Pastor John, you and I, and a number of folks from Desiring God recently traveled to Orlando

for the Gospel Coalition and National Conference, and looking back on the trip, is there any

overflow from our time there that you want to share here with us now?

And we should probably begin with the conference theme.

The theme of the conference was coming home, the new heavens and the new earth.

And one of the things I did there, I did about 12 things.

I was blown away with how much there was to do, but God was so good to give grace as

He always is.

But one of the things I did was a little seven-minute conversation, video conversation with

Scott Swain of RTS Orlando and Randy Alcorn, and the question that was pitched to us was

popular misconceptions about heaven.

And of course, Randy is the global expert, he wrote the big excellent book on heaven.

So we began to talk about that.

And both Randy and Scott called attention to the popular notion that the final destiny

of believers is to be with God in a realm of the sky, beyond space and time, where we

go when we die.

And both of them, of course, wanted to stress that yes, we certainly do go to be with Christ

immediately after we die.

Second Corinthians 5, 8, Paul says, we are of good courage and we would rather be away

from the body and at home with the Lord.

Philippians 1, 23, I'm hard pressed between the two.

My desires to depart and be with Christ for that is far better.

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