Revelation 4:1-11 “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
This message is for Bible believers.
Those who do not believe in the Bible must not believe in heaven because heaven is the overarching theme of the Bible.
Some people say we have enough to worry about down here on earth without having to bother with heaven or the afterlife.
- The student who doesn’t plan for the long term has no clue about the value of a good GPA or what a good résumé
- And, I would be very cautious about marrying someone who has no long-term plans for the marriage!
The very first place we read about heaven is Genesis 1:1.
God created Heaven.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
I am a creature, not an evoluture. I am interested in anything God created because it is of God, by God, through God and for God.
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, Sing His mercy and His grace; In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.
When we all get to heaven,What a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Gen 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
Firmament means expanse, or the visible arch of the sky. The heaven we see with our physical eye is the sky.
Heaven is Eternal Life
Gen 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die.
Beneath heaven, where we live, is the existence of everything that breathes. The breath of life comes from God, according to Genesis 2:7. If God give the breath of life, he can also take it away. In the book of Revelation, however, we never read of the breath of life. We read of the tree of life, water of life, river of life, book of life, the spirit of life and the crown of life. Evidently, once we all get to heaven, we receive something more than the breath of life. Breath is too fragile, it speaks of something temporary. Over there, the life we receive will never be taken away. It will be life eternal.
While we walk the pilgrim pathway,Clouds will overspread the sky; But when trav’ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.
Heaven is Accessible
Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Heaven is a place of doors and windows. Beings can go in and out, judgments and blessings can be poured out and people are able to look in and see out. Doors and windows are entrances and exits, openings and closings. Just remember, God is in charge of all the traffic in and out. It’s not a revolving door where anyone can go in and out at their leisure. Some people think that heaven is their idea—they can go there whenever and however they want to. That’s not what the bible teaches. When Noah built the ark, he built the door, but God took charge of the opening and closing. The bible says that God shut the door to the ark.
Heaven is a “Restricted Area”
Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
After the flood, the descendants of Noah thought that heaven was within their reach. They launched into a building project designed to take them to heaven. They were going to bypass God and get to heaven their own way. I have a message for you today. You will never get to heaven some other way than the way prescribed in the Word of God. Not by science, not by mathematics, not by human ingenuity, not by talent, not by politics, not by money, not by some other religion or spiritual discipline. Some people have the misconception that all religions are the same and that we are all getting to heaven by different routes. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
Let us then be true and faithful,Trusting, serving every day;Just one glimpse of Him in glory Will the toils of life repay.
When we all get to heaven,What a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Heaven is all about Jesus!
Gen 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Jacob saw a ladder, but it wasn’t for him to climb. It was a prophetic view of a coming day, a day in which Jesus Christ would validate His own divinity.
John 1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Heaven is all about Jesus; getting there is all about Jesus; living there is all about Jesus. Jesus is the ladder! He provides the entrance into heaven by His own self. This is why we cannot refer to Jesus as just a good teacher or a prophet. He is more than the founder of a religion. You can read the teachings of many so-called spiritual leaders. You can read the teachings of Confucius, the teachings of Chairman Mao, the doctrines of Joseph Smith and even of the Prophet Mohammed. But there is something different about Jesus. Paul did not say we preach the teachings of Christ. He said “We preach Christ and Him crucified!”
Heaven has legal force.
Deut 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Heaven is more than an idea, a dream or a fantasy. Moses understood that the reality of heaven was so established that it could be called as a witness for or against us.
Heaven is free from evil influence.
Isa 14:12-13 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I must issue a warning: Heaven is a smoke-free environment! It is free from sin, wickedness, evil, iniquity, rebellion and transgression. When Lucifer was discovered with iniquity in his heart, he was vanquished forever from the portals of glory. Why did God take the trouble to tell us this in His Word? As a Warning!!!
Yes, we have the grace of God through Jesus Christ while we live on earth. But grace is trying to teach us something.
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
You cannot align yourself with Satan and expect to be rewarded with heaven. The disciple of the leader shares the fate of the leader.
John 8:42-45 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
And, before Lucifer was kicked out of heaven, God must have said, “Here. Give me those keys! I’ve got someone else in mind for those keys.”
Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee [Peter] the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
In fact, Satan doesn’t even have the key to his own house. God gave one of his angels the key to the bottomless pit!
Heaven is not for a distant future; it is a present reality.
Matt 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
As soon as you hear the message of heaven, you must repent. Now. Today. Immediately. It cannot be for a later time in your life because you may lose your breath of life in the next second.
James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Let us then be true and faithful,Trusting, serving every day;Just one glimpse of Him in glory Will the toils of life repay.
Trust Jesus. He is your only hope of heaven.
Repent of your sin. Jesus is the only way to forgiveness.
Be baptized in Jesus name. It is the only saving name.
Be filled with God’s Spirit. It is more important in heaven than the breath of life on earth.
The gospel message down here is the entrance to get there.
Heaven is the only secure place in the universe.
Matt 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
We’re not talking money here. We’re talking wealth. There is a vast difference between money and wealth. A prince, the son of a king, may not have a dime to his name; his name may not be affixed to a single document or deed. But you wouldn’t say he is in poverty. He’s wealthy because his father is rich! How rich is our Father?
Psalms 50:10-12 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.
Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, Sing His mercy and His grace; In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.
When we all get to heaven,What a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Heaven’s greatest attraction is not the treasure or wealth; Jesus is what will make heaven for me!
Mark 14:62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Mark 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.
John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
There are no foreclosures on our mansions in heaven. No liens, no back taxes, no bad neighbors, no threat of eminent domain. If there was ever a time for us to be excited about heaven, it is today. Some say these mansions aren’t literal houses. They’re just dwelling places. I’d rather have a dwelling place in heaven than a mansion on earth!
Our entrance to heaven will be the rapture of the church.
Luke 21:25-28 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Look up means look to the sky. Something is about to happen in the sky.
1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Why are we going to be caught up together with Him? Because we are the bride; Jesus is our Bridegroom. What does the Bridegroom do when he takes him bride into their new house? He picks her up and carries her across the threshold!
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Heaven will turn every sorrow into a distant memory.
Revelation 21:4-7 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
We will pause for a fleeting second just long enough to say “No more!” No more tears; no more death; no more sorrow; no more crying; no more pain.”
While we walk the pilgrim pathway,Clouds will overspread the sky; But when trav’ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.
You might be thinking that we have a lot of work to do down here before we think too much about what’s going to be over there. But, it’s the message of over there that gives us the strength and courage of down here!
The plight of the ravaged, the persecuted, the slain, the beaten and bruised…all of them cry out for exoneration. It will happen! This just God we serve will make sure that every drop of the martyrs’ blood will be avenged and rewarded.
What about those who have already gone to their reward? They are somewhere awaiting this great event, the grand opening of the place called heaven. Mothers, fathers, grandpas, grandmas, pastors, saints, pioneers, stalwarts of the cross, faithful and loyal servants. Added to the blessing of seeing Jesus will be the glad reunion with our loved ones. There is another old song of the church that keeps us going.
I will meet you in the morning,
Just inside the Eastern Gate;
Then be ready, faithful pilgrim,
Lest with you it be too late.
I will meet you in the morning
I will meet you in the morning
Just inside the Eastern Gate over there;
I will meet you in the morning
I will meet you in the morning
I will meet you in the morning over there.
O, the joy of that glad meeting,
With the saints who for us wait!
What a blessed, happy meeting,
Just inside the Eastern Gate.
Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!