Pastor Rick: Joy loves HOT showers. So hot the whole bathroom turns into a cloud.

HSSSSSS

Pastor Rick: One Sunday morning I needed the mirror. I couldn't see a thing.

WIPE. HSSS. WIPE. HSSS.

A Tour of Heaven, Stop 7.

Pastor Rick: Trying to imagine heaven is a little like that mirror. Every now and then we catch a glimpse. Then it gets foggy again. Our eyes just can't see it clearly yet.

Pastor Rick: But someday they will. And the Bible gives us some AMAZING clues.

Baxter: This is the stop Pastor Rick was MOST excited about. All aboard for heaven!

Stop 1: Everything New!

Pastor Rick: At the end of the Bible, John saw a new heaven and a new earth.

The old world, with all its sadness and sin, was gone.

God: I am making everything new!

Revelation 21:5

Pastor Rick: New bodies that never get sick or tired. New hearts that never want to do wrong. And a new world that's even better than the Garden of Eden!

Sofia: Will there be animals?

Pastor Rick: I think there probably will be! God made animals and called them good. It makes sense he'd put them in his perfect new world.

Baxter: I would like it noted that Pastor Rick said "probably." I'm choosing to hear "definitely."

Pastor Rick: A crystal-clear river flows right from God's throne down the middle of the street. And on both sides grows the tree of life, with fruit every month.

Eli: Fruit every month? So there's FOOD in heaven?

Pastor Rick: Looks like it!

Baxter: Whoa fact! The city doesn't need the sun or the moon, because God's glory lights it up. And there's no night there. Ever!

Pastor Rick: That's why this stop is called "Leaving the Light On." When you come home late, it feels so good to see the porch light on. It means someone is waiting for you.

Pastor Rick: God is waiting for you. And his light is always on.

Stop 3: No More Tears.

Sam: My grandpa was really sick at the end. He was in a lot of pain.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or sadness.

There will be no more crying or pain. Things are no longer the way they used to be."

Revelation 21:4 (NIrV)

Pastor Rick: No more hospitals. No more funerals. No more scraped knees or bad days.

God himself will wipe away every tear. That's how much he loves you.

Sam: No more pain. I'm glad, Grandpa.

Stop 4: I Drive, You Ride.

Pastor Rick: One afternoon, Joy and I were driving to the grocery store. The sun was setting right in front of us.

Joy: Stop! You have to stop! I can't see where we're going!

Pastor Rick: You don't need to see. I can see.

Pastor Rick: I drive. You ride.

Pastor Rick: Joy did not like that. I liked it a lot.

Pastor Rick: Jesus once told his friends he was going to prepare a place for them.

His friend Thomas said, in other words…

Thomas: Stop, Jesus! We can't see where you're going!

Jesus: I am the way and the truth and the life.

Pastor Rick: In other words: "You don't have to see. I can see. I'll take you there.

I drive. You ride."

Maya: So what's the best part of heaven? The gold? The pearls? The fruit?

Pastor Rick: We don't know everything about the place. But we know a lot about the Person. The very best part of heaven is being with Jesus.