What do we KNOW about Heaven?
What do we KNOW about Heaven?
What do we KNOW about Heaven?
I know all I need to know!!!!
John 14:
"In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
God lives there!
Jesus lives there.
The Holy Spirit lives there.
I am going to live there.
Nothing else needs to be know for me!
Yes Major! This is a wonderful piece of information for us believers who NEED to believe in what Heaven is; how about:
Revelation 3:12
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Read all of Revelation 21
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels...
If we believe what scripture says: Heaven is the eternal-PHYSICAL location where we will reside with God. Heaven and Earth are ONE realm where God dwells with His people. There is a NEW Earth, a NEW Heaven, a NEW Jerusalem.
And we dirty sinners are NEW in body, mind in spirit-rather; ALL THINGS are renewed; cleansed.
I believe the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) gives us a little bit of information as well. One thing we see is that it is a place of comfort.
What do we KNOW about Heaven?
Friends;
We know that we live in a fallen, sin filled cursed world: on the day of our death we will be released from this life and pass through God's judgmental fires. The 'Saints' will be cleansed and renewed as the stubble from this life fades away and our sins are removed like the dross of gold.
For the lost, we know that they will be separated at the throne and eternally separated from the renewed Creation designed for fellowship between mankind and God. They will be cast off into the fires of hell, with a great gulf fixed between us and them.
Brothers: we can know where we are going-we do KNOW where we are going- just as we rely on the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Ghost for assurance of salvation; the same applies to the place of Heaven. God gave us this glimpse into Heaven for the sakes of our faith-even though we have a peak into heaven-there is SO MUCH MORE!
1 Corinthians 2:9 (Isaiah 64:4)-Read 2 Corinthians 2
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
It's okay to 'imagine' the things of God; because you will not be able to comprehend the full magnitude of what God has planned for us in Heaven anyway! Heaven isn't some boring place where we are stuck in an eternal Church service; or floating around disembodied on the clouds: it is our Universe-our Earth, RENEWED in Holiness without Sin living WITH God's presence around us.
We need to live this truth-only second to the Gospel message of Christ-IT IS OUR REWARD! And it isn't because of anything Good we have done-it is because of the Glory and Nature of God; who in His Grace and Mercy loved us enough to pay the price for us to: GO TO HEAVEN!
For far too long have we dissociated the doctrine of Heaven from the Gospel message. How about we get excited about this New Life that we tell someone about Jesus Christ today and the rewards He has planned for us?
Brother Mike, you should have quoted the next verse that goes along with 1 Cor 2:9
1 Corinthians 2:9 (Isaiah 64:4)-Read 2 Corinthians 2
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
You are probably correct!
What amazes me is that there is so little interest generated on forums like this on the subject of 'Heaven'. I just don't think Christians truly believe it -or are just plain ignorant. This should fire us up - DAILY! That's what we are looking forward to isn't it? Eternity with Christ?
But most people are to consumed with finding ways to 'get around' God's Word to solve their temporary earthly problems...
I am guilty of this too.
Maybe we should repent, confess and BELIEVE it!
Brother Mike, I can tell you why there is not a lot of discussion on Heaven anywhere is because very few people actually believe they are sitting there right now. Some how we think we will believe when we get there.
Hmmmm...
Not sure how to respond to that? Would you mind elaborating this point:
Though I would agree that we are included in what is to come; that we are currently 'surrounded' -if you will- by God's presence; there is still a future change that has to occur before we are in the 'eternal Heaven' as we will know it: spiritually AND physically.
Yes, we are going to receive new supernatural bodies someday for sure. But for right now spiritually we are already sitting on the right hand of God in Christ Jesus. This can not be experienced until we first believe it. If we don't then it will not become a reality until after you die or when Jesus returns. The question can be asked, did Jesus, when he walked this earth, was he absent from the father in Heaven? Christ has always been with the Father, even while here on earth. Somehow we think God the Father was sitting on his throne in Heaven while Jesus was here on earth. The truth is God the Father was not only sitting on his throne in Heaven, he was also in Jesus Christ reconciling the world unto himself at the same time. Jesus said this about himself....
Joh 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Joh 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Not only was Jesus doing the will of His Father on earth, he was also with his Father in Heaven at the same time. In the same way we also are doing the will of our Father here on earth, and also sitting in Christ in Heaven.
Very, very few Christian believe this, which is why they are not experiencing it in their life.
Okay; I think I am following you on this: It seems to me we are dealing with the issue of whether or not we have the 'Holy Spirit' access in this present earth. Which would stem from a 'true saving knowledge of Christ'; or whether or not we believe in said access. Thus this lack of faith would deter us from 'seeing' the hope in our future.
I guess it would be hard to talk about the place of Heaven without examining this; we need to believe it, to have it, to see it. And we are given that sight as children of God via the Holy Spirit upon acceptance of Jesus Christ. (As you noted in 1 Corinthians 2:10). So am I understanding your point correctly?
But I don't want to turn this thread into a spooky 'are you really saved' bantering; I would like to focus on the "place" of Heaven itself. Although it would be noteworthy to continue this path.