what is your opinion about heaven do you believe that this place exists if so is it a realm of ethereal light and music where choirs worship God in an environment of dazzling Beauty and elaborate architecture can you envision stunning displays of gold and silver with a profusion of countless gemstones this is undoubtedly true to some extent but it is not the complete picture perhaps you see Heaven as the inner surface of an enormous concave Dome that extends across the entire Earth when the edge of the Dome approaches The Horizon it sometimes gives the impression of
falling short but it never does it always covers the land beneath almost all inhabitants of the Earth have some impression of heaven when contemplating the vast possibilities we must keep in mind that various terms are used to describe heaven the singular noun Heaven emphasizes its Global Unity other Expressions seem to refer to its various aspects or parts for example the terms Heavens or Celestial places suggest a series of different places all gathered under the name Heaven these places may be dedicated at different times to different beings and activities in 2 Corinthians 12: 2-4 Paul writes
I Know a Man in Christ who 14 years ago whether in the body or out of the body I do not know God knows such a man was caught up to the third heaven and I know that this man whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know God knows how he was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible Words which a man is not permitted to speak this passage indicates that there are three Heavens in total one immediately above the other the highest is what Paul describes as the third heaven
it is the place of paradise and God's personal dwelling the most sacred place in the universe passages like this give us the concept often associated with Heaven Purity or Holiness the spoken words there are so sacred that they cannot be repeated outside parados Paradise is the Greek word designating a garden it represents God's Garden in heaven Paradise is the ultimate destination for all Sinners who have truly repented and persevered in the life of faith on the cross Jesus Promised the repentant Thief that they would be together in Paradise that day and Jesus said to him
truly I say to you today you shall be with me in Paradise Luke 23:43 almost all inhabitants of the Earth have an impression of Heaven The Book of Revelation presents an area called the half of heaven or the middle of Heaven as far as I know this describes a kind of large area where different types of beings come and go the following verses mention various powerful beings proclaiming from the middle of heaven and I looked and heard an Angel flying in the middle of Heaven literally in the middle of Heaven saying with a loud voice
wo wo wo to the inhabitants of the Earth because of the remaining blasts of the trumpets of the Three Angels who are about to sound Revelation 88:13 then I saw another Angel flying lying in the midst of Heaven literally in the middle of Heaven who had the Eternal gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to Every Nation tribe tongue and people Revelation 14:6 then I saw an angel standing in the Sun and he cried out with a loud voice saying to all the birds that fly in the middle of Heaven literally in
the middle of Heaven Come and gather together for the supper of the great God Revelation 19:17 the Greek word used for middle of Heaven is mura which means precisely that the middle Heaven this could be the second heaven finally we could assume that the visible Heaven the one visible to our natural sight is the first Heaven All inhabitants of the Earth are familiar with this heaven to some extent and the inhabitants of Heaven what kind of creatures are they the most common name given to them is Angels the word Angel is derived from the Greek
noun Angelus which is the standard word for Messenger therefore angels are considered Messengers Sent From Heaven however not all angels are messengers they have other possible functions regardless of their tasks they are sent by God for his purposes however the scriptures inform us that there are also evil angels sent by Satan for his purposes sometimes there may be opposition or conflicts between the angels of God and the angels of Satan some of these conflicts icts are described in the scriptures especially in the Book of Daniel the undeniable fact therefore confronts us with the reality that
our world as we know it today is a stage of conflict furthermore this conflict is not limited to Earth it is also a vital factor in everything that occurs in heaven the Angels sent by God have three main tasks firstly as mentioned before they are messengers of God secondly they are agents of God sent to protect those who may be in danger commonly described as guardian angels Matthew 18:10 says see that you do not despise one of these little ones for I tell you that in heaven their Angels always see the face of my father
who is in heaven in this verse Jesus speaks about children having angels in heaven who constantly see the face of the father implicitly the watchful eye of the father directs these angels to potentially vulnerable children in the third category are the warrior Angels who engage in conflict with other Angels many Christians believe that heaven is a place of uninterrupted peace and Harmony elegance and worship this may be true for the third heaven but it does not apply to the first and second heaven some scriptures paint a different picture of what is currently happening in the
second heaven as mentioned earlier it is sometimes the backdrop for a great conflict between a losing Angels some serve God and others serve Satan it is mainly in the celestial regions that this conflict takes place it is also here that Satan pours out a flood of slanderous accusations against the Christians on Earth who serve the Lord in Revelation 12:10 we read and I heard a loud voice in heaven saying now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come for the accused user of our brothers
has been thrown down who accuses them Day and Night Before Our God the angel describes him as the accuser of our brothers who accuses them day and night this scripture goes on to predict that Satan will be cast out of heaven but until that happens it is clear that he continues to occupy a place somewhere in heaven and fills the air with malicious accusations against the people of God the next verse is a warning to the inhabitants of the Earth about what to expect when the devil is finally expelled from Heaven to Earth therefore Rejoice
O heavens and you who dwell in them but woe To You O Earth and seea for the devil has come down to you in great wrath because he knows that his time is short Revelation 12:12 these verses foresee a period when Satan will have only a short time perhaps approaching but not yet fulfilled undoubtedly the events described have not yet occurred there therefore we must be realistic about Satan's current activities many Christians often speak as if Satan is confined to hell but this is not true there are two satanic princes named death and Hades who
rule in hell but Satan himself freely roams throughout the Universe Revelation 20:3 says and the Sea gave up the Dead who were in it death and Hades gave up the Dead who were in them and they were judged each one of them according to what they had done this is clearly described in job 1: 6 and 7 now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them the Lord said to Satan from where have you come Satan answered the Lord and said from
going to and fro on the earth many Christians often speak as if Satan is confined to hell but this is not true the main difference between Earth and Heaven is that this world has been corrupted by sin but Heaven has not man's sin permeates the Earth while the glory of God perfects Heaven God the glory of Heaven created the Earth and entrusted it to the human race to care for and enjoy however instead of obeying God's instructions concerning Earthly matters Adam and Eve chose to listen to Satan their Disobedience their Rebellion against God severed them
from communion with God for as by the one man's disobedience the many were made Sinners Romans 5: 19 as a result the disease of sin has been passed down to all generations the Bible States and God saw that the Earth was corrupt for All Flesh had corrupted their way on the earth Genesis 6:12 in Isaiah 24: 5 and 6 it says the Earth is defiled under its inhabitants for they have transgressed the laws violated the statutes broken the Everlasting ing Covenant the Earth groans because it has been tainted by sin like a debilitating disease sin
distorts and devastates everything it touches sin corrupts and divides but Heaven declares the glory of the Lord Psalm 19:1 says the heavens declare the glory of God Isaiah 66:1 says Heaven is my Throne being absolutely holy and without sin God cannot tolerate sin nor can he look at it without judgment the Bible States about God your eyes are too pure to approve evil and you cannot look on wickedness with favor why do you look with favor on those who deal treacherously why are you silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than they habac
1:13 but his love is so powerful and great that he made a way to eliminate the curse of sin the guilt that stains our hearts and corrupts our world God God crucified sin on the cross through the blood of Christ who redeemed us from the penalty of sin he died in our place bearing the judgments we deserve presenting us blameless to his heavenly father Jesus Christ is the savior of the world because he is the only one who can bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth the Bible says for as by the one man's Disobedience
the many were made Sinners Romans 5: 19 it is difficult for us to admit but we are Sinners by birth Sinners by choice and Sinners by practice the good news is that God made a way to save us through his grace Ephesians 2: 8 and9 say for by Grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not as a result of works so that no one may boast the difference between Heaven and Earth is that Jesus Christ left the glory of heaven and came to this sin
infe fested Earth for a reason to make possible our Eternal salvation and that makes all the difference to God and Heaven and to us on Earth we will see many glorious sights in heaven but the most powerful of all will be the savior of the World In His glory your eyes will see the king in his Beauty they will see a land that stretches AAR Isaiah 33:1 17 Jesus Christ gave us a glimpse of this when he opened the curtain of Heaven heaven and told the Apostle John to write what he saw then I saw
a lamb and I heard every creature in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and in the sea and all that is in them saying to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever Revelation 5:6 it is part of our human nature to want to unleash our fantasies about heaven but God has his reasons for giving us only a glimpse of his his eternal dwelling human language is insufficient to describe such Majesty the magnificence of Earthly possessions will be dimmed in the
light of Heaven's son John could only express it with analogies its Brilliance was like that of a very precious Jewel like Jasper clear as Crystal the great Street of the city was of pure gold like transparent glass Revelation 21: 21 here on Earth streets are covered with gravel and windows are made of glass but John writes about streets of gold that are transparent remember that in heaven everything is new only snapshots of things to come are given to us we will need a Celestial transformation to comprehend such Glory the murky things of Earth will become
transparent in eternity now only he knows them as we practice patience in Waiting let thoughts of the glory of Heaven fill your soul they will sustain you and until the day your eyes fully open Peter says to those whose hope is in heaven They will receive a rich welcome into the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 2 Peter 1:1 when he extends his arms inviting his people to enter he will turn to his father and say the glory that you have given me I have given to them that they may be one
even as we are one John 17:22 we will see him his hands marked by the nails fall at his feet and cry with joy praising his wonderful name that is what we will see in heaven let us pray dear heavenly father in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ we ask that you awaken within us the fullness of your Holy Spirit help us to develop our relationship with the Holy Spirit and to live in his power utilizing his gifts Jesus made us a promise you told us but the helper the hope Holy Spirit whom
the father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you John 14: 26 help me understand that I don't comprehend everything and that's okay for the Holy Spirit knows all Supply us with the Holy Spirit and his understanding of everything happening in our lives I ask in your name just as the sun rises each day against the darkness of the night please give me clarity with the light of the Holy Father Heavenly Father grant me mental rest and calm my Restless heart
my soul is like a stormy sea it seems I can't find my stability give me the energy and mental Clarity to find my purpose and walk the path you have prepared for me I trust in your love God and I know you will help me through this night just as the sun rises each day against the darkness of the night please bring me Clarity with the light of God in your name I ask kind father we pray for you to enter fully into your neighborhood seeking the power and strength of Christ's mind granted by your
Holy Spirit please give us the necessary energy to overcome all trials and provocations that may arise make us Lord authentic followers of Christ the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control develop my mind to be like that of Christ Holy Spirit live in my life and make me abide always in you God Holy Spirit have mercy on us strengthen me in all my difficulties give me your visible gifts and let your 12 fruits mature in Me Oh Holy Spirit who seeks
the salvation of all human beings and desires them to obtain the knowledge of your truth present to them your powerful light and your good will love so that they may glorify God in unity of faith hope and love send workers to the Harvest truly inspired by you who are the soul of the Missionary church amen oh king of glory send us the promise of the Father the spirit of Truth May the comforter who proceeds from you Enlighten us and Infuse all truth into us as you have promised amen
