The New Jerusalem 2-2

Hello Everyone,
Charles H. Spurgeon in training young ministers said to his students, "When you talk about heaven let your face light up with a heavenly glory. When you tell about hell, your everyday face will do".

As believers our face should shine with the HOPE that is within us. Especially when we are talking about Heaven, we have a promise from the One who we love so much that He is preparing a place for us.

One of the greatest things about Heaven is that Heaven will be a Restricted Place.

In Revelation 21:8 right in the middle of this positive, beautiful description of heaven, God gives us a list of some who will not be there.

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Why does God include this info? Perhaps to show that the sin which has cursed and ultimately destroyed this world will NOT be allowed into the next!

The fearful—never accepted Christ, afraid to take the stand.The unbelieving—didn’t believe at all in Christ or the Bible.The abominable—not just sinners…these have committed abominations.

From God’s perspective, there’s no difference between big and little sins…but this is encouragement of what WON’T be there and we need to understand from a human perspective.
What are some abominations?

Lev. 18:22 says homosexuality is.
Deut. 17:3 says astrology and horoscopes are abominations.
Deut. 18 says consulting a medium, fortuneteller, a wizard, or somehow communicates w/ the dead, they have committed an abomination.
Proverbs 20 says cheating in business is an abomination. “false balance”
Proverbs 12 says compulsive lying is an abomination.
Proverbs 16 says a heart full of pride is an abomination.

And heaven is off limits to all of these things. Don’t miss this truth however: any of these people can be saved, and you don’t have to commit an abomination to be lost, just 1 sin!
Rejoice in the fact of what will not be there but the greatest thing is hopefully you and I have made plans to be there.

So “let your face light up with a heavenly glory”.

All for Jesus
Phil