Pastor Dave Martin ~ Cross Creek Community Church ~ March 25, 2007
“Crossing into Eternity”
“Man has an insatiable fascination with the afterlife”
Examples of: Channeling – communicating with the dead – forbidden by God Deut 18:10-12, Reincarnation – Shirley Maclaine & Eastern religions (don’t step on an ant, it might be your aunt) or Near Death experiences…
Fortuneteller, gazing into crystal ball, to frog: You are going to meet a beautiful young woman. From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you—you’ll fascinate her.” Frog: “Where am I, at a singles club?” Fortuneteller: “Biology class.”
· This message may be a great comfort to some but may be disturbing to others… hopefully we’ll learn.
· Heaven is inviting, hell is fearsome… Who is able to cheat or escape death, the king of terror?
· Death has two faces: Unbeliever = terrifying and to the believer = blessing (read Mt 7:13-27 carefully)
· Once we cross into eternity your future will be irrevocably FIXED and eternally UNCHANGEABLE.
o Christian Science, founded by spiritist Mary Baker Eddy, teaches that “there is no death.” They believe that “heaven and hell are states of thought, not places. People experience their own heaven or hell right here on earth.”
o Edgar Cayce, a spiritist and New Age prophet, said that “the destiny of the soul, as of all creation, is to become One with the Creator” and that no soul is ever lost.
o Mormonism, founded by occultist Joseph Smith, argues, “The false doctrine that the punishment to be visited upon erring souls is endless...is but a dogma of unauthorized and erring sectarians, at once unscriptural, unreasonable, and revolting.”
o Jehovah’s Witnesses, founded by Charles Taze Russell maintains that the wicked are forever annihilated because “the teaching about a fiery hell can rightly be designated as a ‘teaching of demons.’”
o Unitarian Universalism confesses the following: “It seems safe to say that no Unitarian Universalist believes in a resurrection of the body, a literal heaven or hell, or any kind of eternal punishment.”
· In 1991 a Gallup poll showed that 78 percent of Americans expect to go to heaven when they die. However, many of them hardly ever pray, read the Bible, or attend church. They freely admit that they live to please themselves instead of God. I wonder why these people would want to go to heaven.
“Eternal” – Having no beginning or end, existing outside of time, forever, perpetual, unlimited duration, everlasting.
Truth of God’s Word teaches us…
1. God is Eternal
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
· The Great “I AM” – The forever Present Self-existent One, The One who Is (Ex 3:14; Jn 8:58)
· God is Light (1Jn 1:5) Neat: Einstein’s E=MC2 formula says essentially reach the speed of light and time stands still…
· In the beginning God… before time, matter & space God existed… He is a Transcendent God.
2. God Created Man an Eternal Being
Genesis 1:27a So God created man in his own image…
Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
· Made created in natural likeness of God with intellect, emotions and a will… man also created in God’s moral likeness but was lost when he chose to sin by disobedience – all humanity fallen in sin nature.
· God formed man from the dust of the earth… earthy but LIFE came from God’s eternal breath into Adam
· Adam became a living soul/being… distinct from all other creatures – God’s image & God’s breath of life
· Man is a trichotomy – Made up of Body – carnal (sight, smell, hear, taste, touch), Soul –natural (imagination, conscience, memory, reason, affections), and Spirit – spiritual (faith, hope, reverence, prayer, worship) = all making up a whole person… highly unique and eternal
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Dr. Wernher von Braun, well-known for his part in the U.S. space program, says he has "essentially scientific" reasons for believing in life after death. He explained: "Science has found that nothing can disappear without a trace. Nature does not know extinction. All it knows is transformation. If God applies the fundamental principle to the most minute and insignificant parts of the universe, doesn't it make sense to assume that He applies it to the masterpiece of His creation—the human soul? I think it does."
A Swedish doctor in a new book says he discovered the human soul weighs 21 grams. He placed beds of terminal patients on sensitive scales and saw the numbers drop when the patients died, he says.
—Pastor's Manual—Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
Let’s look at two men who have crossed over into eternity… Luke 16:19-31 (Pew Bible p741)
o Much debate about whether this is a parable or an actual true story… I believe it is a true account because it doesn’t begin with an introduction as most parables do and also there are no parables that make use of proper name (Lazarus).
3. Crossing over and spending…
Ø Eternity in Hell (Luke 16:19-31)
o Underworld made up of various “regions”
· Paradise – Great fixed chasm – Hell – Tartarus – Abyss – Lake of Fire
· Various references to gates, chasms, shafts, chains, keys, locked objects
· Every unsaved person goes directly to hell (hades, sheol) a holding prison like Luzerne county Prison awaiting his court appearance before the judge (Rev 20:11-15)… at the Great White Throne Judgment the unsaved will be found guilty and sentenced to eternal death in the Lake of Fire forever.
o Prepared for the Devil & his demons
Matthew 25:41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
· The underworld was not originally intended for mankind… man sin & rejects Christ
· Remember the movie “Ghost”… an evil man died & demons came and dragged him off?
· Today with high power drugs we have “death with dignity”…
o Torment, consciousness, inescapable…
· God uses phrases like: fire is not quenched, where the worm dies not, everlasting destruction, flames of fire, torment, outer darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth
· The real you is still alive (your body dropped dead but you continue to live)… at the blink of the eye, you’re there… same personality, same cravings, same addictions, same lust, same emotions of fear, same memories of sitting in church… Too late now.
· Seen on a bumper sticker in Spokane, WA Eternity—Your Choice: Smoking or Non-smoking!
Some false teachings:
· Universalism – eventually all will arrive in heaven – like spokes on a wheel, all roads lead to heaven – no matter what belief system you have
· Annihilation – all wicked are burned up and gone forever
· Limbo / Purgatory – second chance to merit heaven - Limbo, a halfway house between heaven & hell is a place where all unbaptized including infants go, Oct 9, 2006 the Pope said, “this practice has always been only a theological hypothesis". Escape from Purgatory is aided by efforts of the living (fasting/prayer, indulgences, giving money, etc) Purgatory was introduced in 593AD and officially decreed in 1439AD
The old mountaineer had lived a full but not exactly saintly life and now was on his deathbed. He summoned his weeping wife. “Sara,” he said, “go to the fireplace and take out the third stone from the top.” She did as instructed. “Reach in there,” said her husband, “and bring out what you find.”
Her fingers touched a large Mason jar, and with some effort she pulled it up. The jar was full of cash.
“Sara,” said the old man, “when I go, I’m going to take all that money with me. I want you to put that jar up in the attic by the window. I’ll get it as I go by on my way to heaven.”
His wife followed his instructions. That night the old mountaineer died. After the funeral his wife remembered the Mason jar and went to the attic. There was the jar still full of money and by the window.
“Oh,” the widow sighed. “I knew I should have put it in the basement.”
Revelation 21:1-4 1 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. 3 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."
4. Crossing over and spending…
Ø Eternity in Heaven (Rev 21-22)
o Place of “No mores”…
· No more sun, moon, temple, graves, darkness, shadows, sorrow, pain, sickness or diseases, disappointments, death, tears, sin, wickedness or deceit…
Revelation 21:27 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.
o Serving & worshipping God
· Rev 22:3 “His servants will serve Him”… Rev 22:5 “They will reign for ever and ever”
· Rev 22:9 “Worship God”… We will serve, worship and reign with God forever!
o Wondrous beyond human comprehension
· God creates new heavens and a new earth… new Jerusalem the heavenly city descends out of heaven (Jn 14:1-4 Jesus is preparing it now)
· The size is enormous, 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles = 40 times bigger than England or 2/3 the size of the U.S… Just think the space shuttle fly’s 250 miles above the earth for a spectacular view; can you imagine 1500 miles above earth??
· If it has different stories, with each one 20 feet that would equal 396,000 stories! But I don't think it would need escalators or elevators.
· If only 25% of the space is used, it would spaciously be enough room for 20 billion people! Henry Morris, guessing that there will have been 100 billion people in the human race, and that 20% of them will be saved, calculates that each person would have a “block” with about 75 acres to “call their own.”
· We must understand that this is the city whose architect and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). We should expect it to be beyond our comprehension.
· Far from being boring… travel freely into and out of the New Jerusalem… explore the earth or travel the newly created universe for a thousand year vacation…
· The three wonders in heaven… who’s there, who’s not there, why I’m there.
5. Crossing into Heaven Requires a Passport
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
· We can only enter heaven with the correct credentials… proving our citizenship is there.
· Those who try to earn it will be rejected… only for those who bowed their hearts to Jesus Christ.
· Natural birth assures citizenship… we must be spiritually born again… born into God’s family - child
Spiritually Born into God’s Family ~ Our Passport!
John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
Romans 8:17a Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ… we may also share in his glory.
James Dobson shared a story about a 5-year-old African-American boy who will never be forgotten by those who knew him. A nurse with whom I worked, Gracie Schaeffler, took care of this lad during the latter days of his life. He was dying of lung cancer, which is a terrifying disease in its final stages. The lungs fill with fluid, and the patient is unable to breathe. It is terribly claustrophobic, especially for a small child.
This little boy had a Christian mother who loved him and stayed by his side through the long ordeal. She cradled him on her lap and talked softly about the Lord. Instinctively, the woman was preparing her son for the final hours to come. Gracie told me that she entered his room one day as death approached, and she heard this lad talking about hearing bells. “The bells are ringing, Mommie,” he said. “I can hear them.”
Gracie thought he was hallucinating because he was already slipping away. She left and returned a few minutes later and again heard him talking about hearing bells ringing. The nurse said to his mother, ‘I’m sure you know your baby is hearing things that aren’t there. He is hallucinating because of the sickness.”
The mother pulled her son closer to her chest, smiled and said, “No, Miss Schaeffler. He is not hallucinating. I told him when he was frightened—when he couldn’t breathe—if he would listen carefully, he could hear the bells of heaven ringing for him. That is what he’s been talking about all day.”
That precious child died on his mother’s lap later that evening, and he was still talking about the bells of heaven when the angels came to take him.
“Be sure to have your passport to cross over into eternity”
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
· Be very careful you don’t believe with just your head and not your heart…
· It’s with the heart you believe and are declared righteous / saved from sin – Rom 10:10
John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
Let’s Pray…
· Have you personally crossed over from death to life? Where will you be 1 minute after you die?
· Will you someday hear the bells of heaven?
· Put your heart’s faith in Jesus Christ this morning…
Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my heart and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Forgive my sins, take control of my life, and allow me to cross over from death to life and be the person you want me to be. Amen.
See you in Heaven!