Skip HeitzigSkip Heitzig

Skip's Teachings > From the Edge of Eternity > Heaven on Earth - Part 1

Message:

BUY: Buy CD
Player will resume where you were momentarily. Please wait...

Cancel
Loading player...
Enter your Email Address:

or cancel

Heaven on Earth - Part 1
Revelation 20:1-3
Skip Heitzig

Revelation 20 (NKJV™)
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

Previous | Next Cookies must be enabled to support these options.
From the Edge of Eternity

Mankind long ago gave up on the idea of a future Utopia. The idea of perpetual peace and undisturbed harmony became the stuff of fairy tale books. But that is precisely what God promised He will bring to this earth one day. And even though Satan has exercised a temporary authority over God's creation for several millennia, the story isn't over yet. Jesus Christ, who came two millennia ago as Savior, will return to rule as Sovereign for a thousand years. And no, this won't just be a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of His followers. This will be a literal dominion over a renewed earth. Let's explore this 1000 year phase of your eternal future.

What happens when a believer dies? What will heaven be like? What about infants and children who die? When do our bodies get resurrected? What will they be like? These questions and more occupy our thoughts from time to time. In this new series, From the Edge of Eternity, we will follow a believer from death into the different stages of eternity: the Intermediate State, the resurrection of the body, the Kingdom Age and the Eternal State. Since forever is a long time, it only makes sense that we both understand and prepare for this "ultimate journey".

FREE - Download Entire Series (MP3) (Help) | Buy series | Buy audiobook

Outline

    Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Show expand

I. The Extent of It (Vs 2, 3)

A. The Prophetic Expression

B. The Historic Hope


II. The Explanation of It (Vs 2)

A. Premillennial View

B. Postmillennial View

C. Amillennial View


III. The Essentiality of It (Vs 3)

A. To Redeem Creation From Judgment

B. To Realize God’s Promise to Israel

C. To Reveal Man’s Rebellious Nature


Being Heavenly Minded:

1.
After today's study, how much more meaningful is the prayer, "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"? (Matthew 6:10)

2. How have your ideas about heaven changed over the past few months? Do you still think heaven will be boring? Why do you think there are so many different phases to it?

Transcript

Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Show expand

Revelation chapter 20. Let's have a word of prayer together. Father in heaven we come before you as your children. We're so happy because of the mercy and grace that you give us, not only to become your children, bought with a price by the blood of Christ as Nick shared in his prayer, but then the daily grace and then the hope of heaven on top of all of that, so that no matter what we're facing this morning. This is as bad as it's ever going to get, we have an eternal blissful wonderful exciting future ahead of us. Lord, as we explore that a little bit more today with this installment in this series, Lord I pray that every one of us would rejoice all the more because of your plan. In Jesus' name. Amen.
It was forty years ago when a historian, philosopher, named Will Durant, very famous one, made an estimation. He noted that at that time in the three thousand one hundred and twenty-four years of recorded history, there have been only 268 of those years that had seen no war. Which translates into 92% of recorded world history has been a time of war and conflict, no peace. And yet that has been the very cry of people from the beginning, peace on earth, and if possible even to create a utopia. Way back in the days of the philosopher Plato, he talked about an ideal polis he called it, the city-state, ruled by a philosopher king in knowledge and equity bringing peace. He longed for that. The Roman government actually attempted it and for two centuries they brought in the pax romana, the Roman peace, and enforced peace by taking pirates and thieves off the seaways and the roadways. Then there was the pax Britannica, for a century Britain ruled much of the inhabited earth and promoted a financial security and growth during that time. But it was back in 1516 when a guy by the name of Thomas Moore, Sir Thomas Moore, wrote a book called Utopia, a fictional island where there was the perfect legal political economic state, the perfect place. We've always dreamed of that. Karl Marx envisioned that. He thought if we could just deal with class distinctions and move them out of the way that virtually every social problem would be solved. And that cry for peace is with us today. It's on the back of cars with bumper stickers, the most famous being "Visualize World Peace." A cry for peace. I was on a website yesterday and I found a website that sells peace bumper stickers. There are one thousand and five bumper stickers that you could buy. That is the cry of the human heart, peace on earth. And some politicians have even included in their promise for the future biblical language, millennial language. As an example, Adolf Hitler with his imperialist reich, his reign, said that it would cover the whole earth and last for a thousand years. How horrible that would have been. Mao se Tung at one time dictator of China, said his revolution would dominate the world for a thousand years. Now for a moment try to imagine and really it's all we can do, but imagine a world of perfect peace, a world of perfect law, perfect order, perfect justice, everything's always fair, sin is dealt with immediately, all politicians are saints (I know you have to really really stretch your imagination). Imagine a world where the health is such that if a person dies at a hundred years of age, they are said to be an infant, because of the longevity of man being restored. Imagine a world where kids can go and play in snake pits and find the snakes friendly. And the snakes can find the kids friendly. Imagine a world where the food is overabundant even though the population has increased dramatically on the earth. Now that sounds like to most people pure fiction. That's a fairy tale. That's to most people. But to Bible readers we know that that's exactly what the Bible promises one day on this earth for a thousand years when Christ rules and reigns. Now for that to happen we can quickly understand that this earth would have to go through a reconstruction period. We would call it an extreme makeover. An extreme makeover.
Well we have been for ten weeks looking in the Bible at eternity. We've been following a Christian from the moment of death, going into the portals of heaven. We've looked at the reunion with other believers. We've talked about the resurrection of our physical bodies, the capabilities of those bodies. We've talked about the throneroom of heaven. And we've talked about the bema seat of Christ. And actually we've just gotten started. We're now coming to the very heart of eternal future in the next several weeks. And today we discuss an entirely different phase of it, a phase honestly most Christians do not believe, or not not believe but really even think about. See most people think you die, you go to heaven, you sit on a cloud, you play a harp and you sing chants forever and ever and ever and ever. That's sort of the idea that goes through people's minds.
There were two Christians, they were having a conversation and one of them said, "I have a one-way ticket to heaven and I'm never coming back." And the other Christian said, "Well you're sure going to miss a lot then. I have a return ticket. Frankly, I'm going to go to heaven, see Jesus in glory, then come back in power and glory to rule and reign with him." Now that second Christian had his theology right I believe and we're going to look at that this morning.
But on a personal note, I want to let you know the more I study about the future, about heaven, about the millennium, about the eternal state, I get really stoked. And it's going to not be sitting on a cloud singing for thousands and millions of years. Heaven is way cool and it's multifaceted, it's not monolithic. There are different structures and different phases to it. And chapter 20 introduces one of those future phases called the millennium, it is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. 
John Walboard who taught prophecy for fifty years at Dallas Theological Seminary writes, "There are few verses in the Bible that are more crucial to the interpretation of the Bible as a whole than the opening verses of Revelation chapter 20. Do you know why that is? Because Revelation 20 tells us the climax of earth's history. This is where it all culminates and once this phase is done all of life as we know it on earth is finished. It's the climax and the culmination.
Now let's look at the first, let's say seven verses together and then we'll go back and make a few comments. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and the great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. And I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment ws committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God who would not worship the beast or his image, had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished, this is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection, over such the second death has no power. But they shall be priest of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison." The first thing I'd like you to notice, the most obvious is the extent of this kingdom age. And I refer to the kingdom age, I'm referring particularly to the thousand years that we're talking about. Notice the extent of it. It is worldwide, the four corners of the earth are involved. And it lasts a thousand years. Six times in seven verses is that precise little phrase thousand years, thousand years, thousand years, thousand years. So how long is it going to be? A thousand years. That's the extent of it. That's the millennium, and that word sort of gets lost with some believers. There was a theological student in school, a brand new one, didn't study that week and so the test came on a certain day and he looked down at the first question, the first question is what is the millennium? He didn't know how to answer it so he said "the millennium is the same as the centennial only it has a lot more legs." He was thinking in therms of a bug. Well, unfortunately there are some believers who don't have a better grasp on the millennium than even that. 
Now chapter 20 of Revelation is simply a basic outline form of this kingdom age. There's not a whole lot of information given on this, it's very very minimal. The character and nature of it is not fleshed out here. There are hundreds, hundreds of verses in other parts of the scripture, all that talk about the kingdom age. But the only information that we're given is htat it lasts a thousand years. The great highlight is that Satan is bound and just a few other details about it which we're going to cover in weeks to come.
Now throughout the Bible this millennium or this kingdom age is given several different titles. Matthew 19 verse 28 Jesus said, "in the regeneration." And in the original language it means the new genesis. "In the regeneration when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory," that's this era, the kingdom age. In Acts chapter 3 verse 19 the kingdom is called "the times of refreshing," and in the same chapter verse 21 "the time of the restoration of all things." Ephesians chapter 1 verse 10 Paul describes it as "the dispensation of the fullness of the times." So there's a lot of different title this millennial is called. Let me give you just a quick bottom line description. This is a time when the earth will have undergone massive topographical, geological and climactic changes that will resemble very similar to the original design of the earth with the Garden of Eden. Now again, just try to imagine this. I don't know if you're like me, I love the outdoors, love going up to the mountains, love to go on a bicycle ride, love to smell the air after a rain. I love it, God's done a great job in making this earth, hasn't he? "The earth is the Lord's," Psalm 24 "and the fullness thereof." And we get to enjoy it. Now imagine an earth that is re-created like it was intended to be from the beginning in the Garden of Eden and you in resurrected glorified bodies, no aches, no groans, no complaints, for a thousand years. That's the millennium. 
Now the very thought of the term millennium gets some people a little bit tweaked. And here, you know just the idea of the millennium, it seems that every thousand year mark on a calendar, people start to act change. Do you remember the millennial madness just before the year 2000? Do you remember all the talk, "The world's going to end. The computers are going to all freeze and life as we know it is going to cease." That's not that uncommon. In the year 1000, here's an article from Psychology Today, "Legend has it that at midnight on January 1, 1000, the entire population of Iceland converted en masse to Christianity in the belief that they were about to experience The Apocalypse. At the same time in Rome, many expected the end of the world and prepared themselves in various ways including giving away all possessions, doing penance, mortifying their flesh and wearing sackcloth and ashes. The very word millennium, or the thousand-year or two-thousand-year mark invokes all sorts of emotion in us. I remember before the year 2000, in the late ‘90s all of the groups that used the millennium mark as their target date. They said, "By the year 2000 we want to end world hunger." "By the year 2000 we want a drug-free society." "By the year 2000 we want to find a cure for cancer." By the way, in the millennium all that will be true. All that will be true. The kingdom here then is given only in summary terms. If we were to study all of the verses in the Bible about the kingdom age, we would be doing it for months and months and months. There's a lot of literature on it, in the Bible.
Okay, that's the extent of it. Now the explanation of it. Did you know that Revelation chapter 20 is one of the most hotly contested verses of the Bible. It's a theological battleground. And here's the battlelines: Are we to take Revelation chapter 20 symbolically? Allegorically? Spiritually? Or, is this to be taken literally, actually, is this going to be an event in our future in time and space? And it's that question that is the dividing line. So, in explaining the thousand years, thought it is mentioned six times in seven verses very specific, let me give you quickly three main viewpoint about this idea of the millennium.
First, and it's in you outline, is the premillennial view, simply stated, Jesus Christ will return to the earth before (pre) millennium. He'll come back and then set up his kingdom. We believe or that view believes in the personal bodily glorious return of Jesus to the earth where he will set up his throne and rule from Jerusalem over the throne of David for a thousand years and over the whole world. Now if you were to just read the Bible without any other books, just read it simply, plainly, literally, straightforward, you would have a premillenial view. Even people who oppose this view will admit that. A plain rendering will give you that interpretation. And this was once the dominant view of the early church. In fact, it's hard to find any other viewpoint until AD 190. The apostles believed this, the post-apostolic fathers believed this and wrote about it. It is the dominant view of the early church. Around AD 190 this group of theologians, scholars, down in Alexandria, Egypt in a theological school decided, "We can't take the Bible literally, it has to be all figurative, all symbolic and they sought to find shades of meaning below the surface of the literal text. By the way, when they did this most of the rest of the church said, "that is heresy. The Bible is to be taken at face value." And many, here's just a sampling, many of the early church writers, Capius the writer of the epistle of Barnabas, it's called pseudo Barnabas, I was reading this yesterday morning, that little book, fascinating. Justin Martyr, Ironeaus, Tertulian and Hippolitus all believed in a pre-millennial viewpoint. That is Jesus will come back to the earth bodily, physically, gloriously and set up a kingdom.
Here's a quote from Pappias. You go, "Who on earth is Pappias?" Pappias, tradition says, was mentored by John the apostle who wrote the book of Revelation, he was one of his students. And Pappias wrote, "There will be a millennium following the resurrection of the dead when the kingdom of Crist is to be established on the earth. Justin Martyr who I mentioned also said, "The city of Jerusalem will be enlarged and rebuilt just as the prophets Ezekiel have declared." And he said virtually all authorities believed that except those Gnostic heretics. So that ws the dominant viewpoint, the premillennial viewpoint. Not everybody holds to that. There is something called post-millennialism. Now the terms, don't let them throw you, it's pretty easy to figure it out. Post, after the millennium, they believe that Jesus Christ will come back after a period of time where we, God's people on the earth, Christianize the world and presenet the world to Jesus Christ, present the kingdom when he comes back after a period of time not necessarily a thousand years. It's the idea that wer'e going to spread the gospel, Christianize the world and the world's going to get better and better and better and so good that everyone's a Christian and we will then bring the kingdom and give it to Jesus. Now this is a viewpoint that was popular in the 19th century and early 20th century, the Industrial Revolution, scientific advancements gave people the idea that, "Hey we're bringing in utopia, we're really doing this." Now it's not very popular today, that whole ideas fell off, and so the fair question is, "Well, whatever happened to postmillennialism?" Here's the answer: World War I happened to it, the Great Depression happened to it, World War II happened to it, the Nazi Holocaust happened to it, there was enough catastrophic events to cause people to go, "Oh I guess the world isn't getting better and better but rather worse and wrose." Now it's not completely gone away, it has resurfaced, there are some and it's been repackaged in what's called Dominion Theology. I don't know if you've heard the term Dominion Theology or Kingdom Theology or Kingdom now or theonomy; all the same thing. It's the idea that we're going to take dominion over the earth and we're going to establish the kingdom of God. We're going to control institutions, we're going to control the White House and the Congress and the Senate. We need to be the rulers. We need to bring in the kingdom of Christ through the body politic. And when we do that we will present the kingdom to Christ. As if he needed our help. That's the idea.
There is a third viewpoint and it's a popular viewpoint and it's called amillennialism, that is there is no millennium, that is literally. "You can't take this literally. It's not really going to happen as a thousand years. It's all figurative. It's all spiritual." In fact they say, "The kingdom is now, you're in it, you're in the millennium now. All of the Old testament prophecies of the Messiah's kingdom are being fulfilled in the church now. Jesus is ruling a reigning spiritually over his church, this is the kingdom. Also, this viewpoint says, "Oh yeah, all those promises in the Old Testament to Israel about literally having a kingdom and ruling from Mount Zion etcetera, those are out now. They only apply spiritually allegorically to us, the church. There is no throne of David, there is no literal Jerusalem that will be rebuilt. So that viewpoint says, "This is as good as it will ever get." Now can I just say, "If this is the kingdom age, I'm terribly terribly disappointed. If this is the millennium then we have a case where the book is a whole lot better than the movie." Do you know what I mean? You read the book, it's like, "Wow that's cool." This is the movie, it's not a very good rendition of it. And the question I would have is why did God spend the whole book of Revelation just to tellus it is really not going to happen.
Now bynow you've probably figured out that I'm a pretty staunch premillennialist and I take a literal approach to the Bible. Why is that? Number one, because of the chronology of Revelation. It's a pretty straightforward book honestly. The outline is given in the first part of it, it tells you how it's going to unfold, it tells you the structure and a timeline, then it goes right through a chronology. Chapters 6 through 19 is all the tribulation period, the worst period on earth. You can read through that and go, "Man there's never been anything like that on the earth, that's the worst, just like Jesus said would happen." Then in chapter 19 Jesus comes back to the earth with his people to put an end to a huge battle that takes place over in the Middle East and all of that, chapters 6 through 19 is premillennial, it's before the millennium. And if you look at chapter 21 we discover that the earth as we know it, the created order is all destroyed, it's been tainted by sin, the earth is taken away, removed, and God creates a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem, and that's the eternal state. So sandwiched in between all of Revelation 6 through 19 and chapter 21, the eternal state, happens to be a thousand year reign of Christ on the earth. If you read plainly and chronologically it fits, no problem.
The second reason is because the early church as I mentioned believed in an earthly historical reign of Christ on the earth initiated by his coming. It wasn't until those Alexandrian dudes down in Egypt decided, "Let's allegorize the whole thing." People like Clement and Origin and then eventually as church history went on, have you heard the name Augustin? He sort of crystallized this amillenial viewpoint and sort of sealed that as the dominant theology of the Roman Catholic church, of the Protestant Reformation men like Luther and Calvin etcetera, bought into that unfortunately. But here's the most compelling reason to take it literally. Ready? Because it happens to be the best way to interpret the Bible and I'm going to explain. And I love what Vance Habner once said, he said, "It's always easier to understand what the Bible actually says than to understand what somebody else thinks it meant to say." Have you ever had somebody go, "Well I know it really says that and it's pretty obvious what it is, but it doesn't mean that, it means this." And you go, "How'd you get that?" See, how are we going to say, "Well we don't interpret the Bible, prophecy literally but we interpret the rest of the Bible literally." Really? ON what basis? What gives you the basis to do that? What right do any of us to have a approach to interpretation, a hermeneutic and then depart from it? That's the important question. I'll give you an example. "Now the angel came to Joseph and the angel said to Joseph, ‘you're going to call his name Jesus and he's going to save his people from their sins." Now is that just figurative? No. A literal baby was born and they named him Jesus. And he went on to save people from their sins. "The same angel came to Mary and said, ‘You will call his name Jesus and he will be great and called the Son of the Highest.'" Now is that just figurative? No, that's literal. Listen to the rest. "And he will rule over the house of Jacob (that's Israel) forever. And his kingdom, there will be no end." Is that literal or figurative? It's just as literal and yet the amillenialist will say, "Well the first part's literal and the second part's just allegorical." You can't split your interpretation. So, when we go through the Bible, at least my approach, has been a grammatical, historical, contextual, literal hermeneutic or interpretation. And amillennialism will depart from that. Here's another question: When you look in the Old Testament, remember all those promises God offers? Blessings and cursings to Israel, and he says, "If you really mess up I'm kicking you out of the land." Did he mean that literally or figuratively? It think he meant it literally because they got kicked out of the land. And God said, "You're going to be there for seventy years in Babylon." Was that just figurative? Not it happened to be literally seventy years and then they came back. So, if all the judgments to Israel literally, who are we to say, "Yeah but all the blessings are only figurative and spiritual and they apply only to the church." You see you get messed up. If a thousand doesn't mean a thousand, what does it mean? What does it mean? And if you've noticed through the book of Revelation how number conscious it is? There's exact numbers given. For instance, there's seven churches and there's seven leaders of seven churches, there's twelve tribes, there's twelve apostles, all literal so far. There's one-third of mankind, there's another fourth of mankind, there are two witnesses, forty-two months, one thousand two hundred and sixty day, there's a hundred and forty-four thousand, there's twelve thousand furlongs. What do you do with all those numbers? If twelve doesn't mean twelve, then what does twelve mean? And if a thousand doesn't mean a thousand, then what does a thousand mean? If you just read this at face value, then there's a real kingdom for Israel in Jerusalem from the throne of David by a Messiah who's from the lineage of David and it will last a thousand years, just at face value. And that's how the early church took it. Okay enough said on that.
My last point will be much briefer (to which some of you are going, "Thank you Lord.") We talked about the extent of it and the explanation of it. What about the essentiality of it? What's the big deal? Why do we need it? Something interesting in verse 3, he cast him that is the devil, into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him so that he deceived the nations no more. What is the word he said? "He should not deceive the nations." Or better put, "In order so that he would not." This is a necessity to get rid of the devil for a thousand years. "Until the thousand years were finished but after these things he must be released for a little while." I know what you're thinking: Why? I mean once you've got him in jail why on earth would you let him out. Right? I'll answer that next week. 
I want to talk about the need, the necessity for a thousand year reign. Why would God hassle with the thousand years on the earth? You know, why not just go directly to the eternal state? Why the extra step of the earth, what's all that about? Sort of like the Monopoly game, you know you get the card that says "Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200." Why didn't God say, "Go directly to the eternal state, do not go to the millennium, do…" Why not, what's the hassle of the earth? I'll give you a few reasons. Number one: to redeem creation from judgment. I think you've noticed there's a curse on this earth. It started back in Genesis chapter 3 with the fall of mankind, the earth has been cursed ever since. We are experiencing that even today. Beyond that curse, sin, the book of Revelation indicates that there's going to be tremendous catastrophic cataclysmic judgment that falls upon the earth during the tribulation period. If you think we've ruined the earth, wait til you see what God does with it. He decimates it, he trashes it during the tribulation period, utterly. So that the millennium will be the answer to the 2000-year-old prayer that his church has been praying and listen to it in the context of this morning: "The kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That will be fully answered and it has never been totally answered yet but it will be fully answered during the millennium. The earth will be fixed.
There's a great story from the early days of the automobile when a man was out in his card in a Model T Ford, that's about the only thing on the road. And, they had a lot of problems with the early models so he broke down on the side of the road and he was out there trying to crank it, cars were hand cranked, I was going to say, "Remember that?" But I don't think anybody would. So he tries to crank it, won't start, he advances the spark, it won't start, he changes the plugs, it won't start. He can't get the thing to run. Suddenly a limousine pulls up and out of the limousine a nicely dressed man walks over and says, "Could I help?" The guy thinks, "Yeah right." But this nicely dressed dapper gentleman tinkers with a few things and says, "Try it now." It starts up immediately. And then the man proceeds to introduce himself, "My name is Henry Ford. I designed and built this car so I know what to do when something goes wrong." There's only one person who can fix the earth. It's not any politician, it's not any party, it's only the one who made it and the One who made it and the One who will judge it is the One who will remake it and will live in it for a thousand years. By the way, can I just add a P.S. to that, no matter what you're going through today, no matter what you're life, what you're dealing with, God and God alone can reconstruct and heal you. He can fix that which is broken, that's what He does, He's a redeemer, He's all about that. 
So, to redeem Creation from the curse. Second, all of the promises that God made to the nation of Israel have yet to be fulfilled. If you're a reader of the Bible and I take it most of you've read through the Bible, you know that in the Old Testament there are countless promises that Israel will enjoy a period of unparalleled peace, prosperity, with Messiah reigning from Jerusalem. And it will go over the whole earth. That has never happened yet. God promised the Jews a physical and a spiritual kingdom. I think of II Samuel 7, the covenant to David; Psalm 89 he confirmed it with an oath; the millennial kingdom is phase one of fulfilling that promise. This is the earthly reign of Christ from Jerusalem on the earth. By the way, there's probably more scripture written about the kingdom age than almost any other topic in the Bible. Some even think the main theme of the Bible is the kingdom because of the amount of text that is written about it. So, when the millennium is on the earth, when that's done, then the created order as we know it, it's over. At that point God will destroy this earth tainted by sin, it's completely removed, done away with, the Bible says that in a number of places. Then God will create a new heaven and a new earth, a new Jerusalem and that's the eternal state, a whole nother phase. This is getting cooler the more we study about it.
Finally and quickly, the millennium is essential because it will reveal man's rebellious nature. And during the millennial kingdom, I'll just say it briefly today and then we'll get into it in detail later, rebellion that will still be in the hearts of people, will not be allowed to flourish. It will be kept in check. "Those who rule and reign do so," the Bible says, "with a rod of iron." You only need to rule with a rod of iron if there's the possibility of an upset. Justice will be enacted swiftly. Sin will be dealt with immediately. There will be a reign of Christ upon the earth. 
Now you and I will be in our resurrected glorified bodies. But people who were in the tribulation period, who survive it and are allowed to go into the kingdom age, they're in their normal physical mortal bodies. Now, you're going, "That's weird, I can't think, how does that work?" It should not be weird to you, you have read about it in the Bible. Jesus Christ rose from the dead in a resurrected glorified body and ate meals and took walks with the disciples in their mortal bodies. There was a perfect commingling of entities. You've read about it. So we'll be in resurrected glorified bodies, people on the earth though the longevity of the earth will be extended and people will live a lot longer; there will still be death, there will still be the possibility of rebellion, still be the possibility of sin though kept in check; and after the millennium's all done, when Satan is released and his way back on this earth for a period of time there will be a rebellion. And it's going to prove something: all of this nonsense of "Well if we just had a perfect environment we'd be perfect," "I am the way I am because of my environment," "It's not really my fault it's everybody else in the world's fault." No, all of us have a sin nature and the perfect environment of the millennium that will still eventuate in a rebellion will prove once and for all, you can take man out of the slums but you can't take the slums out of man. And only one person can change the heart of a person and that is Jesus Christ. Some will follow him during that time and some will rebel against him even after a period of perfection.
So, people have longed for utopia. Poets have written about it, songwriters have sung about it. Politicians have campaigned on that promise. It will never happen until Jesus comes. And, can you hear the rain? Is that rain? Imagine how good it will be in the millennium.
Let me close with this, C.S. Lewis wrote (perfect background noise for this) "If I find myself having a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world." If you're wondering why, "I'm not satisfied, I've had so many relationships with people, I've tried so many different things and experiences and I'm still not satisfied." You weren't made for this world, friend, God put eternity in your hearts. And your relationship with Jesus Christ alone can water your soul like this rain pouring down on earth.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you because we remember that it was Isaiah the prophet who said as, "As the rain comes and the snow comes down from heaven and waters the earth and does not return there but gives bread to the eater and seed to the sower, so is my word that comes forth from my mouth, it will not return void. We pray Lord that as your word has watered our hearts and filled in a lot of the blanks, no longer do we have this vague notion of just a spiritual wisp running around the spiritual heavens sitting on clouds forever; but a very real place with different distinct phases to it and purposes for it, a place to explore, a place to see your glory. And I pray Father that everyone here who has come will be ready for that. I pray that every person here will have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord. In Jesus' name, rule over our hearts now so that we'll be part of the rule over this earth and an eternal state from here on out. In Jesus' name.

Additional Messages in this Series

Show expand

 
Date Title   Watch Listen Notes Share Save Buy
4/27/2008
completed
resume  
The Ultimate Journey
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
What happens when a believer dies? What will heaven be like? What about infants and children who die? When do our bodies get resurrected? What will they be like? These questions and more occupy our thoughts from time to time. In this series, From the Edge of Eternity, we will follow a believer from death into the different stages of eternity: the Intermediate State, the resurrection of the body, the Kingdom Age and the Eternal State. Since forever is a long time, it only makes sense that we both understand and prepare for this "ultimate journey."
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/4/2008
completed
resume  
View From Death's Door - Part 1
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Nathaniel Hawthorne once wrote, "A grave, wherever found, reaches a short and pithy sermon to the soul." He's right! Cemeteries remind us of our future on this earth--the only real estate we'll hold onto for awhile! But what happens to a believer after death? What about those who have died already? What are they doing now? Today and next week we will look at the experience of the death of the believer and what takes place afterwards.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/11/2008
completed
resume  
View from Death's Door - Part 2
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
How can mortal man penetrate beyond the grave and find assurance and peace for his own heart? Philosophers won't help--they've been for centuries discussing life and death without any resolve. Scientists don't want to tread into the area of wrestling with such questions. Paul solved the problem when he wrote, "For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord." We don’t need to wonder or speculate. Why substitute human speculation when we have divine revelation?
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/18/2008
completed
resume  
Groaning for Glory
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
What sort of existence and experiences are departed believers enjoying right now? Is the heaven we go to when we die our final destination? Paul described it as "far better" (Phil. 1:23) but it's going to get even much better! Paul lightly touches on what happens when a Christian dies and awaits the resurrection, but it's enough to give us confidence. Let's consider today the "intermediate" or temporary transitional heaven before the resurrection of our bodies.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/25/2008
completed
resume  
Rise and Shine!
1 Corinthians 15:3-4;15:20-28
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
My mom used to saunter into my room to wake me up in the morning with a sweet call to "rise and shine!" One day our Savior will give a call for all His children to do the same! This week and next week we will be considering the resurrection of our bodies. Why is resurrection even necessary? What will our resurrected bodies be like? What capabilities will they possess? Will babies always be babies and the elderly always remain elderly when resurrected? As we begin, know this: the idea of resurrection isn't just a New Testament idea; it began long, long ago!
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/1/2008
completed
resume  
Getting the Body You've Always Wanted
1 Corinthians 15:35-50
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
I know I've gotten your attention with the title! This is one of our culture's driving goals--to look trimmer, healthier, younger and stronger than we are. The solution happens to be in the future with the resurrection of our bodies--it will be the body you've always wanted. Scripture gives some wonderful descriptions of the future strength, beauty and permanence of our resurrected body. Let's consider what the Bible says about how you'll look then.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/8/2008
completed
resume  
Jesus, Friend of Children
Matthew 19:13-15
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Today's subject is a tender one. The death of infants and children is the greatest fear of any parent. Does the Bible speak clearly about what happens when they die? It certainly does and it also gives great comfort to many who suffer the horrible loss of a little one. In this series on Eternity we must consider this subject since it affects so many and will also help us understand the fate of those who, like children, have diminished capacities.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/22/2008
completed
resume  
A Sneak-Peek Into What's Up There
Revelation 4:1-3
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
In the early morning of his last day on earth, Dwight L. Moody, awoke suddenly and said, "Earth recedes; heaven opens before me." Those near him thought he was dreaming. "No, this is no dream, it is beautiful. It is like a trance. If this is death, it is sweet. There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go." After that sneak-peek of heaven, Mr. Moody entered his heavenly home. Today lets begin to consider our future home by glimpsing God’s heavenly Throne Room.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/29/2008
completed
resume  
What on Earth is Going On in Heaven?
Revelation 4-5
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
The above title is more than just a play on words. Although there will be many activities going on in heaven, worship is one of the few things that we can do "down here" on earth that we will also do "up there" in heaven. That means that one of the ways you can get closer to heaven is to engage in biblical worship right now. Let's tag along with John for his extended tour of heaven.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/13/2008
completed
resume  
Gold, Silver, or Bronze?
2 Corinthians 5:9-11
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Next month, the eyes of the world will be on the Olympic Games in Beijing. Athletes from all over the world will compete, hoping to win the gold, silver or bronze medals that rank them as being some of the best on earth. This image of receiving an award from a judge on the raised platform of the Olympic Games is what Paul had in mind when he wrote about the future judgment of believers for their works on earth. Let’s see what this means.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/27/2008
completed
resume  
Heaven on Earth - Part 2: The Bad Guy is Bound
Revelation 20:1-3
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
This world has been so tainted and marred with sin and Satanic deception that it's impossible for us to even imagine what it would be like with Him out of the way. Thankfully we have a clear description of what that will be like during the 1000 year reign of Christ in the Kingdom Age. Today we see the drama of Satan's arrest and incarceration, as the ultimate "bad guy" gets put away to make way for this future era of peace, prosperity and righteousness.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/10/2008
completed
resume  
Heaven on Earth - Part 3: When Politics are Perfect
Revelation 20:4-6
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
It's the political season in our country and both sides are ramping up their platform to get as many votes as possible. The country is sharply divided on the two candidates but one thing is certain according to a recent poll: Americans consider both candidates to be risky if elected president. In Christ's Kingdom on earth, Christ will reign and all those who help Him administer will be in a glorified state, thereby minimizing any risk for shady politics. Get ready--you’re going to be part of the future political agenda of the King of Kings.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/17/2008
completed
resume  
Six Things That Will Surprise You About Heaven
Revelation 21:1-8
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
I began this series talking about all the things I heard people say at funerals about the afterlife, from turning into angels when you die to having to answer Peter's questions at the gates of heaven. I have discovered that most people's (even Christians) ideas about what heaven will be like are vastly different that what Scripture reveals. We turn now to the Eternal State--after our initial experience of the Throne room of heaven, after our bodily resurrection at the Rapture, after the Millennial Reign of Christ. Here's a few things that might surprise you further:
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/24/2008
completed
resume  
Future-Town - Part 1
Revelation 21:9-21
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Our English word town is related to the German word zaun (tuin in Dutch). The original idea behind the meaning referred to a space that a fence or wall would enclose. The town of the future described in this chapter, also enclosed by a wall, will be so magnificent that even John's depiction leaves us scratching our heads. This is God's revelation of the future Eternal dwelling of all believers. Let's do a walk-through today.
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/7/2008
completed
resume  
Future-Town - Part 2
Revelation 21:22-22:5
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Today we will conduct a walk-through of your ultimate destination as a believer. We will walk with John as he describes what he saw as he was shown the New Jerusalem. It will be a social environment with such unique features, you'll have to bend and stretch your imagination just a bit. I will sum up this future cityscape by describing five conditions that will exist in God's Town
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Outline
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/14/2008
completed
resume  
Living Between Two Worlds
Philippians 1:19-26
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
After studying about the believer's death, resurrection and heaven for four months now, maybe you can relate to these words by Puritan author, Thomas Watson, "Spiritual things satisfy; the more of heaven is in us, the less earth will content us." Knowing what we know now about the believer's future world, how can life be different in this present world?
Watch
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
There are 16 additional messages in this series.
© Copyright 2024 Connection Communications | 1-800-922-1888