Romans 8:18-25 (NLT)
“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.  For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.  We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)”

In the Waiting, do not grow disillusioned and hopeless, look forward to our HOPE with patience and confidence!

If we really want to get our hearts around eternity, we need to start “gazing” at the pictures God has given us!

Revelation 4:2-5 (NLT)
“And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. 6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back…Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” 9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, 11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

  • God’s Throne: He is RULING. In control of everything.
  • We enter in the presence of God, and anything we ever thought about God gets clarified.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)
“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”

  • We are aware to some degree of activities and events on earth.

Revelation 6:9-10 (NLT)
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”

  • We will recognize, be reunited, and communicate with believers who preceded you to heaven
  • We will be joined by all living Christians when Jesus “raptures” the

Church from the earth to be judged for rewards at the Bema Seat.

  • We will await God’s judgment of the earth at the end of the tribulation and will be bodily resurrected to reign and judge with Christ for 1,000 years on the earth. — Revelation 20:4-6

 Jesus’ second coming is that of Triumphant King, not as the sacrificial lamb.

  • You will witness the justice of God at the judgment of Satan, angels and the wicked dead at the Great White Throne. — Revelation 20:11-15
  • You will witness the new heaven coming down on the new earth. — Revelation 21:1

Rev 21:1-5 (NLT)
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.[a] 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

  • New Earth will be a lot like the “new” me.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (NLT)
2 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

  • My new body will be like Christ’s
  • The new heaven and new earth will be familiar
  • We will laugh, enjoy friendships, work, reign with Christ…

2 Peter 3:13-14 (NLT)
“But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.”

  1. Set Your Sights

Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your[a]life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”

 Two Great Resources: Randy Alcorn’s book “Heaven” and Chip Ingram’s book “The Real Heaven”

  1. Adjust your Aim

C.S. Lewis said: “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”

  • We don’t have to run around frantic giving OURSELVES and our children EVERY opportunity and taking part in EVERY activity.

Psalm 127:4 says “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.”   We decide where we aim our kids lives.

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