There are two passages in the Bible which are the driving force of everything else in the Bible. There is Genesis 1:1 which says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” so everything emanates from God. Then there is John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” It is the quest of those who strive for righteousness to be saved and brought into God’s Heaven.
What is in Heaven, that is so appealing? The cynics would say that it is better to go to Heaven than to Hell, since Hell is the Lake of Fire referred to in Revelation and after all it’s no fun to be spending eternity in that lake, in agony from the flames, screaming out, not being able to think of anything except the agonizing fire you are in, how it is hot and it’s searing, and there is no end to it since your soul lasts forever, and so does the fire.
And we know from the Bible that our soul either goes to Heaven or it ends up in Hell, in the Lake of Fire. There is no middle ground. Purgatory? It is man’s invention for those who have no choice but to abandon all other hope. Purgatory in this regard is a fabricated hope that doesn’t exist. There is no settlement available as there is in courts of law. It’s Heaven or Hell, nothing more.
So what is in Heaven? It is described in Revelation as containing a new Jerusalem of walls and gates, and within the walls are flowing rivers with trees of fruit. If you are fortunate to be here, you are not alone because Revelation 7: 9 says that in Heaven is “…a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages…” Indeed, Galatians 3:28, which says There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” is manifested here.
But Heaven is more than a new Jerusalem, since it says in Revelation 21:10 that this city comes out of Heaven, so in Heaven there is more. But as Romans 8:28 says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose,” and Galatians 3:29 says that if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise, then nothing but goodness awaits in Heaven.
Right now, to those of us who live on earth, Heaven is a far away place. We can only imagine what souls do there, day after day for eternity, but we can imagine the days are taken with still-flowing streams and fruited trees. And whatever souls in Heaven do, we can imagine that they are happy to be doing it, having achieved righteousness worthy of their being there.
What is in Heaven, that is so appealing? The cynics would say that it is better to go to Heaven than to Hell, since Hell is the Lake of Fire referred to in Revelation and after all it’s no fun to be spending eternity in that lake, in agony from the flames, screaming out, not being able to think of anything except the agonizing fire you are in, how it is hot and it’s searing, and there is no end to it since your soul lasts forever, and so does the fire.
And we know from the Bible that our soul either goes to Heaven or it ends up in Hell, in the Lake of Fire. There is no middle ground. Purgatory? It is man’s invention for those who have no choice but to abandon all other hope. Purgatory in this regard is a fabricated hope that doesn’t exist. There is no settlement available as there is in courts of law. It’s Heaven or Hell, nothing more.
So what is in Heaven? It is described in Revelation as containing a new Jerusalem of walls and gates, and within the walls are flowing rivers with trees of fruit. If you are fortunate to be here, you are not alone because Revelation 7: 9 says that in Heaven is “…a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages…” Indeed, Galatians 3:28, which says There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” is manifested here.
But Heaven is more than a new Jerusalem, since it says in Revelation 21:10 that this city comes out of Heaven, so in Heaven there is more. But as Romans 8:28 says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose,” and Galatians 3:29 says that if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise, then nothing but goodness awaits in Heaven.
Right now, to those of us who live on earth, Heaven is a far away place. We can only imagine what souls do there, day after day for eternity, but we can imagine the days are taken with still-flowing streams and fruited trees. And whatever souls in Heaven do, we can imagine that they are happy to be doing it, having achieved righteousness worthy of their being there.
