Dennis L. Finnan Commentator ETERNITY!
I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast, and in a moment we’ll talk about … ETERNITY!
…The Bible has much to say about the destiny of nations, but it also speaks about the destiny of individuals like you and me. It is therefore important that we consider what lies ahead. Now amazingly, in the Bible to find out we have to go to the New Testament and to the last book of the Bible called Revelation, where we are given amazing glimpses of what awaits us personally on the other side of death. Now in the Bible the main emphasis of the Old Testament is the coming Messianic Age, that is a 1000-year reign of God the Son, Jesus Christ, on the earth, ruling and reigning with His people Israel and all the nations that have bowed the knee to His sovereignty and Saviorhood. However, the New Testament’s emphasis is different, for its high point is “prophecy,” that speaks about the coming Eternal Order of things we should all be concerned about. Indeed, it’s one thing to live for three score and ten years with a few extra to boot, but what about eternity? Have you thought about it ¾ living forever and ever? Does it sound far fetched? Perhaps, but if you are honest somehow in your heart you refuse to believe that one day you will cease to exist. The reason for this is, God has put eternity in your heart because of what He made you to be ¾ an image of Himself, the eternal everlasting God. The Bible says,
Yes, God is the Eternal God and you and I are His everlasting creation. Yet in this life we are on that irreversible countdown for the sands-of-time are sifting through the hourglass for us all, until suddenly, at some unknown but certain second yet to come, we shall be thrust into eternity! Think on that will you for a moment? Now, with that thought ask yourself “what’s ahead, what lies beyond that moment when I will enter the portal of eternity?” Of course, there are countless suppositions religions and philosophy invent about the afterlife or lack of it, but the only truth, you can know and depend upon is found in the Bible in two chapters of the book of Revelation. It is there then we must go to find out what there is for us, in eternity.
Rev 20:11-12 (NIV) “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Now note this! Here God isn’t deciding whether one is fit for eternity with Him in His place of Heaven, not at all! This judgment is the final sentencing judgment for all sinners, who in their foolishness while alive on earth, thought that they one day could present to God their own righteousness, good deed’s and works as reason for God to forgive them and grant them eternal life with Him for eternity. No, that moment was long past for it is only in this life that anyone can be forgiven of their sins, and only in this life can we hear of and receive the Savior, God has given to us who is Jesus Christ. This judgment event, the Great White Throne Judgment, is simply to show that man’s own righteousness failed the test and the sins committed in thought, words and deeds must justly be paid for. What is the penalty? God tells us in this life, Rom
3:23 (NIV) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Now following the judgment of the unsaved dead, we learn of “their” fate. We read again, Rev 20:11-15 (NIV) “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Here, we see that finally God has dealt with all those
who refused to take His Son Jesus as their Savior, all those who on their own
determined to present before the holy sinless, perfect God their own
righteousness that was but a miserable failure and stench in the nostrils of
God. Their eternal destiny was given to them and they were taken away for all
eternity to a place called the Lake of Fire. But now, for those who in this life who had turned from their sins to Jesus Christ and embraced His forgiveness and love ¾ for them, the eternal Order and destiny is the greatest Good News they could ever have considered. Here in succession, is what is in store for the righteous, the saved ones, the followers of the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world. (1) WE SEE THE PASSING AWAY OF THE OLD CREATION – ( Rev. 21:1) Rev 21:1 (NIV) “Then I saw… the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” This present world is a world lost in sin, a world stained by it and a world doomed to destruction. Peter said it well in his second epistle, 2 Pet 3:11-12 (NIV) “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.” God warns us all that everything in this world, including
the earth will one day will be destroyed totally, so as to eradicate all sin
in God’s creation. Only those who are safe in Christ will be outside this
horrendous cataclysmic destruction. Indeed a big bang will result when it all
melts into its original lump of creative materials. Now the next thing God
promises follows, is a wonderful thought. (2) WE SEE A NEW EARTH AND HEAVEN IS MADE (Rev 21:1-2) ¾ We read again in, Rev 21:1-2 (NIV) “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” To replace the Old Order, new heavens and a new earth will be recreated out of the old. You see God reveals to us that the earth was forever made for man, but now it is new and perfect, unstained by sin and will never ever be again. Yes, it will be a perfect world and universe, but more notice what else God is going to do in eternity.
Rev 21:2 (NIV) “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Rev 21:10-11 (NIV) “And he carried me [John the apostle] away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.” This fabulous city, unlike anything in spatial time and place, will be huge. It will be on the earth, which by the way will probably be recreated much larger in size than we can imagine, and how spacious and big will this city be? Well let’s let God tell us. Again we read, Rev 21:15-17 (NLT) “The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, it was in the form of a cube, for its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. 17 Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (the angel used a standard human measure).” Wow! This great size, will afford sufficient habitation or home base for all the saved of earth in time and space. Never of course was there a city like this. If it were superimposed upon the United States its area would cover all the way from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the western slopes of Colorado. But mind you, this city is also unlike any earthly city, being a cube rises some 1,400 miles high too. Make note also that all the saints which will be resident there are not in earthly bodies as we known them today, so spatial needs may not be as they are today. Yet think about this, it has been estimated that such a city could hold more than 100 billion people with each having one cubic mile for their own personal space if necessary! So the apostle John says, John 14:2 (NKJV) “”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.” What a good word for that space ¾ “mansions.” Although science cannot deal with such facts and figures adequately, the perception God wants us to have is it will be the most beautiful celestial city any eye will ever behold, and all those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ their Creator God and Savior, the promise of God is its theirs for all eternity.
My friend Heaven is real! For now, it resides outside the universe, the abode of God is neatly kept from all sin and evil. But one day, God is going to smash the universe He created, and cleanse it all and refashioned it as He once did long ago out of nothing. But the next time, it will be perfect, for man will have had his free will choice to determine whether to live their or not.
Rev 21:8 (NIV) “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”” These negative descriptions are of all those who refused to surrender their lives to God through His Son Jesus Christ. For us to love Him willingly, God sent Christ to earth to become a human being like you and me so God could forever have intimate fellowship with us. What’s more, in fashioning Himself as a man, He retained His Godhood and lived a sinless life, and upon offering it up as a substitutionary payment for the sins of the world of mankind, He now offers this as a pardon to all sinners bound for the Lake of Fire for their sins. Have you received Jesus Christ and His forgiveness? Have you trusted Him alone for Heaven and eternity? Are you marching on to the eternal kingdom of God? You are, if you’ve done these things and your life has experienced the changes that come with the new birth experience. Yes, one day Heaven and the new eternal order will come, and everyone who belongs to Jesus Christ will be there to experience the bliss and beauty. For now, in this life there are tears, pain, suffering, loss and heartache, but in eternity they are forever gone! We are told, Rev 21:3-4 (NIV) “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”” Furthermore, we read that this city will be very special and, God has planned it for every person, none potentially will be left out. In fact, people from every nation on the face of the earth will be there who have bowed their knees in worship to the God of eternity, revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Rev 21:24-27 (NIV) “ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” That last phrase is vitally important. Only those whose
names are written in the Lamb’s Book of life will be there. This is the Book
of Life God the Son keeps with the names of those who have entered by faith
and surrender to Jesus Christ. Are you saved? Have you confessed your sins to
God and asked for His forgiveness through the death payment of Jesus Christ in
your stead? Have you called upon Him to save you? If not, why not right now?
More than two decades ago, I was confronted by such claims and I knew what I
needed to do. I quietly bowed my head and called out to God to save me a
wretched sinner that I was. I asked Jesus to come into my heart, an expression
of surrender to give him my broken, and meaningless life, and in exchange He
gave me His wonderful, perfect sinless life. Oh my friend, words cannot
explain what happens to a soul that is transformed and forgiven, but I can
assure you I would never go back, never turn away, never for one moment trade
eternal life for anything this world could offer. I thank God every day for
saving men, and most of all for allowing me and you to see what lies ahead for
those who turn to Christ and love Him. So my friend remember… (4) THERE IS A NEW WORLD ORDER IS COMING! - Yes, a NEW WORLD ORDER with a freshly remade heaven and earth that will for all eternity be the dwelling place of the redeemed of all ages. I pray you will be among its residents and not the other place of lostness, darkness, fire and Hell. But my friend, God gives us all a choice. He forces no one into His kingdom. May your choice now and forever be the Lord Jesus Christ. To this end this broadcast is dedicated and my prayer for you to experience… …Remember my friend, the Bible says there are two distinct categories of inhabitants of eternity, the saved, and the unsaved, the lost and the found, the redeemed and the unredeemed. Those who are unredeemed, are lost and unsaved God’s abiding wrath will be upon them forever. It is sobering to realize God cares so much for us that He Himself died for and paid for our sins. How great an offense it will be to spurn the love of God, to reject His offer of forgiveness, and the great sacrifice of His Son for us all. May your choice, while you have life and breath, be for Christ. For if you do, the best is yet to come, and what lies ahead in this life will also be a great blessing and joy! · Radio talk #4601 · Broadcast date: November 18, 2001 · Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator · Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast · Address: P.O. Box 40133 Grand Junction, CO 81504 The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for 22 years, and serves as General Director. These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also. Want to Help? If you've been blessed and encouraged by these messages, you can help keep them on the Internet. Below is a secure link to PayPal, a way to donate through the Internet to this Christian Radio Broadcast. We are a faith ministry depending totally upon the love gifts of friends like you. Please consider a donation today of any amount. Or you can use the snail mail address at bottom left to write to us. God bless you. |
||
|
|
|
P.O. Box 40133 |
The World, the Word
& You! |