The Best Of Two Worlds

There was a time when Christians sung this song over and over again in their churches because they were excited about heaven.

But some churches can not remember the last time when they sung this song about heaven.

WHAT HAS CAUSED THIS CHANGE?

The reason many no longer preach, teach and sing about heaven is because many Christians have got so much of the world in them they hardly think about heaven anymore.

That is if you want to get them excited about something you talk about cars, sports, houses, wealth, movies and so on.

Illus: When it comes to heaven we should have the same attitude of a young couple who decides to build a house for their family.

Generally, before they take on a project like this, they study the proposed plans carefully because they want to make sure that every little detail is considered so that they will have a wonderful place to live the rest of their lives on this earth.

If people can get excited about earthly houses, then it is easy to understand why Christians should get excited about their future home in heaven, where they will live for eternity.

Illus: C.S. Lewis said it this way, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”

Let’s take a few minutes to think about the next world us Christians will be living in for eternity.

As we study the Word of God, we find three people who are qualified to tell us about that wonderful place.

1. THE APOSTLE PAUL

In 2 Cor. 12:2-4 we read, “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."

The apostle Paul was caught up in the third heaven and he said, “…and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."

There are many who claim they went to the same heaven that Paul went to but every time they get a chance:

• Write a book what they claimed to have seen.

• Appear on television telling what they have claimed to have seen.

They blabber everything they claimed to have seen.

Illus: Debbie Cain when she claims to have gone to heaven what’s interesting about Debbie’s case is that she wasn’t a Christian.

Illus: Evangelist Jesse Duplantis claims he has went to heaven many times.

• He said one time when he went to heaven the Lord Jesus was depress and he hugged him and cheered him up.

• On another trip to heaven the Lord asked Him what was his opinion about something.

This is pure out blasphemy!!!

Paul was saying that he had been caught up to the THIRD HEAVEN. He supernaturally saw heaven.

How many heavens are there?

There are three:

(1)THE FIRST HEAVEN is where the clouds are, and where the birds and airplanes fly.

We can see this first heaven with the human eye.

(2)THE SECOND HEAVEN is where all the planets and stars are located. We can see this heaven with a powerful telescope.

In this space age, we have been able to send people into the second heaven. As far as science can tell there is no life that exists in the second heaven.

The second heaven is beautiful, but there is a heaven that is more beautiful, it is the third heaven.

(c) THE THIRD HEAVEN is where God lives.

Illus: Remember the Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin?

The year was 1961 and this Russian cosmonaut was the first human to travel into space.

After circling the earth, the atheistic astronaut came back and declared that he looked outside his capsule and didn’t see God anywhere.

Illus: I like what Dr. W. A. Criswell replied, “Let him take just one step out of his space capsule for just one second and he’ll see God quickly enough!”

The reason this Russian cosmonaut did not see God is because he went to the wrong address. God does not live in the second heaven he lives in the third heaven.

This third heaven is like no place that mortals like us have ever seen.

People have some beautiful places to live.

Illus: However you could take all the beautiful areas in the world and put them together and they would not come close to being as beautiful as the place where God lives in the third heaven.