You pause, knowing that all eternity hangs on your answer. What will you say? Let me make this very personal. If you were to die tonight, do you know for certain that you would go to heaven? I've already said that this is too important to say "I think so" or "I hope so. What we need is solid ground on which to stand. And we have it in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our entire hope of heaven is wrapped up in what Jesus did when he died on the cross for the sins of the world and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning.
My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand. That says it all. If you want to go to heaven, you must base your hope on the solid rock of Jesus' blood and righteousness.
Are you standing on the Rock this morning? Are you wholly leaning on Jesus' name? No one goes to heaven by accident. Heaven is God's prepared place for prepared people. We prepare for heaven and then God prepares heaven for us. I've already told you that most people believe in heaven and most people think they are going there.
But are they on the right road? Are they building their lives on Jesus Christ-the solid rock? Too many, I fear, are standing on sinking sand and do not know it. What is your hope for heaven? Mine is Jesus Christ. I've staked everything I have on him. If he can't take me to heaven, then I'm not going there. What about you? When the dark night falls, the lights go out, and the waters of death swirl around you, what will happen to you then?
If you know Jesus, you have nothing to fear. Put your trust in Jesus. Run to the Cross. Stand with your full weight on the Solid Rock of our salvation. May God help you to trust in Jesus Christ and him alone for your salvation.
And may God grant that we will all meet one day in heaven. Related: Heaven - What is it Like and Where is it? How Do I Get to Heaven? Do Dogs go to Heaven? Is Hell Real? Are There Levels of Hell? Shoebox Collection Week is Here! Plus Toggle navigation. Password Assistance. Email address. Ray Pritchard. Share Tweet Save. Sandra Hamer Smith. Emma Danzey. How Long Should a Pastor Preach? Clarence L. Haynes Jr. Britt Mooney. Jason Soroski.
All rights reserved. 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 lame in heaven Isaiah , 6 and Philippians 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 Most importantly, God will be in heaven and He wants to be your friend.
He wants to dwell with you and wipe away all your tears Revelation Is heaven real? Is there a heaven? There are many popular myths about heaven and where it is that create misunderstanding. According to the Bible, the universe is not only infinite, but also filled with intelligent, friendly, benevolent beings.
The most amazing and almost unbelievable fact is that the way to heaven is not complicated. Our title to heaven is given freely to those who accept that God bore our wrongs against Himself when Jesus died on the cross.
When we ask Him for forgiveness and a new heart to keep His commandments, He will freely give us both. Please note: one must study the biblical context to understand which of the three meanings is implied.
After Jesus was raised from the dead, He went to heaven. The Bible says: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven" Acts I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" John In their place are a new heaven and earth. And then the New Jerusalem, later described as the bride of Christ Revelation descends from heaven to earth. Finally, the announcement from the throne of God is that he will now dwell among us. This chapter in Revelation is similar in many ways to the description of Eden, the initial home of humanity.
It seems like our end is a return to our beginnings, to what we were created to be in the first place. If this view of Revelation is correct, then it would appear that our abode in heaven is temporary. And that our permanent home is on a newly recreated earth. There are a couple of passages that are, at least in popular thought, considered to be descriptive of heaven. Most modern translations use rooms or dwelling places rather than mansions.
But it is still common to heard older people talk about their mansion in heaven. I suspect there will be no mansions. Another passage frequently used to describe heaven comes from the 21st and 22nd chapters of Revelation. These chapters describe an immense city with streets of gold and gates of pearls. But if you look at Revelation , you will find that this chapter is describing the bride of Christ, the church, rather than heaven.
The Pearly Gates would also seem come out of this passage in Revelation. The New Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, is described as having gates of pearls with the names of the 12 tribes written on them. But, again, this is descriptive of the bride of Christ rather than heaven. Heaven is a very common term in the Bible. And heaven is frequently associated with the home of believers when we leave this life.
You can read her piece on hell here. She had a point. Mark Twain might have agreed with her assessment. Most of us have some concept of heaven, even if it is one formed by movies like What Dreams May Come, The Lovely Bones, or think it involves meeting Morgan Freeman in a white room. And while not as complicated as biblical ideas about hell , the biblical concept of heaven is not particularly simple either.
As New Testament scholar Paula Gooder writes :. Yet heaven and paradise were originally more about where God lived, not about us or our ultimate destination. The words for heaven or heavens in both Hebrew shamayim and Greek ouranos can also be translated as sky. It is not something that exists eternally but rather part of creation.
0コメント