Eternity: Questions About Heaven
Pastor Scott Applegate
Sermon Notes:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
What is heaven?
• It is a real place
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.” John 14:1-4 NLT
• It is the place where God rules and reigns and where his presence is perfectly known
“Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.” Psalm 115:3 NIV
• It was designed for us
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.’” Matthew 25:34 NLT
Where is heaven?
• It is out of this world
“God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.” Psalm 53:2 NLT
There are a few ways we need to understand what the Bible means by “heaven.”
“I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.” 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 NLT
- The Bible sometimes speaks of “the heavens” meaning the earth’s atmosphere (Isaiah 55:10), or the planets, stars and the universe and beyond (Psalm 8:3). These are the first and second heavens.
- The third heaven is the current or intermediate heaven where God is. This is where believers go when they die now. “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV
- The ultimate and eternal heaven is described as the “new heavens and the new earth.”
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” Isaiah 65:17-19 NIV
What is heaven like?
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:1-5 NIV
Not in Heaven
No sin
No sadness
No suffering
No sickness
No death
In Heaven
Reunion
Rewards
Responsibilities
Rest
Rejoicing