What Will We Do in Heaven for Eternity?

[p_rehbein]

1st Thessalonians 4:14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 .) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 .) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 .) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 .) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 

[p_rehbein]

Romans 8:38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 .) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

[p_rehbein]

2nd Corinthians 5:6) Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 .) (For we walk by faith, not by sight
8 .) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

 

[p_rehbein]

Philippians 1:21) For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 .) But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
23 .) For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24 .) Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

 

[p_rehbein]

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever

 

[p_rehbein]

[h=1]John
14[/h]
1 .) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 .) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 .) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 .) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 .) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 .) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 .) If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

 

[Butch5]

different covenant, different time...............goodness............just HOW MANY mansions do you suppose could be fit into an earthy temple?

Actually, our hope is the same as that of Abraham.

10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: {confirmed...: Gr. interposed himself by}
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Heb 6:10-20 KJV)

The land was promised to Abraham, Isaac, And Jacob, as an everlasting possession. Paul said that that promise is the Christian's hope and anchor of the soul. There's nothing in the Scriptures about believers going to Heaven, their destiny is a renewed earth in which Christ will reign.

 

[Butch5]

different covenant, different time...............goodness............just HOW MANY mansions do you suppose could be fit into an earthy temple?

The word mansion isn't in the original text. Jesus is referring to the abodes that were built into the temple for the priests. Also keep in mind that Jesus made that statement in John 14 to the disciples.

 

[john832]

Yes, Jesus will return one day.......and He will gather to Him His children and they shall be with Him in Heaven for all eternity.

John 17:20) Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 .) That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 .) And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 .) I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
24 .) Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 .) O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 .) And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Nowhere in this passage does it say we will be in heaven.

 

[john832]

Matthew 25:31) When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 .) And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 .) And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 .) Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

So He comes here, judges the nations and separates them. Where does it say we go to heaven?

 

[john832]

1st Corinthians 15:47) The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 .) As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 .) And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 .) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 .) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 .) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 .) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 .) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 .) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 .) The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 .) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 .) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

And where does it say we go to heaven?

 

[john832]

1st Thessalonians 4:14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 .) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 .) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 .) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 .) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Clouds and air: the earth's atmosphere. Where does Christ go after the saints are gathered to Him?

Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The elect are gathered to Him. Where does He go from there?

Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

He is coming back...

Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

And Christ is here on the earth ruling for 1000 years.

 

[john832]

Romans 8:38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 .) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

OK, nothing can separate us from God's love. That says we go to heaven where?

 

[john832]

2nd Corinthians 5:6) Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 .) (For we walk by faith, not by sight
8 .) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Are you sure you understand Paul's figure of speech?

1Co 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

Now review the circumstances. This is a figure of speech Paul used.

 

[john832]

Philippians 1:21) For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 .) But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
23 .) For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24 .) Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

OK, and at the resurrection when all the saints are made alive again, where is Christ?

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

 

[john832]

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever

And where is that house?

Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Isa 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Isa 66:20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.

Jesus Christ will return to Jerusalem, specifically the Mount of Olives...

Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Mic 4:3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Mic 4:4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

Here we have people, human beings, under the Government of God that verse 2 plainly says flows from Jerusalem.

We don't go there, Christ comes back here.

 

[john832]

John
14


1 .) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 .) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 .) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 .) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 .) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 .) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 .) If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

You quoted verse 3, read it...

Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Christ comes back and receives the saints to Him.

 

[john832]

The word mansion isn't in the original text. Jesus is referring to the abodes that were built into the temple for the priests. Also keep in mind that Jesus made that statement in John 14 to the disciples.

Yes! A very good translation here would have been offices. Not as physical rooms but positions in His government.

 

[secularhermit]

I Googled the topic, and came across this. And I, being an astronomy nut, would love if this were the case. I would like to hear what you think we will be doing in Heaven. Either way, whatever God has in store for us for eternity will be magnificent beyond our wildest dreams:

"We aren't told what would have resulted had Adam been obedient, but he was the steward of the entire planet and potentially beyond. What responsibility will be given us in eternity? Scripture only reveals that "His servants shall serve Him" (Revelation 22:3) in heaven and that he who has been "faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things" (Matthew 25:23). Astronomers now know the universe teems with billions of beautiful galaxies never before seen, and we wonder why God even created them. Never before have humans even known of them. There are many more galaxies than there are people who have ever been born. What is their purpose, and what is their future? Let me speculate.
In a marvelous passage on the glories of heaven we are told that we are already seated in "heavenly places" (Ephesians 2:6) positionally declared righteous in His eyes, and able to receive His favor and participate in His plan for the ages. Might this also have a physical meaning?
Has God created this immense universe as our "Garden" for eternity? Will we have access to the stars? The same passage teaches that "in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (v.7). Perhaps He will assign a galaxy to each of us, with the rewarding work of developing it for His glory. We will always be welcome in His omnipresence, experiencing fellowship unbroken by sin or distance. But maybe He will expect an occasional progress report on our galaxy. Just as Adam was to "tend" the Garden, we may have the privilege of exploring and showcasing His stellar handiwork and visiting the "gardens" of others, all the while fellowshipping with Him and giving Him credit for His creative majesty. We will have an eternity of time to explore seemingly infinite space, giving glory to Him in all, and pleasing Him with faithful service. At any rate, we can dream."

Physically, I started to believe Adam and Eve were solely seeds and earth was somewhat a place were seeds are to be picked, as it is also said in Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."

The barn is the outter space, where weeds are to be burnt this land (Rev_14:19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. ). The harvest will give the spiritual humanity saved a chance to work around this galaxy or beyond this we think it known (Mat_9:37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few

 

[Brother_Don]

not sure what we'll be doing, but i believe it will be great, and well worth the wait.