John 14
1 "Let not your hearts be troubled.Believe in God; believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going."
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.
And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?"
23 Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
25 "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
28 You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.
Rise, let us go from here.
Eternity is today. And our Home is going to be Heaven, God's House, God's Kingdom where God is Ancient of Days and we have no end.
Jesus tells us He goes to prepare a Place for us. Paul tells us there are levels of Heaven. Ephesians tells us families live together in Heaven and are named by God. We hear we will see Abraham sit at table with Jacob. The two men did not live in the same generation. God is blending all life to have life and live together. Matthew 22:32 and all over Scriptures we see this.
God tells us we see glimpses of Heaven in this earth. We learn even clouds are part of Heaven. Horses come from Heaven in the Word of God. Lions and lambs are mentioned. Oxen in the Cherubim. Noah's flood does not exclude the Animals in the Promises of God.
Jesus has lived in Egypt. Jesus tells us His Light is a Light to the Nations.
Revelation 7:9
After this I looked, and behold,
a great multitude that no one could number,
from every nation,
from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
Cory Asbury
Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah
When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me
And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine
We know in what we know that we know is the Truth. This is God - for us. God wants us to Live with Him always.
God tells us He is a Light to the Nations.
We know God is blending the generations. Togas will sit in white robes with Revivals in England from the 1730s with white robes. We will sit with Revivalists in the 4th century in North Africa where St. Augustine died at age 75 in 430 A.D in white robes. We will sit with the high like King Louis, Saint Louis IX who reigned for 50 years and will be in a white robe. We will sit with St. Rita of 14th century France, too poor to be accepted, at first, into God's Service.
And will Heaven look like Europe. Will Heaven look like this:
2
Of the White Robes we are sure:
Will Heaven look like what we label as the Future:
4
Will God's Home look like This:
Or Maybe This
Or will it look like This:
When we give Christian Witness, we don't have to know all of the Bible. We are not giving an Encyclopedia Testimony, we tell of why God would love you. We speak of what we have felt and know in our souls. What God gives you as your life story - is not to be denied. It's the unique pattern of Psalm 139 - God's Book of Life plans your days, knows your ways and will establish and Live the Plan of God.
And this is the Biblical Word of Heaven. Will the Kingdom of Heaven look like these pictures - Yes. God will blend all Nations, all of "His" Story to have His Place. God does not look at Israel, the USA, Europe and say this is all there is. God does not look at our beautiful magnificent Museums we love to see and Plan His Kingdom. We see glimpses of God in Cathedrals, in art, in music, in "Life". Jesus is the Light of God in Life.
Will David be disappointed to not see the Nation David established for God?
Will Pharaoh, given Joseph, to establish the monies of Egypt, be disappointed in serving One True God to not see Egypt and Pharoah's Dream to establish?
Will Nebuchadnezzar II be disappointed his work, where Alexander the Great chose to die 200 years later after believing Ezekiel about his life,(echoing Nebuchadnezzar echoing the belief of his life for Isaiah)?
No - God has been a Light to the Nations involved in their lives. God will blend in all of the nations to have a Home.
Photos one, two and three. These are of the description of God's Kingdom. There is a castle in Spain where all the people who have seen this portion of Heaven - altogether acknowledge this is seen in their God-given visions and dreams. This is described in Revelations.
Photos 4 and 5 are similar to the beauty of the Light described in Heaven. Overwhelming Light. Overwhelming Beauty of Nature. Overwhelming Beauty of the Cherubim.
Photos 6, 7, 8, 9 - will require some Scripture. How could God's House look like other pagan cultures and not the Vatican.
The Holy of Holy Tabernacle is actually a 'way' God gave the Children of Israel to know God is God. The Tent Tabernacle is the layout of Pharoah's residence in a tent when he travels. God did this to show that Home was with God. God did not call all the Children of Israel knew to be uncomfortably exiled to, then, worship some strange "God." God was providing Comfort. God calls His Holy Spirit "Comforter." This is the Nature of God Himself. Father God. Comforter God. God is always saing He is Home and we are Home with God Himself. Our Father.
The Original Vatican was built identically to the Roman Stoa of Jerusalem's Temple by Constantine. Astonishing to realize there have been only two Vatican buildings in 2 Millenniums of Christ's Victory. Another example of earth to Heaven architecture - Herod copied Roman Architecture to build the Stoa on Mount Moriah's 36 acres of Jerusalem Temple. Even in Jerusalem where God's Temple was found, had architecture of other Nations.
When David planned his palace and set aside Goods for the Temple. David found materials from the nation of Tyre and of Lebanon. David's Palace was from his time in the Phoenician nation. They also contributed laborers and materials. Where David had worked as a mercenary.
I dreamed of going to see God in His Home. He was not Home, I'm not Isaiah. However, as I was visiting this beautiful place where the Light was dim because I'm not Isaiah and because God is the Light of His Home, I was amazed to see other cultures. Why? God is God of the Living and of the "Nations". God would not provide Pharoah's Tent as His Own Plan without a Purpose and Plan of His Holiness and Goodness. We spoke of bringing people to want to sit in the chairs God would provide in His Home. This is of God - God desires to save all people. And of course, in this Place, Jesus is the Savior Son of God.
Jesse Duplantis spoke of seeing chairs in Heaven. His were Queen Anne and Chippendale. This is not Israel. This is a sign of God - God is God of the Nations. By His own Choice.
God of the Nations. Israel might be the Heart of God. Rome might be the forehead. Italy might be the arm of the Body of God of Nations. The USA might be the neck. Egypt had clear times where the Pharaohs served One True God. Like the God Paul spoke of to the Greeks.
Photo 9. This could look like any Church we know during Candlelight Service. This is what God's Home looked like. God of the Nations, God of the Generations, God without compare.
There is one Certainty of Heaven. Heaven is the Plan of our Father God. Heaven is described in God's Work. God's Nature is revealed in His Mercy and His Desire to save the Generations for His Steadfast Love is Enduring Forever. Heaven is where the Father runs to the Prodigal Son. Heaven is where all who love Jesus will see Glories of God. And Celebrate.
What will we Celebrate? Singing God is Holy, Holy, Holy. He desires to take you and take me to Himself and we will be where God is. We are Chosen, Special and Precious.
Abba, our Father,
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom You have chosen as Your heritage!
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
We are Your Beloved Father God. Your Children. We were once not a people. And now we are Your People. We once did not know Your Mercy and now we know Your Mercy. '
We ask for ourselves, our loved ones, the people You would give us. Make us Your great nation, and You will bless us and make Your Name great, and we will be a blessing.
We ask in Jesus Christ. Amen.