HEAVEN AND HELL Part 3, NT Heaven (Read all five parts, you might just be surprised)

Straight outa here:

 "NT-3. Heaven. 

The average Christian expects to go to heaven at death. This popular view expresses much truth,

(Where is the verse 

that says that?

IT DOESNT EXIST

After death

=

In presence of the lord

Asleep in the lord

Abrahams Bosom

Paradise

Just like the thief on the cross.

100% down with all of that.

But not heaven

not yet

that's later

at the restoration 

of all things.

(Acts 3:21)

Like Brother Joe said:

"Don't take my word for it,

Be a Berean

search the scripture

for yourself.")

 "but it is not intended 

or taught 

in the Bible's use of 

"heaven" 

(ouranos)."

WOW. 

Thats a mouthful.

And dont even get me started on:

"The average Christian",

especially in this country.

Being a 

"popular view"

(even in the 80's or 90's when the book that 

this is taken from was published)

doesn't mean 

it is correct

or that it is 

what the bible says:

"but it is not intended 

or taught 

in the Bible's use 

of "heaven."

See John 3:13

And no man 

hath ascended up to heaven, 

but he that came down 

from heaven, 

even 

the Son of man 

which is in heaven.

Thats not Christ

he is on earth 

when stating those words.

Thats Enoch

Genesis 5:24

Enoch walked faithfully with God; 

then he was no more, 

because God took him away.

Hebrews 11:5

By faith Enoch was taken 

from this life, 

so that he did not experience death: 

“He could not be found, 

because God had taken him away.”

For before he was taken, 

he was commended as one 

who pleased God.

The basic concept of heaven is rooted in the heavens-and-earth duality of OT thought. In the NT too the heavens and the earth are aspects of material creation. Heaven is the spiritual realm. 

It is the abode of God, 

where he and his throne are 

(e.g., Mt 3:17; 5:16,34,45; 6:1,9; 7:11,21;

 10:32,33; 12:50; 16:17; 18:10,14,19; 23:9; 

Lk 11:13; Heb 1:3; 8:1,5; 9:24).

And Thats my next point:

Revelation 15:8

and the temple was filled with smoke 

from the glory of God and from his power, 

and no one could enter 

the temple 

(The Abode of God.)

until the seven plagues 

of the seven angels were ended.

And

Revelation 15:1

The Angels with the Seven Last Plagues

Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.

And where is that gonna be?

Revelation 21:1-3, 22-23.

The New Heaven and the New Earth

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, 

the home of God 

is among mortals.

He will dwell with them;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself 

will be with them  

and be their God;

22 I saw no temple in the city, 

for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty 

and the Lamb. 

23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

(The aforementioned:

Restoration of all things.

Everything goes back 

to it's original intended sate.

Why is this so hard for people?

You are going to be 

in a comfortable pleasant place

just like the thief, 

(Paradise)

think a park on a nice warm day

with a cool breeze blowing

under a tree by a stream

with Christ.

At that point?

Why would you care about how long

"The restoration of all things" takes

for you to get to heaven?

Point is you are going there

when the time comes.

I believe John Wesley called it:

"Heavens antechamber".

Close, but just not 

quite there yet.)

Back to the piece from the book:)

"The vision of the NT writers 

corresponds with the OT when the destiny of the

 heavens and the earth are in view."

"One day this creation will be swept away, and there will be new heavens and a new earth (2 Pe 3:10,12; Rev 21:1; cf. Mt 24:35; Lk 21:33). But when the NT writers speak of "heaven" in the spiritual sense, there is a definite sharpening of focus."

"In the NT, heaven is that supernatural realm in which God dwells and over which he exercises direct control. Both Testaments view God as sovereign and as "Lord of heaven and earth" (Mt 11:25). 

But it is in heaven 

where his will is done perfectly, 

that is, without sin 

(Mt 6:10). 

(He can not have around even a pinhead of it in his presence.

It has to be completely destroyed, eradicated  and removed. 

That is what we are watching the start of 

with the current events in the middle east, 

Iran US, Israel etc.

You should be filled with joy

seeing Gods promises come true

in your lifetime.)

"On earth his control is indirect, 

and the wills of lost men 

and demons vigorously oppose him."

(Again, why is that such a difficult concept

for us to wrap our heads around?

You honestly think you 

or your people or your prayers 

can change that?

Snowballs just don't roll uphill 

on their own.

Thinking you can change any of that 

is simply fighting against God.)

"In heaven, 

every will is joyfully subject 

to God's own will.

"In Jesus, heaven established a bridge-head on earth. Throughout history the supernatural 

has at times directly altered affairs on earth, 

(I got so many weird lil things that have happened in history

be they: Alexander the Great, The Battle of Midway, 

the Battle of Stalingrad etc. it's just uncanny.

"Almighty God."

It means all ruler. 

Bends the course of history to his will.

As in you aint got a chance against him.

No reference to that term in antiquity 

till it shows up in the sacred text of the Hebrews.

Might wanna think about that for a second.

Or not, your choice.)

as evidenced in the manna that "came down from heaven" (Jn 6:42). We see this same breakthrough in Jesus' miracles, each of which was "a sign from heaven" (Mt 16:1). In the Gospels, Jesus speaks often of the "kingdom of heaven," which he represented and established on earth. 

(Really?

John 18:36

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”)

"It is best to understand this kingdom 

as having present existence 

through the church, the body of Christ. 

(Okay then fair enough:-)

"Although Jesus himself is physically resident in heaven (Ac 1:11; Col 4:1), he is vitally and truly present in the members of his body here on earth. When we are responsive to his will, we represent the continuing direct breakthrough of the spiritual realm into the material: we represent the kingdom of heaven on earth.

(Kinda gotta know what his will is for you

before you can be responsive to it 

don't ya think?)

"While "heaven" in the NT is a timeless, locationless concept representing the breakthrough in Christ of the spiritual realm into the material, "heaven" is more than this. 

The spiritual realm 

is the location 

of our true life 

and our hope. 

(And again, 

IF 

you believe it?

Then why are you worried about 

the events of the day?

"We maintain our citizenship in heaven (Php 3:20). It is not in the material realm of earth but in the spiritual realm of heaven that our treasures lie (Mt 6:20) It is there we will receive our rewards (Mt 5:12; Lk 6:23); it is there that our names are inscribed (Lk 10:20; Heb 12:23). Our true home is not on earth but in heaven (Gal 4:26; Heb 12:22: Rev 21:2), So we look forward eagerly to that time when Jesus will come again from heaven (Acts 1:11: 1 Th 1:10; 4:16; 2 Th 1:7). 

Then and only then 

will the material realm 

be remolded to be in 

perfect harmony with God 

will create new heavens 

and a new earth."

"Very little in these uses of "heaven" suggest the common notion of the place we go while we await the resurrection or after the resurrection."

(Because it's not!

Luke 23:43

And Jesus said unto him, 

Verily I say unto thee, 

Today shalt thou be with me 

in paradise.

Gotta wait till the

"restoration of all things.")

"But it is clear from the NT that the blessed dead do enter the presence of God, existing with him until the time of the resurrection (2 Co 5:1; 1 Th 4:14). It is also clear that, whatever "heaven" is like, after the final apocalyptic battle between God and the forces of evil, there will be a new creation and the enjoyment of eternal life in God's presence (Rev 21-22). However, by our use of "heaven" in the limited sense in which we use it, we lose much of the rich meaning the NT invests in this term.

HEAVEN AND HELL Part 2, S'ol: the realm of death (Read all five parts, you might just be surprised)

 

And once again

coming straight out of here.

"2. S'ol: the realm of death. 

A look at the concordance shows that the OT says little about hell. Some feel that the OT term S'ol (found 65 times in the OT), transliterated sheol in the NASB but translated "the grave" or "the realm of death" in the NIV, represents the OT conception of hell.

However, such arguments are unsatisfactory, and it is best to understand š'ól as a poetic synonym for qeher, "grave." 

Thus there are no references to eternal destiny but simply to the grave as the resting place of the bodies of all people (e.g., Job 17:13-16; 24:19-20). Deliverance from S'ôl is rescue from impending death or future punishment (e.g., Ps 89:48).

So while the OT does indicate a resurrection for the blessed dead, it has little to say of the destiny of the lost or of what happens to the human personality when the body dies and goes to the grave."

HEAVEN AND HELL Part 1, OT The Heavens (Read all five parts, you might just be surprised)

 

Straight out of here:

Zondervan Publishing House,1985/1991

'HEAVEN AND HELL

Most Christians have definite, though hazy, notions about heaven and hell. We are confident of our resurrection. We are sure that just and unjust alike are ever-living persons. Saved and unsaved will exist forever as self-conscious, aware individuals.

Usually we speak of "heaven" as the place where believers go at death, and "hell" as the place where unbelievers go. But when we explore the use of these words in the OT and NT, we discover how little is said about heaven and hell as we usually understand them!

(Kinda the whole reason 

for doing this series.)

OT

1. The heavens

2. S'ol: the realm of death

NT.

3. Heaven

4. Hell

5. Conclusions

(Thats gonna be the five parts)

'OT-1. The heavens. 

The Hebrew word translated "heaven" or "the heavens" is shamayim It is used in two primary senses.

First, the heavens are part of the created universe. Specifically, the heavens are everything above the earth, that is, (1) the sky and (2) the lights seen in the sky. In OT thought the earth is below, the heavens above. While a number of figures are used, such as heavenly sluice-gates ("windows") through which rains come, such expressions reflect Hebrew imagery and not a set of literal beliefs about cosmology.

Second, the heavens are viewed as the realm of God. Thus the physical and spiritual universe parallel to some extent the pattern set by earth and sky. The spiritual universe too is above, beyond the ability of humanity to experience directly. Thus Isaiah says: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares the LORD. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts' " (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Continuing the parallelism, the phrase 'hosts of heaven" indicates, depending on context, either the stars (the multitude of lights in the sky of the material universe) or angels (the multitude of bright beings inhabiting the spiritual universe).

(Angels)

"Although God inhabits the heavens, he does exercise complete control over events in the physical universe (e.g., Isa 10:10-31 see full passage below). It is God who is the unifying Factor between material and spiritual realms, for he is Creator and sovereign Lord of both."

(Satan, 

while the ruler of this world

 can only do here

what God allows:

John 12:31: "Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out".

John 14:30: "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me".

John 16:11: "...about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned".

2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel...

Eph. 2:2 "prince of the power of the air" .)

"The OT does not speak of "heaven" as place to which the believing dead go, but it does look forward to eternity. In the end, God will restructure the universe, earth and heavens alike, for righteousness: "The heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies" Isa 51:6). But, as God goes on to say in The same verse, the spiritual universe is stable: "My salvation will last forever, ny righteousness will never fail."

The OT message of hope is found in God's hints about resurrection and in his plans for the future. Resurrection 'Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind (Isa 65:17). "As the new heavens and the new earth that I will make endure before me,' says the LORD, 'so will your name and descendants endure" (Isa 66:22). God's plan for humanity extends beyond the end of time as we know it. But the OT is almost silent concerning the destiny of the individual who dies before history's history's end."

(If you honestly believe:

God's plan for humanity 

extends beyond 

the end of time as we know it.

??????????

Then what are you 

worried about?)

Isaiah 10:10-31

10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,

    kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—

11 shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images

    as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’”

12 When the Lord has finished 

all his work 

against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, 

he will say, 

“I will punish the king of Assyria 

for the willful pride of his heart 

and the haughty look in his eyes. 

Daniel 7:8

This horn had 

eyes like the eyes of a human being 

and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

(Quantum powered soulless 

synthetic robotic humanoid.

Itself the abomination 

this time around)

13 For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand 

I have done this,

    and by my wisdom, 

because I have understanding.

I removed the boundaries of nations,

    I plundered their treasures;

    like a mighty one I subdued[a] their kings.

14 As one reaches into a nest,

    so my hand 

reached for the wealth 

of the nations;

(Micah 5:13

"...you will no longer bow down

    to the work of your hands.")

as people gather abandoned eggs,

    so I gathered all the countries;

not one flapped a wing,

    or opened its mouth to chirp.’”

15 Does the ax raise itself 

above the person who swings it,

    or the saw 

boast against the one who uses it?

As if a rod were to wield 

the person who lifts it up,

    or a club brandish 

the one who is not wood!

16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,

    will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors;

under his pomp a fire will be kindled

    like a blazing flame.

17 The Light of Israel will become a fire,

    their Holy One a flame;

in a single day it will burn and consume

    his thorns and his briers.

18 The splendor of his forests and fertile fields

    it will completely destroy,

    as when a sick person wastes away.

19 And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few

    that a child could write them down.

The Remnant of Israel

20 In that day the remnant of Israel,

    the survivors of Jacob,

will no longer rely on him

    who struck them down

but will truly rely on the Lord,

    the Holy One of Israel.

21 A remnant will return, 

a remnant of Jacob

    will return to the Mighty God.

22 Though your people be like 

the sand by the sea, Israel,

    only a remnant will return.

Destruction has been decreed,

    overwhelming and righteous.

23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out

    the destruction decreed upon the whole land.

24 Therefore this is what the Lord, 

the Lord Almighty, says:

“My people who live in Zion,

    do not be afraid of the Assyrians,

who beat you with a rod

    and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.

25 Very soon 

my anger against you 

will end

    and my wrath will be directed 

to their destruction.”

26 The Lord Almighty will lash them with a whip,

    as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb;

and he will raise his staff over the waters,

    as he did in Egypt.

27 In that day 

their burden will be lifted

 from your shoulders,

    their yoke from your neck;

the yoke will be broken

    because you have grown so fat.

28 They enter Aiath;

    they pass through Migron;

    they store supplies at Mikmash.

29 They go over the pass, and say,

    “We will camp overnight at Geba.”

Ramah trembles;

    Gibeah of Saul flees.

30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!

    Listen, Laishah!

    Poor Anathoth!

31 Madmenah is in flight;

    the people of Gebim take cover.

Some things

 

were just inevitable 

all along lol...

Just how it is :-).

Seriously...

:-).

Anyway(s).

Revelation 10:9–10

So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.

The blessing is sweet 

when it is first received

(Honey :-)

and then you start

seeing/knowing

things you really wish 

you didn't

and that nobody 

wants to hear about.

And then it turns turns sour.

Kinda like

knowing 

what is 

and 

some of

what is going to 

happen.

And nobody listens to

or believes you

and then it happens etc.

Yup...

It's not a blessing 

you can just turn on and turn off.

It's 24/7/365.

Spirit wants you to know something?

It's gonna let you know.

There aint nothing

the vessel being used

can do about it.

There's really not.

Feels...

 

Have faith in Gods plans.

Ethiopian Christian Church.

Yup...

So her :-)...

Another one.

AMEN!

You don't even know...

You may think you do

but it aint even close...

Yes they are...

None...

Luke 14:28-30

For which of you, 

intending to build a tower, 

sitteth not down first, 

and counteth the cost,

 whether he have sufficient to finish it?

29 Lest haply, 

after he hath laid the foundation,

 and is not able to finish it, 

all that behold it begin to mock him,

30 Saying, 

This man began to build,

 and was not able to finish.

Mission gets accomplished.

PERIOD.

Indian on an Indian

in front of an 

Indian Motorcycle Shop.

I try...

I really do...

Sometimes I wonder 

if they actually hear me.

Thats it.

Thats really 

all there is 

anymore.

Been ready a long time.

LETS GO!

So true.

Imagine...

YUP...

NOBODY...

Thats Woody Guthrie

People forget,

"This land is your land"

was a protest song.

Looks like he could have been 

a member of The Clash lol.

Lets go to church with him.

I just want somebody to tell me how that

all just randomly

"Self-Assembled"

AINT NO WAY.

And these types

 wanna talk about consciousness?

Give me a break.

NEED...lol