Response to post "What's So Great About Heaven?" posted yesterday...

[hope_dies_last]

The question posed by late yesterday’s post, “What’s So Great About Heaven” elicited some responses, many of which ring true from a Biblical perspective. I was compelled to put in my two cents and was blessed by the research done to compile the Bible verses to support the response. After some editing, I have now posted the response in an effort to resurrect the thread of this discussion. However, words do not do any justice in even beginning to scratch the surface of describing this state of Eternal Bliss we call Heaven. Incidentally, Heaven has nothing to do with the idea commonly portrayed by the movie industry.

The Bible, of course, gives us an indication and a mere glimpse of what words would fail to describe, of what lies in store for those who love Christ and also love His Appearing (2 Timothy 4:8)

Meeting our Creator, Jesus Christ, would have to rank number one on the poll, followed by the joy of meeting our saved loved ones, the Patriarchs, Prophets and Kings of the Old Testament, as well as the Twelve Apostles, the Early Church Founders, many of which are named in the New Testament and finally the Heavenly Host, including our Guardian Angel. This is of course assuming you would be reading your Bible and learning more about this enormous cloud of witnesses, that have preceded us in preparation for this Eternal outcome.

Love is the reigning Principle that envelopes the Atmosphere of Heaven, which is a pure reflection of God's True Character revealed in His Holy Law, the Ten Commandments. The three concepts that most clearly express God's Infinite Love are Truth, Justice and Mercy.

Let's glimpse over what the Bible has to tell us about Heaven:

God will engrave His Eternal Law upon our Hearts, as He did on the two tablets of stone on Mt. Sinai (Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 11:19)

God grants us an Immortal, Incorruptible Body (1 Corinthians 15:51-55,

We will Behold the face of Jesus and He will be our Light and there will be no more sun (Revelation 22:3-5)

God will give us an Incorruptible Crown (2 Timothy 4:8, Revelation 2:10)

There will be no more death, nor pain, nor sorrow (Revelation 21:4)

God will dwell with Redeemed Humanity for All Eternity for Ever and Ever (Revelation 21:3)

We will not remember our hurtful past of woe and sin (Isaiah 65:17)

We will eat fruit from the Tree of Life for the healing of the nations and drink from the River of Life (Revelation 22:1-2)

We will Reign with Christ a Thousand Years (Revelation 20:6)

Will keep the Sabbath Eternally on the New Heavens and the New Earth (Isaiah 66:22-23)

The dimensions of Holy City, the New Jerusalem, are described not as a two-dimensional, flat surface area, but as a three-dimensional concept, laid out as a square, 1,500 miles on each side, indicating an engineering and design by the Master far beyond anything that could be even conceived presently by human engineers, let alone past or present constructing abilities. (Revelation 21:16)

As stated earlier, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard" (1 Corinthians 2:9, Isaiah 64:4), but there is so much more the Bible tells us about the Desire of Ages, which is Christ (Haggai 2:7), who fills the Temple of God with His Glory, and will be also our Peace, our Redeemer, our Healer, our Father and Friend forever.

We are all only a wilful decision away from sealing our destiny to live and reign with Christ forever.

No discussion of Heaven would be complete without pointing out that according to the Bible, we are not going to dwell in Heaven forever, or at least in the sense of "The Third Heaven" that the Apostle John described in the Book of Revelation.

We will celebrate, in that sense, a Thousand-Year, Marriage-Supper of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem; which is the Heavenly City (Revelation 19:7, Matthew 22:1-14) The Bridegroom in this marriage is Christ (John 3:29: John 1:29); and the Bride is the Church composed of the Redeemed of All the Ages (Ephesians 5:32), who will also inhabit the Holy City (Revelation 21:2).

After the Thousand Year Reign with Christ, the New Jerusalem will descend upon the newly re-created New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:1, Revelation 20;6, Isaiah 65:17, Isaiah 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13)

God Created Man to inhabit and fill the whole Earth. The Enemy of Souls has temporarily thwarted this plan through sin and deception of humanity, however God will accomplish His Eternal purposes, while vindicating His Name and Character and ultimately destroying Satan, His Fallen Angels, the ungodly and sin forever in the process.

We will inhabit the New Earth, after the Thousand-Year reign, and build houses and plant vineyards (Isaiah 65:21)

This is not the case of being of a pre-millennial or post-millennial persuasion... it is of a Biblical-view persuasion. Various winds of doctrine have managed to complicate what the Bible very simply and candidly presents.

God is Eternal in all our known dimensions of Time, Space, Substance, Energy and Love, and also in those dimensions that we do not yet know. Consequently, if anyone is still contemplating that Eternity may become boring, the point is being entirely missed and there may be self-serving ambitions that may have taken pre-eminence in trying to conjecture what Heaven may be like.

We are now broken human vessels and even so, we can still perceive the Wonderful Majesty of God in a cursed and blight stricken Creation; still under the shadow of the curse. When Truth and the Life, Christ, is revealed in All His Glory we will no longer need to ask ourselves any more questions. We will understand the nature of our calling and our purpose as to why we were created.

[hfr]

Tough question. I don't have any easy answer. I do find some suggestions in the Bible that provoke thought however.

For example, Romans chapter 10 presents the idea that the whole world has heard the Gospel - at least in Paul's day. Here's the pertinent verse:

"But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." (Romans 10:18)

One shouldn't make a major doctrine from one (relatively obscure) verse. But the language is that the whole world heard the Gospel message, at least at one time.

Then there is the idea that God can be known by creation, it's given statement in Romans 1:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." (Romans 1:18-23)

That makes it pretty plain, God "shewed" it, it is "clearly seen", "without excuse", "they knew God". That kind of language doesn't leave many options.

Then you have John 3, the words of Jesus Himself:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:16-19)

"light is come into the world", and men love darkness instead.

It is very difficult to imagine that God somehow doesn't have the ability to make the Gospel known, or that He hasn't. But the fact remains that humanity is alienated from God because of sin. Jesus made reconciliation. The condemnation is because of rejecting Jesus.

There is also the teaching of "election" in the Bible. It shouldn't be confused with "predestination". It is plainly stated an number of times. On the other hand, never do we find any statement of "election to depravity". That is (IMHO) merely a human need for symmetry of doctrine. God's word doesn't seem to have the same need.

As far as "good" people go, there isn't any such thing. Romans 3:23:

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)

I'd suggest reading the entire of chapter 3 in Romans.

Anyway, the idea that somebody ignorant of Christ is condemned for that ignorance - well that's a toughie. Old timers used to say that if we're so concerned about those who've never heard we ought to rush out and tell them.

The Bible only says that Christ is our savior, and there is none other name under Heaven by which we must be saved. As far as those who haven't heard, I don't think we should make doctrines where the Scriptures are silent. But we have plenty of warrant to teach the only basis of salvation.