What Does the Bible Mean When it Speaks on Heaven Part 1

Pastor Mike will be speaking on What Does the Bible Mean When it Speaks on Heaven Part 1. He will be reading out of 2nd Corinthians 12:2-4.

People ask me, is there really guardian angels? I believe so. I believe that God has guardian angels and they have responsibilities. I believe angels minister to us.

Sometimes miraculously step into a situation and do phenomenal things on orders from God Almighty. Hello, this is Pastor Mike Sanders with Hope Worth Having. Thank you for tuning in to our radio station today.

We’re beginning a new series. What does the Bible mean when it speaks of heaven? What does it mean? 2 Corinthians chapter 12 is where we’re going to be and we’re going to be a part of learning the vision that the Apostle Paul received. And what does he mean about the heavens? And what does that mean to us spiritually? So let’s grab our Bibles and begin our study today.

I want you to join me in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Today, we begin that first question about heaven. Now, heaven is hard to explain.

As a matter of fact, when we look at our text this morning in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, we will note in verse 2 that the Apostle Paul gives a testimony. He is actually speaking of himself. But he says in verse 2, Which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

I think really what the Apostle was saying is that all that he envisioned in this unique encounter in which he went to the third heaven and he saw things that the Bible says are hard, they are inexpressible, meaning difficult to articulate and to say exactly all that he saw. So much it was not lawful for a man to utter. And I know that many of you might say to me, Well, Pastor Mike, I read this particular book and a person died and went to heaven and they came back and wrote a book and told us everything about heaven.

I don’t know if those experiences are all true. I know some of them have turned out to be false. And some of them were all about making money and fame.

I know the Apostle did not want to be famous. He wanted to be faithful. I know that the Apostle said that he could not even express in words what he saw.

I know that he said it wasn’t even lawful for a man to utter. He did not put a book together in the sense of selling it and marketing it and making a lot of money. And I want you to understand this morning that when you and I are trying to learn about heaven, I think the best authority on heaven is the Word of God.

It really is the Word of God. We do not deny anybody’s experience, but nothing can surpass the inerrant, infallible Word of God. So we encourage you that whatever you might believe about heaven, or even imagine about heaven, that you would make sure it is rooted in the truth of God’s Word.

It really is a place, heaven, that is hard for us to grasp. When we think of terms like this, that heaven is a place without pain, without evil and disappointment or even doubt. It’s interesting that sometimes when we read the scriptures about heaven, it does not so much tell us what is heaven as much as what it is not.

John the Revelator said this in Revelation 21.4 about heaven, that God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. In that enough of itself is enough for me to think and contemplate, first, what is it that motivated or stimulated the tears? But the Bible says God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Were they tears of joy? Were they tears of sadness? Were they tears of happiness? God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, and neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away.

Amazing. It’s a lot to grasp and wrap your brain around. The apostle in our text described that he went to the third heaven.

I want to help you understand what does the Bible mean when it speaks of heaven. Let me help you a little bit this morning in our introductory part of this sermon is that in the first sense, heaven is the sky and the atmosphere that you and I can see from the earth. We see in the Bible that it refers to the birds of heaven, and it talks about rain from heaven, and it talks about even snow and dew and frost and wind all coming from heaven.

That is reiterated throughout the Scriptures. There is a second heaven that is the celestial bodies. It is the place where the sun and the moon and the planets and the galaxies are.

It is referred to as the second heaven. We see these through our different technological instruments or tools that we might have. Some of you are fascinated with the different alignment of the planets, and rightly so because it’s so amazing to see how some of these things come together, and we get to be able to witness what was read in the Scriptures, how the sun and the moon are able to declare and give praise to God Almighty.

The Bible tells us that the heavens declare His glory. It doesn’t matter whether it is a creation here on this earth, whether it is creation in the seas, in the depths of the seas, or in the heights of the heavens. All things that are created by God are to give glory to God.

You say, what is my purpose in life? Why should I get out of bed? Why should I get at it today and get some things done? Because you are to give glory to God. Some of you are baffled by that very thought of giving glory to God, but friends, I want you to know that even in the minutest details of our life and just doing our daily responsibilities and the things that we are called to do and the different roles that we have in life, all bring glory to God as we are faithful to that task. The Bible tells us that there is a third heaven.

The apostle Paul in chapter 12 refers to this third heaven in verse 2. He says that such a one was caught up to the third heaven. Most of the time when we read in the Scriptures, that is what God is referring to and speaking to when the word heaven is used. It is also most of the time what you and I are referring to when we talk about our loved ones going to heaven or we talk about what heaven is like.

We’re not talking about what maybe we could visually see here on earth or even through the instruments that might be given to us to be able to look beyond into the galaxies and the planets, but rather that third heaven is what fascinates us and what certainly captures our attention. One might say, what is the particular purpose of even studying heaven? It is so complex and difficult to fully grasp. Why would you even take this time, Pastor Mike, to talk to us about heaven? Well, first of all, friends, it’s in the Bible and we want to give you the whole counsel of the Bible.

Second of all, I want you to understand that the hope of heaven is what strengthens us and sustains us and helps us as believers as we walk in this journey of life. And friends, you won’t be long in the journey of life when you find that there are different times of seasons of suffering and sorrow and struggles in your life. What is it that helps you to power through it? What helps you to keep marching forward for God and not retreating and giving up? It is the hope of heaven.

Keep that in mind. We are fascinated with heaven. We encourage you to study it on your own.

We encourage you to make maybe a part of your study in your devotion time this new coming year to put that on one of your lists that you’d like to study more what the Bible has to say about heaven. But let me share with you four things. Remember, we’re going to cover five questions about heaven.

We won’t cover everything today. This is just the first question. And we’ll continue to expand upon it and build upon it, but this will be foundational for us that what does the Bible mean when it speaks of heaven? First, it is a place where God dwells.

Heaven is a place where God dwells. We know when Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer or what is often referred to as the Disciples’ Prayer, as he was modeling a template for the people of God to pray, not a prayer that necessarily had to be repeated at every service, nothing wrong with repeating it. It is certainly a comforting and encouraging passage of Scripture.

And whatever God’s Word is read, it is memorized or even repeated. It certainly is a blessing. But what I want you to see here at the outset of this prayer, Jesus said, Our Father, which art in what? Heaven.

Jesus would often, as he prayed, lift his hands to heaven. He would lift his eyes to heaven. Heaven is a place where God dwells.

Heaven is the dwelling place of God. Ecclesiastes 5, 2 reminds us, for God is in heaven and you on earth. And when the Bible refers to this heaven, it is referring to what the apostles said, that third heaven, the place where God dwells.

What is unique about this place where God dwells? His presence is there. Again, we’re going to inundate you with some Scriptures here, so hang on, and we’ll be glad to share these Scriptures. I think they’re on the app.

You can get all the notes that I have given and studied together to help enhance your own personal study. But in 1 Kings 8, in verse 30, it says, And may you hear the supplication of your servant and of your people, Israel, when they pray towards this place, meaning the temple, here in heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. And so they encouraged that as the people were praying that God would hear from heaven, that he would hear the prayers of God’s people.

And so I want you to know that where is God? He is in heaven. Hang in there with me. His presence is everywhere.

We know that. But I want you to understand that his dwelling place, according to the Scripture, is in heaven. Again, Deuteronomy 26, 15 says, Look down from your holy hill, habitation from heaven.

And bless your people, Israel, and the ground that you have given us as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. God is present throughout all creation. He is present throughout all creation, but the very inhabitants of God the Father and certainly God the Son and God the Spirit is in heaven.

And the Bible describes heaven as being the very place in which God dwells. Again, the psalmist said in Psalm 115, verse 3, But our God is in heaven, and he does whatever he pleases. And friends, do not be discouraged because God’s presence is not limited to heaven.

God’s presence is not limited to heaven. The reason this is important for us to understand is that we use the term omnipresence, which means that God’s presence is in heaven, but God’s presence is in earth as well. But we understand that God dwells in heaven, that his habitation, his place is in heaven.

And this is where God is. Do not be discouraged because there is the manifestation of his presence. We understand the omnipresence, that God is everywhere at the same time.

It’s phenomenal. It’s hard for us to even think. But yes, God is there.

There are times that there is the manifested presence of God. Jesus referred to this many times about this manifested presence. The apostle referred to this manifested presence.

Jesus said, where two or three are gathered there in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Are you saying I have to have two or three to get the presence of God? No, but there is a special manifested presence. You say, what is the case, Pastor Mike? I can worship God out on the tree stand.

I can worship God out on the lake. I can worship God on the beach. And no one said you couldn’t.

And I think you should, and I hope you are. But there is something special about being here together. It is the manifested presence of God.

And one of the things that I love about being here with God’s people is the manifested presence of God. And that’s why we hold on to that. But we understand that God fills heaven and earth.

The scripture says, can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? Sayeth the Lord, do not I fill heaven and earth? Sayeth the Lord. Well, not only do we understand in relation to the presence of God to the place where God dwells in heaven that his presence is there, but his throne is in heaven. His throne is in heaven.

The psalmist said in Psalm 103, verse 19, the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all. If you will, please understand that God in heaven is on a throne and he sits on his throne. And the Bible describes Jesus as being at the right hand of the Father.

And it is on this throne that unbelievably that the Father is ruling the world as the sovereign God. He is in charge and he is in control. And I know there are times that you wake up and think, what is wrong with this world? It’s a good question.

But certainly we could say that partly what’s wrong with this world has nothing to do with God, but has everything to do with the demonic forces and the devil and man being sinful, people being sinful and making very selfish decisions and living lives for themselves rather than to the glory of God. And all the things that you’re seeing being pumped out through the different media outlets, including social media, is designed to disciple us to be people who hate God. And that’s why we have to have so much discernment.

And we need God’s word to help us filter all the trash that is constantly bombarding us. We need the wisdom of God to help us to discern the true voice of God and not the voice of the world and not the voice of charlatans and not the voice of those who would mislead us. But there is a God church, and I want you to know today and I want you to be encouraged that he is sitting on his throne and he is overseeing the affairs of all of mankind.

Yes, he is. Daniel 4, verse 37, Nebuchadnezzar, who had been humbled by God, who oversaw a great Babylonian kingdom full of great wealth, prominence, and power, gave a testimony after God had humbled him and said, Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth and his ways justice and those who walk in pride. He is able to put down.

You must understand that all these people who are living such reckless lives and all these government officials that are doing everything they can to desecrate the very name of God and the sacredness of the truth of God, I’m telling you the day is coming they will give an account of their life before an almighty God who sits on a throne and they will have to answer for their deeds. On this throne he is not only ruling over the affairs of people, but he is receiving the worship of Christians. He is receiving the worship of Christians.

We get a little bit of glimpse of heaven in Revelation chapter 14 and verse 3. The curtains are pulled back and the Bible tells us that they sang, as it were, a new song. That is, the believers, those who love God, were singing a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders and no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. Friends, there’s so much to say, but I want you to know that God is receiving worship not only from this earth to heaven, but even up in heaven.

You say, what are my loved ones doing gathered around the throne, worshiping our great God in his constant presence and rejoicing in the greatness and the majesty of God Almighty. I want you to know that they’re having a whole lot better worship services than we are down here. Nobody goes to heaven and says, man, it’s a bummer up here.

What they do is they say, you know, it’s more than what the preacher could say. It’s more than what I’ve read. It’s better than I could ever imagine.

If you are hurting today and you are struggling with the loss of a loved one who is in heaven, remember they are having the time of their life. And one day when Pastor Mike enters those pearly gates, for a few that might be disappointed and sad that Pastor Mike’s not here, know this, I’m having the greatest time in my life. I need you to get your head up and move forward for God until your assignment’s done.

When your assignment’s done, you get called to heaven as a believer. But when your assignment’s not done, you got to stay here. And sometimes I know our brothers and sisters in Christ say to me when we visit them and they say, well, why does God still have me here? Because he’s got an assignment.

And if nothing else, he needs you to be praying. The greatest ministry in the church is not the preaching and teaching of God’s word, but it is prayer. And thank God for the many saints who could not be here or are not here and they’re in nursing homes or maybe they’re at home, but they are praying for us right now.

We send all of our shut-ins a prayer sheet every week and they get to pray for you and they’re still connected to the family of God because prayer is the most important ministry of the church. Which leads me to my thought here as well that while he is on his throne there in heaven, he is also hearing our prayers. He is hearing our prayers.

2 Chronicles 7, 14. If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from where, church? Heaven. And will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

There’s no doubt our land needs to be healed. The wickedness is sometimes all that I can take. I know some of you are going to be mad at me, but there’s a righteous anger in me towards the wickedness that has propagated upon this world and even worse, upon our own children.

I mean, you send your kid off, you save all your life to send your kid off to college. They go to college, they teach him to hate God. They teach him to hate the family and they teach him to hate America.

Why are we doing this, church? They indoctrinate. It upsets me. They went to go be an engineer and they came out hating God.

They went to be an engineer and they can’t even talk to you at Thanksgiving because they’re all messed up in the head. I’m just trying to give you some wisdom, church. Our land needs healing.

It’s only gonna come as we get on our knees, humble ourselves before God, pray and seek his face and turn from our wicked ways. I have to be honest with you, church. There’s no reason God should bless America.

Sometimes when I sing that song because of my patriotism in my heart, I sing in that prayer, if you will, and I’m thinking, God, we haven’t turned from our wicked ways as a country. We haven’t turned from our wicked ways. Sodomy is rampant and it’s now promoted.

I know that upsets you, but friends, it shouldn’t. It shouldn’t break your heart. We talked about heaven being a place where God dwells, but the second thing that I want you to learn this morning is that heaven is a place where angels dwell.

It’s a place where angels dwell. Matthew 18 10 tells us to take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones for I say to you that in heaven, their angels always see the face of my father who is in heaven. People ask me, is there really guardian angels? I believe so.

I believe that God has guardian angels and he has angels assigned and they have responsibilities. I believe angels minister to us. I believe that angels sometimes miraculously step into a situation and do phenomenal things on orders from God almighty.

I believe in angels. I don’t believe that angels should be worshiped. I don’t believe that angels should be exalted.

I don’t believe that angels are in any way equal with God and I don’t believe when our loved ones leave this earth that they become angels, but I do believe that there are angels in heaven and God sends them from his throne down. Some of you are very difficult and God’s had to send a lot of angels. Some of you are every day getting up and saying, Lord, my kid, he’s so full of energy.

Please send a host of angels, right? What I want you to see something about this text in Matthew 18, 10, I think I have to say it because of what things are going on in this crazy culture is Jesus said, take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones. I just want you to understand something that Jesus has a special protection upon the little ones and that’s what I see one of the things that are decaying in our culture. I mean, if you want to be a nut job, it’s fine, but don’t do it to the kids.

Leave the kids alone. Amen? Jesus said that if you were to hurt one of these little ones, one of these little children, that it would be better for a millstone to be tied around your neck. A millstone is not a little pebble, but it’s about four feet high and it’s about two feet wide and they used it in the Middle East to grind the grain and Jesus said it’d be better if you mess with one of the kids that to be tied around your neck and you thrown in the ocean.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Jesus said there is a greater condemnation when you mess with the kids and that’s Mike Sanders translation, amen? I’m sorry, but I just had to say it. He said, I thought we came to hear about heaven. We did.

There are angels in heaven. The word angel is anglios in the Greek and it simply means messenger. How beautiful it was for the angels to announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds.

How amazing it was for the angels to announce to the women who came to the tomb that Jesus is risen. Angels have special messengers. Angels have special ministry and they minister to us and God has a host of them in heaven and the Bible describes angels as coming from the throne and ascending into heaven in the throne.

Again, Genesis 28 verse 12 says that he dreamed and behold a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. It’s a lot to think about, but I tell you if the skies could part as they did in Acts chapter 7 for Stephen, we would see Jesus on his throne at the right hand of the father. We would see the father and the spirit and we would see that the throne is surrounded by angels who are worshiping him.

Heaven thirdly is a place in which Jesus ascended and from which he shall descend. In heaven we must understand that our Savior preexisted. We celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Some people think that’s the beginning of Jesus, but it’s not. The Bible teaches us in John 17 verse 5 that before the world our Savior existed, Jesus was there in the beginning, in the beginning God. It’s the Hebrew word Elohim, and in Hebrew, I just took a Hebrew class, so you got to get a little bit of benefit out of it, right? And that at the end whenever you use what we would call the M sound and you add that to a word, it is plural.

And what is the Hebrew writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? That God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit were present at the creation of the world. Jesus left his majesty. He left the beauty and all the glory of heaven and he came to this world where there is suffering and there is sorrow and there is death.

What I want you to know about the birth of Jesus Christ, not to get ahead of myself, but I want you to remember something that is unique about Christianity, that unlike all other religions, not only is our Savior alive and not only is our God sitting on a throne ruling and reigning, but he did not leave us in our plight. He entered into our world to bring salvation to all who would believe in him. We not only have a Savior who came from heaven and that he suffered on the cross for our sins, he suffered for us, but listen to me, church, he suffers with us.

You do not suffer alone. We have a little boy in our school. His name is Emmanuel and every once in a while I drive the bus and he gets on and I yell out, Emmanuel, God with us.

And at first he did not know what I was talking about. His eyes were bigger than saucers and he didn’t know how to take it. I said, buddy, that’s what the word Emmanuel means, God with us.

And so he went home and told his mother and he tells his family that his name means God with us. And heaven was a place in which when Jesus came, he left the world, he came to the earth from heaven, he took on flesh, and he lived a sinless life. And he died on the cross for our sins and then he resurrected the third day and he returned, he ascended to heaven, the Bible says.

And he is presently seated at the right hand of the Father. And here’s the promise. He’s one day returning from heaven.

He is going to return from heaven. I want to boldly declare to you this morning that Christ is returning. He will descend from heaven again and the archangel will shout and the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised and believers will be caught up and we will meet the Lord in the air.

Hallelujah. Go ahead. Give the Lord praise.

Some of you love to debate. And yes, we can debate. Maybe you feel differently about the timing of his return and how the rapture would take place and how the dead in Christ would rise.

But friends, it doesn’t matter about all the timing. You know where I stand. I believe that we will be raptured out of here before the tribulation and the tribulation is about the nation of Israel and it’s about the nation of Israel being saved.

It’s about God calling his people back to him. It’s about him judging the nations that have rejected him. It’s about him judging the antichrist and eventually setting up his millennial kingdom on this earth in which we will rule and reign.

You know where I’m at on all that. You don’t have to guess about it. But all of us, no matter what we believe about the timing, the chronological spots of where we think certain things are happening in what is referred to as eschatology or the end times, we all believe that Christ is returning.

So thank you for joining us today and I’m hoping that it’s been a blessing to you. Make sure you check us out on social media. We are on X, Facebook, and Instagram and you can check out those different areas and like us.

So this is Pastor Mike reminding you that in Christ there is hope. Hope is worth having.