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NASB | Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God's absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, |
Bible Question:
Do those in heaven know what's happening on earth? ...Some teach that our deceased Christian loved ones can see us from heaven. They frequently cite from Hebrews 12:1, which says: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us . . . run with endurance the race that is set before us." ...They interpret that to mean our departed loved ones watch us like spectators do in a stadium, seeing our every move and cheering us on. While that may seem comforting, is the Bible really teaching that? |
Bible Answer: I think that when we are in heaven within sight of the glory of God... watching the goings on down here will be the last thing we concern ourselves with. The Bible does state that just before God's wrath is poured out on the earth, that those who have victory over the beast (believers) (Rev. 15:2) have harps, and they are singing praises to God. "Do those in heaven know what's happening on earth?" In Rev. 6:10, the martyrs only seemed to know that God's wrath had not been completed yet. The "cloud of witnesses" mentioned in that verse are those who have come before us (reference to those previous verses) whose lives and faith provide a witness to us in God's power to save. |