Bible Study - Life in Heaven?

[DiamondRing]

The people I have spoken with in Churches who were raised Catholic have always said they had a differant Bible than we do and my in-laws always say, Yeah well my Bible is not the same as yours when discussing things like praying to Mary, purgatory, praying the rosary etc. so that is what I thought. I never read a Catholic Bible but I share some of their values such as not believing in using birth control and that when we suffer we are partaking in Christ's suffering. I forget what they called that but I felt like that when I gave birth naturally, like I was suffering pain with Christ on the cross. Not sure how to explain it, but it was very genuine experience I will always remember.

[heathbar]

I'm speaking metaphorically not literally

[heathbar]

There's nothing in the catholic Bible that specifically states pray to Mary or saints. Or that purgatory is there. It is the way they interepert the scriptures. I'll have to get out my hubby's grandmothers catholic bible and look it up.

[billycats]

BIble Study: God promised to kill everything on earth.?
Genesis: " 6:5 He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them. "

"6:13. He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth. "

"6:17. Behold, I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life under heaven. All things that are in the earth shall be consumed. "

Noah would be defined in this catagory. God didn't say most men or start over - but destroy ALL life on earth. And if you say that Noah was not on dry land but on an ark, woud that mean fisherman survived too?

What are you thoughts?

* 2 years ago

Additional Details
Okay, so people want better defined question:

God said that he would kill everyone but did not. What are you thoughts about that? (may this be: God was a liar, the bible is incorrect, my interpritation is incorrect, Noah wasn't a man but the Son of God ... ect).

2 years ago
sorry, one of the sons of God. Not THE son of God.

[billycats]

At the time of Noah the people of the world chose to live lives that were totally opposite of what God had planned.. He had warned the people for a long long time to repent and change their lives.. the only one that still listened to God was Noah. we are told that Noah heart was so pure that he actually was able to walk with God and have conversations with him..

[heathbar]

interesting, some Bible scholars say that the stories in the Old Testament are stories that are to be used as a way to live our lives. But they didn't necessarily happen and they are more like parables.

[Momofateen]

Well those "so called" scholars are wrong. The Holy Bible is real.

[heathbar]

Well those "so called" scholars are wrong. The Holy Bible is real.

I agree with you, I watched this show on TV about how the stories in the Old Testament were put in place by God to teach us lessons. Some of the stories in the Old Testament are far fetched if you look at them logically...Like Jonah and the whale. But who said God was Logical, I guess that is where faith comes in. I'm not sure it really matters if they happened or not as long as we get the meaning behind it.

[rainaki]

Wow, good question. You know, I'm not sure on this one but I always find lots of good ideas on such things when I'm perusing through my local Christian bookstore. Maybe give that a run

[DiamondRing]

Since my last post on this thread I have been reading the Catholic Bible and I have found I love it. Just wanted to update the facts!

[RMW]

I'm really looking forward to Heaven! How wonderful and beautiful! A life without tears!

[hamejo]

Everything we could ever wish for.Nothing that will be left behind when we leave will be needed in heaven because what's waiting up there is much more valuable then any material object here.
Extreme Brite White

[DiamondRing]

This is true, but when He died for us the veil was ripped in two b/c of it's meaning, because of Christ's work on the cross, now God can come to us, He can come and reside in us, Now! He is our Every desire, He is our heart's desire and e freely gives to all who ask in His Name anything they desire in their heart as long as you seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first- that is as long as you walk in obedience, fully yielded to The Holy Spirit of God your life will reflect His Glory on this Earth now! We do not need to wait to have everything we ever wish for, He gives us freely now everything we could ever wish for. Now at times what we desire is not good for us-this is the desires of the flesh-not of the heart, and those are the desires we gain by ways of the flesh, sinful desires, if we leave the path of righteousness to follow this path, this is what it means to return to darkness, but when we fully surrender to God, we do not seek that way, we follow His Way and stay in Him (stay in the Light)! The just shall live by Faith!ccvbghbbhvhhhhhhghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that was my son's contribution there!

[abc]

Heaven is pretty important to God. Why because He Talk about it 551 time in the Bible. Heaven is mention from Genesis to Revelation.
This is interesting, let examine this very place.

What Is Heaven Like?

The first “heaven” is the air, or atmosphere, immediately above the earth. It is the heaven, for example, in which the birds fly (Genesis 1:20). The second “heaven” is the celestial realm in which the sun, moon, and stars are found (Genesis 1:14). The third use of “heaven” applies to the abode of God (Isaiah 63:15), far above the atmosphere or celestial heavens. When you and I speak of “heaven,” we mean the eternal bliss which all true Christians will enjoy. I am referring to that state of everlasting blessing which is described in the last two chapters of the book of Revelation.

(1) We do not go to heaven so much as it comes to us.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2).
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:10-13, cf. Revelation 21:1).

(2) Heaven should be thought of more in terms of a person than a place.

Our first inclination is to think of heaven primarily as a place, and, of course, this is true. Nevertheless, I believe that there is more to it than this. Heaven, most of all, is being in the presence of God.
… we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).
But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake (Philippians 1:23-24).
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 (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, … (Revelation 21:3).

(3) Heaven is a God-like place.

I have been impressed with the number of descriptions of heaven which are also descriptions of God. Let me briefly survey some of these descriptions.
Glory: (Isaiah 6:3and John 17:24
Holiness: For thus says the high and exalted one Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, (Isaiah 57:15, 6:3 above). (Revelation 21:27).
Beauty: Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth (Psalm 50:2; 8:1). Your eyes will see the King in His beauty.

Immortality: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17, cf. Isaiah 9:6-7; Micah 5:2; John 8:58).
Light: Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you …(Isaiah 60:1,19) And (John 8:12) and (Revelation 21:23).
Perfection: As for God, His way is blameless, The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him (Psalm 18:30, cf. Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Samuel 22:31). (1 Corinthians 13:9-10, 12). (1 John 3:2).
Love: The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8). (1 Corinthians 13:8, 13).
Joy: “The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy” (Zephaniah 3:17, Isaiah 62:4-5; 65:17-19).
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:6-7).

(4) Heaven is a unique combination of some things very old and others entirely new.

I am reminded of the wedding tradition of having “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.” Heaven is unique in that some things are new, while others are old. This newness is suggested by the many things which will not be in heaven. There will be no time, no sin (Revelation 21:27), suffering or sorrow (21:4), no curse (22:2), no sun, moon, or sea (21:1, 23).
Not everything, however, will be unfamiliar to us. Certainly we will recognize friends and loved ones, as well as the saints of old, of whom we have read and heard for years—men like Abraham, Moses and David.

(5) Heaven will be the place where we will be reunited with loved ones in the Lord, from whom we were separated by death.

Those who have died in Christ are merely asleep, and they will not be victims of the “second death” ( Revelation 20:6).

(6) While heaven is a place of rest, it is not an existence characterized by inactivity.

I think most of us tend to compare heaven to retirement. Heaven is not a hammock, strung up between two clouds. Part of the blessedness of the garden into which Adam and Eve were placed was that they had a work to occupy them ( Genesis 1:26, 28; 2:5). In heaven we will be profitably occupied as well: And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; (Revelation 22:3), 1 Corinthians 13:12 , (Matthew 24:35), (John 4:23), (2 Timothy 2:12),(Daniel 7:27), (Luke 19:16-17).
This “reigning” entails ruling over the nations:
“And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, To him I will give authority over the nations;”(Revelation 2:26; cf. 5:10; 20:6; 22:5), and (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).
Heaven is the continuation of those things which Christians should be actively engaged in now: learning, worship and service.


REF: by Bob Deffinbaugh

[DiamondRing]

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2 (NIV)

Jesus told us to seek the kingdom of heaven first and foremost, Matthew 6:33 (New International Version)

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
The Bible tells us that heaven is where God The Father and Jesus are.The Holy Spirit is with us on the Earth and lives in us who have received Him. A taste for Heaven is God-placed in our hearts,
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (New International Version)

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
E.M. Bounds writes, "The power of the Spirit binds us to heaven because Jesus is there. We are bound to love it, think about it, and desire it, for Jesus is its center and glory."

So thinking about, longing for, and planning for this glorious point and place in eternity where we'll be united with our Savior is a way to worship Christ. It is a means of seeing and savoring Him. It fills us with hope. Hope, the Bible reveals, is the seed-starter of faith.Hebrews 11:1 (New International Version)
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hope can shore us up in the face of much heartache and trouble on earth. It can make us eternal optimists. C.S. Lewis writes, "In the truest sense, Christian pilgrims have the best of both worlds. We have joy whenever this world reminds us of the next, and we take solace whenever it doesn't."

"Strongly, insistently, the Holy Spirit uses heaven and its untold, manifold good to move saints to action, awaken them from death, and to increase their zeal and love," E.M Bounds explains. Heaven, then, is a stimulant for us on earth - a stimulant towards action, love, and zeal for Christ. Not a distraction.


I'd heard friends, loved ones and church leaders all warn of becoming too heavenly minded. A focus on heaven can sabotage my walk with God? Really?

That's not what I'm seeing in the Bible, nor is it what I'm experiencing.

When the reality of eternity and heaven comes crashing through my heart and thoughts, it pulls my focus up. Way up. Much needed perspective is gained and I'm able to redirect my thoughts and actions towards Christ-like living. I begin living now, again, for this future place and goal.



I'm guessing the "too heavenly minded" saying originated to describe someone who - like the Pharisees - spent their lives becoming self-righteous through their spiritual actions. Or, perhaps someone who spent so much time in the pew that they neglected their family, friends, or serving their community. I suspect these people were hearers but not doers of the Word.



I'd also guess these people probably didn't think much about heaven at all. Because to gain a true grasp of heaven is to have your eyes spiritually opened. It is to understand where this all is heading, and what you are truly made for.



It is to think and live higher.

Please join me in this prayer:
Dear Lord, give me a vision and passion for heaven. May I live for that kingdom - for its King and by its rules. And help me to be of earthly good as I pass through this place, preparing for the next. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Adapted from a devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries