"Heaven?"

Victory Can Be Yours!

Article #57 – “Heaven?”

               Have you ever wondered what heaven will be like?  First of all, it is where all believers go when their life on earth comes to a close.  Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)  We see from this passage that there is already a place prepared for us.  We will one day be there where the Father and the Son currently dwell.  “The Lord is in His holy temple the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.” (Psa. 11:4)  In this passage, we learn that the Lord Jesus resides in heaven where we all will reside, IF, we believe in Jesus Christ.  The Scripture is clear that when we pass on from this life we go to be where the Lord is, in heaven. 

There are two possible ways for Christians to get to heaven.  One is through the process of dying, the other is to be raptured.  Paul describes the rapture, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:16, 17)  Those who have passed on, their bodies reside in their grave while their spirit is present with the Lord.  However, when the Lord comes in the clouds for the body of Christ, those believers who have passed on beforehand will have their bodies raised from their graves to join the Lord.  He then calls all those Christians who remain alive at the time to meet them in the clouds and they all will reside with the Lord forever.  This is what is referred to as the rapture of the church. 

               In the book of the Revelations of Jesus Christ, chapter 1:12-16, and chapter four gives us pictures of some of what we will see in heaven when we get there.  This describes pictures or symbolisms used by John probably because of the overwhelming, breath-taking view that is impossible, in human terms, to describe what John was seeing.  It would certainly be beyond our imagination the brilliance, power, purity, and the orderliness of what we will one time lay our eyes upon.  The perfection of heaven cannot be described by the finite human mind.  In chapter 6:9-11 is also pictured the souls of those slain because of their testimony of Jesus.  In verse 10; “And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” This would indicate that heaven is physical in nature and that those there can see what is going on with those left behind.

               Many and maybe most of Christians, and the world, think that heaven will be our final destination and that we will spend eternity there.  The Bible indicates that heaven is only a temporary dwelling place for believers until Christ returns to earth to set up His kingdom.  The church returns to earth as the bride of Christ to reside there with Him for a thousand years.

               You, too, can have victory in Jesus.  More to follow on the millennial reign.

Lowell Parrish