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Brian Thomas: The Reality Of Eternity & Where We Go When We Die · Worldview Matters With David Fiorazo

• 0:00
  Hey friends, thank you so much for tuning in. We're going to talk about the reality of eternity
• 0:04
  and what happens to Christians after we die? Where do we go? Well, we don't often talk about the details on that
• 0:11
  and there's a lot of scripture to explain. We're going to talk with that with our friend Brian Thomas of BlessingsToIsrael.com. That's next.
• 0:20
  Welcome to Worldview Matters, discussing controversial issues, discerning current events, defending biblical Christianity. No topic, off limits.
• 0:35
  And now, here's your host, David Firazzo.
• 0:40
  So Isaiah 25-8 says he will swallow up death forever and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. The rebuke of his people, he will take away from all the earth for the Lord has spoken.
• 0:58
  Again, that's Isaiah 25-8. We're going to be talking about that and more. But I want to give you the websites.
• 1:03
  First of all, of course, the one I mentioned, BlessingsToIsrael.com. There's another website, godfirst.org. That's god, the number one, st.org. And then Brian's YouTube channel. We're going to talk about this a little bit. God first, Bible fellowship. There's a YouTube channel there. And Brian, brother, so good to see you. Great to have you back. Thanks for your time.
• 1:29
  Oh, David, thanks for having me. It's always a blessing to join you always and encouraging. But you're the one that suggested the topic today and thank you because we get into the weeds and the news and what's going on in the world and all the junk sometimes and good things like Bible prophecy and evangelism in the gospel. But this is a good topic today about, you know, where we spend eternity and things like that.
• 1:57
  Before we do that, over on the YouTube channel, there's a lot of fascinating videos there that you do with you and Danita and some interesting topics. I would just love for you to share your overall perspective on what's happening. I know we could do a whole program on just that question. What do you think about what's happening in politics in Washington in the new administration and just the push back they're getting.
• 2:26
  And they're doing some good things. And there's always resistance. What are your thoughts, Brian?
• 2:32
  Yeah. So, you know, Donald Trump is definitely rapid fire. He's in rapid fire mode right now with a lot of things happening.
• 2:41
  And yeah, I'm with you, David. A lot of great things that we see. You know, we see the purging of all the the interrupt bat spending that is going on and there are people who are complaining about it. But I think we should all be glad that our taxpayers dollars are to be
• 2:55
  used in a proper way. And so we see with doge that is being called out. We see a lot of entities that are rolling back DEI as a result. They feel empowered by Trump. I mean, you know, he's taking away federal money from these programs. So I think that's a good thing. And, you know, there's some that unfortunately in the church that are even pushing against the things that Donald Trump is doing. But I definitely think Trump derangement syndrome is on full display when you look at a lot of the media when you look at a lot of
• 3:25
  the left is how they're responding. But I'm with you. I think there are a lot of great things that are going on right now.
• 3:32
  Yeah. And Elon Musk learned the hard way how Trump derangement syndrome now is coming at him.
• 3:39
  It's just really astounding. So that's just the hypocrisy of the left, buying the electric cars or Tesla's and supporting them thinking they're helping the planet. And then I'll say, oh, he's now Elon Musk is on the wrong side. And he's doing some good things.
• 3:53
  But he's exposing the Democrats. He's exposing a lot of fraud corruption, not that all of it is from Democrats. But yeah, like you said, billions, trillions of taxpayer dollars.
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  It's going to be interesting to find out, you know, more as we go along. But let's go to our topic today. Brian, we all have an eternal destination.
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  But what's wrong? You know, and even the unbeliever has an eternal destination. We all live forever. But tell me what's wrong with this statement.
• 4:26
  As a, as a Christian, when I die, I'm going to heaven. We live in heaven forever.
• 4:32
  Yeah, David. That's the misconception that a lot of people have. I hear that quite often. And even from the, you know, you hear it in the world, but even in the church often hear that. And
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  I think back to my grandmother, she passed away five years ago at the age of 98. And she used to often tell about a friend of hers.
• 4:48
  And she said, her friend would say, well, when I die, I'm going to go to heaven and I'm going to eat honey and drink milk and float on clouds.
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  My grandmother would say, what, what a bad existence. You know, what kind of an existence is that.
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  But one of the things I think back to as a kid, I would attend funerals and I would think to myself how horrific it must be.
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  To see these loved ones, they're grieving and to think you'd never see that person again. But as I grew in the Lord, David, I studied the scriptures and I come to find that that's not true.
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  You know, that you are going to see that person again. That is if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and that love one is as well.
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  But one of the things that I do on our podcast, I always open by saying that your eternal state is far more important than your current state.
• 5:34
  Because as you rightly said, there is an eternal state for the believer and for the non-believer.
• 5:40
  And so, you know, what we try to do is explain to people through our podcast is that you often hear people say, well, so and so die, they went to that final
• 5:48
  rest in place. The truth of the matter is no one is yet in the final rest in place.
• 5:53
  That is for the believer and for the nonbeliever. So that is what we're trying to address by teaching on this topic.
• 5:59
  That's excellent. Right there. I want to pause right there and reiterate that no one is in their final resting place.
• 6:07
  I like that a lot. Now, we talked briefly before we got on the air. So there are some believers that maybe are newer in the faith that are listening to you and they're going, wait a minute, David, Brian, what do you mean?
• 6:17
  We don't live in heaven because there is the new earth and the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven and revelation.
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  We can talk about that later, but that's just to give you an idea of where we're going today, friends, that then they're going, oh, yeah, that's right.
• 6:30
  So if someone dies today or if someone died 10 years ago as a believer in Christ, Brian, where are they?
• 6:38
  Yeah. So someone today, when you die, the Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
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  And that's very clear to we understand the body is in the grave. So the body it dies. That's where that body is, but our soul and spirit, David, goes to be with the Lord.
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  So I think about people today who are living, maybe they have gone through long periods of suffering with an illness and imagine when they take their last breath and when they close their eyes with the last time on this out of life,
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  they open their eyes in the presence of our Lord. And that is what the Bible tells us. We do not believe the Bible teaches so sleep as some teach.
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  We believe that yes, when we leave here today, we immediately go into the presence of Jesus Christ, soul and spirit.
• 7:26
  So one more thing, I want to mention Romans 3, 23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That's why you sent me some notes here.
• 7:37
  Sin separates us from God. Every human being is separated from God. And we all have to make that decision about faith where we're going to what we're going to put our trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the on the cross and his death, burial and resurrection.
• 7:50
  And now he's at the right hand of the father and what where do we want to spend eternity. And it's a free gift. That's the thing that people struggle with. What I don't have to work for it. But Brian, I want to mention or ask you, what about before Jesus?
• 8:07
  What about good people? What about believers? What about in Genesis 15, 6, it says about Abraham for he believed in the Lord.
• 8:18
  And another translation, he believed God and it was accounted to him or credited to him as righteousness or for righteousness. What about old testament believers in God? Are they in heaven? Where do they spend eternity?
• 8:32
  Yeah, that's a great question, David, because things did change. So if you go back to prior to the death of Christ on the cross.
• 8:39
  We know that Adam and Eve brought seeing into the world when they disobey God. And God said the day that you eat of the fruit, you will die. And we know David that well, Adam and Eve did not drop dead on the spot.
• 8:51
  They did not even drop dead a few hours later. But what didn't happen was there was a separation from God. God stopped dwelling with them in the way he had been.
• 9:00
  So when you look at that separation from God is a type of death. And we'll talk about it later. That is what the Bible speaks of the second death.
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  That is the permanent separation from God. But what had to be done after Adam and Eve sin, there had to be an animal sacrifice that had to be made.
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  And that animal sacrifice it covered sin, but it did not take away sin. It did not permanently remove it. It did not a tone for sin.
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  And that is why God killed the animal. He gave them clothes to wear from the animal skins. I like to think of it. David is like, you know, today if we're driving a car, sometimes you go out and you have a flat tire.
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  You take it to the tire shop and they inspect it and they find you have a nail or a screw in it. And they'll tell you, well, if there's enough tread on the tire, they can do what they can patch it.
• 9:47
  And so they patch the tire that allows you to continue going in life. You can continue traveling. But the defect is still there. It's not removed. It's not been taken away.
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  But when Jesus Christ came and died on the cross, he came and gave us a new tire, sort of speak. And he's going to give us a new glorified body in the future.
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  But what happened for the Old Testament, those like Moses and Abraham who placed their faith in trust in God, as you said, they receive righteousness on credit.
• 10:16
  And so, but where they went, their soul and spirit upon death, they actually went into Hades. The Bible calls it a shield. That is the Greek and the Hebrew form of Hades.
• 10:27
  The righteous went to the abode of righteous, the righteous and the unsaved or the those who are rejectors of God went to the abode of torment.
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  And we see in Luke chapter 16, it speaks of the rich man and Lazarus. And so we know that the Bible says there was a gulf between them.
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  And David, that is a real account. It was not a parable. But that is where those who placed their faith in trust in God, they again receive His righteousness on credit that would be granted to them when Jesus Christ came.
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  And what happened is when Jesus Christ died on the cross, well, people say, well, where was Jesus during the days when his body was in the grave?
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  He went to Hades, not to be tormented as some people incorrectly teased. Some people say he went there to be tormented by Satan and the demons. No, that is not what happened.
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  Jesus went there to declare to those in the abode of righteousness. It is done. It is finished.
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  And you can now go into heaven into the presence of God, the Father, because what Jesus did again as the illustration I gave, he brought about the full of torment.
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  He gave us that brand new tire to say, okay, now the curse of seeing is taken away. I have paid the price for you. And so that is what happened prior to Christ.
• 11:43
  But now after the death of Christ, we can immediately go into the presence of our Lord.
• 11:48
  What's fascinating about you mentioned Luke 16. And by the way, it wasn't the Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead.
• 11:55
  It wasn't that Lazarus. This was a different Lazarus. But what's really interesting about that is there is a consciousness about the other side.
• 12:07
  Isn't that fascinating about what that teaches in Luke 16? There is a great gulf fixed so that those who want to pass from this side to the other from here to you cannot nor can those from there come over to us or pass to us.
• 12:24
  Fascinating section. But we need to move on. It's going by fast Brian. Talk about the fact that there is no soul sleep. There's no pause. There's no weightlessness. There's no purgatory.
• 12:38
  Talk to us. This is important about what happens after we die.
• 12:43
  Yeah. Yeah. And there are some areas of the faith, you know, Catholicism will teach of purgatory. Again, there are some that teach soul sleep. They say, well, no one is in heaven.
• 12:56
  That is, that is not a true statement. We see clearly from the scriptures. And one of the scriptures that I point to David is when we look in Revelation to a future point, it speaks about the martyrs, those who are going to be martyrs during the tribulation. And they say, John says he saw their souls under the altar.
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  And they are talking to God and they're saying, how long Lord before you will avenge? So again, as you said, they have a consciousness of what is taking place on the earth and what happened to them.
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  So if there was a soul sleep, they would not be able to talk to the Lord to say, well, how long are you going to avenge us? So yeah, you go straight from here as believers, we go straight to be without Lord.
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  And for the non-believers, you go into Hades, the place of torment. And again, there is full consciousness there.
• 13:46
  Alright, great topic today with my brother Brian Thomas, blessings to israel.com, more to come on World View Matters.
• 14:17
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• 14:27
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• 14:32
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• 14:40
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• 14:46
  And if you have not yet subscribed to our brand new within the last couple of months YouTube channel, go to World View Matters, David Fiorazo on YouTube.
• 14:55
  And of course, Apple, Spotify, Facebook, Rumble and the Freedom Project Media app. Brian Thomas is our guest today.
• 15:02
  We're talking about what happens after we die, what happens to believers, what happens in heaven, what happens on this earth?
• 15:10
  Will there be new heavens and a new earth? Well, that's what the Bible teaches. But right now I want to go over to one of my favorite passages, one of many.
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  In First Thessalonians chapter four, the last verse in this chapter, friends, says, therefore, encourage one another with these words.
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  So I'm going to encourage, I'm going to comfort you with this right now and I'll let Brian expound on it.
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  Those who died in Christ, verse 13, but we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve.
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  As do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
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  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
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  For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will rise first.
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  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
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  And so we shall always be with the Lord. And as you said earlier, Brian, another scripture in Corinthians absent from the body present with the Lord.
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  Go ahead and share wherever your heart takes you right now about this passage.
• 16:51
  Yeah, one of the greatest most powerful passages in all of the Bible. And you know, David, when you have a loved one that is a follower of Jesus Christ that has passed on this passage becomes even more powerful and relevant to you.
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  Because as you read, it says that those who die in Christ, those who sleep in Jesus are going to rise again. So today, as we said, the soul and spirit goes to heaven, but that body is going to get out of the grave.
• 17:19
  This is the rapture of the church. And I hold the position that the rapture of the church will take place before the seven year tribulation.
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  And it is at that time that I say is going to be the greatest reunion that there has ever been because that is going to be the moment that when the trumpet sounds in the shout from heaven, all of the dead who have lived from the point of Christ, his crucifixion up until present.
• 17:43
  Those who are dead are going to rise from the grave. And then we who are alive and remain again, who put our faith in trust in Jesus Christ, we will be called up to meet them in the air.
• 17:53
  Again, David is going to be the greatest reunion. And I try to encourage people just as that passage says to comfort one another with these words, that love one that has gone on, you are going to see them not just in soul and spirit, but soul body and spirit.
• 18:08
  And as I talked about earlier, getting that brand new tire, you know, we're going to get that brand new body. Yes, not any sickness, no flaws, no pain, it is going to be perfect.
• 18:18
  And just again, imagine being reunited with those loved ones and then to have Jesus Christ our Lord in the presence of it is just going to be a wonderful time.
• 18:28
  And that is why we should not sorrow as those who have no hope. We have the hope that guarantee as believe this will take place.
• 18:37
  And Hebrews says we have this hope that is an anchor to our souls.
• 18:42
  So we are going to talk in a moment, Brian. In fact, I'm going to ask you to read 1 Corinthians 15, 51 through 57, because we're going to talk about Christians, we will all receive glorified bodies upon our resurrection.
• 18:58
  So our bodies, when we die, they go into the ground, into the grave or, you know, some people get cremated, other people, you know, bury your, but your soul lives forever.
• 19:06
  And then we eventually will get glorified bodies. But I want to read, I can't go on without going to 1 Corinthians 15, because we're there, phenomenal chapter, by the way.
• 19:17
  I've got to share the gospel. And that is starting in verse 3, for I delivered to you as a first importance, what I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures and that he appeared to seaface, then to the 12 after that he appeared to more than 500 brethren at one time.
• 19:43
  Most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep, then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and then we know it goes on, but it's fascinating that he appeared at one time to more than 500 people.
• 19:57
  That to me, I mean, I witness testimony, eyewitnesses are the ones that grew the Christianity grew that expanded the gospel because they saw with their own eyes. And what we have in the New Testament, much of it was written during the time there were still eyewitnesses to Jesus resurrection, living in those days.
• 20:19
  So go ahead, Brian, and share now, if you go through 1 Corinthians 15, we talked about, it's just a masterful chapter, the order of the resurrection, and you can share about our glorified bodies.
• 20:33
  Yeah, so this is another account of the rapture of the church and it's really focusing on the resurrection. It says beginning with verse 51,
• 20:42
  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed for this corruptible must put on in corruption and this mortal must put on immortality.
• 21:02
  So when this corruptible has put on in corruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in victory.
• 21:13
  Oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is seen and the strength of sin is the law.
• 21:22
  But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And David, that says it all right there, the sting of death.
• 21:33
  You know, you have a woman that has died, you know what that's what that's talking about, that sting. Even when you know your love, one is saved and is going on to be with the Lord, it still stings because you missed that person.
• 21:45
  Yes. But the Bible tells us that there is going to be a victory. Jesus Christ is already one at the cross, you know, it's just a matter of time before all of the formalities in the sense are put in place as far as when this is all the one to be done.
• 22:02
  But I think again to love ones who are suffering and they they had these long periods in which they suffered the Bible says they're going to be raised in a glorified, perfect body.
• 22:14
  And that is going to be the case for all of us. And just one last thing I want to share real quick on that David is I remember you little over a decade ago.
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  I was attending a funeral of a church member and it was a man in the 60s. He had had a battle with cancer and during the funeral as the choir was singing his mother in her 80s, she stood up and she walked next to his coffin and she began to just dance before the Lord.
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  And David she had this joy on her face and she was even playing to or encouraging the congregation to join in with her. And I just looked at that in amazement that that is what the Bible says he gives a piece and a joy that surpasses all understanding.
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  And the world does not understand that that doesn't make sense to them how she could have joy standing there next to her dead son's body.
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  But what she knew was that he was in the presence of Christ that his body was going to physically be raised again and that she would soon be there with him.
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  And so again, that is the the encouragement that we as believers have. We know this out of life is not all there is to it. There's a great eternity that is awaiting for.
• 23:20
  Amen and we've got less than five minutes Brian great topic and especially as we approach resurrection Sunday and our celebration of Easter.
• 23:30
  I want to go to Revelation 21 and we hear a lot no most of us are familiar with the verse when Jesus said behold I'm making all things new.
• 23:40
  And that's the first five Revelation 21 five he who sits on the throne. I'm making all things new.
• 23:46
  We also are familiar with the verse that he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. No there won't be any more death morning crying pain.
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  But I want to talk about the first couple verses and let you expound a little bit in the remaining couple minutes.
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  Verse one, then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and first earth passed away and there is no longer any sea.
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  And I saw the holy city new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God and then it goes on and then the voice from the throne allowed voice.
• 24:20
  Saying God will now dwell with his people share a little bit more and wrap us up Brian.
• 24:25
  Yeah great verse when Jesus went away when he left at his first coming when he ascended back to heaven.
• 24:32
  He told the apostles he said I am going to prepare a place for you when I go away I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am there you may be also.
• 24:42
  Jesus has been away preparing this place the new Jerusalem for 2000 year in the Bible tells us what's going to happen after Christ comes back at a second coming.
• 24:53
  He is going to have his 1000 year reign on the earth those of us who are raptured we are going to come back with him to rule and reign following that 1000 years several things are going to take place Satan who has been bound in the bottom of his pit will be released.
• 25:08
  He will rally the those on earth who are still rebuilding against God those who in the millennial kingdom that were born there will be some that unfortunately will rally and go against God.
• 25:19
  Well they'll all be destroyed they're going to be cast into the lake of fire into hell and at that point God is going to renovate the creation he is going to burn it all off second Peter speaks of that and John in
• 25:33
  the translation saw a new the new Jerusalem ascending to the earth so what's going to happen basically God is moving his headquarters from heaven from what we call the third heaven he's moving it to the earth so heaven and earth become as one and that is where we will
• 25:51
  and the beautiful thing is we see the reconciliation complete because remember we said earlier when Adam and Eve sin God stop dwelling with them in the garden but here in Revelation we see he is going to come back to the earth
• 26:06
  and move his headquarters to dwell on the earth with us for all of eternity so that is where we're going to spend eternity David right here on the new earth with our Lord Jesus Christ God the Father and Holy Spirit.
• 26:20
  Amen brother man if this doesn't encourage there is a pastor down south years ago that you see if that don't light your fire your woods wet.
• 26:29
  Brian thank you and I love the way you put that God is going to move his headquarters you know the new heaven and the new earth and we will dwell with him forever I think there's no there might be a more powerful thought but I can't think of one right now to leave people with so brother you're closing thoughts and just 30 seconds just encourage those who are watching and listening right now.
• 26:53
  Yeah and I just want to share we also have a second YouTube channel discerning the times which is where we are featuring this teaching so if you want to get more detail go there.
• 27:02
  There it is but I encourage people today no matter what you're going through if you have already received Jesus know that a great and perfect future is coming do not grow weary do not give up.
• 27:14
  God has promised us great things the Apostle Paul says eyes have he said eyes have not seen years have not heard all the great things that are in store and that love one that is going on you will be with them once again but for those of you out there who have rejected Jesus Christ if you have not received him you're going to spend eternity in the lake of fire so I want to encourage you please give your heart to Jesus Christ today so that you might inherit eternal life.
• 27:40
  Perfect Brian thank you appreciate your time today Lord William will do it again amen glad to be here thank you David God bless you friends and as always keep speaking the truth about things that matter.