August 20, 2006
"Activities of Heaven"
Heaven—A Place Prepared for You—Part 7
Revelation 21, 22 and Selected Verses
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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 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, 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." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son."
—Revelation 21:1-7
"The hills and valleys of heaven will be to those you now experience not as a copy is to an original, nor as a substitute to the genuine article, but as the flower to the root, or the diamond to the coal."
—C.S. Lewis
Truths to remember:
- Heaven will be a place of incredible activity.
- Each of us will have tasks that fully engage us.
...it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
—1 Corinthians 2:9-10
A. Never, never, never underestimate the power of God!
B. The tool to use is deductive and inductive reasoning.
- In a good deductive argument the premises guarantee the truth of their conclusions.
- In a good inductive argument the premises render the conclusion more probable than its competitors.
C. God is going to make all things new.
Part 1: "Body Language"
A. The restoration of the image of God in human beings—from earthly to heavenly—will be complete.
There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
—1 Corinthians 15:40-44
B. What can we deductively reason?
- We will be recognized.
- We will have a different type of flesh and bone.
- We will see, hear, taste, touch, and speak.
- We will speak and be understood.
- We will move about as we are accustomed and in ways yet to be revealed.
Just because Jesus did something in His resurrected body, it does not necessarily mean we will do the exact same thing in heaven.
C. We will be like Him.
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
—1 John 3:1-3
Never, never, never underestimate the power of God!
Part 2: "Servants: Serving and Sovereign"
Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 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. 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; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 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.
—Revelation 22:1-5
A. Eight times in the book of Revelation, the word service is used to describe our activity in heaven.
- It will be service without exhaustion (in a body that never tires).
- It will be service that glorifies God.
- It will be service without pretense, ego, or sin.
B. Three times in the book of Revelation, reigning with Christ is described as our activity in heaven.
- It will be responsibility for some type of governance.
- It will be a reign that glorifies God.
- It will be a reign side-by-side with the Lord.
Never, never, never underestimate the power of God!
Part 3: "To Infinity and Beyond!"
...it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
—1 Corinthians 2:9-10
A. Heaven is a place for relationships.
B. Heaven is a place for creativity, growth and service.
- God created us the way we are for a purpose. It is conceivable that we will be given the opportunity to develop our potential to the full in God's perfect re-creation.
Lifework
"He knows the beginning from the end, yet He will do nothing to destroy our freedom. He gives it to us as a most precious gift. He gives us enough information about the future to know that He is in control, but denies us comprehensive knowledge so that love is never predetermined; it must be freely chosen."
—Ravi Zacharias, Light in the Shadow of Jihad
"…now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."
—C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
Never, never, never underestimate the power of God!
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
—Ephesians 3:20-21
Activities of Heaven
Personal and Small Group Study
Getting Started
- What do you think would be a really fun activity in heaven? Let your imagination run wild. What kind of body would you like to have?
- Who do you think would be some of the first Bible personalities you would like to talk to? Why?
Digging Deeper: Read Revelation 21
- What does John mean when he says, "…the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them…"?
- John gives a vivid description of the "new Jerusalem." Why is the city Jerusalem important? How is it important to other faiths of the world (Jews, Muslims)?
- Some authors believe the descriptions of gold, jewels, and pearls are symbolic only. If that is true, what might they symbolize? Example: gold as purified righteousness.
- After looking at the Genesis/Revelation comparison chart, would it be reasonable to assume that life eternal will pick up where Adam left off? Why? Why not?
- In what ways do you think people limit God, in other words, underestimate His power?
Compare Genesis and Revelation
| Genesis 1-3 | Revelation 20-22 |
|---|---|
| Disobedience (3:6) | Service (22:3) |
| The ground cursed (3:17) | No more curse (22:3) |
| Relationship with God broken (3:23) | Relationship restored (21:3,4) |
| Spoilt human relationships (3:16) | Evil and division banished (21:8, 27; 22:2) |
| Pain and suffering (3:16-19) | No more pain or sorrow (21:4) |
| Death (3:19) | No more death (21:4) |
| Satan victorious (3:1-7) | Satan judged (20:10) |
| The gate shut (3:24) | The gate open (21:25) |
| The tree of life unobtainable (3:24) | The tree of life for all (22:2) |
Applying It to My Life
- As a "citizen of heaven" on earth, how do you think we can be better ambassadors for our "other" home? What can we do to represent our true citizenship while we are aliens in this world?
- How does the certainty of eternity change the way you live now? Can you change your eternity by what you do now? How?