Every Christian at some point thinks about what Eternity will
be like. Where will we be? What will we do?
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When people think of Eternity or Heaven certain ideas often
come to mind...
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There is a children's book by Maria Shriver called What's
Heaven. The book describes Heaven as "a beautiful place where you
can sit on soft clouds and talk...
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According to a writer at Religion Free blogspot: Who knows,
maybe heaven will be a place in the clouds where people play
shuffle board. You can't eat and you can't drink, because face it
you're a spirit now and what you were used to on Earth is no longer
necessary in Heaven. Discovering and examining would no longer be
necessary, because everything is already explained.
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Countless times its been heard: Id rather be in Hell than
Heaven. Heavens boring and Hell is where my friends are having a
great party.
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Even Christians struggle with what Heaven will be like.
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General Impressions of Heaven One big one is that Heaven is a
mystical disembodied spiritual existence. Second, many believe that
Heaven will be boring.
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Other ideas of Heaven include: --Wings and clouds --sitting
around thinking or singing all the time --no change (static)
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--no time --no fun (leave favorite things behind) --we know
everything --no learning because we know everything
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--Unimaginable (dont even try.) Randy Alcorn mentions that in
his book, Heaven, he collected more than 150 books on Heaven, both
old and new. One thing Ive found is that books about Heaven are
notorious for saying we cant know what Heaven is like, but it will
be more wonderful than we can imagine, he says.
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Many think of Eternity as a big choir in the sky:
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Is this you forever and ever?
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Stop the Madness!!!! Because of bad doctrine and teaching
throughout the centuries most peoples ideas of eternity are really
wrong!
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Many ideas of Eternity are overspiritualized. People often
think that Eternity is just a misty spiritual existence in the
sky
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False views of Eternity are not from God, and actually are from
the Enemy:
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If the enemy can make us believe false views on Eternity he can
steal our hope and make us less likely to share Jesus with
others.
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Key Verse But the Bible says our final destiny is a New Earth:
2 Peter 3:13: But according to His promise we are looking for new
heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
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The best part of the coming new earth will be God. Being in
relationship with God and His people. Rev 22:3-4: No longer will
there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb
will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see
his face.
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We will enjoy relationship with God and the good gifts He gives
us. The new earth and the great things in it are gifts from God.
When we enjoy those gifts we are enjoying God who gave them to us.
Ex: Does a great gift from your parents make you love your parents
less? Of course not.
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3 Important Passages Romans 8:18-25 Isaiah 65:17-25 Revelation
21-22
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Romans 8:18-23 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is
to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation
waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of
Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will
be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the
glory of the children of God.
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22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the
pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but
also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption
as sons, the redemption of our body.
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Points to note: 1. Gods plans for the future include this
physical planet. 2. The creation (the universe and everything in
it) looks forward to our glorification. 3. The creation has hope of
being restored.
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4. Our present universe is going to be restored and will be the
place we live on.
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Isaiah 65:17-25 65:17: For behold, I create new heavens and a
new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to
mind. 65:18: But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For
behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for
gladness.
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65:21-22: They will build houses and inhabit them; They will
also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They will not build
and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as
the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My
chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.
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Yes, you will live in houses. Yes there will be food and drink.
Yes we will have work and things to do.
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65:25: 25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the
lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpents
food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain, says
the L ORD.
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Animals will exist on the New Earth. The animals and creatures
of the earth will get along.
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Isaiah 11:6-9: And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the
leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the
young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead
them. 7 Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie
down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The
nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned
child will put his hand on the vipers den. 9 They will not hurt or
destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the
knowledge of the L ORD As the waters cover the sea.
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... and a little boy will lead them.
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Revelation 2122 Rev 21:1: Then I saw a new heaven and a new
earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and
there is no longer any sea.
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New Jerusalem Rev 21:2: And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned
for her husband.
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God lives with His people 3 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,
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No more bad things 4 and He will wipe away every tear from
their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no
longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have
passed away.
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Just think: No more sickness We dont die. No one we love will
ever die. No more goodbyes. No more separations.
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The New Jerusalem 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, 11 having the glory of
God.
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A real city that can be measured 15 The one who spoke with me
had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its
wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as
great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen
hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.
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Size of New Jerusalem in elation to the United States
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17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to
human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
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18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure
gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundation stones of the city wall
were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first
foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third,
chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
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20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh,
chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth,
chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. 21 And
the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a
single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like
transparent glass.
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22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the
Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of
the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and
its lamp is the Lamb.
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Nations on the New Earth 24 The nations will walk by its light,
and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In
the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never
be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the
nations into it;
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27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination
and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are
written in the Lambs book of life.
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Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as
crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the
middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of
life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every
month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations.
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3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and
of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond- servants will serve Him; 4
they will see His face, and His name will be on their
foreheads.
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5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have
need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the
Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and
ever.
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Questions about Eternity 1. Where will we actually live? On a
new earth which is a real planet. People in real physical bodies
need to live in a physical environment.
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Humans by nature were created to occupy a physical planet. A
human can no more long for a purely spiritual existence than a fish
could long for a life outside of water.
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A fish out of water
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2. Will we know and recognize people that we know now in
Eternity? Yes. Gods people will have relationships with each other
and there is no reason why we wont know and recognize people we
know now.
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3. What will we do in Eternity? --We will be in a relationship
with God. --We will be in relationships with other people. --We
will use the talents God gave use.
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4. Will we live in houses? It appears so. John 14:2 In my
Fathers house are many dwelling places. Isaiah 65:21: They will
build houses and inhabit them.
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5. Will there be time in Heaven? Yes Rev 22:2: On either side
of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month.
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6. Will there be celebrations on the New Earth? Yes Matt 8:11:
I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at
the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
heaven.
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Luke 22:15-18: And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired
to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I
shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of
God."And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take
this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not
drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God
comes." Isaiah 65:21b: They will also plant vineyards and eat their
fruit.
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7. Will we have emotions? Yes Luke 6:21Blessed are you who weep
now, for you shall laugh. Luke 15:7 says there is joy in heaven
over a sinner who repents.