Take your Bibles to Revelation 4. Now, I'm not gonna preach too long because look at some of your faces, you look like you're hungry. But the ladies over there said, if I could hold you to one o'clock, they'd have the dinner, have the food cooked. I'll do my best to get us out before then. If you're there at Revelation 4, say amen. If you get there, if you'd like to stand and read the God's Word this morning, Verse one, after this I looked, and behold, a door was open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, I like this, come up here. Now let me ask you, do you believe in heaven? Why do we act like we don't? Why do we act like we take more of hell than we do heaven? People living the way that our lives in our country today is more bent toward those that have the credentials to go to hell than they are to go to heaven. I'm concerned about professing people who say they believe in the Lord, but they never believe anything else of the Bible. I believe Jesus died for me and saved me. What, do you believe the other stuff that he said? Do you believe that He told you to live like that person was a change of life? I ain't ready to preach yet. I'll get on to that here in a minute. Come up hither and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne, and he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and sardine stone. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And around about the throne there were four and twenty seats. And upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white remnant. And they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass that come to crystal. And in the midst of the throne and round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast was the face of a man, and the fourth beast was as a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him. And they were full of eyes within, and the rest did not day and night say it. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to Him to sit on the throne, who liveth forever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before Him to sit on the throne and worship Him that liveth forever and ever and ever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord. You ought to get this, to receive glory and honor and power for thou has created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Thank you, Father, for the Word of God this morning. Thank you for your son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for the great plan of salvation that you provided. Thank you, our Father, for all the provisions that you have made for us. That one day to be able to behold what we have read here this morning. One day to be able to see you seated on the throne. One day to be able to see the 24 elders and see those around you. Oh my Father today, make heaven real to us this morning. May our Father that you come down and Holy Spirit of God open our eyes that we may see and to be able to have a greater faith and to be able Lord to give praise and glory to you because you said. that you have created us for your glory. Now bless, Lord, you know who's here. You know who's backslidden. You know who's out of the will of you. You know who's had let sin creep into their life. You know who is lost and on their way to hell. I pray, Father, for these that they get right with you before the day is over. I pray for your saints that are walking in fellowship with you. I pray that you would continue to give them greater faith to look unto you. Now, Lord, we love you this morning. Help us to love you as you have loved us. In Jesus' name I ask it. Amen. You may be seated. John, here in chapter four. John is a type of the church. Paul, right into the Thessalonians, talked about The day that when the trump will sound, the dead in Christ will rise and we that are alive will be taken up to be with the Lord. Now what you need to understand here this morning and into that, I wanted us to try, if I may, get you to get a glimpse of your home. a glimpse of home. Now last time I preached, we talked about the city that's coming down and the glories that God has provided for us to live in. And Jesus said that I'll give you a mansion, I'll build a place for you that where I am there, you may be also. The Lord promised that he's coming back. And here John has been caught out over to up into the future 2,000 years. He's been transported into the future. And God showed him some things that is to take place. You believe in time travel? John got to see some things. And John got to be seated right into the throne room. Now Daniel had the visions of this. Daniel got to see it, but he didn't get to sit where John sat. But Daniel was able to write, but God revealed to Daniel the terribleness of the tribulation period. How that God was going to pour his wrath out upon this old world. And how that those that without the Lord were gonna be worshiping the Antichrist. And how that he was going to bring great torment here for the devil's crowd. Now here today, God's crowd is going through some persecution. Today, God's crowd is having to deal with the antics of the devil. But one day, God is going to deal with the devil's crowd. And one day, if you're not saved here this morning, you're in the devil's crowd. Into that, and you're on your way to death and destruction. John had just shown the letters to the churches. He comes to the last church there in chapter three, the church at Laodicea that represent you and I today. And that church, he said, is lukewarm. He said, you're neither hot nor cold. You make me sick. And I can say to you today and after the end of that message to the church at Laodicea and the message to you and I this morning, the next thing on God's program is what we call the rapture or the catching out of the coming of Hither. God calling us out of this world and John is a picture of the church and John is a picture of the bride of Christ and you and I represent the bride of Christ as a born again believer that belongs to the local church of God that he has planted here. And in that, it's important. How could I say to you just in thinking here, just for a minute to go into Ephesians 5, somewhere around 525. And he says how that the man is to love his wife as Christ loved his church. And if you could get to that, you finally get a hold of that, wives, you're to love your husband as Christ so loved the church. And into that, we're to be in submission to that. And you find that as a member of the body of Christ in this local church, I am to be in submission to the Lord. I am to love him as he loved me. And into that, he got to have first place in my life. And oftentimes we forget that the importance of being in the bride of Christ. Oftentimes we forget that we make up the body of Christ, that he's ahead of it. And one day that the trumps go to sound and we, that our alive in Christ will be called up. Now John here comes to the last here of chapter three and into that he tells us, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Now you belong to the church? You hear that as a member of a local body of believers? Hear what God is saying to us today. And into that you find that, he said, I am here, looking for a church that will be submitted and yielded to me. I don't want you to be lukewarm. And then here at Landmark Baptist, you ought not to desire to be lukewarm. It ought to be that you have a desire to be faithful to God and serving God and doing. I pray this morning, Lord, be with those that are printing the Bibles today. Be with those that are trying to deliver the Bibles to the missionaries today. Be with those that are printing tracts. There are people today that have dedicated their lives to the printing and the distribution of the Word of God. A glimpse of home. All that there was just off my heart. I just wanted to get rid of that. Now get on to the message. Into that you find that, if I could this morning, Three things that I'd like to hopefully get you to take note of. One is, get excited for home. I keep telling you to live in the eternal and not in the present. I keep telling you to live in preparation for that day when you will be with the Lord and eternity starts. Excited for home. What does home mean to you? I was thinking this last night, and I was thinking after six months in the military at Fort Gordon, Georgia, I got on a plane out of Atlanta, Georgia, and it was 80 degrees. I flew into Dayton, Ohio, and it was 40 degrees. I had a short-sleeve shirt on. About froze to death when I got off that plane, but caught me a cab. I didn't tell anybody I was coming home. At the taxi cab, got in the taxi cab, went up on Xenia Avenue, 300 Xenia Avenue is where my mom lived. I said, now go by here slow. I want to survey it a little bit before I get out. And I went by the old house there where my mom lived and wasn't nothing going on. I said, well, turn around and take me back, I'll get out. So he brought me back, I got my duffel bag of stuff and I got out and went and knocked on the door and my little old mommy came to the door. And when she saw me, she didn't ask no question. She just throwed them little arms around me and said, honey, welcome home, come in here. So good to see you. Now I thought, you know, that's how the Lord's gonna treat us a little bit. Home is gonna be like, hey, come on in here. If you've been gone, I missed you. I'm glad you're here. You ever get lonely for home? I got to praying the other night for brother Keith and brother David. And I got to thinking, I'm a little jealous this morning because some people have already made it to heaven. Old John got caught up into heaven right here. Paul went to the third heaven and was not allowed to write about what he saw in 2 Corinthians. Enoch is there because he was not, because he just walked with God, he became a knot. You gotta walk with God, maybe, you know, just walk. Elijah, he didn't get caught up in a fiery parrot and he didn't come down, he got a good ride up to heaven. Folks have done gone to heaven and a lot of your friends, a lot of our loved ones have done departed to be with that. And I thought about Brother David and I said, Lord, I know that David is ready to go home. I know that we'd like for him to stick around and sing a few more songs. But Lord, I know that home will be a whole lot better for him than what he's going through. Lord, you can't just see if it's your will to raise him up, take him on home. I hope we raise him up. I'd like to hear David sing again some of the old songs. I'd like to once again sit down with him and to be able to laugh and have a good time of fellowship. Same with Brother Keith. Lord, raise him up. But Lord, I know they're ready for home and Lord, give them a glimpse of home while they're there. Let them be able to see what home is like. You find that while we travel here, sometimes we need a glimpse of home to help us. to make it through. How the Lord will come and oftentimes give you a little peek into glory every now and then. That's what he does. What we're doing now, our appetite's getting whetted a little bit to get to eat. And he whets our appetite about home and for heaven. And now listen, if you're struggling and you're in a valley or you're just plain homesick today, look with me as we catch a little glimpse of home this morning. Now listen here, verse 1 there, he says, a trumpet sounded. He said, and after this I looked and behold a door was opened in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was that it was a trumpet talking with me and which said, come up hither. Now three times, come up hither is mentioned in your Bible. Now one time is over in chapter 11 of Revelation and you got Moses and Elijah and they have been killed and they've been resurrected and the voice comes out, come up hither and they are sent back to heaven. You find that here that the door, it's a closed door but it opens twice. One to let me in. Come on in, John. And then you find that also into that, there's one to let us out. We're coming back. And so I say to you this morning, this is what He does. He wants us to realize that there is a heaven is real, that home is real and that one day we're going to be taken up and there's a demand, come on up here. He's already called us up. And you find that there is one, there was Lazarus is a picture of a Christian being resurrected, being taken up. And you find into that, all that remains for us is to hear the sound, to be called up. I believe folks with all of my heart that things are getting close to the word that Trump is about to be oiled up. It's been dusted off and I believe that it's getting about ready to be blown. Come up here, there are three words on that. And you find also into that, not only is there a door, but there's a departure. And you find that this is what will happen. It will be immediate. In 1 Corinthians 15, you find into that, he'll be in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. You don't have to, when it happens, you're not going to have to wait around and wonder what's taking place. Over that, you find that it's going to be around the world. It will be dark in one place, it will be daylight in another. Luke says that you find that one will be out in the field and one will be sleeping and it will be taken, a departure. And into that you find that it will be incredible. to be like Him, oh my soul, to be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, that this old body here of clay and dust will be laid down and we'll be having a glorified body, fashion like a... Now let me ask you, can the devil give you that? If the devil can't give you that, why do you want to stay close to him for? If the devil can't provide some things for you, why do you want to give him more attention than you do God? Could I say to us this morning that heaven is real? Could I say to you this morning that one day God has promised us a glorified body? It does not yet appear what it be, but we know when He comes, it will be fashioned like unto His glorious body. I'm looking forward to that. Won't be no little short, fat guys up there. We'll all be looking like the Lord and He's got a glorious body on that. So you find that here that Paul writing to the Philippians said, it's this vowel, he called this body vowel, a vowel body that will be changed to a glorious body. And so I say to you, You ought to be ready. You ought to be thinking about this. Look at verse 2 and 3. He said, Now I wonder who that is. A throne and one sitting on the throne. Well, that's no one but the Lord Jesus Christ. John gets all excited in trying to describe it. Paul said, I was called up and I saw things that I'm not even allowed to talk about. He said in another place, he said, eye hasn't seen, ear hasn't heard, neither has entered in the hearts of men the things that God has prepared for them. But the Spirit gives us some things. If you're saved here this morning, the Holy Spirit of God can open the Word of God unto you where it just becomes real to you. I own that. And so the stability of the throne, none can overthrow it. God is on that. The Lord has prepared His throne. The psalmist says forever. No temporary stuff up in heaven. God is on the throne and he is there for return. And he said that he's there also that the throne for judgment, the Lord is king forever. Somehow, sometimes we put the Lord in a little box and we try to make Him to where He's not the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And let me say to you today, He is eternal, He's everlasting. He's the one that spoke everything into existence. I don't care what you believe about evolution, I'll answer that. Oh, by the way, be praying for Brother Gonkos. He's up there teaching those Buckeyes about creation. I don't believe that God made everything. And so in that, the Bible teaches us. You say, well, you know, can you believe that Bible? Well, let me ask you this, you know, into that what is more, gives you more information that has come about than the Bible. Or can you find another book that tells you about the creation other than Darwin's evolutionary stuff? And every day they are dispelling his theory of how things came about. You find that into that the serenity of the throne, the rainbow, a reminder of God's covenants. Now I saw someone had posted on the news a rainbow, one of the most beautiful rainbows you ever want to see but it's only half. The rainbow will cover the whole thing that we see up in heaven. in that you find here that it's just a half the rainbow, but one day we'll see everything clearly. Paul said, we look through a glass darkly, but then one day we'll look more clearly face to face. We don't understand everything. But boy, we know what it's going to be like. All things still work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose. God's making no mistakes under that. You find the rainbow is a picture of mercy but only for God's people. Only for God's people. The age of space will end with the rapture of the church. Then you look here at the symbolism of the throne. It's a portrait of approaching judgment. The Holy Spirit no longer is a comforter, but he's an instrument of judgment. The sea of glass, the finality of judgment. No more appeals, God's judgment is totally final, and the brass laver, and then the sea, the temple, and the tabernacle, no more washing, confessing, cleansing, only judgment. So I'll get there, I can confess, oh no, no, no, you're not gonna be able to do any confessing up there. If you're not confessed up down here, it's too late. And here God said, into that too. You sin, you need to repent of that sin and ask God's forgiveness, turn from it on that. And so could I say to you here, I go on and there, a throne celebration, the creatures, the four, the four is the number of the world, the four seasons, the four points on the compass, the four beasts represent all created life. The lion represents wildlife, calf represents domestic life, man intelligence, eagle of the bird life, all creation stands ready to praise and to serve the Lord. You find that in, Timothy, there's a reigning throne. You find that the remnant is holy and sinless. You find the reward that the judgment seat are behind, now the crowns. The 24 elders, they say that maybe represents the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes of Israel. But they got crowns, don't they? Are you striving for a crown? Now one thing about that is when they come before the Lord, they take the crowns off and lay them at His feet. Folks, somehow if we could get the reality of what God expects of us and how that we are to live for Him and what He has put us down here for, that we will find that life will be simply changed and we will enjoy looking for that coming and that glimpse of our home. Celebration in heaven is a place of praise. This is the quietest the world will be. You found in heaven the character of praise and glory. Holy, holy, holy. Let me conclude with this. This is only a glimpse of glory. The real thing will certainly be better. The real thing to you and I this morning is to be sure that you're ready to go. And I say to you this morning, Or if you're here, you're not saved. Are you listening, girls? Are you listening? If you're here, you're not saved this morning. There's not a good... The future doesn't look good for you. The glimpse of your home will be one that you probably don't want to look at. But for you and I that have accepted Christ as your Savior, a glimpse of home ought to stir us. It ought to motivate us. to hate sin, hate the devil and to want to walk with the Lord. If you're here this morning and you're not following the Lord, if you're here this morning and sin is in your life and you know it and the Holy Spirit of God may have spoke to you about it, you ought to do something about it. We're gonna stand over the auditorium, we'll have an invitation song and if God has spoken to your heart, you ought to come.