A Place Prepared For You

Jesus speaking gives what we know as the parable of the drag net. And he says this again, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind, which when it was full, they drew to shore and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and nashing of teeth." Jesus saith unto them, "Have ye understood all these things?" They say unto him, "Yay, Lord." Jesus tells them, "There's going to be a judgment." He uses this picture of the net being drawn forth. The angels take the good fish, place the good fish into a vessel, a vessel that had been made that had been previously prepared to hold those good fish. A place had been prepared for them. I want to talk to you today from this title, a place prepared for you. A place prepared for you. Would you lift your hands and your voices all over this house? Would you reach your hands out towards this pull pit and pray that God would connect us in the name of Jesus? God, we need you so desperately. I can't do nothing without you. It is by your power, by your word, by your spirit. God, I pray today you would speak the word to every heart and mind under the sound of my voice. God, do what only you can do. Come on, would you lift up your voice and pray all over this house? God, we give you honor. We We magnify your holy name, Jesus. Would you clap your hands and give him praise all over the house, I want to begin this morning by reading you a scripture that has long troubled me. Ecclesiastes chapter 7 and verse number two says, "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to his heart." This verse speaks of the brevity of life, of the difficulties of focusing people who are yet living on the fact that one day we all will die. If God carries long enough, the day is coming when every one of us will take our turn in a coffin. And so today, I want to echo the words of Solomon and tell you that in some ways, it is better to go to a funeral than to go to a feast. Because a funeral has a way of reminding the living that the clock is ticking on each one of us and none of us know how much time that we have left. At this very moment, I am a dying man preaching to dying people. And I want to try to focus you on the mortality of your natural body and the immortality of your soul. I want to talk to you today, if you'll allow me, about eternity. The parable that Jesus reveals in our text tells one of the hardest truths of the Bible. That is at the end of time, not everyone will be saved. He speaks of a drag net that is cast into the sea, grabs hold of every creature in the sea. Not one escapes its reach, but all are snared and are pulled toward the shore. Even so, the drag net of eternity today is dragging every soul toward a final shoreline. There will be a judgment day. Not one of us can avoid it. On that day, there will be a separation of the just from the unjust. Jesus speaks the parable and then he wants to make sure that the hearer understands. This was not a subject unfamiliar to the disciples, but Jesus spent much of his teaching talking about the concept of eternity. He told them of a coming kingdom, a coming judgment, a coming reward, a coming world that is beyond this one. The majority of his parables are in some way centered on the concept of eternity. Repeatedly he commanded his followers to make sure they were not distracted by this world, but were laser focused on the one that is to come. It was not an easy teaching, but this was

the way of Jesus. He preached doctrines that were hard to hear. He preached things that astonished and shocked the crowds that followed him. He even preached some things that caused the crowd to rise to their feet, to leave him, to walk away, to search for an easier path. Notably, Jesus preached more than every prophet and preacher in your Bible combined about a place called hell. From his teachings, I want to observe some biblical facts today. Fact number one is not everyone will be saved. In fact, more people will be lost than will be saved. For Jesus said in Matthew 7 and 13 that broad is the way that leadth to destruction. In verse 14, he said, "Narrow is the way that leadth to life and few there be that find it." Fact number two, some people expecting that they will be saved will instead be lost. Matthew chapter 7 and verse number 21, he said, "Not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth," that is not just about what you say, it's about what you do. He that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. I want to emphasize that it's not just what you proclaim with your mouth. It's not just what you say you believe. But the way the Bible identifies belief is by obedient action. It's by how you choose to live your He said in verse 22, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?" Notice that in life they used his name. They believed in his name. And in thy name they called on his name. In thy name have cast out devils. And in thy name done many wonderful works. Again they had called on his name. They had called on his name yet they were not saved. He said and then will I profess unto them. I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Recent studies show that less than 1% of people who say they believe in hell believe that they will go there. And the rest of the world does not believe in hell at all. I would tell you today that lack of belief in hell will not keep a single soul from going to hell. If we don't believe and obey, we shall not be saved. Fact number three, no one will be saved after time runs out. Do not believe the lie. Do not be distracted. There is no purgatory. There will be no second chances. But when time runs out, the door is shut and it's over. You better not let time run out on you. Fact number four, today could be someone's last chance. You do understand there's not one of us that has promised tomorrow. There's not one of us that promised another hour. I don't know if I'll walk out of here on my own feet or if they'll carry me out of here in a body bag. What I know is one day I'm going to sit in my last service. And it could be today, it could be tomorrow. But I want to be careful with the time God gives me. I want to be One day you're going to take one breath in this life and the next will be in eternity. The scripture is clear that there is life after death. That man does not cease to exist at death. Nor is he oblivious to feelings or sensations or pain. We read that Lazarus went immediately to a place of comfort, but the rich man went to a place of torment and flame. Let every person under the sound of my voice today accept the fact that you will live forever and ever and ever and ever. You will spend eternity in one of only two places. You will spend it in heaven or you will spend it in hell. Here is another fact about hell that I want to make clear today. Hell is a real place. It is not a state of being. It is

not an allegory. It is not a fable. Do not believe the lie that hell is not real. Do not believe lying preachers and false prophets who have taught that there is no such thing as hell. Do not trust hierlings with your soul who will not mention hell and won't preach about sin because it makes people uncomfortable. Don't think that JUST BECAUSE YOUR MIND CANNOT RATIONALIZE SUCH A PLACE THAT THERE IS NO PLACE CALLED HELL. I WANT TO TELL YOU HELL is I want to tell you what the Bible says of hell. I have heard some preach of hell as though they wish that everyone would go there. I was raised on a pew hearing my father preach on hell hoping that nobody would go there. And that's the way I want to preach to you today. I want to point OUT THAT THE STRONGEST words concerning hell in your Bible fell from the lips of Jesus Christ. The one who gave his life so that no one would have to go there. And yet there are many who have known the name of Jesus who have even been filled with his spirit and have chosen to live a life that eventually landed them in this place called hell. I pray that not one person here today will ever find your soul in hell. Revelation 21:8 says that those who die lost shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. Matthew 10 and28 says it is a place where soul and body are destroyed. Revelation 20 and10 said there will be torment day and night forever and ever. Matthew 25 and 41 said it is an everlasting fire. Revelation 14 and 11 said the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever and they have no rest day nor night. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 said, "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power?" In six different verses, Jesus said that in hell there would be weeping and there would be nashing of teeth. JESUS SAID, "IT'D BE BETTER FOR YOU TO CUT OFF YOUR HANDS AND YOUR FEET AND TO PLUCK OUT YOUR EYES THAN FOR YOU TO ever enter into hell." HE WAS LETTING US KNOW WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO, WHATEVER SACRIFICE YOU MUST MAKE, HOWEVER extreme you MUST BE, DO WHATEVER YOU MUST DO TO BE SAVED, TO BE OBEDIENT, TO MAKE SURE I want to tell you whatever sin has held you captive in life no matter how extreme you must be in order to be free it is worth it to keep yourself from hell. If you don't if you don't make the break, if you don't make the change, then in hell, whatever it is that you exchange your soul for, you will end up abhoring that thing with every fiber of your being. In hell, every sinner will be delivered from the sin that held them captive. But for them, deliverance has come too late. THERE WILL BE NO FORNICATORS. There will be no abusers. There will be no alcoholics. THERE WILL BE NO ADDICTS of any kind. For all of these VICES WILL HAVE BEEN TORN FROM THEM BY BLACKNESS and fire in this place. THEY THEY WON'T HAVE ACCESS TO the things they chose above God. It seems that in hell your memory will be sharpened beyond belief. For God is a just God. Would not allow you to go there without you understanding why. The first thing that Abraham said to the rich man in hell was, "Son, remember." The rich man went on to show that he did remember. He had an acute memory of his time on the earth, of the people that he interacted with, of the choices that he made. I personally believe that you'll remember every sermon, every opportunity, every time someone begged you with tears in their eyes to make the change, to rid yourself of sin, and to live right and do right and follow God. But if you find yourself there, it is a forever goodbye to things you never learn to love. the presence of God, the word of God, the spirit of God, the fellowship of the church, that season of

sin's pleasure, it runs out. Now you trade every pleasure you ever experienced in life for just one moment outside of hell. It seems you will learn how to pray in hell. You may never have prayed in this life, but if you wind up in hell, you will learn how to pray. Oh, your prayers will never bring his presence. You'll never get an answer. And yet, you'll pray, you'll beg, you'll plead like you never did before. Consider that hell is a place of complete separation from the presence of God. It is a place of no mercy. It is a place of no hope. It is a place of no love. It is a place where it's every inhabitant would give anything, would do anything to go back and get another chance and yet there are no more chances to be given. There is a world that died outside the ark that is there. When the rain began to fall, some of them had no doubt pounded with all their might on the door of the ark, screaming, begging for another chance. But they had had a thousand chances. They had had a lifetime of chances and now for them time has ended and eternity has begun. In life they had had a preacher of righteousness who had preached the gospel to them. He told them about the Lord but they had rejected his words and now they have found themselves there. THE INHABITANTS OF SODOM AND Gomorrah they are there. They gave themselves over to vileeness and wickedness and immorality. They perverted the plan of God and their own lustful and wicked desires. They had no plan, no fear of God. But they live their lives fulfilling their own desires. For these people, eternity begins much as life ended. There is fire. There is brimstone. But somehow this fire is even hotter than it was before. And when they pray for death to take them as it did in life, death is silent in return. Death never arrives on the scene. I would tell you that in hell, King Agria will spend an eternity going back to a moment where he felt the conviction of the Holy Ghost as Paul began to preach the gospel to him and he WAS WAVERING AND HE SAID, "I AM ALMOST PERSUADED TO become a Christian." Now he is fully persuaded but for him full persuasion has arrived too late. I would tell you that Pharaoh is there and he remembers clearly every plague, every opportunity he had to My mind goes to a man who walked with the Lord. A man who saw the miracles. He saw blind eyes open. The deaf ears unstopped. The bread and fish multiplied. The storms calmed. The dead were raised. He was an eyewitness to the glory of God. But somehow impossibly along the way. Judas never developed a love for Jesus. He never submitted to his teachings. He never fully surrendered his own desires and ideologies. He eventually finds himself bargaining with the enemies of Jesus, striking a deal, 30 pieces of silver, in exchange for the life of the Messiah. Perhaps they had offered less, but Judas knew the importance of the man whom he was betraying. Judas knew that they would pay his price. when he had his hand in the bowl with Jew with Jesus, when he turned and faced the door to leave, Judas knew. And that is one of the most terrifying parts of the story that Judas knew. Everything within him cried out against the devilish actions that he was taking. Judas knew who Jesus was, but Judas chose to close his ears to the voice of his own conscience. Judas stealed himself and he made his choice. There comes a night where Judas leads the soldiers on a death march and he leads them as a man who knows exactly what he is doing on that dark night. There is the flickering of the torches. There is the crunch of sandals on gravel. The hissing of voices filled with hatred. But the most striking element of the story of this night is that the man who leads the pack is a man who has been with Jesus. A man who has

known Jesus. A man who is willingly choose CHOOSING TO REJECT the savior who came to save his soul from destruction. JUDAS IS CHOOSING TO REJECT the place that Jesus told him that he had prepared for him. This is why Luke said in Acts 1 25 that Judas by transgression fell that he might go to his own place. Everybody say his own place. That's where Judas went. Later, when the blindfold of deception had fallen from his eyes, Judas would have done ANYTHING TO TURN BACK THE clock and to make another choice. But Judas found himself unable to escape the sorrow, the guilt, the torment, unable to find a place of repentance. He goes, he throws away his illgotten gains. He hangs himself AND HE GOES OUT INTO THE ETERNITY that he has chosen for himself. As Judas or as Luke said, Judas went to his own place. He did not say that God sent him. He said Judas went to his own place. I would tell you today that hell is not so much a place that God has prepared for man as it is a place that man has prepared for himself. Judas went to his own place in spite of Jesus Christ and not because of Jesus Christ. You need to know that it is unnatural and inconceivable that any human being that GOD CRAFTED WITH HIS own hands would ever be cast into hell. It is not the will OF GOD. IT IS NOT THE PLAN OF GOD. HE IS NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE. NO MATTER HOW WRETCHED A HUMAN BEING IS, there is hope for you. There is a place. THERE'S A PLACE OF But no matter what you do, no matter how wicked a human being might live, hell will never become a place that is prepared for them. For Jesus said in Matthew 25 and 41 that everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and for his angels. And so, friend, if you do go to hell, it will be because you chose it. IF YOU GO TO HELL, YOU WILL GO there as an intruder into a place that was not meant for you. IT WAS NOT GOD'S INTENT TO SEND YOU THERE. IT WAS NOT A PLACE DESIGNED WITH YOU IN MIND. THAT PLACE WAS NOT prepared for you. But if you go, it will be because day after day, by the decisions of your own mind, the workings of your own hands, you crafted it. You made it to be the place of your own choosing. It will BE BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT YOU had more time left than what you did. And one day the clock struck midnight in your life and time RAN OUT AND YOU WERE OUTSIDE OF THE Consider with me the most valuable resource we have is not money. It is time. Most of a person's life they trade their time trying to gain money. At the end of life, they gain wisdom and perspective and they begin to trade money for just a little bit more time. Time is the most valuable currency that you possess. And it is the only currency that you spend without ever knowing how much of it that you have left. How is it that knowing this, we could be so careless with our time? How is it we could SPEND A SINGLE DAY in a carnal state and and not attuned to what God desires TO DO AND NOT NOT SUBMITTING? HOW IS IT THAT FOR A MOMENT WE COULD REBEL AGAINST HIM AND AND TURN OUR BACK ON WHAT HE'S COMMANDED We can be so careless with our time. Every day his mercy is made new. It is made available to every one of us. AND THOUGH HIS MERCY WILL NOT RUN OUT, EVENTUALLY your days will. And so if you die lost, it will be because time and time again you spurned the mercy of a loving savior. And over the course of your life, you rejected his love and you did what Judas did and you turned your

back on the place that God had prepared for you. Again, not one person in this building is meant to be lost. No matter what the devil has told you, you are not faded for hell. You are not predestined for damnation. You are not so flawed and broken that you cannot be saved. There are two worlds. Only one was prepared for you. And the one he made for you was not this place called hell. that you cannot go to heaven just because you don't want to go to hell. You cannot be saved just because you do not want to be lost. Fear might get your attention. Fear might get you running to an altar, but fear cannot keep you in the kingdom. Fear cannot keep you in love with Jesus. You've got to cultivate a desire in your heart to know him, to follow him, to live for him, to serve him, to spend the rest of your days in covenant with him. You've got to get IN HIS WORD. YOU GOT TO GET IN PRAYER. YOU GOT TO LEARN TO LOVE HIS CHURCH AND LOVE You cannot make it if you remain resentful towards the things he has called you to do. God created a place with you in mind that you might be with him. This is what it has been about from the very beginning. A God who desired to dwell with his people. Adam breathes his first breath. He opens his eyes to the wonder of Eden, the garden, the trees, the river, the fellowship with God, the closeness with God. The first Adam awoke in a place in a world that was prepared for him. When Adam failed to sin and was cursed and man was separated from that place and the story of humanity becomes a story of exile. Generation after generation after generation arises from the earth only to crumble back to dust still not having reached that place. Through the tabernacle, man fellowships with God. Then through the temple and then the incarnation he walks with him and then the Holy Ghost. He fills us with his spirit and AND WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP BUT WE STILL HAVE NOT REACHED that place that God has prepared. And deep within every human being there is a longing. There is a yearning. There's a SENSE OF BEING NOT completely fulfilled. I would tell you it is because on some level we are trying to get back home. We understand that because of the first Adam and his sin, we are strangers and pilgrims in this land. But there was a last Adam, a better Adam that came to rescue us from our exile. And when the first Adam had opened the door to death, THE LAST ADAM BECOMES THE door to life. The first Adam, he loses a kingdom. He loses dominion. BUT THE LAST ADAM COMES, HE PURCHASES A KINGDOM. HE ESTABLISHES IT. HE GIVES DOMINION to his children. I WOULD TELL YOU THE FIRST ADAM, HE WAS DRIVEN OUT. BUT THE LAST ADAM CAME THAT HE MIGHT BRING US ALL BACK IN. IF YOU WONDERED WHAT GOD'S PLAN IS FOR YOUR LIFE, THAT'S HIS PLAN. NOT THAT YOU SPEND YOUR DAYS IN EXILE, BUT HE CAME DOWN AND HE DIED ON A CROSS TO SAY, "HEY, I I'VE GOT A HOME FOR YOU. I'M GOING TO BRING YOU BACK. I'M GOING TO BE THE DOOR. I'M GOING TO BE THE WAY. I'M GOING TO BRING YOU TO BE WITH ME. IF YOU'RE THANKFUL FOR HEAVEN, WOULD YOU We need to understand that God never abandoned his plan. Calvary was not a backup plan. HEAVEN IS NOT THE ABANDONMENT of Eden, but it is the perfect fulfillment of everything Eden was pointing towards. That he came and he reconciled us to himself. That he has prepared a place for us. And I want to talk to you for just a few more minutes about the place that has been prepared for you. I want to tell you about heaven. John chapter 14 and1 Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also IN ME. 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."

Is anybody thankful for that today? HE SAID, "I GO TO PREPARE A place for you. Consider that God built heaven with you in mind. It was only a few generations ago there was an obsession with heaven. There was an obsession with the coming of the Lord. They preached about it often. They sang about it often. And I thank God for that wonderful singing we heard last night about New Jerusalem. In time past, even in conversation among the saints, it was said it was often about heaven. It was often about going to see Jesus. It was often wondering what it would be like. We had an elderly saint from our church pass away recently. I went to pray for her and encourage her before she passed, but she ended up encouraging me instead. SHE STARTED TALKING TO ME AND SHE said that she'd had the Holy Ghost for 57 years, that she was tired of this earth and she was excited about dying and going to be with Jesus. She said she'd been wanting to go for a very long time. And she told me, "I don't really care about the streets of gold. I I don't care about GATES OF PEARL. I DON'T CARE ABOUT A MANSION." SHE SAID, "I just am so excited about seeing Jesus." Come on. She wanted to see Jesus. Is there ANYBODY HERE TODAY THAT'S YOUR DESIRE? I want to see him. I WANT TO LAY MY EYES ON HIM. I I WANT TO BE WITH HIM AND FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM. She kept on TALKING TO ME ABOUT HEAVEN. AND BEFORE I LEFT, HER FINAL WORDS TO ME, she said, "You just hang in there." And so that's WHAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE I DO AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO SEE you do. We need to hang in THERE TILL WE MAKE HEAVEN OUR HOME. Through every twist and TURN OF LIFE, THROUGH EVERY OBSTACLE, THROUGH THE DARKNESS THAT COMES AGAINST US, WE JUST GOT TO HANG IN THERE CUZ WE KNOW THERE IS A BETTER WORLD BEYOND THIS ONE. THERE IS A PLACE THAT HE HAS I fear that some only see heaven as a preferred destination because hell is the alternative, but have been raised in the church and have never learned to really desire and to love heaven. There are some that I've talked to that have even expressed fear of forever in heaven, preferring the known above the unknown. And I want to be clear. I'm not claiming to be a scholar. I'm not claiming to have all the answers. There there is so little that we know about this place. But I propose to you we need to spend more time wondering about heaven and wondering what it will be like. And I understand that the book of Revelation is filled with symbolism. But I want to examine some of what the Bible says about heaven. Let me first tell you about the marriage supper of the lamb. There's going to be a feast to commemorate the perfect union of the Lord and his church. I WANT YOU TO JUST GO IN YOUR mind and imagine a table that that stretches further than the eye can see and it's filled with the righteous, with the heroes of the faith. And we're GOING TO SIT DOWN TOGETHER with them, rejoicing that we have made it. I WANT TO TELL YOU IT IS A PLACE OF beauty and a splendor beyond what our human minds could ever comprehend. In the book of Revelation, we read that heavenly city, it is 1,500 miles BY 1500 MILES BY 1,500 MILES. AGAIN, that ground level, it is nearly 2 million square miles, but then it is 1,500 miles tall. And there's GOING TO BE A DAY WE look and we see as the heavenly city is descending down out of heaven. I want to tell you, heaven is not a place where we will be bored. We will never miss this earth when we get to heaven. Away with every thought in your mind that wonders if you'll be bored in heaven and wonders if you'll be happy in heaven. It is a place of beauty and SPLENDOR THAT THAT OUR MINDS CANNOT There is no evidence and in fact this primarily came from artists during the Renaissance period. But there is no evidence to suggest just sitting on a cloud and playing a harp for all eternity. But we will worship and we will serve the lamb. And in my opinion based on this book, we will perform our service in many different ways. I would point out that both the

tabernacle and the garden of Eden were a picture and a pattern of heavenly things. And in both places, God commanded man to work, to have duties, to have order, and to keep this place. Therefore, work duty is not a result of the fall of man. But God gave man duties and task before sin ever entered into this earth. And there's a whole lot that we could go off into here, but suffice it to say that heaven will not be boring, but we will be so thankful that our time will never run out and that we get to spend eternity with our Lord. If you felt lonely in this earth and on some level we all have, I want to tell you that in heaven we will have perfect fellowship and union. There will be no more loneliness there. But Revelation 7:9 says, "After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude which no man could number of all nations." If you've ever wondered if the gospel is going to reach to all the world, he said, "Every nation is going to be there. Every kindred is going to be there. Every people is going to be there. Every tongue is going to be there." Can I TELL YOU, GOD DOES NOT HAVE TO HAVE US KNOW ABOUT IT TO SAVE PEOPLE ALL over this world. BUT HE'S SAVING THEM OUT OF EVERY TRIBE, EVERY CULTURE, every kingdom, every tongue. He said THEY'RE GOING TO STAND AROUND THE THRONE, A GREAT HOST. THEY'RE GOING TO STAND BEFORE THE LAMB AND BE CLOTHED WITH WHITE ROBES AND HAVE PALMS IN THEIR HAND, AND THEY'RE GOING TO SING AND WORSHIP HIM. I want to be part OF THAT HOST. I want to be there with them. I Revelation 21 and 21 says there are 12 gates. Every gate is of a single pearl. To me the gates represent Jesus who is the pearl of great price who is the only door through which we can enter. We will enter in through the gates. We will see the street. The street is paved with gold. But the Bible lets us know that it is not our gold, this gold, heaven's gold. It is so pure that it is translucent. It is a better gold than any this world has ever known. And that's what our feet are going to walk upon. Perhaps meaning it is the most base of all materials in that new kingdom. Our feet are going to walk on that street. And speaking of walking, it seems we may have the option of walking or not walking. For we will have a glorified body that is greater than this natural body. We read that after the the resurrection of Jesus, he has a glorified body which each of us will have in heaven. That in that glorified body, he could eat if he wanted or he could not eat if he wanted. He could open a door if he wanted or he could phase himself right through the wall if he wanted. It will be a body that is unbound by the laws of physics and by the natural laws of this world. Looking up from the street, the Bible says that the whole city is covered with that same translucent gold. You're just trying to visualize it in your mind. Looking up and SEEING THE ENTIRETY OF THAT CITY, IT pulsates with light, but it is a better light. It's it's more beautiful. It is the light of the lamb. And he makes all of heaven radiate his glory. If you look beneath the translucent gold, THE FOUNDATION OF THE CITY, it's made of precious stones of every type. The walls are made of jasper. There there's every color there. As as the stones radiate the light and they cast out color in every direction. If you would tear YOUR GAZE AWAY FROM THE jewels and from the gold, you would look ahead and you would see the river of life. The river of life, it says, is between the street of gold and it emanates forth from the very throne of God. The water of the river, if you fell to your knees, you'd find it is crystal clear. It is unlike any water we've ever seen on this earth. If you would lift your head from the water, you would see the tree of life. It is massive. It takes hold somehow all along the river banks. You see its roots. It It stretches across the river on both sides. And when we see the tree, if we've been in the book, that tree will remind us of one of the greatest moments of God's mercy. Because in that garden when man fell, God instantly HE SAID YOU

GOT TO GET HIM AWAY FROM THAT TREE. HE CANNOT EAT FROM THE TREE OF LIFE. Because to eat of that tree, it will cause you to live forever as you are. WHEN ADAM FELL, GOD IN HIS MERCY SAID, "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TOUCH THE TREE OF LIFE. I CREATED YOU TO LIVE FOREVER, BUT NOT IN THIS CONDITION. NOT BOUND BY SIN, NOT FALLEN BY NATURE, NOT LIVING UNDER THE CURSE. COME ON. THAT'S HOW HE CREATED YOU. NOT TO LIVE BOUND BY SIN. NOT TO LIVE CURSED BY SIN, BUT HE CREATED YOU to live WITH HIM THROUGH ALL TIME, THROUGH ALL YOUR LIFE. GOD HAS BEEN WORKING THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF YOUR LIFE. GOD GOD'S BEEN PULLING THE HEARTSTRINGS OF YOUR HEART. GOD'S BEEN TRYING TO DRAW YOU BACK TO BE WITH HIM. WOULD YOU CLAP YOUR HANDS AND GIVE GOD It is the story of the Bible. The most beautiful story of all time. As God intentionally, carefully through the ages and the eons, God leads his people back to him. God gives us, you and me, renewed access at what we lost, life. Not just life for us, but life for all of creation. Can I tell you that the earth itself is yearning for that day? TALKING ABOUT THIS MOMENT. Paul said in Romans 8 and:22 that we know that the whole creation, EVERYTHING GOD EVER MADE IS groaning and travailing in pain together until now. THAT IT'S NOT JUST YOU AND IT'S NOT JUST ME AND IT'S NOT JUST MANKIND, BUT ALL OF CREATION HAS BEEN WAITING ON THE MOMENT WHEN HE COMES BACK. WAITING ON HEALING, WAITING ON REDEMPTION. HE SAID AT THE END OF TIME THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE EARTHQUAKES AND THE EARTH IS GOING TO GROAN. THERE'S GOING TO BE TREMORS. WE DON'T NEED to be afraid of it. WE NEED TO BE GLAD OF IT BECAUSE THE EARTH IS GROANING OUT FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION KNOWING THAT OUR SAVIOR IS APPROACHING AND THAT HE is near. THE GROUND ITSELF, THE TREES, THE ANIMALS, THE FISH, THE SUN, THE MOON, THE STARS, ALL ARE WAITING FOR THE KING OF GLORY TO COME WITH ALL POWER IN HIS HAND. THEY'RE WAITING FOR A NEW AND PERFECT WORLD. THEY'RE WAITING FOR In that place there is no need for the sun. For the lamb will be the light. There will be no night. In that place there will be no darkness. But the light will always be shining. Will be a place of perfect peace and contentment. No more struggle. No more temptation. No more devil. No more sin. When man fell, he was cursed. The woman was cursed. The earth was cursed. All creation would live beneath the promise. But in this place, the Bible says, there will be no more curse. For the son of righteousness shall arise, and he's got a healing in his wings. IN THAT PLACE, there will be no more mental affliction. There will be no more depression there. No more image issues there. No fear of rejection. No more fear of fear of failure. No more emotional imbalances. NO SELF-HATRED. NO DESIRE TO HARM YOURSELF AND CUT YOURSELF. AND IN YOUR LIFE, YOUR MIND WILL NEVER AGAIN BE A BATTLEFIELD. WHEN YOU GET TO THAT PLACE, WORRY AND DOUBT, THEY WON'T enter there. ANXIETY AND SORROW AND PAIN, THEY WILL NOT ENTER THERE. BUT HE SAID HE'S GOING TO WIPE AWAY EVERY tear from our eyes. THERE'S GOING TO BE NO MORE DEATH. THERE'S GOING TO BE NO FUNERAL HOMES, NO CEMETERIES, NO AMBULANCES, NO HOSPITALS. THERE'S ONLY GOING TO BE LIFE AND STRENGTH AND HEALTH and peace. There's going to be multitudes that come from the north and the south and the east and the west. AND ALL OF OUR SAVED LOVED ONES WILL BE THERE. Those whom we love in this life that are saved will be there. And we'll SEE ABRAHAM AND ISAAC and Jacob and the HEROES OF THE FAITH,

And as beautiful as it is, as wondrous as it is to talk about, the greatest part of heaven so far beyond any of these things is that we will see Jesus. It's not about mansions. It's not about gold. It's not about gates of pearl. But I'm going to tell you when we get there, THE GREATEST PART IS JEHOVAH SHAMA. That that the Lord is there. He He IS PRESENT IN THAT PLACE. IT IS THE GREATEST PART OF ETERNITY. I JUST WANT YOU TO IMAGINE ONE MORE TIME. AND YOU JUST IMAGINE LOOKING UP THAT RIVER TOWARD THE SOURCE of the waters AND YOU SEE LIGHT EMANATING FORTH OUT OF THE THRONE. AND YOU LOOK IN THE CENTER OF THE LIGHT AND YOU LAY YOUR EYES UPON JESUS AND YOU SEE THE LAMB AS HE HAD BEEN SLAIN. AND YOU KNOW THAT EVERY KNEE IS GOING TO BOW, EVERY TONGUE IN HEAVEN IS GOING TO CRY, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, HOSANA TO THE KING OF KINGS AND TO THE LORD OF HOSTS." HOW MANY WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN? YOU CAN STAND ALL OVER THIS Think of stepping on shore and finding a heaven. of taking hold of a hand and finding it to be God's hand, of breathing a new air and finding it celestial air. Of feeling invigorated and finding it immortality, of passing from storm to tempest to an unbroken home. Think of waking up and finding yourself home. Think of a place of peace and contentment so great that hope is no longer needed there. For Paul said in Romans 8 and 24, "For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why do he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Imagine being so fulfilled that you never again need to hope for anything. Our mind cannot grasp such a thing because we're so reliant upon hope. As John the Revelator sees the wonder and majesty of these things, there comes a moment where he can bear no more. He throws himself down to the ground. He begins to worship. As he worships, Jesus speaks and he says, "Behold, I come quickly." You need to know that we are at the end of the end of the end times and he is coming quickly. And you got to make sure that you're ready. And then you washed your robe and made IT WHITE. YOU GOT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE OBEDIENT TO THE WORD. I tell you, the Jews look for a lion, but he came as a lamb. NOW THE WORLD LOOKS FOR A LAMB, BUT HE'S COMING BACK AS A LION, AND HE'S GOT POWER AND AUTHORITY It said, "FOR THE LORD HIMSELF SHALL DESCEND from heaven with a shout. with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God. The dead in Christ shall rise first. THEN WE WHICH ARE ALIVE and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. AND SO SHALL WE EVER be with the Lord. We're going to open these altars in just a minute. I want to tell you, every person here will spend all of eternity in one of the two places I preached to you about today. Our mind tends to draw back, to shrink away from the concept of forever. But you need to know that after you've lived 10,000 years in that place, eternity will be just as unending as it was on the day you entered. We need to learn to keep eternity in mind. We need to spend the rest of our life looking toward heaven. I ask every head

to be bowed, every eye to be closed. We read in first Corinthians, Paul had an experience where he was taken up into heaven. AND HE SAID, EYE hath not seen and ear hath not heard. It was indescribable. BUT WHATEVER IT was that Paul saw, he spent the rest of his life running toward heaven. There are some writers that make the claim that on his final morning, as the executioner dragged him forth, that Paul broke free of his chains and ran to the chopping block and laid his head upon it, ready to finally see heaven. We're going to open these altars right now. I'm praying you get a glimpse of heaven today. That you'll spend THE REST OF YOUR LIFE yearning towards your day of redemption. Come on, come quickly down to this altar. He said, "And the spirit and the bride say, come." And let him that heareth say, "Come, and let him that is a thirst come." And whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely. Come on. Whatever your affliction, he wants you to come and take of this water today. Whatever your suffering, he said the suffering of this present time, it is unworthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. WHATEVER YOUR SADNESS, YOUR SORROW, YOUR HEARTBREAK, your worry, he said weeping may endure for a night, but joy is coming in the morning. HE SAID IN HIS PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY. HE SAID, "I HAS NOT SEEN AN EAR HAS NOT HEARD, neither hath IT ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN THE THINGS that God hath prepared for them that love him." Come on, SAINT OF GOD. THE DAY IS COMING SOON. We're going to see his face. We're going to enter into the joy of the Lord. AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE with the Lord. Come on. He loves you. He loves you. All your life HE'S BEEN LEADING YOU BACK TO HIM. If you only knew the things he's KEPT YOU FROM. HOW HE PROTECTED YOUR MIND. HOW HE ANOINTED YOU TO STAND IN Come on, let your voice be lifted up to heaven. The king is coming. The king is coming. The king is coming. He's coming to take his children home. I feel the brush of angels wings in this house. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts. The whole earth is filled with his glory. YOU UNDERSTAND HOW BLESSED we are to stand in this place, to feel his presence, to receive his mercy, TO LIVE