Sharing from Answers to Questions About Heaven

by

David Jeremiah

I've always wondered about Heaven.  Yes I've read my Bible and studied God's Word, and yet, I still wonder and look forward with anxious anticipation to the day I will see it in all it's wonder and glory.

Please don't think I'm fixated on death or dying.  I am very much alive and living a blessed and happy life.  I'm perfectly content, that doesn't keep me from wondering, what is it about heaven that makes my heart so happy?  After all, it is our future home.

Of course number one is Jesus will be there!!

Still I wonder . . . 

Do you know Heaven is mentioned over 500 times in scripture?

WoW, no wonder I wonder!

Why should I study heaven while I'm still living on earth?

With it being mentioned over 500 times in the Bible, heaven ought to be prominent in our hearts and in our thoughts.

God has placed within our hearts a hunger for eternity, a hunger for heaven.

The truth is we can never approximate all that God has prepared for us in our heavenly home.  And we cannot recreate heaven on earth.  But when we choose to focus on and prepare for the eternal home that awaits us, our earthly focus is shifted toward living a life that honors God and leads others to him.

FYI:

There are Bible verses about heaven in fifty-four of the sixty-six books in the Bible. Jesus mentions Heaven about seventy times in the book of Matthew alone. 

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.

John 14:2

Until Next Time

Is There a Heaven ~ Part 5

John 17:3

3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Continuing a study by David Jeremiah . . .

How to Live in Light of Eternity

You may be thinking: What next?  How are Christ-followers called to live?  What we think about heaven determines how we live today  We are to set our minds and our hearts on the things above and not focus on trying to profit from this world ~ but instead store up treasures in heaven.  We must make sure that our lives are matching the purpose for which we were created.  We must be diligent to pursue God's righteousness through the Word, prayer, purity, and seeking His will.  Titus, a follower of Christ in the Bible, said, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, deying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."

You know, eternal life does not start when you go to heaven.  It starts the moment you reach out to Jesus.  That is where it all begins!

Corrie ten Boom

Psalm 22:26
 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever!

Every act of our lives strikes some chord that will vibrate in eternity.

Rick Warren

. . . Scriptures . . .

Romans 10:9=13, 17

Luke 15:10

Eternity is just a breath away...

For His Glory

Is There a Heaven ~ Part 3

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Continuing a study by David Jeremiah . . .

 The Location of Heaven

No one knows for certain where heaven is, although we can guess that it is up.  In the Bible, Paul, a follower of Christ and organizer of the Church at that time, describes Jesus as descending from heaven and ascending to heaven, which makes it appear to be above.  Paul also tells us to set our hearts and minds "on things above" and that Christ will "come down from heaven" at His Second Coming.

Colossians 3:2
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

John 6:38
 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

The People That Get To Go to Heaven

It's become a common belief in our society that "all good people go to heaven."  But that is not true.  The only people that get to go to heaven are those who belong to Christ ~ anyone who has confessed that Jesus is Lord and truly believes that God raised Him from the dead.  No one can earn their way into heaven because no one is truly good ~ only Christ is truly righteous.

Romans 10:9

..if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

From Billy Graham

Question:

Will earth be an extension of Heaven some day?

Answer:

Yes, the Bible tells us that God will bring Heaven to earth where He will live among His people at the end of this present age. In that day, the old will be destroyed, a new earth will be created, and there will truly be Heaven on earth. The apostle Peter wrote, “We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness”  (2 Peter 3:13)

When God created the world, the first book in the Old Testament tells us He spoke Heaven and earth and the seas into existence (Genesis 1:6-9).  In the last book of the New Testament, Christ tells John to write down His revelation of the future. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City . . . coming down out of heaven from God. . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.’ . . . He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ ” (Revelation 21:1-3, 5).

Earth cannot promise anything eternal. Earth’s value will plummet when Heaven comes down. with the glory of God. Someday the earth as we know it will pass away, but God’s Word will never pass away—and that is why we can say with assurance that earth has no hold on us. The Old Testament saints declared themselves strangers and aliens on earth, and we, too, should hold loosely the things of this world because they will not last.

Heaven comes down, earthly things will fall away and the goodness of God will reign.

(I encourage you to read the hi-lited scriptures.)

. . . Scriptures . . .

2 Timothy 4:18
Revelation 14:2-3
Revelation 21:4, 9-27

Once again I encourage you to get into your Bible and read these scriptures.  There's nothing like holding God's Word in your hand and letting the words jump into your heart.

For His Glory

Is There a Heaven?

I received a pamphlet from David Jeremiah titled "Is There A Heaven."  It's very short and I thought I would share with you.  There's four parts and I will share one a day ~  I hope you enjoy...

Is There a Heaven

For centuries, people have asked, "Is there a heaven?"  Countless communities throughout history have believed in an afterlife. . . . in fact, all people have a hunger for eternity.  Out spirits long for more than just this life.  According to the Bible, death is not the end.  Aftr we die, our soul lives on.  When we die, our body goes to the grave, but our spirit, our true being, goes to one of two places: heaven (Paradise) or hell (a place of torment). After death, you will either spend eternity with God or with Satan. . . . separated from God for all time.

God Wants You in Heaven

You might ask: Does anyone care if I go to heaven?  YES!  God cares, and He wants you to go to heaven, and be with Him forever!  The Bible says the angels rejoice when a lost soul is saved .. . . which means, they're ready to celebrate you! 

Luke 15:10
Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

God has a specific purpose solely for you, and He wants you to follow it.  God wants you in heaven, and Jesus loves you so much He was willing to die for you.

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 14:3

Here are more scriptures about Heaven.  I hope you will get into your Bibles and read them, study them and pray over them.

Isaiah 11:6-8

Isaiah 65:25

Matthew 6:8-15, 20

Sharing from Believing God by Beth Moore:

Your promised land is the place where God's personalized promises over your life become a living reality rather than a theological theory.

David Paul Jeremiah (born February 13, 1941)

is a conservative evangelical Christian author, founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, a Southern Baptist church in El Cajon, California, a suburb of San Diego,

For His Glory,