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The Day After

SERIES: The Appearing #5 of 5

2008-09-07

PRODUCTION #: 1065

SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra

It happened yesterday. The eastern sky lit up. The earth was shaking and every eye gazed upward at the Appearing.

Jesus has come to take us home. And now we're at the place He has prepared for us.

What will it be like the day after the Appearing? Let me ask you an important question: Where will you be one day after the Second Coming?

You know, when I was a kid, there was this vent in my bedroom floor where the heat from the wood stove would come upstairs at night.

And one night, as I lay in bed, I got this idea: "You know," I thought, "my mom and dad are downstairs by that wood stove talking. And I'll bet as they talk, they talk about me."

So I crawled out of bed, and I put my ear to that vent, because I had this hunch that when people don't know you're listening, they're more likely to tell the truth about how they feel about you. And you know something? Most of what my parents said wasn't actually all that bad!

Now let me put it another way. What do you think God thinks about you? Well, I know exactly what He would say, because I have heard it. I actually eavesdropped on a sacred conversation between God the Son and God the Father.

It is found in John, chapter 17. Jesus is speaking to His Father, and read what He says: (John 17:24)

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

Now, I hope you were paying close attention, because Jesus, in effect, is saying, "Father, the thing that I want most is to have these people with me where I am!"

See, that's something Jesus thinks about a lot. And I know that because the Bible says in John 14, verse two, that Jesus is busy preparing a place for you. The Bible says: (John 14:2)

"In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you."

You know, Jesus said, "There are a lot of places in heaven." Many of them. And yet so many of us believe that somehow, God is busy trying to keep everybody out of heaven. But Jesus reveals how God really feels.

Jesus says, "In my Father's house are many mansions." Why? Why so many? It's because God is making big plans and He?s counting on lots of people. Jesus continues: (John 14:2, 3)

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

So where do we get this idea that God is trying to keep everybody out of heaven? He gave the thing that was most precious to Him, because His desire is to have as many of us as possible in the kingdom of heaven! Why? Because the Bible says that Jesus wants you to enjoy what He has.

You see, He still remembers what it was like to be with us. Before we sinned, the Bible says that God Himself would come in the cool of the evening and walk with Adam and Eve. He remembers what it was like.

He took delight in communing with us, in being part of our lives. He remembers those walks in the cool of the evening. He remembers strolling past the Tree of Life in the garden, He remembers walking by the rivers that watered the trees and He misses it.

You know, the Bible says that eye has not seen, ear has not heard the glories of the place that Jesus is preparing. You and I have been soaked in sin and suffering so long now, that we can't even begin to imagine what it is going to be like the day after Jesus comes, when sin and suffering and pain are things of the past.

So what do you think Jesus is preparing for you the day after His appearing? Well, the Bible actually gives us a little peek.

In Revelation 22 and verse one, it says this: (Revelation 22:1, 2)

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits."

Now, I think I am about as close as you will ever get to being a fruitarian. I love fruit. And if there are going to be 12 fruits on one tree, I can't wait to see that tree. Let's keep on reading: (Revelation 22:2-4)

"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. 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. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads."

Let me ask you again, what exactly is Jesus preparing for us? He is getting ready to reverse every mistake we have ever made.

There is an interesting pattern in the Bible. In the book of Genesis, we have the beginning of sin. In the book of Revelation, we have the end of sin. In the first three chapters of the Bible, the sin problem erupts on the earth, and in the last three chapters, God reverses it completely.

The Bible begins in a garden and it ends in a garden. The Bible begins with man choosing sin, and a curse falls on the earth. The Bible ends with God reversing that curse. The Bible begins with death, and it ends with everlasting life. It begins with a river and a tree and it ends with a river and a tree. And sandwiched right between those two opposite ends of the Bible is the cross of Christ, which ties it all together.

Jesus says, "I'm going to turn it all around. I want to be back in the Garden with my family, and through my work on the cross, I'm giving everything back."

So what is He going to give back? "Eye has not seen," the Bible says, "and ear has not heard." But there are some things we do know about heaven beyond the shadow of a doubt.

The first thing we know for sure is that there is going to be a new earth. In Isaiah 65, verse 17, the Bible says: (Isaiah 65:17)

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind."

Jesus says, "It's going to be so wonderful, you won't even remember what this tired old place was like."

Now, in the Bible, there is no question, it says we are going to heaven, because Jesus said he made a place for us up there. Not just a place, but a mansion. You know, I have never lived in a mansion and I want to see what Jesus has waiting for me.

The Bible also says in Revelation 21 that the city comes down out of heaven and lands on this earth. That means we are not always going to be in heaven.

Think about this for a moment. Heaven is not going to be sitting on a fluffy cloud, strumming a harp throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Now, I've got nothing against harp music. It's actually kind of nice, but, personally, I think I could only strum a harp for about two hours and then I'd be fed up.

And I'd turn to the angels and say, "Now what?"

The angels would say, "Well, keep strumming your harp. It goes on throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity!"

"OK, well, can I sit somewhere else?"

"Well, no, you have to sit on a fluffy cloud and do this forever."

Now, that doesn't make much sense, does it? I know everybody paints heaven that way. But that wouldn't really be heaven! And the good news is that the Bible paints a completely different picture.

Our reward is not a fluffy cloud; our reward is as solid as the planet you're standing on right now. It's real life, right here on planet earth. And the Bible says that on that new earth, things are going to be different. And as a matter of fact, the Bible points out some things about that new earth in three general categories.

First of all, there will be changes in the natural world. Secondly, there will be changes in the political world. And thirdly, there will be changes in the religious world. Now, if those categories ring a bell, it might be because Jesus told us to watch for signs in those three general areas as a precursor to His coming.

"In the world you live in now," Jesus said, "there are three areas that are going to fall apart on you. There will be famine, pestilence, plagues, earthquakes, wars, bad religion, and false messiahs."

You see, it's almost as if Jesus is saying, "Hey, I want to show you once and for all where sin is going to take you. At the end of the program it all falls apart. And then I?m going to replace it with God's government where nothing goes wrong."

Look at what Jesus said about heaven. The new earth is going to be completely different than this place.

In Isaiah 35 and verse one, the Bible says: (Isaiah 35:1)

"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose."

You know, I live in Southern California, and I have to water my grass every day to keep it from turning brown. In heaven, I'll never get a water bill!

The Bible says that the desert starts to blossom, and if the desert starts to blossom, that means there will never be a shortage of water again. And how can anyone in the world go hungry if everything is abundant and blooming? It's just not possible. You see, God is going to reverse all the effects of sin and suffering, and famine will be a thing of the past.

It also says, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened."

Many people are going to see for the very first time and the very first thing they will see is Jesus coming in the clouds of glory.

It also says, ?The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.?

And that means that many people will hear something for the first time. And the very first thing they will hear is the trumpet blast when Jesus comes.

And then it says, "The lame man shall leap as an hart."

What's a hart? Well it's a deer. And I can tell you, I can't wait for that. When I finally get to heaven and I have my own mansion, I'm going to build a fence all the way around it. And you know why? I know I'm not going to need a fence in heaven, because there won't be criminals to steal my stuff or hurt my family. But I still want a fence, because I have never been able to jump over a fence. And God says that a clumsy guy like me is going to leap like a deer. I'm going to be able to do it!

You know, some people think God doesn't notice our tears on this planet. He says, "I do notice! And I'm going to give you so much joy you'll never remember how much you used to hurt."

The Bible says in Psalm 56 that God has been collecting our tears in a bottle. He saw every single one, and His promise is, "I'm going to make up every one of those tears you ever shed, because Jesus has bought a new world for you and that new world is completely different.?

Listen to Isaiah 65, verse 21: (Isaiah 65:21)

"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together. And the lion shall eat straw like the bull, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt, nor destroy in all my holy mountain," says the Lord."

It is going to be different. Jesus is giving us more than we could ever imagine. But not only will there be changes in the natural world, the Bible says there will be changes in the political world, too.

In college, I studied political science. Before I became a Christian, I wanted to run for public office. Do you know what I discovered as I studied politics for four years at the university? Politics essentially boils down to just one concept. It boils down to a decision: Who gets what, when and where. That's what politics is really all about!

That decision has fueled movements like the communist revolution. People said, "They have lots and we have none. So we are going to force them to spread it all around."

See, it's all about who gets what, where and when. And God says we don't have to worry about that in heaven, because He owns it all, and He gives it away abundantly. You can have all you need any time you need it.

Listen to God's promise. The Bible says in Isaiah 65, verse 21: (Isaiah 65:21, 22)

"They shall build houses and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit. They shall not plant and another eat, for as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of my people. And my elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands."

Now that raises kind of an interesting question. Does the Bible really say we are going to work in heaven? Well, it does. But it's going to be completely different. You'll actually enjoy your work.

You see, some things are "work" and some things are work. I refuse to believe that when Mozart composed a symphony that he really thought of that as work. It was more like sheer joy.

God says, "You're going to get to create stuff. You're going to get to do stuff that has meaning. Your life is going to amount to something. You're not going to punch a clock, because I'm going to turn you loose in a new earth to go out and do the things that mean the most to you."

The Bible says that in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were tending and keeping a garden, doing things that brought them great joy. And in the new earth we get to do it again, things that bring us great joy.

Listen to what it says: (Isaiah 65:23)

"They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble, for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them."

In the kingdom of heaven, no one will ever cheat you out of a paycheck. No one is ever going to break into your house and steal your stuff. In the kingdom of heaven, no one is ever going to default on a contract.

Because the only contract will be the one that God made: "I will be your God and you will be my people." And believe me, God never breaks that contract.

Here is what He is saying. God says, ?I?m giving you another world. What you create in that world, you can enjoy.?

You are not going to punch the clock, you are not going to work for anybody else. Everything you do in that place will be for the honor and glory of God.

You see, in heaven, the whole political world changes. And not only do politics change, but the Bible says that the whole religious world changes, too. And believe me, I can't wait for that one.

In the new earth, you won't ever have to worry about your kids burning in a compound in Waco. In the kingdom of heaven, there will be no cults. In the kingdom of heaven, there will be no strange religions; there will be no books that lead you astray; there will be no movies with bad religious ideas. There will be nobody lying about who God is; or whether or not He loves you, because in that place, if you have a question, you can walk right up to Jesus and ask it, and get the answer from God Himself.

In the kingdom of heaven, there will never be another mistake in religion, because you will actually be with God! You see, everything we threw away, God gives back to us. And we will be with God forever.

And then comes my favorite passage in all the Bible, starting in Revelation, chapter 21, verse one. (Revelation 21:1-3)

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

Do you see it? That is exactly what Jesus wants. He wants the Garden of Eden back, and the day after His appearing we will step back into paradise.

And the Bible says: (Revelation 22:4, 5)

"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. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."

God says that you can take these words to the bank! You can write it down. In this old world, a contract might not be worth the paper it's written on, but what God says is the absolute truth.

"Listen," He says, "I'm going to wipe away all your tears."

Let me ask you, what have you shed tears over? Some people have broken families, ruined marriages. Some people have children that turned their backs on them. Some people have suffered with disease, heartache, or a lot of pain. Some people are just desperately lonely.

God says, "In a heartbeat, just a moment from now, I'm going to hand you a miracle. I'm going to give you everything your heart has ever desired, and you will live in my presence. The tree of life will heal you. You will be in my company, and my family will never be broken again."

Let me ask you a question. Do you need a miracle?

Tessie was just a little girl. One day as she was walking past the kitchen, she overheard a conversation her mother and father were having.

Mommy said, "We just don't have money for that kind of thing."

"Well, we have to get the money," Daddy said. "Because if we don't, Andrew's not going to get the operation, and he won't make it."

Tessie thought about it for a moment, and then she ran to her bedroom, pulled out a little jelly jar with some change in it. It had one dollar and 11 cents.

She bunched it up in her hand and ran down the street six blocks to the Rex-All Drugstore. The pharmacist was standing behind the counter, talking to a well-dressed gentleman. And the conversation went on and on and on, so Tessie got impatient! She cleared her throat a few times to try and get his attention, but that didn't work. So finally, in desperation, she took one quarter and she plunked it down on the glass counter top very loudly.

The pharmacist turned around and said, "What do you think you're doing little lady? My brother came all the way from Chicago to visit with me and I haven't seen him in a long time, and here you are interrupting us."

"Oh," said Tessie, "I didn't mean to do that, but this is an emergency. My Mommy says there's something growing inside my brother's head, and we need a miracle. I'm wondering, how much is a miracle? Can I buy one?"

Well, he softened up a little bit, and said, "Young lady we don't sell miracles here. We can't do that."

"But I have all this money. If it's not enough, I'll find some more."

"Young lady we just don't sell miracles here.

Well, just as Tessie collected her change, the well-dressed man stopped her and said, "What exactly is wrong?"

She said, "My Mommy says something?s growing in his head."

"Listen," said the man. "I just might have your miracle."

The man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, one of the prominent neurosurgeons in the country. He said, "You send your Mommy and Daddy to come talk to me."

Well, they took Andrew to Chicago, and they performed surgery, and they saved the little boy's life. And when the bill came, it was exactly $1.11.

Let me ask you, what does your miracle cost? Jesus said He's going to hand it ALL back to you. He's going to give you your miracle. And what did it cost? It cost Him everything He had. Because between that Garden in Genesis and that Garden in Revelation, is the Son of God hanging on a cross, where He said, "I want you to have it all, because I miss you desperately."

What decision are you going to make before Jesus comes?

With everything that Jesus has paid for your miracles, let me ask you two questions: What plans are you making for the day after His appearing? Are you planning to stand in the kingdom of heaven?

Let's pray together.

PRAYER:
Our gracious Father in heaven, we believe there's a better world coming, and we understand what that cost. Teach us to cling to Jesus, and to believe that we really will be in your presence again. Teach us to have hope, and to place our confidence in You. And thank you for Your desire to have us in Your presence forever, for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.

Scriptures Used in “The Day After”

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."
—John 17:24

"In my Father?s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you."
—John 14:2

"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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
—John 14:2, 3

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits.
—Revelation 22:1, 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. 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. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads."
—Revelation 22:2-4

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind."
—Isaiah 65:17

"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose."
—Isaiah 35:1

"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together. And the lion shall eat straw like the bull, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt, nor destroy in all my holy mountain, says the Lord."
—Isaiah 65:21

"They shall build houses and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit. They shall not plant and another eat, for as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of my people. And my elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands."
—Isaiah 65:21, 22

"They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble, for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them."
—Isaiah 65:23

"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. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 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."
—Revelation 21:1-3

"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. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." —Revelation 22:4, 5