 |
| An artist's rendition of Heaven |
Though many folks claim to believe in heaven, not many of them understand what God's glorious kingdom is really like or who dwells there.
It's true that most of our knowledge of heaven comes from the Bible. The scriptures are extremely clear that heaven is a genuine place where God, His angels and the souls of His people dwell. And yet even those who call themselves Christians display a glaring ignorance when they're asked to describe heaven and the afterlife.
For example, the late Cardinal Francis George, who was the archbishop of Chicago for 17 years, revealed that he feared the afterlife because he really didn't know much about heaven or what life is like in the spiritual realm.
This is what he said during an interview he gave a few months before he passed away: "I fear the unknown, and what happens after death is unknown. I mean, in faith we believe that we will live forever, and that God calls us to live with him if we cooperate with his Grace. I believe that sincerely, profoundly, but I don’t know what that means."
George didn't see heaven as a literal place. It's obvious from his statements that he possessed a Roman Catholic view of the afterlife but not a biblical one. This is what he stated: "Spirits don’t inhabit space and time. Bodies inhabit space and time. So it’s (heaven's) not a place, and we don’t know what that means either. For example, we talk about – in technical terms – a beatific vision; that is, to see God as the blessed see him. What does it mean to see without eyes? We don’t know what it means to live without a body."
In fact, the Bible describes heaven as a real place that contains space. And the Bible reveals that the spirits of human beings not only dwell in heaven, but that they also can see and be seen and recognized by others.
For example, the Bible reveals that just as human beings have a physical body, they also possess a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:40) Furthermore, we get a glimpse of those spiritual bodies in the biblical account of the transfiguration of Christ as recorded in Matthew's gospel. (Matthew 17)
When Jesus took disciples Peter, James and John up on a mountain with Him one day, they not only saw Him transformed into his heavenly glory, but they also saw Moses and Elijah appear and begin talking with Christ. Though Moses and Elijah had been dead for many centuries, they appeared not as ghosts but rather as men who were very much alive. Christ's three disciples clearly saw these men in their spiritual bodies that resembled their physical bodies.
Christ also gave us the afterlife account of a destitute man named Lazarus and an unnamed wealthy man who scorned the poor man during his lifetime on earth: "The time came when the beggar (Lazarus) died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'" (Luke 16:22-24)
The rich man's spirit certainly had eyes because he saw Abraham and Lazarus. He also had feelings because he experienced thirst from the intense heat of hell. And he also had his memories because he remembered his family and pleaded with Abraham to send someone to warn them to repent so they wouldn't suffer the same fate when they died: "Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment." (Luke 16:27)
Abraham rejected the wealthy man's request and told him that his family members could find repentance by studying and obeying the writings of Moses and the Hebrew prophets. Clearly, the Bible describes hell as a literal place where the spirits of the dead can see and understand why they landed in such a terrible place.
But what about heaven? The Bible describes it as a beautiful place. The apostle Paul spoke of man in Christ who "was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows--was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)
And in his famous vision, the apostle John was given a glimpse of heaven: "The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass." (Revelation 21:16-21)
That's a real place. And it's where God and His people dwell. Who are God's people? All those who have been born again by faith in God's Son Jesus Christ.
Then, there's that other place. It's where the rich man dwells and all the others who have rejected God's grace in Christ crucified for the sins of the world and His resurrection from the dead. Which place do you want to spend eternity in?
For example, the Bible reveals that just as human beings have a physical body, they also possess a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:40) Furthermore, we get a glimpse of those spiritual bodies in the biblical account of the transfiguration of Christ as recorded in Matthew's gospel. (Matthew 17)
When Jesus took disciples Peter, James and John up on a mountain with Him one day, they not only saw Him transformed into his heavenly glory, but they also saw Moses and Elijah appear and begin talking with Christ. Though Moses and Elijah had been dead for many centuries, they appeared not as ghosts but rather as men who were very much alive. Christ's three disciples clearly saw these men in their spiritual bodies that resembled their physical bodies.
Christ also gave us the afterlife account of a destitute man named Lazarus and an unnamed wealthy man who scorned the poor man during his lifetime on earth: "The time came when the beggar (Lazarus) died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'" (Luke 16:22-24)
The rich man's spirit certainly had eyes because he saw Abraham and Lazarus. He also had feelings because he experienced thirst from the intense heat of hell. And he also had his memories because he remembered his family and pleaded with Abraham to send someone to warn them to repent so they wouldn't suffer the same fate when they died: "Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment." (Luke 16:27)
Abraham rejected the wealthy man's request and told him that his family members could find repentance by studying and obeying the writings of Moses and the Hebrew prophets. Clearly, the Bible describes hell as a literal place where the spirits of the dead can see and understand why they landed in such a terrible place.
But what about heaven? The Bible describes it as a beautiful place. The apostle Paul spoke of man in Christ who "was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows--was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)
And in his famous vision, the apostle John was given a glimpse of heaven: "The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass." (Revelation 21:16-21)
That's a real place. And it's where God and His people dwell. Who are God's people? All those who have been born again by faith in God's Son Jesus Christ.
Then, there's that other place. It's where the rich man dwells and all the others who have rejected God's grace in Christ crucified for the sins of the world and His resurrection from the dead. Which place do you want to spend eternity in?
No comments:
Post a Comment