This Bible is an amazing book. The longer I read it, the longer
I live reading it, the more I realize that this is not of man, but
it's of God. We can take just a short statement,
a very, very short statement here found in Revelation 19.1,
and I tell you, upon seeing it, just seeing it, and reading it
and believing it. It can take a heart that's burdened
down, a heart that's full of troubles and cares and disappointments,
and fill it with such joy and peace and renewed confidence. In this first verse, here's what
it says. After these things, after the
great judgment upon the whore of chapter 18, I heard a great
voice of much people in heaven. I've often thought about that
little phrase. I probably preached this to you.
I'm certain I have. Much people in heaven. That's just a wonderful thought,
isn't it? People in heaven. You and I don't know a great
deal of life after death. We know quite a bit about it.
You and I, some of us have been studying about this in our Bible
study on Wednesday night. But we know enough that we don't
have to speculate. There's no need to speculate.
We don't have any right to speculate. But the Bible is plain about
life after death. And this is what scares those
who don't believe the promises of God in Christ. But this is
what comforts those who do, because they read such statements as
this, much people in heaven. The scripture may reveal, and
it surely does, the sad state of the lost after death. The
Bible says hell has enlarged itself, multitudes and multitudes,
people that we know, people that we've loved, people that we've
spent much time with, no doubt, is going down into destruction. But notice here how wonderful
this is. Over against that sad and fearful
reality, there's this joyful and peaceful reality, much people
in heaven. Much people in heaven. Let's
learn some things from here, and I'll just keep you for a
few minutes. First of all, let's learn this, that heaven is indeed
a real place. It's a glorious place, it's a
holy place, and heaven is a real place. Somebody says it's real
if you believe it. It's real whether we believe
it or not. Heaven is a real place. The scripture calls it some names
that's very appealing to us. It calls it paradise. I was caught
up, Paul said, in paradise, unto the third heaven. The Lord Jesus
said, this day you will be with me in paradise. Oh, that word
paradise means a pleasant place, pleasant to the sight and senses,
a place of beauty and comfort. It is a place. How beautiful
heaven must be. Sweet home of the happy and free. These truths in God's Word He
has given us. How beautiful heaven must be. It is indeed a real place. It's
also called the Father's throne. That's where He sits and rules
from. Heaven is my throne. What would it be to be in the
King's throne? That would be a safe place, wouldn't
it, where he sits in rooms? I found this to be very appealing.
It's called the Father's House. In my father's house are many
mansions. That's a desirable and welcoming
place. When I was growing up, I longed,
when I was in trouble, to get to my father's house. Sometimes
I'd be walking home after dark so scared, but when I got in
my father's house, especially when my father was there, how
safe I felt. What a welcoming place, the father's
house. In heaven, there'll be nothing
there to molest or to harm. The Scripture says that God Himself
would wipe away all tears. There will be no death, no sorrow,
no crying, no pain. All of these former things have
passed away. Why? This is the Father's house. There will be none of these things
in the Father's house. He won't allow things in there
to harm His people. Heaven is also called a world
to come. You and I can relate to the world.
We've lived in this world. There's another world. The Lord
Jesus said, Blessed are those who are counted worthy to obtain
that world. It's called a heavenly country.
The saints of old desire a better country. That isn't a heavenly
country. And God is not ashamed to be
called their God. He hath prepared for them a city. It's a real place. It's a real
place. The Lord sent His disciples out
to cast out devils. And they came back to Him rejoicing
because these devils were subject to them. And the Lord Jesus said,
don't rejoice in that. There's something better than
that to rejoice in. Rejoice because your names are
written. Where? In heaven. In heaven. That's the real place. Peter
said this, that the believer has been begotten into an inheritance
that's incorruptible, that's undefiled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved where? In heaven. In heaven. The angel
said to the apostles, why stand you gazing up into heaven? This
same Jesus that was taken up into heaven. Heaven is real. Someone is there in their body. Jesus Christ and Elijah is there
in His body. And Enoch is there in His body.
Heaven is a real place. It's a real place. Jesus our
Lord was received up in heaven. If you and I could live in the
reality of this, I tell you, the heartaches of this life,
the disappointments of this life would not get us down so easily.
If we live in the interest of heaven as a real place, we would
not be so distracted to the toys of this life. This world is not
worthy to be compared with heaven. Even Wicked Balaam said, Let
me thou the death of the righteous. Let my end be like his. If we
did Balaam desire such a thing, and he had no interest in it,
how much more should God's children, who have a true saving interest
in that place? We should live in the desire
of this place. I'm certain this is why the Holy
Spirit was pleased to write a verse just like this. Much people in
heaven. It's a real place. And there
are people there. Much people in heaven. I don't know, sometimes I've
had some doubts and fears, and you probably have too. Sometimes
during severe temptations and trials, and you begin to think,
well, I may not make it. It may not be for me. You begin to examine yourself
and see if you have any true interest in this place. But you
know something? If I don't make it, this is so
comforting to me, a multitude is going to make it. God is going to populate heaven
with humanity. And that gives me some comfort,
doesn't it you? Just to know that indeed He will
populate heaven with a glorified humanity. Much people in heaven. God is there. That's no surprise. And Christ is there, and that's
no surprise. But here's the surprise. Much
people in heaven. And I tell you what this tells
us, brothers and sisters, that God has determined. God has determined
to do this. Long, long ago. I want you to look here in chapter
17 and verse 8. Look in chapter 17 and verse
8. It's wonderful when we see that
none of these things are afterthought with God. You and I have so many
afterthoughts that we change our mind and add and subtract.
But you know there's no afterthoughts with God. We read about much
people in heaven, and now we come here in verse 8 of chapter
17, and we realize that was what God had determined all along. Look what he said in verse 8.
He is speaking of the beast that thou sawest, was, and is not,
and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go unto perdition and
destruction. And they that dwell on the earth
shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of life
from the foundation of the world. Much people in heaven, and all
of their names were already written down before the foundation of
the world. They didn't get there by happenstance. No, it was God's determinate
counsel. that purpose long before there
was a people that they would be in the heaven. And look in
chapter 13 and verse 8. Not only did he purpose that
they should be there, he purposed the one that would save them
and bring them there. And this happened before time,
too. Look in chapter 13 and verse 8. And all that dwell upon the
earth shall worship him, the beast. whose names are not written
in the book of life of the Lamb, slain in the decrees of God,
slain in the purpose of God, from the foundation of the world. Before Adam ever fell, and before
we fell in him, God had already provided a Savior to save us
from our sins. Jesus Christ, His Son. And you
know, in time, he came. He said it himself in several
places. I come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but
the will of him that sent me. I came down from heaven, not
to be ministered unto, but to minister. I came down from heaven
to seek and to save that which was lost. He came down from that
holy place to take His people back up there to be with Him.
Brothers and sisters, this is something that's amazing to us,
that the eternal God, who is perfectly content, who is complete
in Himself, has need of nothing, would desire to dwell, not just
with angels, but with humanity. Ain't that amazing? And He came
to this earth to dwell with us for thirty-three and a half years,
that we might dwell with Him for all eternity. He came to
our world where we live, our nativity, that we might go to
His world and be there with Him for all eternity. Much people
in heaven. And every time one of His little
elect are brought to Himself and given a new heart and a new
spirit, and repent and believe on Him, the Scripture says there
is rejoicing in heaven. Rejoicing in heaven. Much people in heaven. Not only people, but much people
in heaven. That word much means a host,
great number, more than a few, much people. not just prophets,
not just holy apostles, not some intimate saints, but much people,
a host, a great crowd of people. Listen to this. Many shall come
from the east and the west. Do you know which direction west
is from Jerusalem? We are. We're the West. We're going to come from the
West. But not a few, but many. Every nation and tribe and tongue
and people, the Son of Man gave His life a ransom for many. He was offered to bear the sins
of many. Christ shall bring many sons
to glory. He's the firstborn of many brethren. Will everybody be there? No. No, not everybody will be there.
But I tell you, there will be a great host that no man can
number. I never will forget Brother Mahan.
Somebody said to him, you just believe a handful is going to
make it? He said, depend on whose hand you're talking about. No
man can pluck them out of my Father's hand. But I tell you,
His hand is bigger than this universe, ain't it? He can get a great host in His
hand. Why is this important? Well,
I'll tell you one of the reasons it's important. You and I may
never meet back here again as we are today. And if we do, we won't meet many
times, because we're leaving this world, aren't we? It's appointed
unto us once to die, and after this, the judgment. We're going
to leave this present world. And there's another world. And
I want a saving interest in that world. I want to know about it. And I want to go there when I
die, by the grace of God. If we miss that world, we don't
miss it all. But we miss the only best and
good. How do much people get to heaven?
They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb. Therefore are they before the
throne of God. Can the blood of Christ get a
man there? The Holy Spirit says it can. Set him right down in
the presence of God. They washed their robes and made
them white. What do they do there? Look back
over at my text. Look in chapter 19 again. Let
me just finish by reading these verses to you. This is what they
do there. After these things I heard a
great voice of much people in heaven, saying hallelujah, salvation
and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. For true
and righteous are his judgments. He has judged the great whore
which did corrupt the earth with her fornication. He hath avenged
the blood of his servants at her hand." And again they said,
Hallelujah. And our smoke rose up forever
and ever. And the twenty elders and four beasts fell down and worshipped God
on the throne, saying, Amen, Hallelujah. And a voice came
out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants,
and ye that fear him, small and great. And I heard as the voice
of a great multitude, much people. And as the voice of many waters,
And the voice of mighty thunders. They tell me it's amazing to
stand on the edge of Niagara Falls. Has anybody ever been
there? It's pretty loud, ain't it? That's what this sounds like. Mighty thunders. But it has such
a melody to it. Because they're all singing and
they're all worshiping and praising. Hallelujah! For the Lord God
Omnipotent reigneth. I'm telling you, if a man don't
believe in the sovereignty of God, he better not go to heaven. Because that's what they sang
about. He reigns. That's why I'm saved. He reigns. That's why everything
worked for my good. He reigns. That's why I rejoiced
when I was on earth. That's why I made it through
the earth. He reigns. Say unto Zion, Thy God reigneth. He reigns. That's what we sing
here. They still sing it there. If
they sing it there, let's start singing it here. Thy God reigneth. Let us be glad because our God
reigneth. Let us rejoice because our God
reigneth. Let us give honor to Him because
He reigns. For the marriage of the Lamb
is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. We had a good
marriage here a few weeks ago, didn't we? What a wonderful ceremony. A marriage. And as much as I
rejoiced in that wedding, it's not to be compared to this one.
The marriage supper of the Lamb. The bride is ready to be joined
to her husband, face to face, and there they stand. And to
her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he said unto me, Blessed
are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.
And he said unto me, These are the true sayings of God." Much
people in heaven. Oh, may God take it to our hearts,
these simple words, and let us live in the faith of it.