The Afterlife
June 5, 2011
Heaven: What is it
like and who gets
in?
Heaven: What is it like and who
gets in?
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version. Copyright ©1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible
Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan Publishing House. All rights
reserved.
Heaven: What is it like and who
gets in?
Sermon Series: The Afterlife
Today’s Topic: Heaven: What is it like
and who gets in?
Heaven: What is it like and who
gets in?
Did you know:
- Eternity is one of the most common
themes of the Bible.
- Heaven is common to all major faith
groups.
- Jesus said he was going there!
Heaven: What is it like and who
gets in?
- Heaven is an ancient Bible theme.
Look down from heaven, your holy
dwelling place, and bless your people
Israel and the land you have given us as
you promised on oath to our forefathers,
a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 26:15
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
- Heaven will come quickly!
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will
sound, and the dead will be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:52
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
- Heaven can live inside us!
This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is
my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for
me? Where will my resting place be?”
Isaiah 66:1
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
- Heaven is a place of rewards!
Rejoice and be glad, because great is
your reward in heaven, for in the same
way they persecuted the prophets who
were before you.
Matthew 5:12
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
- Heaven is where Jesus is now.
After the Lord Jesus had spoken to
them, he was taken up into heaven and
he sat at the right hand of God.
Mark 16:19
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
- Heaven is forever!
After that, we who are still alive and are
left will be caught up together with them
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:17
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
Revelation 21:1 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.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
from God, prepared as a bride
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
beautifully dressed for her husband. 3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne
saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with
men, and he will live with them. They will
be his people, and God himself will be
with them and be their God. 4 He will
wipe every tear from
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
their eyes. There will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain, for the old
order of things has passed away." 5 He
who was seated on the throne said, "I
am making everything new!”
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed
me the river of the water of life, as clear
as crystal, flowing from the throne of
God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle
of the great street of the city. On each
side of the river stood the tree of life,
bearing twelve
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every
month. And the leaves of the tree are for
the healing of the nations. 3 No longer
will there be any curse. The throne of
God and of the Lamb will be in the city,
and his servants will serve him. 4 They
will see his face, and his
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
name will be on their foreheads. 5
There will be no more night. They will
not need the light of a lamp or the light
of the sun, for the Lord God will give
them light. And they will reign for ever
and ever.
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
What is Heaven like?
Heaven is massive – it is a 1500 mile
cube (3.375 trillion sq miles)
Revelation 21:16
The earth has 169.9 million sq miles of
surface (Heaven is 20 billion times larger
than planet earth!)
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
Where is heaven?
Heaven is a new version of earth and
heaven.
I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. Rev 21:2
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
What will people be like in heaven?
Very cool! Our bodies won’t age, we will
be strong, full of glory and spiritual 1
Corinthians 15:42-44
We will recognize each other and God
(1 John 3:2) but we all get new names
(Rev 2:17)
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
What will people be like in heaven?
We are all married in heaven (to Jesus)
Matthew 22:29-30
We probably won’t have social or ethnic
differences Colossians 3:11
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
What will we do in heaven?
No playing harps - There will be harps in
heaven but only angels, the 24 elders
and those who survive the tribulation get
to play them.
Revelation 14:2
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
What will we do in heaven?
We become judges – of angels and the
world 1 Corinthians 6:2-3
We will be having a party! "thousands
upon thousands of angels in joyful
assembly.” Hebrews 12:22
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
Can we bring heaven to earth?
If we are citizens of heaven now, we are
to be modeling what heaven is like for
those who are not yet citizens!
He has also set eternity in the human
heart. Ecclessiates 3:11
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
Can we bring heaven to earth?
Jesus told us to demand heaven’s laws
and principles to be active now!
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:11
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
Who will be in heaven?
- God is there (Rev 21:4)
- Angels will be there (Rev 22:1)
- Animals will be there (Isaiah 11:6-8)
- People will be there, but not all people.
(Rev 21:4)
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
What keeps us from Heaven?
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah
and the surrounding towns gave
themselves up to sexual immorality and
perversion. They serve as an example of
those who suffer the punishment of
eternal fire. Jude 1:7
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
What keeps us from Heaven?
The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile,
the murderers, the sexually immoral,
those who practice magic arts, the
idolaters and all liars; they will be
consigned to the fiery lake of burning
sulfur. This is the second death. Rev
21:8
Heaven: What is it like and
who gets in?
Who get’s in?
For God so loved the world, that He
gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him (Jesus), should
not perish (hell), but have eternal life
(heaven). John 3:16