Robert Morris - Some Easy Questions
Revelation 6, and you could put a marker at Revelation 21. It'd just be a few pages to the right. This week's title is, "Some Easy Questions". All right? We did a tough question, now we're gonna do some easy questions about heaven, and I'm actually gonna answer some easy questions about heaven, and a bonus question. All right? And I'm gonna go ahead and answer the bonus question now, because I get asked this a lot. People will say, "Pastor, will my pets be in heaven"? My answer is, yours will, but mine won't. All of mine will go to hell, so. From hell they came, to hell they shall return. That's personally my... well, I take that back. Actually, I had one that will probably get to heaven, because although it lived to be 12 years old on this earth, it never reached the age of accountability. It never knew the difference between right and wrong, where to poop and where not to.
So anyway, that one'll probably make it. The Bible does say though, just to help some of you, because I know this is actually an important question for some of you, that animals will be in heaven. "The lion and the lamb shall lie down together", and so, there are references to animals in heaven, so hopefully that's comforting. Although again, those of you that had some from hell, they will not be there, so don't worry about that. All right! Revelation 6, only three verses we're going to read, and there's so much truth in these three verses, it's just gonna be incredible. We'll put other verses in, but let's begin with these three. Revelation 6:9, "When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for their testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth"?
Then a white robe was given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed". All right, here's the first question we're gonna answer. Will we have bodies in heaven? Will we have bodies in heaven? You know, people have misconceptions that we're gonna float around on clouds, we're gonna play harps, we're gonna eat grapes. But some people think, well, we're not gonna have bodies. We're gonna be like air, we're gonna be like a wisp of smoke or something. But, let me just ask you a very simple question, and then I'll give you a Scripture to show you exactly that we will have bodies.
But a very simple question is, why did He give robes to them if they didn't have bodies? And by the way, it said there was given "to each of them" a robe. I think it's a custom-made robe. I don't think that it is a one size doesn't fit all, X-rated hospital gown that doesn't close in the back. I think it's a good, custom robe. 1 Corinthians 15:47-49 say, "The first man was of the earth", this is speaking of Adam, "made of dust. The second man", Jesus, "is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust". In other words, Adam had an earthly body, we have an earthly body. "And as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man". In other words, Jesus is our example. He had an earthly body. He got tired, He got hungry, and that body actually suffered and died a physical death, but He was resurrected with a heavenly body, and that heavenly body walked on the earth, that heavenly body ate meals, so we are gonna be able to eat in heaven and never gain weight.
That's my theory! And by the way, the first meal in heaven obviously, Jesus' first meal, was fish and chips. So, we will have fish and chips in heaven. That body was walking along a road one day, talking to some disciples, and then disappeared. That body walked through a wall, through a locked door. So, it is a resurrected body, but our bodies and our spirits reunite at the second coming. Many people don't know this. Remember, Jesus said, "Touch Me". Look, touch. And He also said, "Touch the scars in My hand". So, there is something of the physical body becoming a heavenly body. 1 Corinthians 15 would be a great chapter to read. The whole thing talks about the terrestrial and the celestial body and the differences between them, if you want to do some further study on that.
All right, here's number two. Will we go to heaven immediately? Many that's popular are teaching soul sleep, that those who have died are actually in some sort of suspended state until the second coming of Jesus Christ. That is not true. The Bible does not teach that. The Bible teaches that immediately, when we die, we go to heaven. I want you to notice that these martyrs in Revelation 6 have died. They are in heaven, talking to God, in the presence of God, but it's before the second coming. The second coming is not until Revelation 19. And so, they are in the presence of God immediately. Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise". 2 Corinthians 5:8 says, "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord". In other words, immediately when you're absent from the body, you're present with the Lord. Any person that you've lost, that's saved, is in the presence of the Lord.
Here's number three. Will we be able to communicate? You know, again we just kind of think that we're floatin' on clouds, some people think, and you're just kind of sittin' there playin' your harp, you know? And another cloud floats by, and you know, you just kind of, you don't recognize the person. It could have been your mother, you know? You're just playin' your harp and eatin' your grapes and all. That's not what heaven is about. It's not what heaven is like at all. Matter of fact, we'll get into this a little bit more later in the series, but I want you to notice that the martyrs talked, and they talked to God. And, by the way, they talked loudly. It says, "They cried with a loud voice". Heaven is not going to be like some of the church services we grew up in. You know? Shhh. Shhh. Shhh. We don't want to wake God up, He's very old.
Here's number four, will we have emotions? Will we have emotions? I want you to notice that they cared deeply about what was going on on the earth. And remember, we're created in the image of God. We're not going to get to heaven, your emotions are part of your soul. Your soul's going to go to heaven. You're going to have a mind, you're going to have a will, you're going to have emotions. Now, you say, well, could I choose then not to serve God? No, you've made your choice. You only have one lifetime to make your eternal choice. It is appointed unto man once to die. After that, the judgment.
Please understand, there is no second chance. That is completely falsehood, and I'll cover a little bit of that next week in the message next week. It is completely false that there is a second chance. There's nothing in Scripture that teaches that. But, we will have emotions. As a matter of fact, there is joy in heaven when one sinner repents, and that joy will be unspeakable, unimaginable joy. The joy that we have on this earth cannot even compare to the joy, the peace, the presence of God, that we will experience while we're in heaven.
Number five, will we know everything? Will we know everything? It is a very, very common misconception, and the reason is that people believe this is because they put two Scriptures together, and the Scriptures don't say what they think they say. They think it says that we will know everything, or we will know as He knows. It does not say we will know as He knows, it says, "We will see Him as He is", and it says, "We will know as we are known". Let me actually read you those two Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part", now watch this, "but then I shall know just as I also am known". In other words, I will know others and they will know me. But it's not saying I'll know everything. 1 John 3:2 says, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is".
In other words, we are going to have an eternal heavenly perspective, and when it says we're gonna be like God, remember Adam and Eve were like God. We're created in the image of God. But please understand, we will not be omniscient. We will never, ever know everything, but actually, this is a great thing about heaven. If you got there and you knew everything, you wouldn't have anything to learn, or anything to explore, or anything to discover. We are actually going to be discovering things for the rest of our lives. I believe in heaven we're gonna be able to travel at the speed of thought and visit a star that the Hubble telescope has never even seen, and we're gonna continually be able to see the creation of God, and learn things about God and about the kingdom of God, and it's going to be a wonderful, wonderful place. It's gonna be much better than the Discovery channel, even.
Here's number six. Will we know what's happening on earth? This is a common question people have. Will we know what's happening on earth? Yes, we will. Again, we'll have a heavenly perspective, but the martyrs said, when are you gonna avenge our blood? They knew it had not been, their blood had not been avenged. In other words, they said, hey, those guys are still walkin' around. We see those guys walkin' around on earth that killed us. When are You gonna avenge our blood? We are going to understand what's going on on earth, but again, with a heavenly perspective. Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us". This is Hebrews 12:1, right after the whole chapter of Hebrews 11, which is the "Hall of Faith", we call it - all those Old Testament saints that have gone to be with the Lord. And then he says they are witnessing what's going on right now. They are cheering you on. Listen. You have people in heaven, family and friends that have gone on before you, that are cheering you on right now. We have a cloud of witnesses.
Luke 15:7, I referenced this a moment ago. "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance". Listen to me. This has to be before the coming of Christ, because after the coming of Christ, no sinner's going to repent. He's saying, I'm tellin' you when a person gets saved, and I personally believe that mainly it's your family and friends that are throwin' the party, and some of your family are saying, thank God, I never thought he'd get saved. He was the most hard-headed person I ever knew. Thank you, Lord. And they are going to throw a party when people get saved.
Number seven, will we remember our lives on earth? Will we remember our lives on earth? Well, that's very simple. Again, from this very simple passage, Revelation 6:9-11, they remembered they were murdered. They had not forgotten that. Well, how'd you die? That dude right there. That guy killed me. That's how I was murdered. That's how I got here. And he's not mad at him, 'cause he's livin' in heaven now. He's excited about it. But, they remembered their lives, and listen. Abraham said to the rich man, which is the passage we're gonna cover next week... Abraham said, "Son, remember in your lifetime". Remember in your lifetime you received good things, and this man received evil things. Remember, this is what most theologians believe, and I believe this as well. In heaven, our memories will make us grateful. If you don't have anything to compare heaven to, why would you even appreciate it? But, we're going to have something to compare it to. But now, listen. In heaven, our memories make us grateful. In hell, memories torment people, because they know that they had a chance and they refused God's love and God's goodness. So, yes, we will have memories of our lives on earth.
Here's number eight. Will we know people? Will we know people? I said a moment ago, people sometimes think that we're gonna be up there and not going to know anybody. Remember 1 Corinthians 13? We read it a moment ago. "We will know as we are known". And, can I just give you my answer to this? We will finally know people. We don't know people on this earth. We really don't. We think we do, but on earth... let me say it another way. We're finally gonna understand people. You're gonna see someone... I finally understand you. You're probably gonna say that to your wife. Finally. You are a great, intelligent person. I just couldn't figure it out on earth. I never could figure out what you were talkin' about. Finally, we're going to know people. By the way, I think also, I think we're gonna be surprised at some people that are there that we didn't think were gonna be there. We're gonna... You... you made it? Of course, you know what they're gonna say, don't you? You made it? Yeah, back at you. Okay, so.
All right, let me show you a Scripture here. This is a great Scripture about are we gonna know people in heaven. Matthew 8:11, this is Jesus speaking. "And I say to you that many", many, "will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven". Do you realize what you just read? You're gonna be able to sit down with Abraham. You're gonna be able to ask Abraham, what was going through your mind when you were walking Isaac up that hill to sacrifice him? You're gonna be able to sit down with Moses, and David, and Deborah, and Ruth, and Samuel, and Ezekiel, and Isaiah. You're gonna be able to sit down with these wonderful people.
Now, I've got to tell you, I thought about this and all of a sudden I had this kind of doom come over me, because I got to thinkin' about, I have preached on just about everybody in the Bible, and I have aired their dirty laundry on television. And I'm just wonderin', when I meet someone, they'll say, "Why did you say that about me in that sermon"? You know? I mean, because you know, like Peter. I make fun of Peter a lot. I don't mean any disrespect, Peter. But I liken myself a lot to Peter, because it seems to me that Peter was always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. You know what I'm saying? He was just always blurting things out that he wished he could take back. Like when Jesus came walking on the water, Jesus said, "Don't be afraid, it's Me". Peter said, "Lord, if it's You". And Jesus is thinkin', I just said... yeah, I said it was Me, didn't I? And of course, you know how Peter was. "Lord, if it's You, tell me to come". Come. Excuse Me?
You know, he wished he could have taken that back, right? And then at the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah show up. Moses, been dead for thousands of years, and Elijah, two of the greatest Old Testament prophets that are either in Revelation, the two witnesses, or like that, okay? Because it talks about these two witnesses, and it describes Moses and Elijah. But, they show up and Jesus... now, this is what's amazing, is transfigured before them. I mean, He takes off His flesh and the glory of God is standing right there. So, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah are talking, and Peter says, it's a good thing I'm here. It didn't matter that Peter was there. He just blurts it out.
As a matter of fact, when you read your Bible it says, "Then Peter answered". No one asked him anything. And then, Jesus said... now, this is something that people, we see this as a good thing Peter said and it is, but Jesus' response just blows me away. Jesus said, "Who do men say that I am"? And the disciples said, "Well, some say Elijah, some say John the Baptist or one of the prophets". Jesus said, "Who do you say that I am"? Peter said, "You're the Christ, the Son of the Living God". Jesus said, "Flesh and blood does not reveal this to you, Peter, but My Father in heaven". This is what he was saying... this is a miracle. That you got the right answer, Peter, that's a miracle. This is a miracle. Okay. I'm sorry, I just...it's just for fun, you know, so. All right. Yes, we will know people in heaven.
Number nine, will it be boring? Okay, let me tell you. Do you realize that Satan is the one who has basically put the theme out there, heaven is going to be the most boring church service you've ever been in for all eternity, and hell is gonna be the fun, exciting party place? Have you ever had people say, well, I don't want to go to heaven, none of my friends are gonna be there. Isn't that foolishness? Well, I'm gonna go to hell. Hell's gonna be the fun place. It's amazing. Heaven is losing the marketing battle, and the reason is, is because those of us who are going don't even know enough about it to invite someone to go. We just tell them, hey, there's this great restaurant you gotta go to. You just gotta go. Well, where is it? I don't know. Well, what kind of food do they serve? Don't know. Well, have you been there? No, but you gotta go. You gotta go. Don't know anything about it, don't know what the menu is, but you gotta go.
Listen, we need to understand this. The more we understand heaven, the more motivated we are to get our friends there. And the more we understand hell, which I'll talk about next week, the more motivated we are to get people to never go there. Heaven is going to be the most spectacular place in the world. Heaven's gonna be wonderful. I've talked about it a little bit, but you know, run up a thousand steps and never get tired. Travel at the speed of thought across the universe. Eat banana pudding all day, and never gain a pound. Heaven is going to be such a spectacular place. Let me read you from a book called, "90 Minutes in Heaven", by Don Piper. And there are several good books about this, and you do have to obviously be careful with any book of a person's experience, because we can't put it on the same level as Scripture, but if it agrees with Scripture then we can, and this is a wonderful passage. I just think this is absolutely amazing. This man actually was dead for 90 minutes.
Listen to what he said. "As I try to explain heaven, my words seem weak and hardly adequate, because I have to use earthly terms to refer to unimaginable joy, excitement, warmth, and total happiness. Everyone continually embraced me, touched me, spoke to me, laughed, and praised God. This seemed to go on for a long time, but I didn't tire of it. My father is one of 11 children. Some of his brothers and sisters had as many as 13 children. When I was a kid, our family reunions were so huge we rented an entire city park in Monticello, Arkansas. We Pipers are affectionate, with a lot of hugging and kissing whenever we come together. None of those earthly family reunions, however, prepared me for the sublime gathering of saints I experienced at the gates of heaven. Those who were gathered in Monticello were some of the same people waiting for me at the gates of heaven. Heaven was many things, but without a doubt, it was the greatest family reunion of all. Everything I experienced was like a first class buffet for the senses. I have never felt such powerful embraces, or feasted my eyes on such beauty. Heaven's light and texture defy earthly eyes or explanation. Warm, radiant light engulfed me. As I looked around, I could hardly grasp the vivid, dazzling colors. Every hue and tone surpassed anything I had ever seen. With all the heightened awareness of my senses, I felt as if I had never seen, heard, or felt anything so real before. Never in my happiest moments had I felt so fully alive".
Doesn't that make you want to go? Isn't that a great place? Now, go to Revelation 21 and let me read a little bit of a description of heaven. By the way, on down in Revelation 21 it gives a description, a literal description, of the New Jerusalem. And just to let you know, the New Jerusalem, if you want a literal description of it, it's 1.380 miles long, 1.380 miles wide, and 1.380 miles high. It's a perfect cube. You can read that in Revelation 21.
Revelation 21:1, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also 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. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away". And then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new". And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful". Listen, the greatest thing about heaven is going to be the fellowship of other believers and the fellowship with the Father we're going to have.
And here's number ten, the tenth question. It's the most important one. Who will be there? Who will be there? Well, we stopped at Verse 5. If you'll look at Verse 6, "And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega", that's the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet, "the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts", and I love the word "freely". Revelation 22, just one chapter over, Verse 17. "And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come. " And let him who hears say, "Come. " And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires", whoever desires, "let him take the water of life freely". By the way, the Old King James says, "Whosoever will". Whosoever will. Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". And Romans 10:13, "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved". Who will be there? Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who call on His name.
Heaven is going to be wonderful, and I want to encourage you, if you've never given your life to the Lord Jesus, you can give your life to Jesus right now. Right now, you can ask the Lord to come into your life and save you, and receive the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. I also want to encourage you that we need to spread the word to every person we meet. God created heaven so that we could spend eternity with Him, and God gives us all the opportunity to choose Him. Share this. Go out, tell everyone Jesus said, "Compel people to come in, that My Father's house may be filled". Hey, thanks so much for watching. I want to encourage you to watch next week as I continue this series, "The End".