Text: Revelation 4:1 says, "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."

Introduction:

Most Bible scholars feel that the door opening in heaven is the rapture or the snatching out of the church from this earth. We not doubt are getting close to the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The disciples once asked the Lord Jesus about the "signs of His coming." They were interested in knowing some things about the end of the world. Jesus gave them an Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 about what to look for just prior to the coming of the Lord. The coming that Christ refers to in Matt.24 is the second part of His great coming, when He comes at the Battle of Armageddon to destroy His enemies with the brightness of His coming (2 Thess.2:8). The signs in Matt. 24 are not so much signs of the Rapture phase of His coming, but of the Revelation phase of His coming, seven years later when every eye shall see Him. The Rapture is secret, but when Christ comes in the Revelation, the Bible says----"every eye shall see Him"( Rev.1:7).

I thank God that heaven is waiting for me. I preached this morning on hell, but praise God I am not going there. Through the "new birth"-- I am heaven-bound and hell-proof. I have not been pickled, I am preserved in Christ Jesus. I am not saved for a while, I am saved forever. I have a wonderful home on the other side of either the rapture or death.

USA today conducted a poll that showed Americans are interested in going to heaven. Their opinions about it are inacurate. 72% of those polled rated their chances of getting to heaven as good to excellent. Those same people said that only 60% of their friends would go to heaven. 80% said they believe in heaven. Only 67 % said they believe in hell. 96% said they believe there is a God.

Illustration:
There was a teacher who asked a class of girls how many of them wanted to go to heaven. All hands were raised but one. The teacher said, "Why do you not want to go to heaven?" The little girl who did not raise her hand said to the teacher, " I can’t go because my mother said for me to come right home after Sunday School, so I can’t go." The little girl thought the woman was getting up a load to go right then–that is why she wasn’t ready to go.

Notice the little word–"hereafter." I am glad that what we have now is not all of what we are going to have. There is a blessed and glorious "hereafter" of splendor for the child of God. It speaks of a life or existence that is beyond this mortal existence that we know. The future looks gloriously bright for the blood -bought, blood-washed child of God.

The Apostle Paul put it this way–"If we have hope in this life only, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19). To be "miserable" is to be "wretchedly unhappy, uneasy, or uncomfortable." God’s people are a happy people because there is something better waiting for us when this present life of trouble and heartache is over.

Paul in speaking about the heavenly state says–"To depart and be with Christ which is far better." Heaven will be much better than the best we have known in this life.

Dr. Vance Havner said, " A dog is made in this world because this is the only world a dog will ever live in. We are not at home in this world, because we are made for a better one."

One thing is sure–Christian people never meet for the last time. There is another meeting place somewhere in heaven.

Someone asked an old saint of God, "Would you like to live your life over again?" The aged saint said, "No, I’m too near home."

What is it that is waiting for every genuine child of God over on the other side of the river of death? I feel led of God to share several of these things that will be waiting for you and me when we check out of this world into the next.

I wish I were a silver tongued orator such as the late Dr. R.G. Lee who could paint a picture with words. But in my plain and simple way, I am going to remind you of a few things that are waiting for me beyond the gates of death or the second coming of Christ.

The N.T. writers did not speak of going to heaven so much as they did going to be with the Lord. It is not the other shore that charms us the most that charms us so much, as Jesus who stands on the shore.

On the cross when Jesus said to the dying thief, "Today thou shalt be with me," it meant more that merely going "to Paradise."

Jesus is waiting for us after we go through the tunnel of death. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and His wonderful, precious, saving name is Jesus.

I am not going out into darkness but hallelujah, I am headed for the glorious light of an eternal God, who can light up the 1500 hundred mile high heavenly Jerusalem, with His resplendent glory alone.

The first one I want to see when my earthly life has ended will be the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the light of heaven, the glory of heaven, the splendor of heaven, the darling of heaven, the delight of heaven, the sovereign of heaven, the builder of heaven, the central-figure in heaven, the ruler of heaven, the object of worship in heaven, and the heaven of heaven. That is Jesus my wonderful and blessed Lord.

Phil.2:8 says, "He humbled himself." It is hard to imagine Jesus leaving the perfect society of heaven for this sinful and ungodly world, but when you understand a bit of His love for mankind, and His delight in doing the will of the Father, we understand some-what why He came.

Jesus said in John 17:5, " And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."

What was Jesus speaking of in those words? The glory he had with the Father before anything was created. He longed for that to be restored and longed to be back in the Father’s house, when His work on earth was done.

His work was to provide salvation for sinful man. He did that when offered Himself at Calvary as the "spotless and flawless" lamb of God.

One day after a 40 day after-resurrection ministry, Jesus went to heaven from the Mt. of Olives. He went back to heaven in the same area where the Garden of Gethsemane was located. It is there he will return at the end of the seven year tribulation period. When He does the Mt. of Olives will split into two. The prophet Zechariah said in Zechariah 14:4, " And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which [is] before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south."

I want to see Jesus first of all. We will know Him without any introduction. We will just know it is Him though we have never met Him face to face.

Illustration:
Someone said to Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer, "It is too bad you are blind." She said, "Oh no, my first request at birth would be that God remove my sight, because when I get to heaven the first sight I will see is that of my Savior’s dear face."

II. The Saints Are Waiting

Heaven is populated with the holy angels and the saints of God.

In this life some wait for us for the wrong motive.

Illustration:

Years ago there was a purse snatcher waiting for my wife at the Hickory Mall as she came through the door to go to the car. He ran off with her purse. He did not realize that myself and David were not far behind him. We finally caught up with him after we chase him around the outside of the mall, when he went into one of the other stores. He did not have the purse in his hand. He would not tell us where it was until we promised that we would not prosecute him. I should never made him that promise. He told me where the purse was. He had thrown it in a waste can as he went into the store where we caught him.

The saints of God will be waiting to welcome us home on the shores of eternity.

I believe they are having such a wonderful time in eternity that when we get home, they will probably think we came in right behind them. It will not be like they had a long wait for us to get home. I do not believe any of your loved ones will walk up to you in heaven and say to you, "Well, you finally got here." No, I rather believe they may say, "It didn’t take you very long to get here."

Rather than asking us what was going on upon the earth, they will be showing us what is going on in heaven. We will be enthralled and enraptured with the glory world. It will be the best thing we have ever seen.

A. To Rejoice Together

Because we will finally be home together, in a land where there is no death.

B. To Reminisce Together

We will probably talk about how God meet our needs on earth.

C. To Reverence Christ Together

They honor Him there, we honor Him here, but what a wonderful time when we can do it together again in a land where there is no separation.

The word "splendor" means "grandeur, brilliant light, or glowing luster." Heaven is a place of splendor.

The gates are each one huge pearl.

The streets are transparent gold.

The walls are a beautiful jasper. It is an opaque stone that can take on many colors.

The foundations are of many precious stones.

The brightness and glory of Christ reflects through and from the stones. It is a place of splendor.

Most of us live in nice homes, but most of them are not places of splendor. Heaven is a glowing, glittering, glimmering city far beyond what we could conceive in our fondest dreams.

Here is a heavenly scene in Rev. 5:9 and here is what is going on:

Revelation 5:9-- "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."

A. The Special One in The Song- Redeeming Lamb

B. The Subject of The Song- Redemption by blood

C. The Scope of The Song- our of every kindred, tongue, people and nation.

This singing will be different than we hear now. It will be singing with glorified voices. They will have no flaws or imperfections about them.

I have always loved good music. There will be singing in heaven but not the show-boat kind. It will be music that will bring honor, glory and praise to God. Heaven will not be filled with songs about the Mississippi squirrel, but about the Lamb Who died, Who rose, and Who reigns in the glory world.

What if someone were to ask you about what your favorite choir is? Some would say Zion Hill Choir. Others might say the Woodland Baptist Church Choir. Others might say Holly Springs Baptist Church Choir. But the right answer would be Heaven’s choir. We have not heard it sing yet, but it will be the best, without any practice sessions at all.

You had just as well get use to it in this life.

 VI. The Serenity Is Waiting

No more bills to pay. Our troubles will be gone for we will be in a perfect world.

Kyla Rowland wrote a song that says, "He can't follow me home."

I long for the city and the place called heaven. It is somewhere out there beyond our solar system. If your are saved, you are going there one day.

I am ready for the journey. My ticket has been paid and I am just waiting for the Glory Express to take me to the big house in the sky.

Our Savior has gone to prepare a place but there must be reservations made. Mine was made some 43 years ago when I was saved by God’s marvelous grace.

I am listening for the words, "Come up, enter thou into the joys of thy Lord."