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00:00Be inspired to walk as Jesus walked in the coming year with Turning Point's 2026 calendar,
00:06Following in His Footsteps.
00:08Each month, enjoy breathtaking vistas from nature through 12 beautiful, frameable images.
00:13And focus on a different aspect of Christ's character with a monthly theme and encouraging thought,
00:18plus a daily Bible reading plan.
00:21Follow in Christ's footsteps each day of the coming year.
00:24Request your calendar or a five-pack to give as gifts when you support Turning Point today.
00:30Coming to you from the Appel Room overlooking New York City,
00:37Dr. David Jeremiah offers a glimpse of Heaven.
00:40He uncovers the answers to your most pressing questions about eternity.
00:45Of all the misunderstandings that I have run into about Heaven, this may be one of the greatest.
00:50He explains how what you believe about Heaven affects every part of your faith and Christian life.
00:56God created us for Heaven, and until Heaven is a part of our life, we will never be at home.
01:02And you'll discover the reasons you should be excited about your eternal home,
01:07inspiring you to live boldly on Earth as you await the promise of Heaven.
01:14Now, from the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, here's Sheila Waltz.
01:19Let me ask you something.
01:23Have you ever had a quiet moment, maybe in the middle of a busy day or just lying awake at night,
01:29when you've wondered, is this really all there is?
01:34Maybe life feels full, but something still feels missing.
01:38Maybe you've experienced loss or change or just the ache of growing older,
01:42and you've found yourself longing for something more.
01:47That longing, it's not by chance, and it's not an accident.
01:52It is eternity calling.
01:56You see, the Bible doesn't end in confusion or fear.
01:59It ends with an incredible vision, breathtaking vision of the promise of Heaven.
02:07Now, most of us believe in Heaven, but even so, it often feels distant.
02:12Abstract, like something we've heard about but never fully understood.
02:18Well, in just a moment, Dr. David Jeremiah will explain that the Bible has far more to say about Heaven
02:23than most of us realize, not only where we're going, but who we'll see and what we'll do,
02:30and why a clear view of Heaven changes how you and I live here today.
02:36So, with that in mind, please help me welcome pastor, author, teacher, and my very dear friend, Dr. David Jeremiah.
02:48It is so lovely to be back here in one of your favorite places on the planet, New York City.
03:00You've spent so much of your ministry putting eternity in context, pointing each one of us towards eternity.
03:08Why is it now that Heaven seems even more of an urgent message?
03:13Well, you know, all of us look around and try to find meaning in the things that we experience every day,
03:19and let's be honest, the things we're experiencing every day aren't so hot.
03:24The Bible says God has placed eternity in our hearts, which means there's a space in our heart that only works if you put eternity there.
03:36And eternity is what we're talking about.
03:38We're talking about Heaven.
03:40So, I could give a lot of examples that I've read over the years of people who ascended the mountain of their accomplishment
03:47only to get to the top and say, is that all there is?
03:50Because we were never created to be fully satisfied in this world.
03:55God created us for Heaven, and until Heaven is a part of our life, we will never be at home.
04:01Why is it important that Heaven is not just a comfort to us, just knowing that's where we're going?
04:06How should that energize how we all live today?
04:10Well, you know, if you know where you're going, and you know what you're headed for,
04:14and the goal that you have in your heart just gives you energy.
04:17And that's true in life, but it's also true when it comes to Heaven.
04:21When you know what God has prepared for those who love Him, it makes you want to live every day and honor Him
04:29and be a good representative of His.
04:32And, you know, my goal has always been to go to Heaven and take as many people with me as I can.
04:36Amen.
04:37Me too.
04:40So, this is kind of a three-parter in a way.
04:43You say, when you talk about Heaven being a place, a person, and a promise.
04:49So, let's start with a place.
04:51Sheila, that little outline comes from John 14, 1 through 6, where we read,
04:56In my Father's house are many mansions, and if it were not so, I would have told you.
05:01I go to prepare a place for you.
05:04And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself,
05:07that where I am, there you may be also.
05:10So, that promise begins with the fact that Heaven is a real place.
05:15It's not a figment of our imagination.
05:17It's not a lofty place someplace in the never-never land.
05:21It is a real place because real people are going to this real place.
05:26And if you're going to a real place as a real person, those two fit together.
05:31And Jesus said, I go to prepare not a dream.
05:36I go to prepare a place for you.
05:38Heaven is a place.
05:39Yeah.
05:40And Heaven is a person.
05:42Yes.
05:43If you want to go to Heaven, you have to go through Jesus.
05:45John 14 says at the end of that very passage, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
05:50And no one comes to the Father except through me.
05:53Absolutely.
05:54Absolutely.
05:55And finally, you say that Heaven is a promise.
05:57What do you mean by that?
05:59It is a promise from God that if we will put our trust in Him, He will take us where He's gone to prepare a place for us.
06:05He's promising that.
06:06That's not just, if you get lucky, you'll get there.
06:09No, it's a place.
06:11It's a person.
06:12And the plan is, put your trust in Jesus Christ.
06:16For those in our audience who have lost someone who loved Jesus, what is the comfort of knowing that paradise is with Jesus?
06:25When we lose somebody who dies, we have all these little phrases we use about where they are.
06:30They passed on.
06:32They went to the big sky or whatever.
06:35But for Christians, we go to be with Jesus.
06:39That's what happens.
06:40I have a whole chapter in this book called With Jesus because the New Testament is filled with terminology about being with Jesus.
06:53What goes on in Heaven and the opportunity for us to serve the Lord, that's one of the key phrases in the book of Revelation.
07:00We'll be serving Him and we'll get to do things.
07:04When somebody said you'll be able to finish some projects you never could finish because you didn't have time.
07:08And you will do it with excellence and perfection because you have no barriers.
07:13You'll be able to work every day and it will be such a joy to be involved in serving and worshiping the Lord.
07:20Stay tuned.
07:21We'll be right back to continue discussing The Promise of Heaven, the new teaching series from Dr. David Jeremiah.
07:27Coming this fall, Dr. David Jeremiah presents his most comprehensive teaching about Heaven in his new book, The Promise of Heaven, 31 Reasons to Get Excited About Your Eternal Home.
07:44Dr. Jeremiah uncovers the biblical answers to your biggest questions about eternity through short, powerful chapters that will not only change the way you think about Heaven, but also transform how you live today.
07:56The Promise of Heaven by Dr. Jeremiah releases worldwide October 7th, but you can pre-order your copy today for a gift of any amount or for your gift of $75 or more.
08:08Pre-order The Promise of Heaven set, which contains Dr. Jeremiah's new book, his complete teaching series on CD or DVD, a correlating study guide, a special interview with Sheila Walsh on DVD, and the 10 Things You May Not Know About Heaven bookmark.
08:23Plus, when you pre-order from Turning Point, you'll instantly receive these exclusive digital bonuses, early access to The Promise of Heaven teaching series and study guide, and two extra chapters written by Dr. Jeremiah, not included in his new book.
08:38It's time to get excited about your eternal home.
08:41Pre-order The Promise of Heaven book or set when you contact Turning Point today.
08:46Thank you for joining us.
08:53I'm Sheila Walsh, here again to talk with Dr. David Jeremiah about his new series, The Promise of Heaven.
09:00You talk about the Bema Seat of Christ, and some people think that's a place of punishment, but you say, no, no, it's not a courtroom, it's a celebration.
09:09No, the Bible says if you're in Christ Jesus, there is therefore now no condemnation, there's no judgment.
09:13If you're a Christian and you've been forgiven for your sin, you will never face your sin again.
09:18But the Bible says that when we get to heaven, we're going to all give an account for our lives.
09:23We'll come before what they call the judgment seat of Christ or the Bema Seat, and the Bible says we will be judged on the basis of our works as Christians.
09:32Have we honestly and deliberately and determinedly served Jesus Christ?
09:37And, you know, I guess that always puts a little bit of fear in all of our hearts, because sometimes I wonder, I'll be honest with you, have I ever done anything totally out of a pure motivation to serve the Lord?
09:48Have you ever wondered that?
09:49Yeah.
09:49But the Lord will help us sort that all out, and the Bible says we'll stand before Him, and He will judge each one of us according to our works, and we'll be eligible for five different crowns.
10:01Wow.
10:01Every one of us here is eligible for one of these crowns.
10:04How do we serve faithfully and keep it pure?
10:09You know, it's not like, well, I'll do this so that I'll get a crown in heaven.
10:12How do we keep our hearts pure?
10:14Well, I don't think any Christian that I've ever met serves Jesus Christ just so they can get a crown.
10:20Or like I said in one of the places in the book, after you did something great for God, you say, boy, you'll be big time, God, for that one, you know?
10:27No.
10:28You know, it's not that way.
10:29No.
10:30It's in the background.
10:31We know it's there.
10:31We want to serve the Lord, but we serve the Lord because we love Him, and we serve Him because we want to honor Him.
10:39The crowns and the judgment, that's just a separate place that goes along to increase the motivation.
10:45What do we do with the crowns?
10:47The Bible says that we don't walk around heaven with our crowns, comparing them to the crowns of other people.
10:54My crown is this way.
10:55Yours is that way.
10:56The Bible says we will cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus in an act of worship.
11:03Beautiful.
11:05I love the way you write about worship in heaven, that it's not some quiet thing.
11:10It's thunderous.
11:11It's glorious.
11:12How does an understanding of worship in heaven impact how each one of us worships today?
11:18Well, you know what?
11:20Worship is a really special theme in the Bible.
11:22It's one of my favorite themes.
11:24And in the book of Revelation, you see it in its absolute glorious climax.
11:30And there'll be thousands upon thousands together together.
11:32And one of my favorite things about the worship in heaven is there's a gradual growth in the volume.
11:38There's seven different ways they worship.
11:40Every time you read it, there's glory.
11:42Then there's glory and honor.
11:44And then there's glory and honor and praise.
11:46And there's glory and honor and praise.
11:47And you go through there's seven.
11:48It's almost like you can feel the volume.
11:51Have you ever been in a church service where the choir sings or the congregation sings?
11:55And you change keys and you go up to the next key and it gets louder and bigger and louder and bigger?
12:01When you get to heaven, you're going to see the crescendo of worship like you have never seen it before.
12:06It gives me chills.
12:11One of the questions that people wrestle with and some people have asked is,
12:14Will we be like ourselves in heaven?
12:18Will our personalities, will my husband still tell bad dad jokes in heaven?
12:23Well, you know, there's pretty good evidence that not only will we be ourselves,
12:28but we will be recognizable by each other.
12:31And Jesus was certainly recognized by his disciples when he came.
12:35He was the same Jesus who they had been with.
12:38He went to the cross.
12:39He was buried.
12:40He came out after the resurrection.
12:41And his disciples knew him.
12:44They tried to hold on to him.
12:45He had a touchable body.
12:47They ate with him.
12:48That brings a lot of joy to most people to know that you're going to eat when you get to heaven.
12:53We're going to be recognizable and we're going to be our best selves.
12:56Yeah, beautiful.
12:58So what about marriage in heaven?
13:01Well, I'll tell you the truth.
13:03I'm going to just be a little candid with you all.
13:05We did a list of questions and that was number one.
13:08But here's why they care about that, because Jesus once said,
13:14you do err not knowing the scriptures, that we shall be like the angels,
13:18neither marrying nor giving in marriage.
13:22Do you need anything more definite than that?
13:24And sometimes people say, well, if I'm not going to be married, I don't want to go to heaven.
13:28Well, that's, you just need to be a little more broad in your thinking because the Bible says,
13:33and this is maybe one of the hard things for us to explain, no matter how hard we try it,
13:39that the magnificence of Almighty God and his relationship with you will be so beyond anything
13:46you can ever imagine that will make the relationship you have in marriage to be almost nothing.
13:51In the chapter that I've written on marriage, I can't quote this because it's a little bit wordy,
13:58but C.S. Lewis has a great story about that to help us understand why we will still have
14:04wonderful relationships with our family and our loved ones and our wives.
14:08And in some way that will still be somewhat the same,
14:11but compared to the relationship we have with Jesus and Almighty God, it will be minuscule.
14:18You talk about the fact that God won't abandon his creation. It's all about renew and restore.
14:25What does that tell us about the new heaven and new earth?
14:28Well, you know, when you read those passages like the ones in Peter where he talks about
14:31the earth being burned up and everybody wonders, is God just going to burn up the whole world
14:37and it's going to go away? But if you study it carefully, what you find out is those words
14:42have a meaning not to be destroyed, but to be renovated. God's going to renovate the earth.
14:47He's going to burn off all of the dross, the things that don't belong, but he's not going
14:51to destroy it. God said when he created the earth, it is good. He made a good earth and we messed it up
14:58starting with Adam. He's going to come and totally refurbish it, renovate it, and then the new Jerusalem
15:05will sit down upon this new heaven and new earth and heaven will be in place.
15:10One of the things you write about that I just found it was so fresh is the marriage supper
15:16of the Lamb. We've all been to weddings, some good, some not so good. Talk to us about the
15:22marriage supper of the Lamb.
15:23Well, the Bible speaks of it as one of the events that's going to take place in heaven
15:26and we know who the bride is and we know who the bridegroom is and there will be a celebration
15:32in heaven. If you think you've been to great weddings, you haven't been to anything yet.
15:36This is going to be something else. It will just be an incredible celebration of our salvation
15:41and our relationship with Jesus.
15:44You're right. The main thing in heaven is not paradise, heaven, the new Jerusalem, as wonderful
15:51as those places are. The main thing is our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:56Right.
15:57Can you share more about what that means?
15:58We only know him because of what he's done for us. And when we stop and realize, I mean,
16:11what would my life be without Jesus Christ? You ask yourself that question. Heaven will be
16:18the celebration of our Savior and he will be, you know, I don't know how this works, how
16:23he can be available to all of us, so many of us. That's one of the imponderables of heaven.
16:31But it's true. The Bible says that. We're going to know Jesus even as we are known.
16:38And the Bible says something even better. We shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
16:43I mean, what a tremendous thing that's going to be.
16:49So, what will we look like in heaven? Like, how old will we be? Will we get to choose?
16:5432 was good for me. We'll be able to choose an age.
16:57What book have you been reading, Sheila?
17:01You know, that's a big question and there's a lot of debate about it. Some people think we'll
17:05all be 33 because that's how old Jesus was when he was on this earth. But that doesn't mean
17:11that heaven will be populated with all 33-year-old people, you know. There will be gradations
17:17of age. There will be young people and older people. I don't know the answers to some of
17:21those questions, so it would be best for me not to give you answers I don't have. All I
17:26know is that God has it all controlled and he knows what he's doing. And when we get there,
17:31we'll figure it out.
17:35I'm thinking of those who have lost children before they were born, perhaps through
17:41miscarriage or some even through abortion. And will those little ones still be infants
17:47in heaven? I know that's an unfair question, but you're Dr. Jeremiah.
17:50Well, let me just, I think the main thing about it, Sheila, is they will be in heaven.
17:55Yeah.
17:55That's the deal. You know, I've had some funerals. The first funeral I ever had as a pastor, I
18:00was an associate pastor in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, and my senior pastor went away and
18:05kept me in charge, which was pretty silly because I didn't know what I was doing. But
18:08while he was gone, one of the couples in our church had a crib death, which was very common
18:15back, not so much now, but back then there, that was quite often. I had to go to their
18:19house. I was, I was totally out of my environment. I didn't know what I was doing. Even to this
18:26day, it was the hardest funeral I've ever had. But the Bible teaches that when a child dies
18:32before they have the opportunity to understand the gospel, they go to be with Jesus. And there's
18:38many evidences of that in the Bible for the compassion of Christ, the whole plan of the
18:43gospel. But the greatest story about it is the story of David and what happened with David
18:49when he committed that sin with Bathsheba and part of the punishment was the loss of
18:54the child. And the Bible says that David mourned for days before the child died. He wouldn't
19:00eat. He wouldn't get dressed and come to be with people. And then the child died. And
19:05the Bible says he washed and cleaned up and put on, and they came and said, David, what
19:10is this deal? Before the child died, you were mourning and now the child is dead and you're,
19:14you're up rejoicing. And David made the statement. He said, the child shall not come to me, but I
19:22shall go to the child. And he knew, he knew what he was talking about. He knew that that child
19:29was with God. And we know that too, that God would never punish those who had no ability
19:35to understand the plan. And so we're going to be in heaven. There'll be many, many infants
19:41in heaven. What happens to them in terms of their aging? I don't know the answer to that
19:47one.
19:47Yeah. Let me touch on something that's a sensitive subject, but it's personal to me. When I was
19:52a young girl, my dad, who was a very fervent follower of Christ, had a major brain injury,
19:58and my father died by suicide. What happens to believers who die by suicide?
20:05Well, that is a question that has been with us for a long time, and it's more prevalent
20:09now than ever before, as you know from the statistics. And people ask if somebody commits
20:16suicide, will they go to heaven? And I have developed a little answer that kind of shocks
20:22them. And I said, yeah, you'll go to heaven, and the first person you're going to meet is
20:25Jesus Christ, who gave his life on the cross so that you could have life everlasting. Don't
20:31do it. Don't do it. But going to heaven has nothing to do with whether or not you take your
20:39own life. Going to heaven has everything to do with whether or not you've trusted your life
20:44to Jesus Christ. And let's face it, there are many things that happen in our world today
20:50that put pressure on people so that they do things they don't want to do, and sometimes
20:54it involves that. Many of us know people like that. We can't imagine that they would ever
20:59do that. Why would they do that? But when they get to heaven, that won't be on the entry
21:05questions for going through the gate. God won't say to you, have you committed suicide? No.
21:11He's going to say, have you put your trust in Jesus Christ? And whether you have or not,
21:15or whether they ask it. Amen. Amen.
21:20It seems as if the world is getting even more confusing in terms of people saying, well,
21:24there's all sorts of different ways to God. You talk about the fact, and you write about
21:29the fact that Jesus being the only way is actually the most loving thing about God. Talk to us about
21:35that. Well, if you go to see a doctor, and you've got cancer, and he says, there's one thing
21:40I can do for you that will heal you, but would you like to hear about the other things?
21:45You would not listen. No.
21:47You want the thing that's going to heal you. The Bible says he's our great physician. I was
21:52talking with some of the other people in the room before we started this interview, and I was telling
21:56them about a friend of mine who said, we shouldn't be so upset when people say there's only one way
22:02to heaven. And he gave the story. He said, when you're born, there's only one way to be born.
22:08It has to be the union of the sperm and the egg. There's no other way. There's not five ways to
22:16be born physically. I know they're coming up with all the stuff they're doing medically, but it gets
22:20right back down to this. You have to have those two elements to be born. So, if God created physical
22:27birth that way, why would you be surprised that you would create spiritual birth that way? You
22:32need the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, and that's it, and you can't get to heaven any other
22:35way. The loving thing about that, Sheila, is you don't have to wonder. If you know this is the way,
22:43you can get on the way and get there. But if you're left with doubts, or like people say,
22:48there are many ways to heaven, that's like saying, I'm going to go home here pretty soon from New York,
22:53and it doesn't matter whether I go east, west. Ultimately, I'll get home, I guess, because the
22:58world is round, but the directions have to match the goal. And you can't get to heaven any other way.
23:05Jesus has laid it out for us. It's clear, one man and one man only between God and man,
23:12the man Christ Jesus.
23:13Yeah. Yeah.
23:17I've heard someone say, talking about that, that it's the widest narrow gate in the universe.
23:23And that's absolutely right. How do we, tomorrow, when distractions and things come along,
23:29how do we develop a heavenly mindset?
23:32You know, here's an interesting thing. If you study the Bible, and I would recommend you do this
23:35because it's a tremendous tool. I've had people say to me, because I've done a lot of teaching on
23:41prophecy, why don't you teach on things that are pragmatic, things that are pertinent? And I like
23:48to say to them, there's not anything more pertinent than the scripture about the future. And here's why.
23:53If you study the context, in almost every context that talks about heaven or the future,
24:00in the context, you will find a practical admiration. Listen to this one.
24:05Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me, in my Father's house
24:11are many mansions. What is he saying? If you know what the future holds, you don't have to have a
24:15troubled heart. How much is that good, you know? And all of these scriptures that talk about heaven,
24:21I was just so shocked. In fact, I wrote a whole book about this, about how the prophecies have
24:28within them these practical current things that we should know. The Bible tells us because the day
24:35is coming, what does the scripture say? Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the
24:40manner of some is, as far as you see the day approaching. When you see all these admonitions
24:45about the future, just look around in the vestibule of the verse and you'll find, how does this apply
24:50to me today? And you will find many, many things that you will be able to follow immediately.
24:56Very practical.
24:57Yeah. I'm thinking of somebody who's sitting at home flipping through channels. And they stopped
25:02on this, maybe because they liked the view of New York, but they heard you talking about heaven.
25:06But here's their question. Have I gone too far and have I waited too long?
25:12There's nobody that I know of who has sinned away the day of grace. As far as I can determine,
25:19the only sin that you can commit that will keep you from heaven is the sin of unbelief.
25:24If you come to the conclusion that you're not going to believe in Jesus,
25:27you have committed the sin that will keep you out of heaven because you can't go to heaven unless you
25:31believe in Jesus. But I've heard people say, I've, I've sinned so much. God can't save me.
25:40Are you kidding? God can save anybody who will come and ask for forgiveness.
25:45So no matter how far you think you are away from God, no matter what you've done that makes you think
25:50it's unforgivable, it's not. God will forgive you if you'll ask him to forgive you and he will save you
25:57and change you and take you to heaven to be with him forever. Amen. Amen. Will you help me thank Dr. David Jeremiah?
26:05Thank you for watching Turning Point. In appreciation of your gift of any amount in support of this program,
26:17Dr. Jeremiah will send you his new book, The Promise of Heaven, upon its release on October 7th.
26:22Or for a gift of $75 or more, pre-order The Promise of Heaven set containing Dr. Jeremiah's new book,
26:29teaching series, study guide, special interview DVD, and the 10 things you may not know about heaven
26:34bookmark. Plus, when you pre-order from Turning Point, you'll instantly receive these exclusive
26:39digital bonuses, early access to The Promise of Heaven teaching series and study guide, and two extra
26:44chapters written by Dr. Jeremiah, not included in his new book. Thank you for your support of this
26:50program. Pre-order The Promise of Heaven resources from Turning Point today.
26:59If you have never taken the step to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can do
27:04that today. If you will allow us, Dr. Jeremiah would like to send you two resources that will help you.
27:11The first is a booklet called Your Greatest Turning Point, which will help you as you begin your
27:16relationship with Christ. And the second is our monthly devotional magazine, Turning Points,
27:21to give you encouragement and inspiration throughout the year. These resources are yours,
27:26completely free, when you contact Turning Point today.
27:31If you enjoyed today's message, watch the entire The Promise of Heaven series on Turning Point Plus.
27:37Start streaming this series today, along with more than 1,200 messages from Dr. Jeremiah's
27:42four decades of broadcast ministry. On Turning Point Plus, you'll find Dr. Jeremiah's Bible-strong
27:48teaching, original programming, plus special collections and playlists, all on demand and on
27:53any screen. Visit turningpointplus.org to get started today.
28:00Next time on Turning Point.
28:02Here's how you get to heaven. You have to come through Jesus Christ. There aren't many ways. Some people say,
28:08your way is as good as my way. No, the only way that counts is His way. God is the only one who gets
28:14to make the choice on that. Thank you for being with us today. Join Dr. Jeremiah next time for his
28:22message, The Promise of Heaven, here on Turning Point.
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