What is Heaven Like and Where is it? (part 3)

 

Is heaven real?

1) Heaven has solid real estate

Popular myths picture heaven as a fanciful place where spirits sit on clouds playing harps or float around in nebulous space. However, in John 14:2-3 the Bible says that Jesus is building mansions in heaven for those who accept salvation. He is preparing real buildings with real tangible materials for real people who will inhabit them.

Additionally, when Jesus went to heaven he told his disciples: "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom" (Matthew 26:29). This means that in heaven real vineyards will produce real grapes.

The Bible even refers to heaven as a country (Hebrews 11:16). Before sin came into this world, the world was a physical paradise — a beautiful garden full of fruits, trees, and animals. Similarly, when sin is finally eradicated from this universe, we will get to live life as God originally intended for mankind when He first created the Garden of Eden — not as spirits on clouds, but in a tangible, material Heaven.

2) There are many intelligent beings in heaven

With the increasing understanding of solar systems, planets, stars, and galaxies it is inconceivable to believe that human beings are the only intelligent life in the universe. It makes sense to realize that there is a country out in the universe, perhaps even the universe itself, known by the Bible writers as heaven.

The Bible speaks about hosts or inhabitants of both heaven and earth. "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished" (Genesis 2:1). The Bible mentions that beings on other planets rejoiced at the creation of the earth. "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7). The biblical prophet Micaiah said: "I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left" (2 Chronicles 18:18).

3) Perfect unselfish love governs all relationships in heaven

The Bible says: "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8). Those who love God keep His commandments (John 14:15). The inhabitants of heaven obey God’s commandments of love (Psalm 103:19-21).

4) We will have physical bodies in heaven

Our bodies will be free from disease, pain and death in heaven (1 Corinthians 15:40-49). We will still have physical bodies. The Bible says: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body (Philippians 3:20, 21). The body of Jesus after His resurrection was physical. Jesus said: "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have" (Luke 24:39). We will be able to recognize our loved ones. The Bible says: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

5) The New Earth as heaven

Real earth, real houses, gardens, hobbies, loved ones, are all part of the perfect future life in store for those who are faithful to God’s Word. This becomes more believable when we realize that the Bible says that the greater part of the future existence of human beings will take place right here on our planet Earth, which will be recreated and restored to its original perfection. This life will be free from sickness, war, crime and anything harmful. The future life will have the best of this life plus additional joys beyond our imagination. (see Revelation 21:1-4; Isaiah 65:17-25; John 14:2, 3.)

Bible prophecy points to the fact that Jesus will return the second time. He will not come in secret, but every eye shall see him (Revelation 1:7). At that time, those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior will be taken to heaven for a period of time. They will live and reign with Christ for a thousand years in the mansions Jesus is building and in the New Jerusalem in the heavenly country. Then He will bring the New Jerusalem down to earth. God will recreate a new earth with a new atmosphere, and our heavenly life will take place right here. (See Second Coming, Millennium)

 (source: bibleinfo.org)

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This place called heaven is a wonderful place, set up by Jesus for those that follow and love Him. I cannot imagine wanting to go anywhere else after I die and especially not to where non-believers will end up. 

Why do people reject God? Many don't believe Him. Preferring to live their lives the way they want, they don't want anyone telling them how to live. Not even God. Others believe but don't really understand that God has His requirements for getting there. They think that if they are good, they will get there. Many think that if they do good works, they will. Many look at Him as a cartoon character. He's just a myth. Some believe He really did come, but that he was just a good teacher or prohet.

There are many ways people explain away God and His Son Jesus. But Jesus said this:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Are we willing to reject Jesus for any other god? Or for no god? For any other reason we might come up with?

I am not. How about you? 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

More on this subject in tomorrow's post.

Have a blessed day in Jesus!

What is Heaven and Where is it?/ No tears... (part two)

 

The Bible is clear on the following:

After Jesus was raised from the dead, He went to heaven. The Bible says: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Prior to this Jesus told His disciples: "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3)

What is heaven like?

1) All things are new

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:1, 2).

2) No tears or pain

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

3) Perfect peace

"'The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust [shall be] the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,' says the LORD" (Isaiah 65:25).

4) Houses and vineyards

"They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit" (Isaiah 65:21).

5) Fruitful gardens

"The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1).

(source: bibleinfo.org)

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Many of us have or are living in one type of pain or another. Or maybe some have many different kinds of pain. Physical, mental, loss-they are a symptom of a fallen world. Of sin.

But for those of us who know Jesus and have asked for His forgiveness, we can count on the day to come that He will wipe away all of it, totally.

I don't know about you, but I look forward to that day more and more the older I get. 

If it is a promise of God-and it is, we can count on it.  

Of course, it is not the only benefit that we can look forward to. There is so much more. And I find it hard to understand why people do not want, care or believe God's Word.

When there is so much to gain and much to avoid. (hell)

I am thankful that I have not missed the mark. I hope that you haven't either. Because if we miss the mark and don't ask Jesus to come into our lives and hearts, we will regret it one day, instead of getting to spend eternity where there is no pain or tears and anything else that God has for us that we don't even know about. 

Thanks for coming today, Friends. In tomorrow's post, we will see more about what Heaven is like. Please come back and invite a friend to read along with us on this journey.

God bless!

Okay, But What is it? (part one)

 What is heaven & where is it?

Heaven is a real place where the  people of God will live one day. In fact, heaven is where God and the angels live.

John 14:1-3 even says that Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for us to live. In heaven, those saved by God will have new bodies without the curse of sin! There will be no one who is blind, deaf or lame in heaven (Isaiah 35:5, 6 and Philippians 3:21). Although Jesus builds houses in heaven, the Bible also says that those saved will also build their own houses and inhabit them as well as plant and eat from vineyards (Isaiah 65:21). Most importantly, God will be in heaven and He wants to be your friend. He wants to dwell with you and wipe away all your tears (Revelation 21:1-4).

Is heaven real? Is there a heaven? There are many popular myths about heaven and where it is that create misunderstanding. According to the Bible, the universe is not only infinite, but also filled with intelligent, friendly, benevolent beings. The most amazing and almost unbelievable fact is that the way to heaven is not complicated. Our title to heaven is given freely to those who accept that God bore our wrongs against Himself when Jesus died on the cross. When we ask Him for forgiveness and a new heart to keep His commandments, He will freely give us both.
Three meanings of "heaven"

1) The word "heaven" (Hebrew: shamyim, Greek: ouranos) can mean God’s dwelling place. The Bible says: "The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all" (Psalm 103:19). God’s throne is also mentioned in connection with the mountain of God (Ezekiel 28:16).
2) Heaven may also refer to the endless planets, stars, and galaxies of the universe. The Bible says: "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained" (Psalm 8:3).

3) The Bible also speaks of the atmosphere that surrounds the earth as heaven or heavens (Genesis 1: 7, 8). Please note: one must study the biblical context to understand which of the three meanings is implied.

(source: Bibleinfo.org)

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                                                           Hello Friends. I am going to cut this study into several parts. It is a bit long and my pc is not wanting to cooperate in getting it all in one post. I am so sorry about that, but maybe it is better to read it in smaller parts anyway. If you would like to read it in full, please go to Bibleinfo to do so, Thank you for your patience. Until tomorrow, have a wonderfully blessed day in Jesus!

 

 

 

 

 

  

What does the Bible say about heaven?

What is Heaven Like?

 

What do we know about it? Better yet, what does the Bible say about Heaven? 

Let's find out.

What does the Bible say about heaven? It's in the Bible, John 14:2-3, NIV. “There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with me where I am.”

Heaven is beyond our comprehension. It's in the Bible, I Corinthians 2:9, NIV. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

How did Isaiah describe heaven? It's in the Bible, Isaiah 65:21-23, NIV. “They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; My chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.”

Peace will pervade even the animal kingdom. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 65:25, NIV. “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy in all My holy mountain.”

The handicapped will be healed. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 35:5-6, NIV. “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shout for joy.”

God will live with His people and there will be an end to death, crying, and pain. It's in the Bible, Revelation 21:3-4, NIV. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”

(Source: bibleinfo.org)

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I wonder why many people want their best life to be now. On earth, as one televangelist says? 

We seem to try to build our utopias here, where there is evil.

And danger.

Why do they not want what is in store for those who truly love God?

Is it because they are ignorant of what God's Word says?

Many are.

Others just don't care.

Nor want to live for Him.

I am thankful every day to God who created a place for those of us who want to go to the place described above.

I pray that you are ready to depart this life

for the next. 

Because it will come.

And we have to be ready.

Thanks for coming by, Friends.

I plan to discussing more about Heaven in the coming days.

Stay tuned.

Have a blessed day!

Not Under the Law but Under Grace?

We are taught this in church. Or at least in some that actually teach the whole Bible. 

But what actually is meant by that?

Let's have a look at what gotquestions.org has to say about it.

Law vs grace-why is there so much conflict among Christians on the issue?

One person says, “Salvation is by grace and grace alone.” Another person counters, “That idea leads to lawlessness. God’s righteous standard in the Law must be upheld.” And someone else chimes in with, “Salvation is by grace, but grace only comes to those who obey God’s Law.” At the root of the debate are differing views on the basis of salvation. The importance of the issue helps fuel the intensity of the discussion.

When the Bible speaks of “the law,” it refers to the detailed standard God gave to Moses, beginning in Exodus 20 with the Ten Commandments. God’s Law explained His requirements for a holy people and included three categories: civil, ceremonial, and moral laws. The Law was given to separate God’s people from the evil nations around them and to define sin (Ezra 10:11; Romans 5:13; 7:7). The Law also clearly demonstrated that no human being could purify himself enough to please God—i.e., the Law revealed our need for a Savior.

By New Testament times, the religious leaders had hijacked the Law and added to it their own rules and traditions (Mark 7:7–9). While the Law itself was good, it was weak in that it lacked the power to change a sinful heart (Romans 8:3). Keeping the Law, as interpreted by the Pharisees, had become an oppressive and overwhelming burden (Luke 11:46).

It was into this legalistic climate that Jesus came, and conflict with the hypocritical arbiters of the Law was inevitable. But Jesus, the Lawgiver, said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). The Law was not evil. It served as a mirror to reveal the condition of a person’s heart (Romans 7:7). John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus embodied the perfect balance between grace and the Law (John 1:14).

God has always been full of grace (Psalm 116:5; Joel 2:13), and people have always been saved by faith in God (Genesis 15:6). God did not change between the Old and New Testaments (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 55:19). The same God who gave the Law also gave Jesus (John 3:16). His grace was demonstrated through the Law by providing the sacrificial system to cover sin. Jesus was born “under the law” (Galatians 4:4) and became the final sacrifice to bring the Law to fulfillment and establish the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). Now, everyone who comes to God through Christ is declared righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 9:15).

The conflict between Jesus and the self-righteous arose immediately. Many who had lived for so long under the Pharisees’ oppressive system eagerly embraced the mercy of Christ and the freedom He offered (Mark 2:15). Some, however, saw this new demonstration of grace as dangerous: what would keep a person from casting off all moral restraint? Paul dealt with this issue in Romans 6: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (verses 1—2). Paul clarified what Jesus had taught: the Law shows us what God wants (holiness), and grace gives us the desire and power to be holy. Rather than trust in the Law to save us, we trust in Christ. We are freed from the Law’s bondage by His once-for-all sacrifice (Romans 7:6; 1 Peter 3:18).

There is no conflict between grace and the Law, properly understood. Christ fulfilled the Law on our behalf and offers the power of the Holy Spirit, who motivates a regenerated heart to live in obedience to Him (Matthew 3:8; Acts 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:14). James 2:26 says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” A grace that has the power to save also has the power to motivate a sinful heart toward godliness. Where there is no impulse to be godly, there is no saving faith.

We are saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). The keeping of the Law cannot save anyone (Romans 3:20; Titus 3:5). In fact, those who claim righteousness on the basis of their keeping of the Law only think they’re keeping the Law; this was one of Jesus’ main points in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:20–48; see also Luke 18:18–23).

The purpose of the Law was, basically, to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Once we are saved, God desires to glorify Himself through our good works (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, good works follow salvation; they do not precede it.

Conflict between “grace” and the “Law” can arise when someone 1) misunderstands the purpose of the Law; 2) redefines grace as something other than “God’s benevolence on the undeserving” (see Romans 11:6); 3) tries to earn his own salvation or “supplement” Christ’s sacrifice; 4) follows the error of the Pharisees in tacking manmade rituals and traditions onto his doctrine; or 5) fails to focus on the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).

When the Holy Spirit guides our search of Scripture, we can “study to show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15) and discover the beauty of a grace that produces good works.

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Sadly, today, some denominations/churches are legalistic. They teach that unless we do this or don't do that, we can not obtain salvation.

For example, years ago, I attended a church that didn't even celebrate birthdays.

Or going to doctors.

You were admonished to not work in the health field. 

The list in that church went on and on.

(I have talked about this in some of my other posts)

These things were sin.

And if you committed them without repentance,

You weren't going to heaven.

But that is legalism, and the Bible does not teach against these things.

Because it teaches that we aren't under the law

but under grace.

It's God who gives us grace.

It is by Him alone and not some man teaching against them.

Some churches teach that we have to get to heaven by our works.

That isn't true either.

When Jesus said, "It is finished" on the cross, and

it was finished. He had done all we needed to do to obtain salvation once we repent of the sin that He is against. 

We do not have to prove anything to Him, beyond that. 

Because we can't.

Thank you, Jesus.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

I pray you had a wonderful Easter (which I dare add that some don't believe in celebrating)

Remember, Jesus paid it all.

Have a blessed day!