Heaven: My Everlasting Companions

March 6, 2011 Preacher: Randy Smith Series: Heaven

Scripture: Revelation 21:1–9

Transcript

Heaven: My Everlasting Companions

Revelation 21:1-9
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Pastor Randy Smith



First we learned how heaven should permeate our present thoughts. We often refer to it as a "heavenward focus." Then we spent two sermons describing why heaven will be a place of joy. That was followed by two sermons teaching who exactly goes to heaven and when will they enter heaven. Two weeks ago we learned what heaven will look like. And last week we learned what people will look like in heaven. Today, in this final sermon in the series (and our time is brief), we will see what the Bible has to say about our eternal companions in heaven. In other words, who are all the living beings that will populate heaven?

1. WHO WILL NOT BE IN HEAVEN?

Before we get to who is there, let's begin with who will not be there - our first point.

Satan

First of all, and it goes without saying, Satan will not be present in heaven. Among other names he is described as a "roaring lion" (1 Pet. 5:8) and a "murderer" (Jn. 8:44). He is the "accuser" (Rev. 12:10), the "adversary" (1 Pet. 5:8), the "enemy" (Mt. 13:39) and the "father of lies" (Jn. 8:44).

Satan is a created being. He rebelled against God in the beginning. His defeat was secured by the death of Christ (Jn. 16:11; Eph. 4:8; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14). As a defeated foe, he seeks to frustrate the good plans of God. He knows his time is short (Rev. 12:12), and his end has been secured. Revelation 20:10, "And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (cf. Rev. 19:20).

Demons

With Satan in hell will also be his demonic companions. As a matter of fact, Jesus said the primary purpose of creating hell is to eternally host these evil spirits. In Matthew 25 He called hell "the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels" (Mt. 25:41).

Unbelievers

Certain people will also be excluded from heaven. If we take the Bible seriously, those in heaven will be far less than those who enter the "broad [road] that leads to destruction" (Mt. 7:13). The Bible is clear that most people, 2 Thessalonians 2:10, "[will] not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved."

The truth is simply this: God is holy and we are sinners. In His love He sent Jesus Christ to the cross to take away our sin and provide forgiveness. Those who reject Jesus reject their only hope of heaven. Didn't Jesus say, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (Jn. 14:7; cf. Jn 3:18).

Make no mistake about it. Contrary to what most people believe, the Bible teaches that most people will not be in heaven. Revelation 21:8, "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (cf. Rev. 21:27).

I am tragically convinced that even many who call themselves Christians will not be in heaven. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."

Coming to Christ is not only a prayer of mental assent but it is also an act of the affections and will. It is a total surrender to His lordship. It is loving Him with all of our hearts and living the rest of our lives as His servants submissive to the Father's will. As a matter of fact, when Jesus made His comments about the recipients of hell, they were frequently directed to "religious people" who failed to prove their allegiance to Him in the way they loved His people (Mt. 25:46) and used their time and treasure and talents (Mt. 25:30).

2. WHO WILL BE IN HEAVEN?

Well, who then will be in heaven?

First and foremost, the Triune God will be there in all His glory. We know that God is omnipresent whereby one location cannot contain His presence, but heaven is frequently mentioned as His home and the place where He manifests His presence in a unique way. In heaven the invisible God makes Himself visible (1 Ti. 1:17). Twice in Revelation He is called the "God of heaven" (Rev. 11:13; 16:11). Ezekiel 48:35 calls heaven "The Lord is there."

In the end of the Bible we have our best description of heaven and the greatest part of the description will be the presence of God. "And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them'" (Rev. 21:3).

Those in heaven will see God (Mt. 5:8; 1 Jn. 3:2; Rev. 22:4). And those in heaven will enjoy intimate fellowship with Him throughout eternity. One of the Puritans said, "[Heaven is] where the unveiled glories of the Deity shall beat full upon us, and we forever sun ourselves in the smiles of God" (Ezekiel Hopkins, A Puritan Golden Treasury, p. 133).

There is a mystery, but let's see if we can scratch the surface as to the presence of each Person in the triune Godhead.

God the Father

We will be with God the Father. From our youth we have recited the "Lord's Prayer," "Our Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 6:9).

The Father is spirit (Jn. 4:24) yet He will choose to manifest Himself in a visible presence for us. Possibly the best description comes from Revelation 4 and 5. "Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance… Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder…and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal" (Rev. 4:2-3, 5a, 6a). Obviously this description fails to capture the totality of the divine glory as John was simply using the best language he had available. We are talking about a presence here that is beautiful and stunning and glorious far beyond our earthly imagination.

God the Spirit

We will also be in the presence of God the Spirit. As we read of Him in Scripture, His role is never drawing attention to Himself. He exists to bring glory to the Father and the Son. And when we look for His presence in heaven, as we would expect, there is not much to be found in Scripture.

Possibly the best reference comes in Revelation 4:5. "And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." We know there is only one Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:4), so scholars have debated what the number seven indicates. Possibly it describes His perfection or fullness. Maybe it describes His ministry. It could be an indication of His manifestation. And as for His manifestation, it seems to be in the form of fire, drawing images in our minds of Pentecost (Ac. 2:3-4).

God the Son

God the Son will be present in heaven. In heaven, Jesus will retain His bodily form yet exist without the limitations He experienced during His earthly ministry. Revelation 1 gives us a picture of His appearance: "And in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength" (Rev. 1:13-16). Immediately John adds, "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades" (Rev. 1:17-18).

Spurgeon said, "Oh, to think of heaven without Christ! It is the same thing as thinking of hell. Heaven without Christ! It is day without the sun, existing without life, feasting without food, seeing without light. It involves a contradiction in terms. Heaven without Christ! Absurd. It is the sea without water, the earth without its fields, the heavens without their stars. There cannot be a heaven without Christ. He is the sum total of bliss, the fountain from which heaven flows, the element of which heaven is composed. Christ is heaven and heaven is Christ."

Face to face with Christ my Savior,

Face to face -what will it be -

When with rapture I behold Him,

Jesus Christ Who died for me?

Only faintly now I see Him,

With the darkening veil between;

But a blessed day is coming,

When His glory shall be seen.

Face to face I shall behold Him,

Far beyond the starry sky

Face to face all His glory,

I shall see Him by and by!

Carrie E. Breck

Angels

In addition to the Triune God, heaven will be populated by the holy angels.

Angels are created beings (Job 38:7) existing in a fixed number (Mt. 22:30). They have all the attributes of personality: intellect (1 Pet. 1:12), feelings (Lk. 15:10; Job 38:7) and will (Isa. 14:13-14; Heb. 1:6). They seem to exist in some chain of command (Eph. 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Col. 1:16; 2:10, 15) with angels like Gabriel and Michael on the top.

We know they serve as God's messengers (Heb. 1:14). For example they were very active during the birth of Christ. Yet Scripture often describes them in heaven bringing unceasing praise to God.

"Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing'" (Rev. 5:11-12).

The four living creatures will be in heaven. Most likely they are a type of angels, although they are never called that in Scripture. Possibly they include the cherubim and seraphim (Gen. 3:24; Eze. 1:5-6; 8, 11, 23; 10:7-8, 21; Rev. 4:6-9). Their primary task is to worship the One on the throne. "And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the almighty, who was and who is and who is to come' …The living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever" (Rev. 4:8-9).

The Bible also talks about the twenty-four elders in heaven. Possibly they are an exalted angelic order or exalted Old Testament saints or exalted New Testament saints or representatives of the entire community from both testaments (twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of Christ). Yet even here, are they human or angelic representatives? (see Sam Storms, Real Worship! A Study of Revelation 4-5 (Part 1). Due to time we must press on.

Christians

Lastly we read about the humans in heaven.

Obviously if heaven is the home of God, heaven is a place of perfect holiness. Therefore only those in heaven will be the ones who have been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14). In other words, heaven will only be populated by people who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior for the removal of their sins. The book of Revelation describes them as "overcomers." "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son" (Rev. 21:7; cf. Rev. 2:7, 11; 3:5, 12, 21).

So before we go to the building project presentation and enjoy the Lord's Table, let me ask you, "Will you be among the population in heaven?" Are you living by grace, trusting in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross to make you completely right before God? Is there evidence in your present relationship with God that you long to be with Him in the future more than anything else?


More in Heaven

February 27, 2011

Heaven: My True Home - Part Two

February 20, 2011

Heaven: My True Home - Part One

February 13, 2011

Heaven: My Heart's Preparation - Part Two