Greg Laurie - Heaven on Earth
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Ever since I've been a little kid, I've been really into all things Disney. And when I say Disney, I want you to think of vintage Disney, early Disney. I as a kid, like many of my generation, were raised watching, "The Mickey Mouse Club," and that was a big deal. Then later, it was "The Wonderful World of Disney," changed later to "The Wonderful World of Color". That's when color television was coming into existence. That's how old I am, folks. I remember when we didn't have color TV. So, one day, Walt himself announced that he was opening up a new place for everyone to visit called Disneyland. And he kept his promise, and in 1955 when I was two years old, Disneyland opened.
And I remember the excitement I had when I went there for the first time. But you know, Disney himself, Walt Disney, had a vision. And when he was a little boy, he used to love to go to a place called Electric Park, and there was a carousel there, and he began to plot out in his mind an amusement park that he would build one day. He was trying to, I think in his own mind, bring a little heaven on earth.
I read a book a while ago on the life of Disney. And the author, Pat Williams, said this, and I quote, "I know that Walt felt a longing for heaven. He had that longing when he was a boy in Kansas City, peering through the fence at Electric Park, wanting what he could not have because he didn't have a dime in his pocket. I believe it was that longing for heaven that drove Walt to build a perfect place where children could ride merry-go-rounds and always catch the brass ring, a place where yesterday and tomorrow are always within walking distance, a place where anyone can be perfectly happy if only for a day. In Walt's mind," writes Pat Williams, "heaven is a beautiful park, all shiny and clean, filled with wonderful things to see and do, with a castle rising over it all and a train that goes around it," end quote.
Beautifully written. I think Walt Disney, like all of us, had eternity in his heart. The Bible tells us that God puts inside of each of us what we long for something more, long for a place we've never been to before. And I believe that longing is actually for heaven itself. We're homesick for heaven. And things happen in life that seems so wrong and so unfair. Tragedy may strike and life on earth often disappoints, but I think you begin to realize that when you put your faith in Christ is you were made for another world. And that's exactly where we're looking at here in Revelation 21. We're looking at another world that is our future, and it's even better than Disneyland. We're looking at the moment when heaven comes to earth. Heaven is mentioned 532 times in the Bible, and more than 10% of those mentions are right here in the book of Revelation. John speaks about heaven 55 times, so let's see what he has to say, Revelation 21. I'm gonna read verses 1 through 6. I'm reading from the New King James version.
John writes, "Now, I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from 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 will be with them and be their God.'" I love this, verse 4 of Revelation 21, "Then God will wipe away every tear from their eye. There'll be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, and no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then he that sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And he said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.' Then he said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. And I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.'"
We'll stop there. Aren't those beautiful words? I love how it begins, "Behold, I make all things new". God loves new things. He wants to make new people. So, all things are new. No more terminal diseases, no more hospitals, no more wheelchairs, no more funerals, no more suffering, no more separations, no more accidents, no more courts or prisons, no more divorces or breakdowns or breakups, no suicide, no rape, no missing children, no drug problems, no heart attacks, no cancer, no Alzheimer's, no famine or disaster. God is making all things new. I want you to notice one of the first things that happens here. And verse 1 is there's no more ocean, no more sea. All the surfers are like, "Whoa, dude, what's up"? Hey, what God gives you in the place of the ocean will be so much better, you won't miss it. It's worth noting that two-thirds of the earth's surface is covered in water. Thus, only a small percentage of the planet earth is inhabitable. And God's gonna remove these barriers that separate us right now.
Think about this, all people who have trusted Christ will come together. Have you ever gotten together for a family reunion and seen members of your family you haven't seen for so long, and you wish it could go on forever? Or gathered with old friends that maybe you haven't seen for a while and you're having such a good time. Imagine this, heaven is a great reunion where everyone will be reunited in one time at one place, all those who have died in faith over the centuries, all of us together. And for many of us, best of all, we'll be reunited with loved ones that have preceded us to heaven. And also we see in this new earth, we're gonna have a new city.
Look at verse 2, "I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband". Notice that word "prepared". Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, you may be also". So, heaven and the new earth are prepared places for prepared people. And we have the new Jerusalem. You know, Jerusalem plays a key role in the history of humanity. The city of Jerusalem plays a part in our past and our present and in our future. Jerusalem is the nerve center of the world geographically. Jerusalem is a salvation center of the world spiritually. And Jerusalem is the storm center of the world prophetically.
Think about this, Jerusalem is a city of the past. This is the city that was ruled by King David. This is the city where the first and temple were built. And it was outside the walls of this city of Jerusalem that our Lord was crucified. And it's also where he rose again from the dead. But Jerusalem is also the city of the present. When the Jewish people returned to their homeland after the horrors of the Holocaust and established themselves as a nation again, the prophetic clock started ticking because nothing like this had ever happened. On May 14, 1948, a prophecy was fulfilled. Listen to this, no nation has ever been able to maintain its national identity 300 to 500 years after being removed from its homeland. That is, with the exception of Israel. Jerusalem always has been and always will be the eternal capital of Israel. Jerusalem is described in the Bible as an intoxicating drink, a heavy stone, and a burden for the world.
Zechariah 12 says, God speaking, "I'll make Jerusalem and Judah like an intoxicating drink to all who are nearby who send their armies to besiege Jerusalem. I'll make Jerusalem a heavy stone and a burden for the world". But Jerusalem is not just a city of the past, it's a city of the future. Here, world history as we know it will come to a completion. Not far from Jerusalem, the battle of Armageddon will take place. And it is at the east gate of the city of Jerusalem, a gate you can see right now on the wall, that the Bible says Messiah will enter through. When Christ comes back again, his foot will touch down on the Mount of Olives. Remember, that's also the place where he ascended. It will split in two, and Messiah will walk through the east gate. But now, we're talking about the new Jerusalem that will come down from heaven. In this heavenly city, there's no crime, there's no corruption, there's no urban decay. We're living in a curse-free world, and we're busy as we're about our Father's business.
Notice Revelation 22:3 says, "His servants will serve him". I think sometimes people think we just lay around in heaven and clouds and sleep. And that might be appealing to someone I'm talking to, but I like to be active. I like to do things, and we'll be busy doing creative things, things that honor God, things that will bring great joy and fulfillment to us. And now, here is one of the great promises of the Bible. Look at Revelation 21, verse 4, "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there'll be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, and no more pain, for the former things have passed away". You know, we may think that when we become a Christian, we'll then live a trouble-free life. We'll never suffer, we'll never get sick. Loved ones that are close to us will never die. Oh no, these things may happen to us. Being a Christian does not mean you will never weep. It may mean you weep more because your heart is being made tender. In Ezekiel, God says, "I'll remove a heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh".
I mentioned earlier my mom being married and divorced seven times, so I developed these defense mechanisms where I was walled off. I was always moving, so I never could establish long lasting relationships and friendships with people. I was always the new kid in class according to the whims that where my mom wanted to go next. And in my home, love was not expressed. I can't remember a single time in my life where my mom simply said, "I love you," or, "I'm proud of you". So, being a walled off person, it was hard for me to give love, and it was hard for me to accept love. And but that's all gonna change for all of us. You know, sometimes we bottle things up deep inside. But here's what we need to do. Instead of bottling things up, we need to open our heart to God and let him put these troubles in his bottle.
You say, "I don't know what you're talking about". Well, Psalm 56:8 says, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You've collected all my tears in your bottle. You've recorded each one in your book". God keeps your tears in a bottle so he can wipe them away one day. Because one day, all pain will be gone. All sorrow will end. Everything will be changed. But you don't have to wait for heaven for things to change. That can happen right here, right now because 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away; all things become new". I love the Phillip's translation of that same verse, which says, "If a man is in Christ, he becomes a new person altogether. The past is finished and gone, and everything has become fresh and new".
Think about that. Do you need a fresh start? Do you need to begin again? Have you done things you wish you had not done, said things you wish you had not said? And you say, "Well, now I guess I just have to face the consequences of all my bad decisions". Well, there may be some truth of you having to face up to what you've done. But I want you to also know that there is a God in heaven who loves you and will forgive you of all of your sin. And not only will he forgive you of your sin, he will forget your sin. Psalm 103, verse 12 says, God speaking, "As far as the east is from the west is as far as I will put your transgressions from me".
You see, change happens when you put your faith in Jesus Christ. If you're a real Christian, your focus and your values will change. Old values, old ideas, plans, and desires will be replaced by new things, a new desire to know God and love him, a new desire to study the Bible, a new desire to engage with God's people in worship, a new desire to bring glory to your God. And yes, a new desire to see God himself. So, let me wrap this up. How should all of this affect us? What should we be doing in the light of the fact that we have this great hope of heaven and one day a new earth? Here's how it helps us.
Number one, it helps us to keep perspective during times of trial. It helps us keep perspective during times of trial. Bottom line, life on earth is full of trial, hardship, sadness, disappointment, and pain. But according to this and other passages, God is gonna make up for the losses of earth. No pain is wasted by God. Paul says in Romans 8:18, "I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us". See, here's God's big plan for you. He wants to make you like Jesus. Romans 8:28, it's a verse we all know and quote. "We know that all things work together for good to those that love God and of the called according to his purpose," right?
Love that verse. But then the next verse, verse 29 says, "For whom God did foreknow, he also did predestined to be conformed into the image of his own dear Son". See, we sometimes take Romans 8:28 and think it means whatever bad thing happens, God's gonna turn it into a good thing. That is not what the verse promises. Again, it says, "All things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to his purpose for whom," let's keep the verse going, "God did foreknow, he predestined to be conformed into the image of his own dear Son". See, God's plan for you is to make you more like Jesus. To make you a chip off the old rock, if you will. And that means hardship. That means difficulty as well as joys and happy things happening to you.
Number two, believing that we'll go to heaven and heaven will come to earth one day, well, should cause us to want to live godly lives. As I've said before, if in our studies of the book of Revelation, it hasn't prompted you or motivated you to want to be more like Jesus and walk more closely with him, then I think we've missed the point, right? Yeah, this should motivate us to live a Godly life because, again, Scripture says, "He that has this hope purifies himself even as he is pure". And then Paul tells us in Colossians 1, "Since you've been raised with Christ, set your mind on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God". Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. This phrase "set your minds" means think heaven.
So, I know I'm going to heaven, think heavenly thoughts. Our feet must be on earth, but our minds and our hearts should be in heaven. And third and lastly, if I really believe this, and I wonder, do you really believe what we've read in this message and others? Do you really believe the Bible is true? Do you really believe that there is both a heaven and a hell? Do you really believe that we're gonna enter into the afterlife? If you do, and I'm sure almost all of you do, some of you don't probably, but if you believe this, shouldn't that motivate you to want to take some people with you to heaven? I want you to go to heaven. I want you to know Jesus Christ. I want to help you understand what you need to do to believe in Jesus Christ.
So, let me close with this appeal to you. Someone that's watching who does not have this confidence that they'll go to heaven when they die, someone who is not sure if Jesus is living inside of them, here's what you need to do. Everything can change for you right now and God can make all things new. You say, "Oh Greg, it's too late for me. I can't change. I've tried to change myself and it hasn't worked. You can't change anything, it's just the way it is". No, God can make all things new. God can change your story. I don't know how old you are, I don't know where you are in your life. Well, whatever it is, God can change it, especially the ending.
I love this verse, Revelation 21, verse 6. "He said to me, 'It is done. I'm the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.'" Deep down inside, you're thirsty spiritually. There was a woman who would go to a well every day at around 12 noon and draw water. She didn't have any friends. She'd been married and divorced five times. She was living with some dude at present. And who was waiting for her at the well that she frequented? It was Jesus himself. She braced herself for a confrontation, ready for an argument. She was even somewhat flippant and sarcastic when she began to speak to him. And I love what Jesus said. He said, "If you drink of this water, you'll thirst again. But if you drink of the water I give, you will never thirst again".
He was using the well that she drew water from as a metaphor for life. You could write it over so many things in life. If you drink of this water, you'll thirst again, the well of materialism if you will. If that's where you're going for answers, you're always gonna want more. You could write it over relationships even. If you drink of this water, you'll thirst again. You could write it over accomplishments, or success, or fame. If you drink of this water, you'll thirst again. You could even write it over the well of religion if you will, religion and rituals and other things. If you drink of this water, you'll thirst again. But if you come to Jesus and believe in him, he'll satisfy your deepest spiritual thirst.
Let me go back to what I said in the beginning. We all long for a place we've never been to before. I talked about going to Disneyland as a child and how excited I was to be in the magic kingdom, the happiest place on earth. Well, this is something that is deep down inside of all of us. An amusement park is not gonna satisfy that, especially when you look at the price you paid to get in. I think when you're a kid, the happiest moment of going to Disneyland is when you walk in. But when you're an adult, the happiest moment is when you're leaving, right? And then having to figure out how you're gonna pay for all of that. But that's just an idea to start with. We're longing for something more, we're longing for heaven, and we're longing for God. Nothing this world offers will satisfy you apart from a relationship with God. You can ask him to come and live inside of you and forgive you of all of your sin right here, right now.