This transcript is taken from a Stand in the Gap Today program originally aired on 6/7/23. To listen to the program, please click HERE.
Sam Rohrer: Well, does it seem to you like the world events are moving so fast that by the time you learn of one major event that another one comes along and supersedes the first one, making it obsolete and a distant memory? Well, it does to me. So I propose that throughout the process and today we ask the question together, are the events that we see simply random and chaotic, or do they actually align into some ordered plan? Are the global life-changing events that we’re witnessing coming up every day almost it seems, only leading to an outcome of death and destruction deceitfully billed by the proponents of the new world order, as they say in their terms, a technocratic state of bliss where we own nothing they say, but still be happy, right?
Or, are these days leading to an ultimate confirmed, peaceful and just outcome, not defined by them, but defined by God? Well, how a person looks at the unfolding events, I think, determines their response in the ultimate outcome for them. Now, whether you’re confused about today’s breakneck occurrences or whether you’re excitedly watching God’s plan for mankind unfold, or whether you are like some, some of these involve these globalists, they’ve really truly, by their own words, consciously believed the lie of Lucifer. They’ve literally sold their souls to the devil for his false promise of success.
They’ve said that. Well, regardless of where you may be, you’ll want to stay tuned, I think, to today’s program as we will unfold what God says is happening and what will be the ultimate outcome for all of creation following the 1000-year millennial kingdom. Now today on Stand On the Gap today, Dr. Carl Broggi, senior pastor of Community Bible Church in Beaufort, South Carolina will be with me for our bimonthly Israel and prophecy update focus. It’ll be the final one as well in our 10-part series, which we began back in August of last year. God Writing History Before It Happens, that series. Now today’s title is this, After the Millennium, When God Makes All Things New. With that, welcome to the program today, Dr. Carl Broggi. Carl, thanks for being back with me.
Carl Broggi: As always, Sam.
Sam Rohrer: Carl, as you know, I just came back from nine days in Israel. You’ve been there, been there, and those listening, you know I’ve been there as well. But my wife, Ruth Ann and I, Carl, were able to walk the streets of Jerusalem, God’s city, every day for about eight days. We walked on and around the Temple Mount where the magnificent Jewish temple stood at one time at Christ’s first coming. I was able to look over repeatedly to the Mount of Olives from where Jesus ascended into heaven and where an angel said to the disciples there, “Why stand you looking up into heaven? The same Jesus who you saw ascend will come again in like manner.” I was able to look at that physically and walk around in places like Judea, Samaria, and physically stand at the very same location where God covenanted with Abraham, a land and a people, an eternal province.
I tell you what, Carl, knowing biblical prophecy as we’ve done on this program and as you’ve been preaching to your church for many weeks now, I look at all these things and I say, “Wow, rather than getting concerned about wars and rumors of wars, which are there, I literally jump with excitement at the ultimate outcome.” But it’s, again, because I believe what God’s Word says. Now that being said, I want you to get into this right now to probably about, I don’t know what it, it’s maybe five minutes here. That is this, what emotion does the knowledge of unfolding biblical prophecy crate within you? Then if you could to get us going, a 10,000-foot overview of where Bible prophecy says we are now and what’s immediately ahead, which will set the stage for our emphasis today After the Millennial Kingdom. What’d he say?
Carl Broggi: Well, after the Lord rose from the dead, 50 days later, Pentecost came. The feast of first fruits was completed and He began to build His church. So right now we are in the church age, the next great event on God’s prophetic sketch schedules the rapture. He’ll catch us up in the air. It’s a signless event. It could happen at any moment, but the second coming of Christ to the earth, it’s prophetically driven. Certainly Sam, the Lord at 1,000 A.D., I suppose, could have gathered the Jews worldwide, brought them back into the land and raptured the church before that, but He didn’t. He waited nearly 2000 years. Nothing seemingly happened for 1,900 years. What Moses had written about in Deuteronomy 4 how the Lord will scatter you among the peoples to the ends of the earth, among all the nations took place.
Jesus spoke of the same truth and the Olivet discourse that you’ll be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles and scattered to all the nations. That began in 70 A.D, was completed around 134, but God also predicted at the end of time, He would gather them from the ends of the earth. So for the time in 1,900 years, Israel is in the land, 7 million Jews. They’re reconstituted as a nation to that we are living in the moral climate that matches the second coming, the days of Noah, days of violence and moral permissiveness and the days of law, which are days of moral perversion. Add to that, God predicted a growing, falling away apostasy from the faith. With this happening, we know we are in that timeframe. No one would’ve ever dreamed this 100 years ago except those who knew their Bibles. So yes, I’m very excited.
God says we are to consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaken our assembling together, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. So while no one knows the day or the hour, God does give us some parameters in terms of the timeframe. So the day is dry near. These are wicked days we’re living in, evil days, and all the more is our need to be with the people of God. So on the 10,000-foot view, so to speak, there’s the rapture. While we are brought up into heaven where we will meet the Lord at the judgment of the just and rewarded for our faithfulness or lack of thereof in heaven, and the marriage of the lamb takes place on the earth will happen, the great tribulation, seven years long. The antichrist will come on the scene.
It will be concluded with a great world battle known as the Battle of Armageddon, which will physically literally bring Jesus back in the heavens. He will stand on the Mind of Olives as you just mentioned. There’ll be a series of judgments that will unfold, separating and believing Israel from unbelieving Israel, believing Gentiles from unbelieving Gentiles will enter into the millennial kingdom where the marriage of the lamb has already happened. Now the marriage supper of the lamb unfolds Old and New Testament saints alike followed by a 1,000-year reign of Christ on the earth. At the end of that 1,000 years, the devil is released for a short period of time. His final rebellion is put down, he’s removed. There’s the great white throne judgment that takes place and God creates a new heaven and a new earth. So that’s the broad spectrum of events yet to happen, and we have so much to look forward to in this new heaven and this new earth.
Sam Rohrer: We absolutely do. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that you do, because with everything that’s happening, again, we have a choice. We can be consumed with the fears of the world or we can be oh, by faith motivated with great excitement for what God says will happen. Today when we come back, we’re going to get into now what will happen after the millennial kingdom when there’s a new heaven and a new earth and a new Jerusalem. We’ll talk about all of them next. Well, if you’re just joining us today, this is our bimonthly Israel and prophecy update focus, but today is our 10th program in this 10-part series that we’ve entitled God Writing History Before It Happens. We started at the beginning of what the Bible talks about, defining what prophecy is and why it’s important., Through these 10 programs which have now been 10 months, today being the last one starting last August, you can go on our website.
When you go to standinthegapradio.com for instance, you will find it there, and you can find that series God Writing History Before It Happens. You can find all of these programs, transcripts to all of these programs that you can access there. If you go from the beginning to where we conclude today, which is After the Millennial Kingdom that has yet to happen, obviously, this is the ultimate end, the end of what the Bible talks about. You will have perhaps I would like to think one of the most simple presentations, yet comprehensive and biblically-accurate understanding of this 30% of scripture that God has given to us, which is prophecy. It’s why we’re spending so much time and have done it in this way. I hope you take advantage of it, it’s worth your time. If you have not done it, go back to standinthegapradio.com, go there and pick up God Writing History Before It Happens.
So today is now the 10th in that, so I just want to state that for you. It’s a great series, and I’m so thankful that Dr. Carl Broggi, who is a senior pastor of Community Bible Church in Beaufort, South Carolina has been my guest from the beginning. We’ve done this because he has been in his church for, I don’t know, 30 weeks now, Carl, whatever it is, going through the whole emphasis on prophecy. I’ve so appreciated that because so few pastors in churches are talking about prophecy, which I think frankly, is a sin because they’re not preaching the whole council of God. So that being said, let’s get right into it. But as Carl just described, according to what the Bible says, the next event is the rapture of the church and the seven-year tribulation period culminated by the Battle of Armageddon and Christ’s second coming where he physically touches down on the Mount of Olives.
Now that leads to the initiating of the 1000-year millennial reign of Christ where He physically reigns from the city of Jerusalem, which then culminates in the final battle of the ages when Satan is released from prison. Then there occurs the great white throne judgment where Satan and all people from all times who refused the invitation to salvation are sentenced to forever punishment in the lake of fire. But then something marvelous happens. The Bible states that because of the fall in the Garden of Eden, almost exactly 6,000 years ago now, sin and death entered the world. There were consequences when that happened. The earth was cursed, man was cursed. As it says in Romans 8:22, think about this, it says this, quote, “For we know that the entire, the whole creation has been groaning together as in the pains of childbirth.”
Then it says in Verse 19 of that chapter, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the Sons of God, that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtained the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” “It is this after millennial new day when not only mankind, but for which all of God’s creation,” scripture says, “Awaits in which the Bible refers to then as, “the new heaven and the new earth.” So Carl, before you describe what the Bible tells us about the new heaven and the new earth in what Roman says, “the entire creation waiting so eagerly,” can you share briefly why in God’s omnipotent mind a new heaven and a new earth is important? Then we’ll discuss the what in the next question here.
Carl Broggi: Yeah, absolutely. So this new heaven and new earth that John speaks, of course, it’s different from the one that Isaiah 65 speaks of where he’s there describing the millennial earth, what Jesus called in Matthew 19, “the regeneration.” That’s clear when you read Isaiah because there’s death in the millennium. He speaks of the fact if a man only lives to be 100 he’s considered a youth. But this coming new heaven and new earth is essential because the one we’re on right now has been ruined by sin. It’s been spoiled by rebellion and unrighteousness and Satan’s work and all the rest. So during the millennium, we might say, “Well, earth will receive a facelift and it will be different. Man will live a long time. The baby will play with the cobras nest as we studied last time.” But here John says, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
Then he underscores, “For the first heaven and the first earth has passed away,” and that’s confirmed throughout scripture. I think it’s in Psalm 102. It says, “The heavens of the work are your hands, but they’ll perish. They’ll wear out like a garment.” Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away.” God tells us that heaven and earth will pass away, but His Word of course will never pass away. Then Peter in II Peter tells us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at which, not in which, but at which, and that’s an important distinction ’cause the day of the Lord is a 1,000 plus years long, 1,007 plus years. So when Jesus comes back at the end of the day of the Lord or when the day of the Lord is over, “The heavens,” he said, “will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth in its works will be burned up.”
So we’re to be looking for and hastening the coming day of God because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat. So he’s not talking about a remake, and some evangelicals, some good people say, “Well, God’s just going to fix up this earth. Look, if I want a new car, I don’t want a car with new upholstery and a new paint job and a rebuild engine, I want a brand spanking new car.” God’s not going to do a remake. He’s going to do a total meltdown and then create the new heavens and the new earth in which righteousness dwells, and there’s the key. The word new that Peter and John both use is a Greek word that means new in character. So it’s not just the next heaven and the next earth, it’s a much better heaven, a much better earth ’cause this one has been stained and soiled by sin.
A new one is necessary because righteousness will dwell in it. So when we think about this new heaven, of course, he’s not speaking about heaven’s throne where God is. Heaven is used in really three senses. There’s the atmosphere that we breathe, the blue sky we see. There’s the second heaven, what we see at night, the night sky, and then there’s what Paul calls the third heaven where God lives. So the first heaven we see by day, the second heaven we see at night, the third heaven, of course, we see by faith because God’s Word reveals it. So God’s not creating a new heaven where He is, but He’s creating a new earth and a new atmosphere and a new planetary system that this new Jerusalem where God is, where our loved ones in and will literally physically come down and sit on the earth.
Sam Rohrer: Okay. Okay.
Carl Broggi: So there’s a lot in front of us.
Sam Rohrer: Okay, there is indeed, and I’m glad you made the distinction that the millennial kingdom, which the scripture talks about, as you say, the child laying down with a lamb, there’s obviously where Christ rules for the rod of iron, it is going to be like a garden of Eden. Things are going to grow better. It’s going to be, as you say, a refreshed creation, but it’s different than this entirely new heaven and earth. So that’s an important distinction because the old one still remains stained, sin’s still around, but it’s controlled under the millennial reign of Christ. So go further now and tell us some things that the Bible actually tells us and describes to us about aspects of the new heaven and the new Earth. What can you say about what the Bible says about what this is different and how it’s different from where we are right now as an example?
Carl Broggi: Yeah. So he says here in Revelation 21:2, “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” So he describes this new city as adorned. It’s called the new Jerusalem. Again, God has created a new heaven and a new earth because the one that we’re on right now has been tainted by sin. So right now, there’s a lot of terms that are used to describe heaven, so to speak. It’s called my Father’s house. Paul calls it the third heaven. He calls it paradise, as does Jesus in Revelation 2. In distinction to Old Testament paradise, it’s called the Kingdom of God. It’s called the new Jerusalem.
So right now, our loved ones are in the Father’s house. It’s the new Jerusalem and that city is literally physically going to come and sit on a new earth, so it’s the capital, so to speak. So while we think of heaven today just simply as the throne room of God and the place our loved ones is, in the future, that’s just the capital city, and it’s a perfect city. It’s adorned like a bride adorned, a bride on her wedding day. She just tries to make herself as beautiful as possible when she comes down that aisle. Well, God with all of his creative genius with the God … I just had a monarch in our yard the other day and I was looking at it and how God designed it so perfectly.
God’s wisdom and power is going to be so breathtaking and beautiful. So there’s a lot of ways in which we can describe it. I don’t know how much more time we have, but we’re going to be pleased with it. I heard a loud voice in the next verse from the throne saying, “Behold the tabernacle of God is among them. He’ll dwell among them.” Then he goes on to say that, He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes,” because initially in heaven the believer has a time of evaluation. So it will be a sobering judgment for Christians. But then he says, “There’ll be no longer any death, no longer any mourning or crying or pain because the first things have passed away,” almost seems too good to be true, but God who is faithful and true affirms it.
Sam Rohrer: Yeah, absolutely. I wondered how you would describe it because I don’t know how we can fully describe the beauty in total perfection as what will be the new heaven and new earth because nothing in our minds as we look around as beautiful as it is, ladies and gentlemen, even remotely compares to what will be and is coming. When we come back, we’ll go further now into this new city, the new Jerusalem. Well, as Carl quoted in part in the last segment, we talked about the new heaven, the new earth. Okay, now this occurs after the millennial kingdom 1,000-year reign, after the great white throne judgment and then the rest of eternity. That’s the part that we’re talking about today and trying to describe, we can’t fully describe all that is going to happen by any means, but the scripture does tell us some things and that’s what we’re actually trying to share now. Now the Apostle John in Revelation 21:1,2, I’ll just repeat part of it. He says this, “And I saw a new heaven,” we’ve talked about that, “and a new earth,” talked about that just a bit.
It says, “For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.” He says, “There was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” That’s what Carl just quoted in the last segment. Now this glorious city, we know this, it has streets of gold. We know there are gates of pearl, the Bible says. It says it’s situated on this new glorious earth, which we know from Romans which the earth and the creation right now groans because of the curse of sin, which happened all the way back in the Garden of Eden. But we know that when that has been done away with, it will never groan again because the curse of sin is now gone. Wow. Imagine that. Then the Bible says that all of the redeemed of the Lord will inhabit this new creation forever in constant unbroken fellowship with God, where scripture says that God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them.
They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. His servants will serve Him. They will see His face. Think about, that ladies and gentlemen. One day, if you know Him, this will be reality. Carl, as we did in the last segment, it’s really tough to take and describe what will be perfection. We just have just glimmers of what it is. But this new Jerusalem, you talk about a new city coming down out of heaven. Describe that a little bit further about what this ism the purpose of the new Jerusalem. Within the context of this broader new heaven and new earth, for instance, why would God create a new city this new Jerusalem and situate it on an earth? Why don’t we go to heaven instead of coming to earth as an example? I don’t know if we can get into all of that, but this is a big deal. Try to go where you can on this.
Carl Broggi: Yeah, so let me just keep reading a little bit further as He describes this new city. He says here in Verse 6 of the same chapter, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” That’s like saying, I’m the A to Z, the first and the last letter. I’m everything. I will give to the one who thirst from the spring of the water of life without cost.” So this is something God wants to gift us with. You don’t earn it, it’s given without cost. Then He says He will overcome who inherit these things. So in the revelation, those who persevere, those who overcome are seen as those with genuine faith. You’re not saved by overcoming, but if you are saved, you will overcome. But then He gives this little short conjunction, “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars.”
He’ll say a little bit later at the end of the chapter, “Nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it, but those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” So as He gives this list of sins in 21:8, He says, “Their part will be in the lake of fire that burns with brimstone. This is the second death.” So God has prepared a new city where all of the heartache, all of the sin, all of the evil that we see in the world will be forever gone. It has the glory of God in it. He’ll say in Verse 11. He describes it like a stone of crystal clear jasper. It’s just flawless. It’s magnificent. It reflects who God is. In Verse 12, He’ll speak of 12 gates and 12 angels and the foundation stones with the 12 names of the 12 tribes of Israel and also with the names of the 12 apostles embossed on to it, which by the way, I think puts the final nail in the coffin to covenant theology that has taught that the church has replaced Israel, not at all.
God will forever in this holy city itself have the names of these 12 tribes and the 12 apostles, and it’s just a reminder that only the redeemed are welcomed into this place. It’s a very private place, not everyone can go. God wants everyone to go, and then He gets into the size of it. He describes here in Verse 50, and I’ve got my Bible open and it says this, “Gold measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and its walls.” The city is laid out, He says, “as a square.” He describes it as, “1,500 miles in length and width and height and they’re” equal. So it’s described like this gigantic cube, “1,500 miles high, 12,000 stadia times 600 feet,” and you get 1,500 miles as a cube. It’s interesting because when you go into the Old Testament temple in I King 6 and you go into that section of the temple called the Holy of Holies, it is shaped like a cube. So in the Old Testament temple in the Holy of Holies, they had a miniature model of this whole city, and it’s huge.
Henry Morris, I love his book, The Genesis Flood. He was a great biblicist, and he predicted, Sam, that there was probably 100 billion people that have lived since Adam. He calculated if just 20% of those were saved, that would mean there would be 20 billion people just in the new Jerusalem. That would give everyone 75 acres each, plenty of room for streets and parks and buildings. Remember, this is just the capital city in which we’re going to spend eternity. He describes the foundation stones that are adorned with every kind of precious stone. As He goes through these various stones in the chapter, we’ve got little chips of these things that people put in a bracelet or on a ring. God is going to make gigantic foundation stones out of these things. He describes the street like pure gold, like transparent glass.
What asphalt is down here, gold will be up there. Then he goes on to say, “I saw no temple in it,” in verse 22, “for the Lord God, the Almighty and the lamb arts temple.” That’s interesting because if we were raptured today, according to the revelation, we would see a temple in heaven. In fact, it’s described in Revelation 5 and 6, Revelation 8, Revelation 11, but at the end of the millennial reign, now the temple is gone. Why? Because there’s no need for it. I think there’ll be a need for it in heaven because God is going to teach us about the meaning of the temple and how it prophesied Christ. People during the millennial reign who are born will have to make a decision and we’ll have visible teaching tools like the millennial temple in which to teach, but now no longer any temple. There’s no more evangelism.
There’s no localized place where people meet God because God will fill, wherever you go, His presence will be felt. So it’s absolutely amazing and he’ll say then “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it because the glory of God has illuminated it.” Just like at the transfiguration where Jesus is transformed, and we get a glimpse of His glorified body. When they saw Him in His glorified body for 40 days on the earth, it’s not the same glorified body He has in heaven. I think if they saw that, they wouldn’t have been able to have survived it. When John gets a glimpse of His glorified body in heaven, he falls down like a dead man, but nonetheless, in His glorified body in heaven, it will be so magnificent, He will fill the presence of heaven with His own light from His own body.
So it’s a magnificent place that God has created. He tells us a lot more about the new Jerusalem than he does about the new earth. I think for a reason because it’s the new Jerusalem that our loved ones are in now. So the new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven and sits on the earth, which tells you it’s already been created. It’s already there now. It’s in existence now this is the city that our loved ones are in, also called the Father’s house in paradise and the third heaven. But he spends time on that particular place because that’s what is of greatest interest to us right now. Where are our loved ones that knew the Lord. But he doesn’t tell us a whole lot about the new earth except that it will exist and the new Jerusalem will be the capital of this coming planet.
Sam Rohrer: Isn’t that a fantastic thing, Carl? Let me just ask you quick, we have about a minute left here. When Jesus went to heaven, He said, “I’m going to go and prepare a place for you. And when I come again and I’ll receive you unto Myself,” is this part of the place that you believe scripture says that the Lord is creating right now that’s a part of this new Jerusalem?
Carl Broggi: Absolutely, because remember under the old covenant, a believer went to paradise and the unbeliever went to Hades, two compartments to Sheol. At the ascension, He emptied out Ephesians 4, Old Testament paradise, and we went to that place that He has created for us. There’s a creative process that unfolds is the revelation has highlighted for us ’cause there’s a temple that we will see literally actually in heaven after the pattern Moses made when he created the temple. So God has a reason for that, but then it will be gone. So yes, this new Jerusalem is the place where our loved ones are right now and how much new furbishing God is doing. We don’t know, but He’s doing some as we have little hints throughout the revelation.
Sam Rohrer: Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that you’re excited by this. In this age when the world, the media and all that are around is designed to make us worry and anxious and to be confused, that’s what the devil wants us to do. The Lord does not want us to be. He wants us to be clear, excited, anticipating His return and anticipating what is yet to come. That’s why, that’s why it’s so important that we understand biblical prophecy and it helps to drive us and to motivate us. We’ll conclude in just a moment. Well, before we wrap up the program here in just a moment, I just want to give a thank you to Dan and Jan who sent a note from Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. Just a short note which will tie into our conclusion today, they said, “Praying for you and for you that the Lord continues to bless Stand In The Gap and for your steadfast faithfulness to the triune God and His word.”
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. For those of you who pray for us like Dan and Jan have said they’re doing, it’s so important. That is our commitment, that what we share is true and faithful to the Word of God, and that’s what we’re going to try and conclude with right now. We’re talking about prophecy. This is the final in our 10-part series. According to biblical prophecy, it says it and the Word of God, which is we say about 30% approximately of the Word of God is prophetically related or specific. But one of the aspects of that I found is that there are seven things which now dominate our sin-cursed world, which are notable for their absence, notable for their absence in the eternal state.
That period of time that we’re describing today, the new heaven, new earth, and the new Jerusalem after the millennial kingdom, after the great white throne judgment, after the rejectors of the grace of God from the beginning in the Garden of Eden to that period of time, all of them will be have stood before the great judge of the universe that the great white throne judgment. They and the devil will find themselves committed forever in the lake of fire. But all of those, and hopefully you are among those who are redeemed, truly that’ll be different. Because for us in the eternal state, we know there’s no more sea, there’s no more death, there’s no more mourning, there’s no more weeping, there’s no more pain, no more curse, and no more night. Wow. But there are also going to be some things including abilities and activities.
I’m not sure we’ll be able to get into all these by no means in the balance of the program, but there are some special things that happen, the absence of those things that’s sure won. But for all of those who were there, us, hopefully you who have been washed white in the blood of Jesus Christ, the redeemed, the scripture called the redeemed of all ages, we’re going to be endowed with certain things. We’ll conclude today’s program, I think, briefly identifying both the things that will be absent as well as the things that will be forever present for believers in the after millennial eternal state, when all of prophecy breathed of God that we’ve been talking about written in the word will ultimately be completely, completely fulfilled. Oh, Carl, any comment on the seven things which I mentioned in the Bible says will not be present in the new heaven and new earth and new Jerusalem because they’re pretty exciting, not to have pain and that kind of thing?
Carl Broggi: Yeah, it is exciting, Sam. Of course, when he describes this marvelous place that God’s prepared, it’s like he runs out of words. So now he has to describe what’s not there. I think this is important, especially in this whole series ’cause it gives us a sense of certainty what Paul calls the blessed hope. Hope, of course, is not something that’s doubtful like, “I hope it doesn’t rain today,” but something that is short and certain in the future. There are people listening today who are in painful situations. Before this day is over, some of God’s people across the planet will literally lose their lives for the faith. There are people within these hundreds of stations you’re broadcasting on, they’ve lost a loved one. They are suffering from incurable disease. Some are in an abusive relationship. Some are struggling to survive from week to week.
But one of these days it’s all going to change, ’cause this place is not our home. Paul, I love what he writes in Romans 8. He says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” He says, “I consider,” I think the King James says, “I reckon,” it’s a bookkeeping term. In other words, he tallies up all the sufferings on one side of the ledger and all the blessings of glory on the other side, and he says they don’t even compare. When you read II Corinthians 11 and some of the things that Paul went through, wow, it’s absolutely astounding. So this gives us a sure, real certain focus, and we need to focus on this because this is our home. We’re just aliens and strangers passing through here.
So now, one, it gives us a sense of hope, but it also gives us a sense of warning, because as we just read, nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination, loves lying, shall ever enter into this city. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. So who wouldn’t want to go to a place if there was such a place on earth where people never got sick, where there was no crime, where no one ever got old? Who wouldn’t want to go to a place that was filled with joy, a place of absolute holiness and righteousness? We can go to that place. It won’t be on this earth. It’s in this new heaven, in this new earth, and we’ll begin to experience it the moment we die if we know the Lord Jesus. So what’s essential is that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. If someone is listening to us today, that’s the most important issue they can ever settle on this side of heaven because what you do with Christ will determine what He does with you.
If you ignore Him, you reject Him. He will reject you. If you embrace Him and put your confidence not in anything you can do to save yourself, but in what the Bible calls the gospel defined as the death barrel and the resurrection, the power of God to save you, in a split second, you’ll become a child of God. You will become a new creation. He’ll place His spirit within your bosom who is God’s guaranteed down payment, earnest, that what He started, He will complete, so that when you die or when Jesus comes back, whatever takes place first, you will have a guaranteed spot in this coming city. If someone’s not really sure what that means, get it settled. Get some help, go to search the scriptures, listen to Would You Like to Know God As Your Friend? Get this settled. It’s the most important issue of life.
Sam Rohrer: It absolutely is. Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that this knowledge that we’ve shared, hopefully you have that assurance in your heart. If you do, one of the things that we’ve talked about before, this should cause in all of us, is a holy boldness, a commitment to yes, as the program says, stand in the gap for truth, to share the gospel with others who, if they do not know the Lord Jesus Christ will enter into that tribulation period. Oh, wow, what a thing that will be. So that is the most important. Carl, we only have just about a minute-and-a-half left. There are a couple of other things. We know there’s water in heaven, there appears to be, going to be a river. There’s going to be trees that are there. Just a little bit about what we know about what life might be in that perfect kingdom, not just what it looks like, but what it may actually involve.
Carl Broggi: Well, for instance, He says there’ll be no longer any sea. I think what’s in view there is the fact that three-quarters of this planet is covered by saltwater. I think that’s a byproduct of the fall. Without the saltwater on this earth, we wouldn’t have a place in which to purify all the impurities on the planet. But again, the place that He’s creating is holy. There’s no fallenness in it. So in the new Jerusalem, there’s a river that goes by the throne of God, and it has to cascade over 1,500 miles.
But again, then He’s going to create a new earth, and certainly it will mimic, in some respects, God’s creative artwork that this planet that we live on has. As beautiful as this planet is, it doesn’t fully reflect the glory and stature and wisdom and love of God as to what he created for us, but we have much, much to look forward to. We won’t be on clouds playing harps. We’re going to be worshiping the Lord. We’re going to work. We’re going to work. God is a working God. He had man working ever before the fall. We will work in heaven, and it will be a blessed, marvelous time that God has for us for all of eternity.
Sam Rohrer: Wow. Dr. Carl Broggi, thank you so much for being with me these 10 weeks. You’ll be back with me in the future for other emphasis. But ladies and gentlemen, I hope that this series has been a blessing to your heart. Our website, standinthegapradio.com. Go there and find God Writing History Before It Happens Series, 10 parts. This is the 10th part. I hope that you are thrilled praising the Lord, bold, ever watchful for the soon return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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