope
you'll join us. The Alternative with Doctor Tony Evans.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Is brought to you by the Urban Alternative, and
Speaker 2 (24:39):
It's made possible by the generous contribution so the listeners
like you
The reality of the promise of heaven is tied to
the person of God.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Doctor Tony Heaven says, the same God who created the
heavens and the earth has promised an eternal dwelling place
with him.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
If you believe he did it the first time, don't
doubt he can do it the second better.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
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. Want to live a
more passionate, purposeful life on earth. Doctor Evan says, the
way to do it is to think more about heaven.
Let's join him as he helps us learn how to
(00:36):
do that.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
What is heaven before we can talk about what we're
gonna do there, what it's going to look like, and
all of those things which we're going to get into.
What will we be like there? A very important concept.
What are we talking about when we use the term heaven?
God fourteenth It is Jesus's promise to his disciples about heaven.
(01:01):
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 gonna make it
in your absence, he says, why are you absent from me?
Let me tell you a little bit about heaven, because
even though you're not with me, you need to know
(01:23):
that I'm going to prepare a place for you. He says,
Let not your heart be troubled.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Even though I'm leaving, and even though you're going to
be here in this.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
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 told you
(01:56):
for I go to prepare a place for you. We
would call it heaven. Now, first of all, I want
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 3 (02:17):
It's based on a promise. Now, a promise is only
as good as the one making it.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
First of all, he says that the promise of heaven
is predicated on the character of God. Let not your
heart be troubled. Believe in God. If you doubt Heaven.
Believe God. If you doubt whether there is this place
that we're going to go to when we're gonna die, don't.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Get stuck on heaven. Turned back to God.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
The reality of the promise of heaven is tied to
the person of God.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
To put it in another.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Way, if Heaven is a lie, then God is alied.
And if God is a lie, then that means we
must disprove or stop bleeding everything and anything else that
God has said. He says, believe in God, the character
of God. The Bible says in Hebrews eleven sixth it
(03:21):
is impossible for God to lie. The Bible says in
Second Corinthians five, verse one, that we know when this
body is torn down, that we have a home in heaven.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Prepared by God.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
So if you don't doubt that God created the heavens
and the earth in Genesis one, and it's the same
God who makes the promise of a new heaven and
a new Earth at the end of time and at
the end of your life. And we're talking about the
same God. If you believe he did it the first time,
(04:04):
don't doubt he can do it the second time. It's
tied to the character of God. But it's not only
tied to the character of God. The promise of heaven
is also tied to the character of Christ. He says,
you believe in God, believe also in Me. Now this
would have been very meaningful to the disciples because they
(04:25):
had walked with Jesus for three years and had seen
him do mega miracles. They had seen him produce sight
in the eyes of the blind. They had seen the
lame walk, they had seen the dumb talk, they had
seen him walk on water.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
In other words, we can't see God, but they did
see Christ.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
So even if God is not concrete enough for you,
he says, bleed in me. That is the son of
Man who you've seen in everyday life, bleeded in me.
One of the important things about knowing Jesus Christ is
that Christ is God in the flesh. John one eighteen says,
(05:08):
so with Christ, you see God with skin on. And
the closer you get to Christ, the closer you get
to Heaven. Because the closer you get to Christ, the
more you see Christ work in your life, and the more.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
You see Christ working in.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Your life, the more really becomes, and the more really becomes,
you do not doubt heaven because you do not doubt him.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Intimacy with Christ.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Believe in Me brings reality to the invisible God. And
once the visible Christ brings reality to the visible God,
you have a second confirmation of heaven. The other thing
that Christ does that he gives you somebody who can
feel what you feel, understand what you understand, because He's
gone through what you've gone through, and so you have
(05:53):
somebody who can relate to you.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
God the Father cannot relate to death. Jesus's son can.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
He died, and so he understands the transition process.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
He's been there, and so you can call on him.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
The promise of heaven, however, not only rest on the
character of God, not only rest on the character of Christ,
and also rest on the character of Scripture. The Bible
is replete with the concept of heaven. Philippians three twenty says,
our citizenship is in heaven. We are citizens there, we
are aliens here. First Peter, chapter one, verse four says,
(06:33):
the inheritance and our reservations are in heaven. Now, if
you call up and make a reservation at a hotel,
you don't need to see the hotel to know the
reservation is firm. In fact, the only way you know
the reservation is there is because they give you a
confirmation number. If you've never been there before, you take
(06:56):
it by faith. When they give you a confirmation number
that you have a place located in the city you're
going into under the name of that hotel, based on
the integrity of the chain.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
If it's a.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Chain, that there will be a room awaiting you. And
if they don't have a room and you have a confirmation,
they got to come up with something because you made
your reservations. I have good news for everybody here who's
made their reservations. In heaven, there is a room if
you have a confirmation number. Or by the way, it's
got to be written in blood, the blood of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
He says, you have a reservation.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
And whenever you make a reservation, it means you're not
there yet. And if you've made reservations to go to
heaven based on the blood of Jesus Christ, then it
is a confirmed reservation.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
First Peter one fourth says.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Matthew five point twelve says, our true wealth is there.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
No matter how.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Successful you are on earth, you are pauper compared to
the reservations made in heaven. Luke ten twenty says, our
names are recorded there.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
You have your name written and inscribed in heaven.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Look at Hebrews chapter eleven. Will come back to John
in a moment. But Hebrews chapter eleven, how passionate men
of old were about Heaven all the way back in
the Old Testament. Hebrews eleven talked to about the saints
of old. Notice what they say in verse nine, for example,
(08:36):
talking about Abraham by faith, he lived as an alien
in the land of Promise, as in a foreign land,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of
the same promise. For he was looking for the city
which has foundation, whose architect and builder is God. He
(08:59):
lived as an air because he had his eyes set
on Heaven. No this verse thirteen. And all these died
in faith, without receiving the promises seen them, and having
welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they
were strangers in exiles on the earth. And those who
(09:19):
say such things make it clear that they are seeking
a country of their own. And if indeed they had
been thinking of that country from which they went out,
they would have had opportunity to return, and as it was,
they desired a better country, that is.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
A heavenly one.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Therefore, God is not a shame to be called their god,
for he has prepared a city for them.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
The Old Testament saints live on earth with sights.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
In heaven, and when you become passionate about heaven.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
You'll be fulfilled.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
In history, the reason why we're unhappy on earth is
because we don't have a view of.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
A few of Heaven.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Doesn't mean, as I said, your mormid, you want to die,
you think about death all the time.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
It means just the opposite.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
It means you're thinking about life all the time, because
Heaven is pulsating with life. So to be passionate about
heaven is to be fulfilled. Why you wait to go there.
To be passionate about earth is to be unfulfilled. Why
you're waiting to go to heaven. If you want to
enjoy earth, think about heaven. Learn about heaven. For the
(10:31):
great saints of old we're passionate about heaven as they
lived on earth.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Doctor Evans will continue on wrapping our look at heaven
when he continues in just a moment. First, so what
you're hearing Today is part of Tony's five message series,
the Afterlife Glimpses of Heaven and Hell. It covers all
your biggest questions about what's out there beyond the grave,
gives you a biblical look at what eternal life is
all about, and describes the kind of faith you need
(10:59):
to get it right now. We're offering the complete Afterlife
Series on CD or digital download, along with a companion's
study guide as our thank you gift when you make
a contribution to help support Tony's ministry, and as a
special bonus if you contact us right away. We'll also
include a copy of Divine Disruption. In this book, from
(11:20):
doctor Evans and his grown children, they share the raw
emotions they've felt and the tough questions they asked following
the passing of Loa sevens. They also explore ways to
keep faith from crumbling and how to keep moving forward
when grief and pain make it hard to even breathe again.
The Afterlife Series, study Guide and the Divine Disruption book
(11:43):
are all yours, with our thanks when you make a
donation online at Tonyevans dot org or call a resource
center day or night at one eight hundred eight hundred
thirty two twenty two. That's one eight hundred eight hundred
three two two two. Well, Doctor Evans, we'll come back
with more of today's message right after this. These days
(12:05):
everything seems more expensive.
Speaker 4 (12:07):
At the Tony Evans Training Center, we go against the
grin to bring you education on the Word of God.
That's why we're lowering our monthly fee. Our users are
just as excited as we are. Susan says, I've been
looking for a personal pace, study and tetc. Is an
answer to my prayers. Today's reduced subscription announcement was confirmation
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(12:30):
to subscribe today and explore the Kingdom.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
So the first thing is that heaven is based on
the integrity of God, the Father, God the Son, and
the scriptures which were authored and coded and inspired by
God the Holy Spirit. The second thing I want to
say about heaven is that not only is it a
promised place, Heaven is also a particular place. He says,
(12:58):
I go to verse two of John fourteen, a place
for you. You're not out there floating in never never
nothing land. Oftentimes you read in the Bible the word
heaven always regularly has an s on it to the heavens,
because they're not one heaven.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
There's not two heavens. There are three heavens in the Bible.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
The first heaven is the atmospheric heaven, or the realm
in which man lives, the realm where we can breathe oxygen,
the realm of the clouds. The second heaven is the
stellar or planetary heavens. You would call it outer space,
(13:45):
where the planets are, where the galaxies are.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
It's huge.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
That's where the angels operate from. And then there is
the third heaven, which is what we refer to when
we talk about going to heaven, and that is the
dwelling place of God. When Jesus ascended, after he rose
from the dead, he had to go to all three heavens.
(14:14):
He had to go through the first heaven, the atmosphere,
out through the second heaven, the planets, the stars, and
into the third heaven to be with his Father and
sit in his right hand, into the very presence of God.
When Jesus Christ arose, he did not go nowhere. He
went somewhere. If I tell you I'm going to La,
I'm going somewhere. If I tell you I'm going to
(14:35):
San Francisco, I'm going somewhere. Heaven is a place I
go to prepare a place for you, our father, who
aren't in what heaven. Matthew ten thirty two and thirty
three talks about the fact that when you and I go,
that Jesus Christ won't deny us before our Father, who
(14:56):
is in heaven. Isaiah sixty five fifteen and fifty seven
fifteen says that God has a dwelling place on high
in heaven.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
You say, well, how can I relate to that.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I don't know how to grab heaven when I'm dealing
with this kind of beig So what God has done
if you've given you a snippet of heaven, And that's
why in the Bible you see the reference to a city,
the capital of Heaven, downtown Heaven. All of Heaven is
(15:35):
not described for us in the Bible as too big.
So what God has given us is one city, so
that you can understand from the one city what the
rest of heaven is like. That's why we read men
looked for a city. That's because we can relate to
a city. We can't relate to even the whole world.
(15:57):
Almost nevertheless, all the hell, heavens, all the things that
have been created. So the Bible has given us the
snippet by telling us about one city. Look at Revelation
twenty one. Revelation, Chapter twenty one.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Verse ten.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
And he carried me away in the spirit to a
great and high mountain, and showed me the Holy City Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
Having the glory of God.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a
stone of crystal clear.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Jasper. Let me read verse twenty three.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
And the city had no need of the sun or
of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory
of God had illumined it. And its lamp is the lamb.
Now this is the capital of Heaven. We see it
coming down out of heaven, because it's not all of heaven.
(17:07):
It's just the capital of Heaven. But it will let
you know what the rest of heaven is like. Now
we won't get into that, but you can read it
if you want. But this is a spectacular place. You
have never seen anything like what you're going to describe.
In fact, when exec you'll try to describe it, he
couldn't come up with the words. All he saw was
lights flashing, wheels turning. It was beyond his ability even
(17:30):
come up with the right language to describe this place.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
When Paul went there, the only Christian who.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
God ever took there physically and brought back to talk
about it, says that what he saw that he saw things.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
That were unlawful to even speak of.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
The third thing about heaven is that heaven is not
only a promised place in a particular place, It is
a paternal place. Verse two says, in my father's house, heaven.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Is a family affair. It's the gathering of a daddy
with his kids.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Please notice, in my father's house are many dwelling places.
The house already exists heaven, But in the heaven are
many dwelling places. This will be a word that we
would say today apartments, many places to live in to
hows the people going there now? Without getting into the details,
(18:32):
the capital city is fifteen hundred square miles around and
watch this and fifteen hundred miles high.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
This is just a capital fifteen hundred square.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Miles around, fifteen hundred miles high, with levels of streets
going up and out. Enough room in the capital city.
The New Erusalem to house billions of people because the
city is not just out, The city is out and up.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
You know how high. Fifteen hundred miles up.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
One city is the size the New Jerusalem of almost half.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
Of the United States.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
That's just the ground, and it is that much high,
so that there are layers in heaven.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
With see through streets.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
See through streets, no concrete, no tar, see through streets.
What he wants you to do is just see one
city to let you know that this is a staggering
place with many dwelling places. And he calls it the
father's house. Now, there are two important factors to know
(19:52):
that it's the father's house. Number One, it's a family issue.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Only the kids get to live here because it's the
father's house. If he's not your father, you don't get
in this house.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
The second thing is that the house reflects the character
of the daddy who lives there because it's the father's house.
So the father is going to make the house conducive
to himself. God can do anything he wants to do,
whenever he wants to do it. So can you imagine
(20:27):
that house, my heavenly father, is eternal in nature. If
you have limited information about God. You'll have limited appreciation
for Heaven right now because you don't know Daddy. Some
of you, if I were to ask you about your
father's you would have very little to say because you
didn't grow up with him.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
You never got to know him, so.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
You can't appreciate him or anything he has done.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Many Christians can't.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Appreciate Heaven because they don't know Daddy. To put it
in another way, heaven is consumed with God. Let me
read again from Revelation twenty one. Heaven is consumed with God.
Revelation twenty one says these words. Verse eleven says that
this new city will have the glory of God. Verse
(21:16):
twenty two says, and I saw no temple in it,
for the Lord God the Almighty, and the lamp are
the temple. There are no churches in heaven because Heaven
is one big church. Isaiah, when he looked up and
he saw heaven in Isaiah six one through three, saw
the consuming presence of God. Heaven is where the glory
(21:41):
of God shines unabated. It is where God fully expresses himself,
unhindered by sin. Every day you see a beautiful day,
you say this show is a gorgeous day.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Well, guess what on the best.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
Day that you see, it's limited beauty because one it's
hampered by sin, and two God works through other agencies.
He works through the sun to give you sunshine. He
works through the moon to give you light at night.
He works through other agencies. Not so in heaven. In heaven,
(22:19):
since there won't be any sin, there won't be any
blockage of beautiful days. So the best day you've ever
seen will be like the rain and darkness outside compared
to what a day will look like in heaven. And
since there's no night there, all the weather will be
the same all the time. But not only that, God
(22:41):
will not work through any intermediary agencies. He will not
give light through the sun, He will not give light
through the moon.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
He himself will be the light Chkina glory. Now, guess what.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
God is brighter than the sun. So God, who created
the sun, is brighter than the sun. So God is
going to fully express himself without working through anything. So
you and I will see the undiminished glory of Doctor.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
It will be staggering.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Doctor Evans will have more about heaven for us tomorrow.
But if you'd like to get the complete full length
version of this message. It's available on CD or digital
download as part of Tony's current series called The Afterlife
Glimpses of Heaven and Hell. In fact, as I mentioned earlier,
this complete series is Companion's study guide and a copy
(23:40):
of Divine Disruption, the book written by Tony and his
children following Lois's death. Are all a part of a
special package of resources we're sending out the listeners like
you who come alongside us with the donation to help
carry on the ministry. You can find out more right
from our homepage at Tonyevans dot org or by calling
one of our friendly team members at one eight hundred
(24:03):
eight hundred thirty two twenty two. They're ready to help
with your resource request anytime of the day or night. Again,
that's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two,
or online at Tonyevans dot org. It's been said Heaven
is the place we go to spend eternity among people
we couldn't get along with on Earth. But there's an
(24:25):
even more important relationship that's the centerpiece of our eternal future.
Doctor Evans will tell us about that tomorrow. I hope
you'll join us. The Alternative with Doctor Tony Evans.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Is brought to you by the Urban Alternative, and
Speaker 2 (24:39):
It's made possible by the generous contribution so the listeners
like you
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