14 entries for this category:
I like what you said about ethnicity remaining the same. I also liked the idea of playing the harp. I've never played the harp, but I have played dulcimer. If you are alergic to chocolate, will heaven still be like a chocolate cake? I still like angel food cake and strawberries. Not meaning to insult chocolate. I love a little chocolate every now and then, but I don't think heaven is like a cake at all. I believe it's more like a mustard seed. I once read somewhere someone was telling me strawberries are evil, but I don't believe it. How biblical is that? God has given us the plants of the field to eat. By: Justin Hicks Category: Eternal Life |
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| Heaven is a Real Physical Place |
The Bible describes heaven as a very material place: gold, jewels, gates, streets. Now a lot of this language is figurative, and I don`t know if there`s literally gold in heaven, but the main point is that heaven is a real, physical place, not a bunch of angels floating on clouds. You can think of it this way: it`s sort of like the difference between angel food cake and chocolate torte. Angel food cake is this light, airy little wisp of a dessert that doesn`t fill you up, very unsatisfying, and we name it angel food cake because that`s our image of heaven - unsubstantial. But a chocolate torte is dense, it`s rich, it`s thick. And which would you rather have? Is that even a choice? Chocolate torte, right? I know, some of you sick souls will say, "No, I like angel food cake." That`s why you need to come to church, to be enlightened. Heaven is a chocolate torte; it`s dense, it`s physical. In heaven matter matters. It`s described as the new earth. It`s earth, only completely renewed and purged of all the junk. You see, heaven is important, but it`s not the end of the world. It`s a renewed earth. In the passage Jesus says, "Behold, I am making all things new." He does not say, "I am making all new things." Heaven is a renewed earth and it is a physical place, and we are physical there too. We are not disembodied souls floating around on clouds. The idea that our soul goes to heaven when we die is not in the Bible. That`s Greek, it`s Plato, it`s not Jesus. In 1 Corinthians: 15 the Apostle Paul makes a long argument about how we are raised from the dead in the body just like Jesus was. And just like Jesus somehow we will be recognizable as us. This passage says that the nations are present in heaven, and the Greek word there is "ethnos" the word from which we get "ethnic." In heaven we will have our ears, our eyes, even our ethnicity, and the best of our personalities without all the junk. Now some of you right now may be thinking, "Oh man, I have to have my body in heaven? I better lose some weight or I`m going to lug this spare tire around for eternity." Calm down. The Bible tells us that we get a new, perfect body. We`ll never get sick, never grow old, never get hurt, never die. I might even get my hair back - it`s going to be great! I like to think that in heaven I`ll have the body I always wanted to have but never got around to it. So if you`re white here, you`ll be white there. If you`re Chinese here, you`ll be Chinese there. If you play the guitar here, you`ll play the guitar there, only better. And if you don`t like to play the harp, you don`t have to. The only people playing harps in heaven are people who like to play harps here. ''although I suppose you could take a lesson if you wanted to''. Heaven is a real, physical place and we get to be real, physical people. By: Scott Dudley Category: Eternal Life (1) Comments |
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| Everlasting life now! |
“And this is the witness given, that God gave us everlasting life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has this life; he that does not have the Son of God does not have this life. I write you these things that you may know that you have life everlasting, you who put your faith in the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:11-13 Can this really be so? Do believers already have everlasting life? Do we who follow Jesus have within us the same life Jesus had within himself? “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” – 1 John 5:11-13 (King James Version) “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” – 1 John 5:11-13 (Today's New International Version) “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” – 1 John 5:11-13 (English Standard Version) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has God's Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life. I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” – 1 John 5:11-13 (New Living Translation) Yes, Bible translators consistently translate these words to mean that God has already given believers everlasting life! This teaching, that believers in Christ are given everlasting life during their earthly sojourn, is repeated in John’s gospel. For example: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16 “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone that beholds the Son and exercises faith in him should have everlasting life, and I will resurrect him at the last day.” – John 6:40 Most truly I say to you, He that believes has everlasting life.” – John 6:47 “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” – John 17:3 “Most truly I say to you, He that hears my word and believes him that sent me has everlasting life, and he does not come into judgment but has passed over from death to life.” – John 5:24 From these scriptures, we learn that when we hear Jesus’ teachings, believe them, and exercise faith in them, at that moment, we have everlasting life. By: Tanya Name Category: Eternal Life |
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| Receiving Gods Mercy |
In my Christian life, I have always found that one of the most difficult things to do is receive God's mercy. When we sin, and we ask God for forgiveness, the Lord has promised us restoration. Of course, we must never take this fact for granted, but have you ever found it hard to understand how Jesus can be so merciful towards us when we are not alwasy so merciful towards each other? I recently found myself freaking out just thinking about all the times that I have been less than my best, and how many times I had let God down. I prayed to God and asked God how he could restore me when I had been so dissapointing. It was in this moment that I heard his voice very profoundly. He said: "The weight of sin was broken when I gave my life on the cross. Wouldn't it be a waste if my sacrifice did not spare you the guilt and remorce you are feeling right now? I did this so that you could live without this burden." It was at this moment that I realised what we are supposed to do to say thank you. Jesus does not want us to sin, but when we do and he forgives us, he does so so that we can live in victory and fulfill the desitny which he has for us. Therefore, give thanks to the Lord for his forgiveness, but realise that he has forgiven us the second we asked, and has removed our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. He has done this to save us from condemnation and to set us back on the path he has set for us. So, shake off your sins and regrets. Jesus has paid the price for us and has saved us! Live as a Christian should and do not allow the enemy to accuse you, for the Lord has said: "I forgive you!" By: Paul Hersee Category: Eternal Life |
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