Heaven - what is it going to be like?

I Corinthians 15
35But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[a] ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[b] bear the image of the heavenly man.

I Corinthians 13
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

From Bibleinfo.com:
"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 us a place 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 cannot walk 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. He wants to be your friend. He wants to dwell with you and wipe away all your tears. (Revelation 21:1-4)"

There is quite a bit more about Heaven at that link. I don't know that I agree about the part where we are dead in the grave until Christ returns and raises us. For some reason, I think we go to heaven without our bodies first, then when Christ comes, we are given our new bodies. I could be wrong. Either way, we end up in Heaven with new bodies and with Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit forever! Yes!

I also have been reading Randy Alcorn's book, Heaven. He confirms many of the same things the website above puts forth. There is so much I did not, and still do not know about Heaven. One thing I know for sure, it is going to be a fantastically cool place that we cannot even begin to comprehend until we get there. After all, the God who created everything about us, every minute detail of the universe, also created Heaven. It has got to be fantastic!

Here are quotes from some of his perspectives on Heaven:

"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 (and either to his delight or discomfort) 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 (Deut. 26:15; Matt. 6:9).

2. Heaven is the dwelling place of God’s angels(Luke 2:15; Matt. 28:2; Heb. 12:22).

3. Heaven is the dwelling place of God’s saints from earth who have died and now live there in his presence (Rev. 4-5; Luke 16:22, 25; Heb. 12:23).

4. At death, the human spirit leaves the body (Ec. 12:7) and goes either to heaven or hell (Luke 16:22ff).

5. There is immediate conscious existence after death, both in heaven and hell (Luke 16:22ff.; Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Rev. 6:9-11; Phil. 1:23). There is no “soul sleep” or period of unawareness preceding heaven. (“Fallen asleep” in 1 Thes. 4:13 is a euphemism for death, describing the spirit’s departure from the body, ending our conscious existence on earth.)

6. Heaven is an actual place, to and from which Christ (John 1:32; 6:33; Acts 1:2), angels (Matt. 28:2; Rev. 10:1) and in rare circumstances people, even prior to their deaths, have traveled (2 Kings2:11; 2 Cor. 12:2; Rev. 11:12).

7. Heaven is consistently referred to as “up” in location (Mark 6:41; Luke 9:51). We do not know whether it is a place “in the heavens” (the universe beyond the earth) or entirely outside the space/time continuum. We do know heaven is someplace, and presently that place isn’t earth.

8. Heaven is where Christ came from (John 6:42), where he returned after his resurrection (Acts 1:11), where he now is and from which he will physically return to earth again (Acts 1:11; Rev. 19:1-16).

9. Heaven is described as a city (Heb. 11:16; 12:22;13:14; Rev. 21:12). The normal understanding of a “city” is a place of many residences in near proximity, the inhabitants of which are subject to a common government. “City” may also connote varied and bustling activity. 

10. Heaven contains for believers a permanent inheritance, an unperishing estate specifically reserved for us. (1 Pet. 1:4).

11. Heaven is the Christian’s country of citizenship(Heb. 11:16; Phil. 3:20). Christ is our King. We are his ambassadors, representing his agenda on earth (2 Cor. 5:20). While on our brief stay here, we are aliens, strangers and pilgrims (Heb. 11:3). Ambassadors, aliens and pilgrims identify themselves and plan their lives with a focus on their home country. Should they become too engrossed in the alien country where they temporarily reside, they can easily compromise their allegiances to their true King and true country.

12. God’s people should long for heaven. This pleases our Lord, who has prepared a place there for us (Heb. 11:13-16; 2 Cor. 5:2). We should be ever-motivated by the anticipation of heaven (Phil. 3:14; 2 Tim. 4:8).

13. Heaven and all that it represents should be a central object of our attention in this life. Our hearts or minds are to be continuously set on these “things above” where Christ is in heaven, not on “earthly things” (Col. 3:1-4).

Note: The popular notion of Christians being “so heavenly minded they’re of no earthly good” is a myth. On the contrary, most of us are so earthly minded we are of no heavenly or earthly good. C. S. Lewis said, “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.” God commands us to be heavenly minded, and doing so will give us the perspective and motivation to live on earth as he has commanded us (Heb. 11:26-27).

14. There is a sense in which believers are currently in heaven with Christ (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:3). Our intimate link with Christ in his redemptive work somehow makes us inseparable from him. As we walk with him and commune with him in this world, this reality makes it sometimes possible to experience a faint foretaste of heaven’s delights and wonders.

43. In heaven, we will serve God (Rev. 7:15). Service implies responsibilities, duties, effort, and creativity to do work well. (Work with lasting accomplishment, unhindered by decay and fatigue, and enhanced by unlimited resources.)

44. In heaven, we will be given rest from our labors on earth (Rev. 14:13). The rest granted us when by Christ on earth (Matt. 11:28-29), paradoxically, is a rest we now must “make every effort to enter” (Heb. 4:11). Heaven’s labor will be refreshing, productive and unthwarted, without futility and frustration. Perhaps it will be like the Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15), before sin brought the curse on the ground, with its thorns (Gen. 3:17-19).

45. In accord with our service for Christ while on earth, we will reign with Him in heaven (2 Tim. 2:12;Rev. 3:21; 22:5). This implies specific delegated responsibilities for those under our leadership (Luke 19:17-19). We judge or rule over the world and we judge and rule over angels (1 Cor. 6:2-3).

46. At the center of the future heaven will be the city of the New Jerusalem.  The exact dimensions of the heavenly city are measured by an angel and reported as a 12,000 stadia (1500 mile) cube (Rev. 22:15-17). This base of over two million square miles would stretch from the west coast to the Mississippi river, and from the borders of Canada to Mexico, covering two thirds the entire land mass of the United States. More astounding is its 1500 mile height. By present standards, that would be 780,000 stories. It is apparently within this vast city that we will have personal dwelling places, which Jesus has prepared for us (John 14:2; Luke 16:9; Rev. 21:2).

Note: While the dimensions and proportions may have symbolic importance (e.g. the Holy of Holies, God’s dwelling place, was a cube), this does not mean the dimensions are not literal. In fact, Rev. 22 goes to great lengths to express these exact dimensions and to emphasize they are in “man’s measurement”–if the city really were these dimensions (and there is no reason it couldn’t be), what more could we expect God to say to convince us of this?

47. Heaven’s New Jerusalem is filled with magnificent beauty, including streets of gold and buildings of pearls, emeralds and precious stones(Rev. 21:19-21).

48. Heaven has light, water, trees and fruit (Rev. 22:1-2).

49. The heavenly city’s gates are always open, and people will travel in and out, some bringing wonderful things into the city (Rev. 21:24-25;22:14). Travel outside the city suggests the city is not the whole of heaven, but merely its center.

50. Heaven contains some animals (including wolves, lambs, and lions), at least in its millennial phase (Isaiah 65:25). Even before the millennium, there are horses in heaven (Rev. 6:2-8; 19:11), enough for the armies of heaven to ride (Rev. 19:11;2 Kings 6:17).

51. In heaven, we’ll eat and drink at a table with Christ and the redeemed saints from earth, communicating and fellowshipping and rejoicing with them (Matt. 8:11; Luke 22:29, 30; Rev. 19:9)."

Thank you, Father, for creating a place for us for eternity. Thank you for sending your Son, so that we can all deserve tho go there even though we are really messed up here on earth. Thank you for providing the Bible, the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of others, to help us learn more and more about you and your plan for all of us. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Jesus conquered sin AND death - what does that mean really?

From shereadstruth.com - Easter 3/27/2016
Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, present at creation, came in the flesh to be the mediator between God and man. He lived the life of perfect righteousness that all people have failed to live. He died as a lamb led to the slaughter, offering Himself up as the perfect sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world, once and for all. He rose from the grave defeating death itself (1 Corinthians 15:54). Bearing all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), He lives as the appointed heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2). Jesus rules over every corner of creation, putting every enemy under His feet, while making alive—by His grace through faith—those who were dead in their sins (Romans 6:11).

I have been learning so much the past month as I studied about Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection.  God has opened my eyes to many new truths and the complexity of His plan. 

Today, as I read my devotion and praised Him during the Easter service,  I realized I had not fully comprehended the meanings of His death AND resurrection.

His death, his body, was for atonement (He took the punishment) for our sins. His resurrection, His blood? Conquered death! I have heard these phrases spoken multiple times, but today they have such a clearer meaning.

(Quoted from shereadstruth.com Easter 2016)
 If Jesus has not risen, those who trust in Him are to be pitied because their hope extends no further than their wishful thinking. Their faith is futile, and they remain in their sins (1 Corinthians 15:16-19). But if Jesus has risen, then His disciples are born into a new hope—because just as death entered the world through one man, Adam, now resurrection has done the same through the incarnate Son of God, who has prevailed over the power of the curse (Romans 5:12-17). The last enemy, death itself, has been destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26).

Luke 22:19-20
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Doesn't forgiveness of sin and being raised to live eternally in Heaven parallel Jesus last supper with His disciples? 

Bread=body=broken=forgiveness for our sins! Cup=blood/life=raised from dead=so we can also be raised from the dead to spend eternity in heaven!

So, I understood He DIED for my SINS. I know He was RAISED by God and He now lives forever with Him in heaven. I didn't fully comprehend He was raised on the first Easter to ensure all Christians would never die eternally but also go to heaven (be raised from the dead also) to be with God FOREVER! That is perfectly symbolized by the Last Supper. Did you know that?

Athiesm and Agnosticism - what are they? How to respond

In class today, we were studying John 16:5-18. We discussed how the final sin, the reason people will go to hell is not believing in Jesus Christ. The teacher suggested we find RC Sproul's comments on Athiesm and Agnosticism. So, here it is!  Very interesting!

http://www.hopefortheheart.org/pdfs/OLQR-pr-Atheism%20&%20Agnosticism.pdf 

In Bible studies.com:

Everything Designed Has a Designer

The design of the human body demands the existence of a designer.

Have you ever pondered all that’s involved in the simple act of seeing? Scientists tell us that the delicate engineering of the eye's cornea and lens make the most advanced camera seem like a child’s toy by comparison. The tiny rods and cones in the eye change light into electro-chemical impulses through processes the most sophisticated laboratory can’t reproduce. And brain cells transform these electrical impulses into the miracle of perception – something no high-tech computer can come close to doing.

Engineering, chemistry, information processing – all are involved every time we open our eyes. Charles Darwin once stated that the thought of the eye, and how it could possibly be produced by natural selection, made him ill. Here’s why:

The human eye could not have evolved over long periods of time, because it is absolutely useless unless complete. The lens, which focuses light, would be useless without the retina, which senses light. And all the light received would serve no purpose without the nerve fibers which carry signals to the brain.

Vision involves a complete system of organs – all interrelated, all thoroughly designed. That’s the way it is with the whole human body. Lungs and heart, nerves and muscles, all perform incredibly complicated tasks that depend on other incredibly complicated tasks.

No wonder the Psalmist concluded that the human body speaks loud and clear of a wonderful Creator:

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  —Psalm 139:14. (Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptural texts in the DISCOVER guides are from the New Inter

Depression

Mark 5
21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” 35While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36Overhearing[a] what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Today, in my devotions, I read this passage. It shows how Jesus could take two grossly serious situations, one person sick for decades and another dead, and turn them around. In Acts, it also shows how the apostles were able to do the same thing. All if this was done through faith, either the person doing the healing believing God would heal the other person or the person themselves believing God would heal them. Where does that faith come from?

At the end of the devotional, one of the comments asked for prayer. The person suffered from depression and wanted prayers as she felt she was far from God today (don't we all have that feeling sometimes?). She stated she knew God would see her through, but really needed prayers right then. There were several responses stating they were praying for her right then. Other responses praying that Satan would be bound and she would be released from her depression. Requests that God would help her through this. 

For me though, I noticed that in the midst of her depression she wrote that she knew "God will see me through" this and that she knew she needed prayer. Wow! What faith! I responded and thanked God for her faith and her strength to ask for prayer! Here is a women in the middle of depression, and she KNEW God would see her through it. She KNEW to reach out to others for prayer. She may be depressed, but she has great faith! I think she will be just fine. God has plans for her. But then, God has plans for all of us, doesn't He...even if we can't see it.

So where does her faith come from? Romans 12:3, Ephesians 2:5, 8, 9,16 state that God gives us faith. We may be messed up, depressed, making wrong choices, in the middle of sinning right now, but God gives us faith to know He will see us through! He still loves us. He will not give up on us. He knows we are sinners, but then that is why He sent His Son to die for our sins...So we can be set free from those sins. Since we are free from those sins, we can glorify God for sending His son, for forgiving our sins, for giving us everything we need...including the faith we need everyday. The faith to know we can get through anything, everyday!

Father, we praise you and thank you today for tending to our every need: our sin, our weakness, our need for prayer, our need for faith in you. We thank you for sending your Son to forgive our sins so that we can move ahead today. We thank you that we are seen as holy in your eyes through Jesus Christ. We thank you that you have given us the Holy Spirit to keep us with you, to have faith, to cry out for prayer. Thank you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Doing God's will not ours.

Acts 5 - just after the apostles were freed from prison by an angel of the Lord and continued preaching about Christ. They were ordered too stop which resulted in the following reply:

29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

33When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 

...If it is from God, you won't be able to stop them. Or as Romans 8:31 states, if God is for us, who can be against us! You can't argue with that! If the maker of the entire universe is on your side because you are doing His will, well there is no stopping you. That is very empowering, don't you think so?

That doesn't mean there won't be any hardship. These apostles were beaten before they were released in order for the Sanhedrin to save face! Yet they rejoiced after their beatings, because they knew they were doing what God, the master of the universe, wanted them to do. They were beaten for telling people about Christ, and they were fine with that. They didn't ask to be beaten. They didn't want to be beaten for the fun of it (really?). They rejoiced in being beaten because it was in response to their telling everyone about the saving grace of Jesus.

If God is for us...don't forget it has to be for God's will not ours. The apostles were rejoicing after being beaten because the KNEW they were beaten for doing what Jesus told them to do.  How will you know if it God's will and not yours? While doing something, you will be thinking about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit rather than yourself! If it is about how you will look, how you will feel, how you will help someone, then it is about YOU! If you are thinking about how you don't want someone to be condemned to hell and you instead want them to be in heaven someday and during their time on earth to have joy and peace and love, then that is God's will! You are thinking about them and their eternal destiny!

Jesus, please keep me attuned to the Holy Spirit's leading. Don't let me listen to my pride or want of self importance. Keep me focused on you and your plan. In your name I pray. Amen.