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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Heaven on Earth

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And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ–everything in heaven and on earth. —Ephesians 1:10

We have all heard the expression: It was like heaven on earth. Maybe you have said this after a fine meal or a great vacation. You said, “It was amazing! It was like heaven on earth.” We don’t mean this literally, of course. But we use this expression as a point of reference to describe something that is the best possible situation.

It is difficult for us to wrap our minds around this place we call heaven. We understand earth because it’s a real place. We do real things with real people. We live in a real body. But heaven sounds so surreal, so distant. It is hard to grasp. Yet it is a real place.

God’s plan is to one day bring all things in heaven and earth together under one head: Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 1:10). Peter preached that Christ “must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21). God will not abandon His creation; He ultimately will restore it. He will restore lives. He will restore bodies. He will restore our very planet.

Randy Alcorn, in his excellent book called Heaven, wrote, “We won’t go to heaven and leave earth behind. Rather, God will bring heaven and earth together into the same dimension, with no wall of separation, no armed angels to guard heaven’s perfection from sinful mankind.”

One day there will be heaven on earth because a new world is coming. One day heaven will come down to earth. It will be out with the old and in with the new. There will be no more terminal diseases. No more accidents. No more disasters. No more funerals. No more breakdowns or breakups. No more suffering. God will make everything new.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – God’s Restoration Plan

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And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ–everything in heaven and on earth. —Ephesians 1:10

From the beginning of time, mankind has searched for peace. He has joined peace movements. He has marched for peace. He has awarded prizes for peace. He has even gone to war for peace. And when you hear of someone being arrested for disturbing the peace, you wonder where they found any to disturb.

There are people today who put bumper stickers on their car that say, “Visualize world peace.” Then they cut you off on the freeway.

One day there will be peace. But it won’t be brought about by the United Nations. It won’t be brought about by any nation. It will be brought about by God Himself. It will happen when the Creator Himself returns, takes possession of what is rightfully His, and hangs a sign over this war-weary planet that says, “Under new management.” Christ will return, and He will bring lasting peace.

God’s perfect plan, according to Ephesians 1:10, is to “bring everything together under the authority of Christ.”

Peter preached in Acts 3:21 that Christ “must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.” God is going to make earth into heaven and heaven into earth. Just as the wall that separates man and God was torn down as a result of the Cross, so too will the wall that separates heaven and earth be demolished.

Have you ever seen a completely restored classic car cruise down the street? It catches your eye. You think, That is awesome! That is beautiful! That is incredible! That is because you love to see something restored to its original condition.

God is into restoration. He is into restoring lives. He is into restoring bodies. And He is even into restoring our planet.