A Glimpse of Heaven

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. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 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. 4 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.”

Revelation 22:1–5 NKJV

1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Introduction: We are constantly hearing things that are being advertised as new products that will revolutionize the world in which we live.

The business world knows it pays to advertise and they spend billions of dollars each year to advertise their products.

Someone said this about advertising:

· Advertising is the fine art of making you think you have longed for something all your life that you never heard of before.

· If advertising agents were smart they would schedule deodorant commercials to follow political ads.

· Advertising sure brings quick results--last week I advertised for a night watchman--the same night my safe was robbed.

· Advertising tells us what unnecessary luxuries we can't do without.

· You can fool all the people all the time if the advertising is right and the budget is big enough.

· We now live in an age where everyone reads the newspaper and the only thing they believe are the ads.

Advertisement works!

But suppose in the advertising world someone could advertise (and prove it worked) some kind of device we could hold in our hands and point it at someone who does not love us and all of a sudden they would love us. .

That is, God is madly in love with mankind, but it is obvious that mankind is not in love with Him. THEY LOVE THE THINGS HE PROVIDES FOR THEM, BUT IT OBVIOUS THAT THEY DO NOT LOVE HIM.

As we examine the scriptures we see God has constantly had mankind on His mind. For example:

(1) WE SEE THAT GOD’S MIND WAS ON MANKIND IN CREATION.

God did not create the earth and all that is on earth to just say, “LOOK AT WHAT I DID!”

God created man after He created everything else on earth. Why? He wanted to get everything ready for this one He wanted to love Him.

Illus: Now some environmentalists would have us believe that God created mankind and all the other creatures of the earth to share earth on an equal basis.

But, that view is not scriptural. Actually, the reason God created the creatures of the earth and the environment was FOR MANKIND.

Look at Genesis 1:26-28. We read, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and OVER ALL THE EARTH, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Genesis 1:26–28 NKJV

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

When God created all that is on earth, God had MANKIND ON HIS MIND. WE SEE THAT IN CREATION. Also...

(2) WE SEE THAT GOD HAD MANKIND ON HIS MIND IN THE SCRIPTURES.

Illus:The singer Willie Nelson has a song that he sings that states “I always have you on my mind.”

The central theme of the Bible is REDEMPTION. From the beginning of the pages of this Bible to Its end, God speaks of the redemption of mankind.

Perhaps many in this congregation will die and go to a Christ-less eternity, but it will not be because God has not provided you a way of escape. It will be BECAUSE YOU HAVE REJECTED THE GOD of the scriptures Who always had you on His mind. Also, we see-

(3) GOD HAD MANKIND ON HIS MIND WHEN HE CREATED A PLACE FOR US IN HEAVEN.

Look at John 14:2-3. We read, “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. 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.”

John 14:2–3 NKJV

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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

This passage of scripture tells us God is creating, in this wonderful place called Heaven, places for us. He said, “...I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU...”

Heaven is no figment of anyone’s imagination. It is a literal place where we will dwell with God for eternity.

Rev. 22:1-5 tells us about this REAL place. We read, “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

Revelation 22:1–5 NKJV

Notice, these verses tell us about a real place, a place where there are RIVERS, TREES, and FRUIT. He said there would be NO NIGHT as there is here on earth...

Illus: We still love to sing that song Samuel Bennett wrote years ago:

“There’s a land that is fairer than day,

And by faith we can see it afar;

For the Father waits over the way,

To prepare us a dwelling place there.

-Chorus-

In the sweet by and by,

We shall meet on that beautiful shore;

In the sweet by and by,

We shall meet on that beautiful shore.”

Heaven is no figment of our imagination! HEAVEN IS A REAL PLACE and Christ is preparing a place there for those of us who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

It is recorded in the Bible that God raised the curtain of heaven and allowed a few men to peek into that glorious place. For example...

I. JACOB HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN.

Jacob had a glimpse into Heaven and he was never the same after that.

We have some today who claim they have had all kind of visions of heaven. Pardon me for doubting some of them because I believe if God was to lift the curtains of Heaven and let us peek inside…WE WOULD NEVER AGAIN BE THE SAME!!! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!

Illus: Some say that if God was to pick any of us up by the seat of our pants and hang us over hell for only a few short seconds and allow us to return to earth, we would never be the same again. Why? Because hell is such a horrible place. If we could see it we would spend the rest of our lives trying to do all we could to keep our loved ones and friends from going there. It is true, if we saw it, and heard the cries that come from that place, WE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!

The flip-side of this coin is this: Heaven is such a wonderful place that if we were allowed to peek inside for only a few short seconds we would spend the rest of our lives trying to get our loved ones and friends to go there with us! WE WOULD NEVER AGAIN BE THE SAME!

Jacob saw heaven and he never was the same again!

Before he got a glance of heaven he was ENVIOUS, DECEITFUL and was a THIEF.

He even stole his brother’s birthright from him. Because of his sinful activities, he became a FUGITIVE and had to flee for his life.

Alone and discouraged one night under the stars he was sleeping with a rock under his head for a pillow. This was one of the lowest, if not the lowest, points of his life. It was during this time that God gave him a vision of heaven.

Look at Genesis 28:12-20. We read, “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. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on.”

Genesis 28:12–20 NKJV

12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” 18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,

Jacob had been one of the most DECEITFUL men who ever lived on earth, but after one glimpse of heaven JACOB NEVER WAS THE SAME AGAIN.

Notice from this glimpse of heaven, he jumped up and acknowledged God was in that place and he vowed he would tithe off everything God blessed him with.

When he got a GLIMPSE of heaven HE NEVER AGAIN WAS THE SAME PERSON!!! NEVER!

II. STEPHEN HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN.

Secular history, as well as the scriptures, has given us some experiences of the deaths of many men and women who saw glimpses of Heaven as they were dying. There are also records of sinners and what they experienced as they were dying.

Illus: A man in Houston, Texas, lived a very wicked life. His wife could not get him to put a foot inside of a church.

· His thoughts were wicked.

· His words were wicked.

· His deeds were wicked.

He became sick and reluctantly went to the doctor. The doctor told him he had a terminal disease. Still he showed no sign of wanting to get his heart right with the Lord. In a few weeks he was bed-ridden. He became semi-conscious and often, in his sleep, he would start kicking at something and he would cry out, “Get away! Get Away!” His family and friends had no idea what he was talking about. After a few days it became apparent he was talking to the devil. In the last few hours before his death he cried out, “Get away devil! Get away devil!” He began to straighten his legs out, as if he were being pulled off the bed. With a voice filled with great trepidation, he screamed, “He’s got me! He’s got me! He’s got me!” He died in that state!

Families across this nation can tell similar stories of how people who did not know Christ seemed to be able to see into the horrible place they were going to spend eternity even as they were dying.

Also, historic records, and Biblical records, tell us of others who had received Christ who seemed to have had the privilege of glancing into heaven as they were dying.

Such was the case with Stephen.

· It is interesting that in Acts 5, God had recorded the story of two of the biggest hypocrites ever, Ananias and Sapphira.

· Then, in Chapter 6, we find the story of one of the greatest saints of God who ever lived - Stephen!

Stephen had been preaching to the lost people on the streets. Those people were glad to hear the message. The religious leaders should have shaken his hand and told him how much they admired him for his love and courage for the Lord. Instead, they took up stones and began to throw them at him.

This has to be one of the most painful deaths of all the many ways a person can be killed. But look! As they were throwing those stones, God was pealing back the curtain of Heaven. Acts 7:55 says, “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.”

Acts 7:55 NKJV

55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,

As the rocks were pounding his body, notice how much like Christ Stephen became. Look at verses 59-60. We read, “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Acts 7:59–60 NKJV

59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Listen, after Stephen got one glimpse of Christ, standing by the right hand of the father...

· He became so much like Christ that he spoke like Christ.

· He had such a smile on his face that all those rocks that were being thrown at him were not able to wipe off that smile.

Stephen was not the same after he saw into Heaven. He did not live very long after he got a peek into that glorious place called Heaven, but in that short time he had left, the crowd saw such a transformation in him that they knew something had happened in his life.

Illus: If you remember, there was a young man present at the stoning of Stephen by the name of Saul. It was that same young man who later became the apostle Paul. Many believe this event marked a turning point in Paul’s life. At what point? At the point when Stephen got a peek into that glorious place called HEAVEN!

STEPHEN HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN.

III. PAUL HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN.

Paul’s critics were saying that Paul had nothing to glory in because he never glorified himself. He spent his time glorifying the Lord.

However, Paul felt compelled to defend himself. He began to tell, in II Cor. 12:2-4, how he was caught up into the third Heaven. We read, “And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”

2 Corinthians 12:2–4 NKJV

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Paul SAW THINGS and HEARD THINGS that he was forbidden to speak about upon his return to earth. This could explain why Paul went on to be the great servant of God that he became. PAUL NEVER WAS THE SAME AFTER THAT EXPERIENCE!

We hear of some today who write books and publicly give testimonies of being caught up into the third heaven and peeking into that glorious place. But, more than likely, the experience they had was the result of eating too many peanut butter sandwiches before they went to sleep. We tend to believe what most of these people have experiences was a figment of their imagination. Why do we think that? Because, we believe that if they had seen that glorious place, THEY WOULD NEVER AGAIN BE THE SAME PERSON! Their lives would be transformed as Paul’s was.

It is believed that one of the reasons that God does not tell us more about Heaven than He does was because if He did we would never be content staying here on earth.

Conclusion:

Marco Polo, thirteenth century explorer, left Venice and went to the Far East. He was amazed at the beauty of the place. When he went back, he told people of the beauties. They had a hard time believing the scenes he described. In fact, many thought he was outright lying. However, just before he died, some felt he should set the record straight. They asked again about what they thought were exaggerations. His reply was, “I did not tell you one-half of what I saw.”

All the people we have mentioned who got a glance into the place called Heaven, have not been able to come close to describing its glories! One thing we can see in the lives of all of the people who have ever had a glimpse of that glorious place called Heaven -- THEY WERE NEVER THE SAME ONCE THEY HAD SEEN IT!

You and I have never had that privilege. However there is one thing we know for sure. We know...

· When God created this earth HE HAD US IN HIS MIND.

· When God created Heaven HE HAD US IN HIS MIND.

YOU CAN BE A PART OF THAT GREAT HEAVENLY HOST THAT IS IN HEAVEN. How? Simply, by coming to Christ today, confessing you are a sinner and telling Him how deeply you regret that you have lived your life in sin against Him. And, by telling Him you want to be saved and that you intend to live for Him the rest of your life.

But listen to me lost person, if you do not come to Christ for salvation you are going to miss out on spending eternity in this great place called Heaven.

I. JACOB HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN.

II. STEPHEN HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN.

III. PAUL HAD A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN.

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