Bible Question: I have been a Christian twenty years, born again at age 37. My verse I love is I DO BELIEVE, HELP ME WITH MY UNBELIEF. I feel prayer is a supreme act of faith. How can God hear our thoughts? where is heaven? These are child like questions, but I am very serious and would like some really thought out answers. I have a M. DIV so I am looking for some genuine theoligical thinking, please. If you also struggle with this I would like to know how you deal with it too. I bekieve that if I seek answers so must others, so lets bring it to the surface! |
Bible Answer: Dear brother: I may not be able to reach deep theological thinking and yet I would like to respond. I have been born again for 47 years, however, age in the Lord does not make one necessarily wiser. Some questions appear simple and yet are profound. Where is Heaven? A fragment of a song comes to mind: "Where Jesus is tis heaven there" The Hebrew word accordding to "Strongs" #08064 transliterated "Shamayim" means "lofty" in the general sense. However, heaven can refer to: a) the atmosphere b) outer space c) the third heaven Humans through technology have managed to invade (a) and (b), but (c) is the question we are discussing. I think that we can probably agree that heaven is the abode of God. We could ask however does God need an abode since he is omnipresent? Jesus referred many times to his father in heaven. Paul in writing to the Corinthians speaks of being "caught up to the third heaven" and "caught up into paradise" (2 Cor. 12 :2, 4) From this passage we could assume that heaven and paradise are the same place. We must remember however, that paradise before the resurrection of Christ was referred to as "hades" or hell( the place of departed spirits). In Luke the Lord Jesus talks about two men in "hades". In the account we find that there was a place for those who were comforted known as "Abraham's bosum" and there were those who were in torment. More importantly, between the two their was a great gulf of separation. In Psalm 16:10 we read the prophetic words regarding Christ after his death: "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." In Luke 23:43 we have the words of Jesus to the thief "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." When Jesus died his body was placed in the tomb and he went to paradise. On the third day he arose and "... When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive.." (Eph. 4:8) I believe the idea here is that when the Lord Jesus ascended to his father, he freed those who were in paradise with him and presented them to his father on high. We read in Eph. 4: 10 "he that descended (Jesus)is also the same which ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things" Where is Jesus now? "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:" (Heb. 1:3) Do Christians go to heaven when they die? You say "what a silly question?" In John 14 Jesus was explaining to the disciples that he would soon be leaving them. " If I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also" Jesus was going by the way of the cross to prepare a way of salvation for them. And because of his victory at Calvary those would have trusted him would be "where I am". Where does a believer go when they die: According to Paul in 2 Cor. 5 "absent from the body and present with the Lord"V.6 The word present, I believe has a sense of "being" with him in his presence. What about the future for those who are with Christ and their bodies are corrupted in the graves? In 1 Thess. 4:17 we read that when the Lord comes the dead will be raised and we which are alive at his coming "will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.; so shall we ever be with the Lord." Heaven is to be with him in his fathers house; where that geographical location may be I am not sure. I will stop for now Robert |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Bible general Archive 1 | Author | ||
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Cyclist | ||
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gloriajean | ||
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gamewiz328 | ||
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farout | ||
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Makarios | ||
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Robert Nicholson | ||
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Robert Nicholson | ||
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frank Asante | ||
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frank Asante | ||
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msbblc | ||
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MARIEMC | ||
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MARIEMC |