Biblical Eye Witnesses To Heaven
There are several people in the Bible who have been eye witnesses to the heaven before they died. Elijah was caught up into heaven, taken up in a whirlwind he never tasted death . Like Elijah, Enoch who was said to have walked with God, was taken up into heaven without ever tasting death. The apostle John saw heaven through an open door so that he might see and record in the book of Revelation some of the things he saw in heaven .
While Paul was on the Damascus Road on his way to persecute Christians, He saw heaven open up but whether this was heaven itself or just the first heaven where he saw the light, we cannot be sure. Acts 9:3-4 described what Paul saw, As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? We do not know for sure, according to the scriptures, whether this was the third heaven, where the throne of God was or not, but can assume it was not for Paul only heard a voice from heaven and he saw only a light from heaven. Nonetheless, heaven is for real and it exists today in every sense of the word.
What Are Heaven And Hell Like
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world … Then he will say to those at his left hand, You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels … And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell 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.”
Many of our ideas about heaven and hell actually come from sources other than the Bible. In particular, The Divine Comedy, an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri in the 1300s, vividly describes hell, purgatory and heaven as imagined by Dante. Many of those ideas have endured to the present time.
Heaven Descends To The Earth
After the Kingdom of Heaven begins on earth, after Christs return, the New Jerusalem descends out of heaven and heaven, in the New Jerusalem, will then be on earth. Revelation 21:1-2 describes this: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. The very tabernacle of God will be with humans then and heaven is any place where God is . All pain, suffering, and tears will absent there .
John was carried away to heaven in Revelation chapter 21 and this chapter is perhaps the best description of heaven that we know of at least the heaven that will be seen by those who are Christs today. John describes it in Revelation 21:10-27:
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- Lisa
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I recently lost my 19 year old brother he was killed.These past few weeks have been so hard. There isnt a day that goes by without crying and hurting. I miss him so much. I still dont understand why our father took him away so soon in a tragic way. My brother accepted Jesus Christ as his savior, therefore I just dont understand why this happened. This article brought me some comfort. Thank you to whoever published it. Im still hurting, but thanks.
- Sarah
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Hey love,Im so sorry about your brother. I know youre probably sick of people telling you its all part of Gods plan, and its going to be okay, but theyre right. Gods got this. Hes in control. And you are not alone. I know what its like to wake up every day with pain, not knowing how youre going to face the day, but our Dad is with us, and hes in control. I am giving you the strength to resist them they will not defeat you, for I will be with you. I, the Lord, have spoken.Message me any time, and know how loved and special you are, and that God has got everything sorted. He hears your tears and screams and hurt, and he is with you, through all of it. Life wont always be easy, but God is there, good and bad.Much love xx
What Does The Bible Say About Getting Into Heaven
John 14:6 Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. … To be accepted into heaven you must admit you’re a sinner, ask for forgiveness, admit that Jesus died for your sins and rose again, and ask Him to have a relationship with you. Jesus is a mystery and we won’t know everything until we get to heaven.
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Are Most People Good
The next assumption is that although some bad people may need punishment, most are generally good and entitled to heaven. The position that views people as generally good and entitled to heaven tends to make the error of viewing human nature as basically good. Biblical evidence as well as experiential evidence show this view to be false. As the Bible explains, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? . Psalm 51:5 comes across even stronger: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Biblically speaking, most people are not good. In fact, when compared to Gods standards of holiness, no one is good. To one degree or another, we all fall short of the glory of God . This does not mean that we are always actively engaged in doing evil or participating in depraved acts all the time. But it does mean that in our very nature we are fallen, in rebellion against God and incapable of saving ourselves.
Consequences On Lacking Common Sense
6. Proverbs 21:16 The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead.
7. Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
8. Proverbs 9:12 If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.
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What Does The Bible Say About Common Sense
In life, you will not get far without having common sense. Common sense tells us that there is a God. All it takes is stepping outside your door and looking all around you to see that there is a God. People disregard the scientific facts in the Bible. More and more Biblical prophecies are coming true. There are eye witness accounts of Jesus and the Bible being written. Though everything points to God, many people choose to say, there is no God. Common sense is essential. We develop common sense by learning, reading Gods Word, experience, reflecting, comparing the risks and rewards, and asking others.
How Good Is Good Enough
The Bible, God’s inspired Word, has much to say about humanity’s so-called “goodness.”
“Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt there is no one who does good, not even one.”
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
Why do you call me good? Jesus answered. No one is goodexcept God alone.”
Goodness, according to most people, is being better than murderers, rapists, drug dealers and robbers. Giving to charity and being polite may be some people’s idea of goodness. They recognize their flaws but think, on the whole, they’re pretty decent human beings.
God, on the other hand, is not just good. God is holy. Throughout the Bible, we are reminded of his absolute sinlessness. He is incapable of breaking his laws, the Ten Commandments. In the book of Leviticus, holiness is mentioned 152 times. God’s standard to get into heaven, then, is not goodness, but holiness, complete freedom from sin.
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Scriptures That Talk About Having Common Sense
1. Proverbs 3:21 My child, dont lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them.
2. Proverbs 10:21 The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.
3. Proverbs 8:5 O simple ones, learn prudence O fools, learn sense.
5. Proverbs 18:1 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire he breaks out against all sound judgment.
Will We Know Our Relatives And Friends In Heaven Will We Still Be Married
Jesus did say that we will not be married in heaven:
Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.
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Living With A Heavenly Perspective
57. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry .
58. May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints .
59. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ .
60. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming .
61. Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure .
May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
64. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless .
65. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your steadfastness but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ .
What If Youre Sincere
What about sincere and good people who are not Christian? See the articles in this series, Is Christ the Only Way? and What about those who have never heard? for related information. Wont God welcome them into heaven? This assumes that sincerity is enough to correspond to truth, when in reality it is not. As Proverbs 16:25 reads, There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. Sincerity will only get someone so far, then it must face reality. No matter how sincere someone may be about being able to fly by frantically flapping their arms, their sincerity will not keep them in the air. Besides, if someone is actively believing something that is not true and, as a result, is implicitly if not explicitly rejecting God, it seems odd for God to welcome such a person into heaven. Sincerity, then, is not enough. One also has to believe what is true.
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Will I Go To Heaven If I Am Good
As humans, we tend to see things as either good or bad. Many of us believe that we must simply do more good deeds than bad ones to earn an eternity in heaven. The Bible is very clear about the fact that our deeds, no matter how well-intentioned, will never be enough to earn our place in heaven.
God is perfect. Unfortunately, even the best of humans fall short of His perfection. At the core of our nature, we are all deceitfully wicked and sinful. This is exactly why we need a Saviour. God sent His son, Jesus, to take the punishment that we deserve. You see, even the best of us deserve an eternity in Hell, separated from God.
However, by accepting Gods gift of salvation, we will be granted the gift of eternal life. No matter how good or bad you have been in the past, Gods gift of salvation is available to you.
What Does The Bible Say About Heaven
Im frequently asked about the basis for my understanding of what heaven might be like. Ive studied and spoken on heaven and eternal rewards for years, and have a much different and deeper appreciation of this subject than I used to. Im glad to share my perspectives on Scriptures teaching.
One of my central goals in writing my novels Deadline and Dominion was to motivate people to think more about heaven, and to anticipate it with greater fervor and delight. If a brother or sister disagrees with some of my interpretations of Scripture, it does not matter, as long as he has been stimulated to give serious thought to his one true Home. I believe there is something inherently enriching about contemplating what the Bible says about heaven, something we as western Christians in the modern world have neglected to our loss.
Despite my best attempts to be careful with Scripture, my understanding is far from complete and is without doubt incorrect in some areas. But if the reader diligently investigates the Scripture passages referred to in this summary, he may discover to his surprise that some of his own notions and assumptions about heaven are in fact not biblical. In the process, he will gain a far greater understanding of this vital subject.
This summary of my understanding of the scriptural teaching on heaven constituted the guidelines around which I exercised my imagination to portray scenes in heaven:
1. Heaven is the dwelling place of God .
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How To Get To Heaven God’s Way
Because people can never be good enough to get to heaven, God provided a way, through justification, for them to be credited with the righteousness of Jesus Christ:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Getting to heaven is not a matter of keeping the Commandments, because no one can. Neither is it a matter of being ethical, going to church, saying a certain number of prayers, making pilgrimages, or attaining levels of enlightenment. Those things may represent goodness by religious standards, but Jesus reveals what matters to him and his Father:
“In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”
Receiving salvation through Christ is a simple step-by-step process that has nothing to do with works or goodness. Eternal life in heaven comes through God’s grace, a gift. It is gained through faith in Jesus, not performance.
The Bible is the final authority on heaven, and its truth is crystal clear:
“That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Can The Deceased Contact Us
No. Our five senses are of the body, and of course the dead are of the spirit. They can‘t smell or taste anything, but they don’t eat anything any more so it’s really not like a loss, it’s no big deal. They can‘t feel anything themselves, but they can touch us. It’s not a physical touch, like with a finger.
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