Time is running out... what then?

⁴ “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.” Psalm 39:4-5

Our Days are numbered… 3 people die every second in the world…180 die every minute…11,000 die every hour…250,000 people go to heaven or hell everyday!

People have been thinking of what happens after this life since the beginning of time. In light of this, there are a lot of misunderstandings and fears that people carry. Well, there is no need for ignorance or anxiety.

“There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of 'Heaven' ridiculous by saying they do not want to 'spend eternity playing harps'. The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

The Bible provides for us enough information to form a good theology of Heaven and the “after-life”. What does the future hold? (use the following as a Bible study or small group lesson on Heaven)

1. Our Final Destination

a. New Heaven and New Earth and New Jerusalem –Revelation 21:1-8

b. Three Parts but One unit. A coming together…

i. Ephesians 1:10 “to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”

ii. The ultimate Goal… Redemption

iii. God with Man= He will come to us and dwell with us!

2. A Physical and Spiritual Reality

“Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.” CS Lewis

a. New Glorified Bodies- Romans 6:5, Philippians 3:21, John 5:28-29

b. Restored Eden- Genesis 2:9, Rev. 2:7, 22:2

c. Revelation 21:1-8… This is Physical and Spiritual!!!!

3. An immediate and intermediate place upon our death…

a. Luke 23:43- the thief on the cross

b. Philippians 1:23-“I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;…”

c. 2 Corinthians 5:8- ^“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

4. Here Comes the Judge

“Christians who did the most for the present world are those who thought the most of the next.” CS Lewis

1^st … A Judgment of Faith (Salvation)- Revelation 20:11-13

2^nd … A Judgment of Works – For those whose names are in the Lambs Book of Life…Romans 14:10-12, II Corinthians 5:10, I Corinthians 3:10-14

There you go… all cleared up! J

Well, maybe not, but I hope this little study helps you become more informed and more curious about where we will spend eternity.

See ya on the other side!!!

Pastor David