Heaven and Hell
1. Heaven
2. Hell
3. Eternal spiritual being - mortal
physical being
4. In
the Past
4a. Abraham’s Bosom in earthly heavens,
is not Heaven
4b. Hades not Hell
4c. Did not
communicate with any on earth
5. Presently
5a. Spiritually in Heaven while living
on earth
5b. Physically
die – believers’ spiritual beings go to Heaven
5c. Physically
die – unbelievers’ spiritual beings go to Hades
6. In the future
6a. Believers gathered to Heaven - 1st resurrection -
eternally saved
6b. Unbelievers who heard, but did not
accept Jesus; are eternally lost
7. Christ’s 1,000 year Kingdom on
earth; not eternal Heaven; some will physically die
7a. All Believers on earth in Heaven; in first resurrection given eternal
life glorified bodies
7b. Unbelievers’ spiritual
beings go to Hades – await White
Throne Judgement
*8.
White throne Judgment; Second Resurrection–Second Death
for all demons-satan-unbelievers in their
resurrected evil physical bodies; cast eternally to Hell
*9.
All Believers in Glorified Bodies Come to live eternally in God’s New Heaven
and Earth
*10. Paul’s glimpse of Heaven
1.
Heaven
This universe and everything in it is
our God’s great Kingdom, which He created in the beginning. It is so vast and beautiful, our human minds cannot even comprehend it. The 1992 COBE Satellite probe found that
there were over 100 billion galaxies in our Father’s Heavenly universe. Yet
from our galaxy, the Milky Way, we can only see three other galaxies with our
eyes. It is hard to count to 100 billion, even harder to imagine that many
galaxies in the heavens above.
*In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen 1:1 ASV
*All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, And Your saints
shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory
of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, To make
known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures
throughout all generations. Ps 145:10-13 NKJV+
The whole concept of Heaven is not about
any particular place, but about coming into the glorious presence of our great
God. Heaven is wherever our God resides, and where our God resides, there we
should desire to be also. Our Father created us because He wanted children to
love. Children who would love Him back, and become brothers, become sisters for
Jesus. We will only find completeness when we are part of the family of God. As
we love, follow, and obey our Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
*Now to Him who is able to keep you from
stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory
with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and
power, Both now and forever. Amen. Jude
1:24-25 NKJV+
*For
those God foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers. Ro 8:29 NIV+
*Both the one who makes men holy and those who are
made holy are of the same family.
So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. Heb
2:11 NIV+
Heaven is called by different names in
His Word. This includes the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, and
Paradise.
*John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news
of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mk
1:14-15 NIV+
*From that time Jesus
began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matt
4:17 NKJV+
*And he said unto him,
Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. Lk 23:43 ASV
Depending on the time and situation,
Heaven will have different locations, which we will discuss below. Now our Heavenly Father rules
from His throne in Heaven above, with Jesus sitting at His right hand. His holy
council of angelic beings gathers around Him to hear and carry out His plans.
*The Lord
has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom
rules over all. Praise the Lord,
you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey
his word. Praise the Lord, all
his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Ps 103:19-21 NIV+
*which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, Eph 1:20 NIV+
*A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him? Ps 89:7 NASB+
2.
Hell
Hell is a general term
for where unbelievers will ultimately be cast, into the eternal Lake of Fire,
along with disobedient heavenly spiritual beings. Hell’s location is unknown,
for the earth as we know it will disappear before Hell comes into existence.
Since all in Hades and the Abyss will eventually be thrown into Hell, it is
correct to say all will go to either Heaven or Hell.
*And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than
with two hands to go to hell, to the
unquenchable fire. Mk 9:43 ESV+
*Then Death
and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. Rev 20:14 NKJV+
*The devil, who
deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the
beast and the false prophet are.
And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Rev 20:10 NKJV+
Hades usually refers to the place where
an unbeliever’s spiritual being goes when they physically die. It refers to a
pit in the earth where unbelievers’ eternal spirit and soul are kept in
torment. Until they will be sentenced to Hell, the Lake of
Fire at the White Throne Judgment.
*And
you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
Lk
10:15 ESV+
*then
the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under
punishment until the day
of judgment, 2Pe 2:9 ESV+
*You
serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Matt 23:33 ESV+
The Abyss, or bottomless pit, refers to
the deepest part of the pit in the earth. This is where demon spirits, who have
offended God, are held prisoner until they are thrown eternally into Hell, the
Lake of Fire. Jesus after He died on the cross, descended into the Abyss, to
pronounce victory over the demonic spirits held there.
*Then the fifth angel sounded,
and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless [Lit shaft of the
abyss] pit was given to
him. Rev 9:1 NASB+
*Jesus then asked him,
“What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And
they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Lk 8:30-31 ESV+
* or
“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’
” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). Ro 10:7 (ESV)
3. Eternal spiritual being - Mortal
physical being
We all have an eternal spiritual being,
our spirit (heart) and soul; and a mortal physical being,
our mind and body (strength).
*And you shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Mk 12:30 ESV+
* Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body!
Ps 31:9 NKJV+
We were conceived by our parents with a
sinful physical being, our mind and body. The Holy Spirit then created
within our physical being, our eternal spiritual being, our spirit and soul, giving
us life.
*That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Jn 3:6 ESV+
*Behold, I was brought
forth in iniquity, and in sin did my
mother conceive me. Ps 51:5 ESV+
*You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And
You renew the face of the earth. Ps 104:30 NKJV+
Paul and Peter refer to our physical
being as our earthly house, a tent where our spirit and soul live, until we physically
die.
*For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God,
a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2Co 5:1 NKJV+
*I think it is right to refresh your memory
as long as I live in the tent of this
body, 2Pe 1:13 NIV+
When our physical being, our mind and
body dies, it returns to the dust from which it was created. Yet our eternal
spiritual being returns to God, where it is eternally saved or is eternally
condemned. Where and how this will happen is explained in our past, present and
future segments below.
*and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Eccl 12:7 ESV+
* And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after
that comes judgment, Heb 9:27 ESV+
Our physical being, will age until we
die, and then will remain in the grave. All physical beings will be resurrected
in the future at different times and locations. Believers’ bodies, those living
and those resurrected, must be changed, must be made perfect so they can come
into Heaven. Unbelievers’ bodies, those living and those resurrected will be
changed, made eternal, yet will remain sinful, and will be cast into Hell.
Where and how this will happen is explained in our future segment below.
*Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable
inherit the imperishable. 1Co 15:50 NASB+
*“I tell you, my
friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will
warn you whom to fear: fear him who,
after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Lk 12:4-5 ESV+
4.
In the Past
4a.
Abraham’s Bosom in earthly heavens, is not Heaven
Jesus clearly told us no one had been to
Heaven except Him, when He taught on earth. Nor could anyone have eternal life
in Heaven, nor the indwelling of the Spirit, until He had been lifted
up on the cross to die for our sins. This is confirmed in Hebrews, where all believers
had to wait in Abraham’s Bosom until Jesus died as a ransom for our sins, to
make us perfectly holy. No one will ever come into Heaven except through the
grace of Jesus. Jesus Is First
*I have spoken to you of
earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of
heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one
who came from heaven--the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up
the snake in the desert, so the Son of
Man must be lifted up, that everyone
who believes in him may have eternal
life. Jn 3:12-15 NIV+
*For this reason Christ is
the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised
eternal inheritance--now that he has
died as a ransom to set them free
from the sins committed under the first
covenant. Heb 9:15 NIV+
Our Heavenly Father made a safe haven or
rest for the souls and spirits of all believers who physically died before
Jesus atoned for our sins. Abraham’s spiritual being was taken to be with his
fathers. And this rest is now referred to as Abraham’s bosom (or side),
after Jesus told the story of Lazarus and the rich man. This rest was outside
of our Father’s holy Kingdom. It was probably located in the heavens of our
earthly planet, which satan
rules, is prince of.
*Abraham breathed his last and died
in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Gen 25:8 ESV+
*And it came to pass, that
the beggar died, and that he was carried
away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: Lk 16:22 ASV
*in
which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in
the sons of disobedience— Eph 2:2 ESV+
We know Elijah was carried up into the
heavens of earth, into Abraham’s bosom, to wait with Enoch. Until they will be
sent to minister to the Jewish people, before the antichrist rules the
earth.
*Then it happened, as they
continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and
separated the two of them; and Elijah
went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 2Ki 2:11 NKJV+
*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. Heb 11:5 NIV+
*And
I will grant authority to my two
witnesses, and they will prophesy
for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” Rev 11:3 ESV+
We know from this rest Abraham’s soul
and spirit rejoiced, when he looked down and saw Jesus had come to save us. The
greatest desire of believers has always been to be with our Heavenly Father, in
His Heavenly Kingdom. This included those in the Old Covenant who were waiting
for the Messiah, Christ, to come and save them.
*Whom
have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. Ps 73:25 ESV+
*Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Jn
8:56 KJV
4b.
Hades not Hell
We also know that the spiritual beings
of unbelievers, their souls and spirits will be sent to Hades, which is in a
pit in the earth. For the rich man had to look up far away, in the earthly
heavens to see Abraham. And Abraham could look down on the rich man being
tormented in Hades, along with the souls and spirits of all unbelievers who had
physically died.
*And
being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off,
and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy
on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool
my tongue; for I am tormented in this
flame.' Lk 16:23-24 NKJV+
There was a chasm between Abraham’s
Bosom and Hades to keep the spiritual beings of believers in the comfort of
Abraham’s bosom, apart from those being tormented in Hades.
*But
Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good
things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you
are in anguish. Lk 16:25 ESV+
*'And besides all this, between us and you
there is a great chasm fixed, so
that those who wish to come over from
here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from
there to us.' Lk 16:26 NASB
4c.
Did not communicate with any on earth
It is important to remember that
Abraham’s Bosom was located within the heavenly realms of earth. The spirits
and souls of believers there were never part of God’s holy Kingdom of Heaven,
they were only aware of what was going on within the earthly sphere they were
living in. Yet they did not try to communicate with any on earth, or try to
help them. For if any will not believe the prophets, now in the Word of God,
they will not believe any person who will rise from the dead. This includes not
believing in Jesus, who arose from the dead.
*And
he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone
goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and
the Prophets, neither will they be
convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” Lk 16:30-31 ESV+
5.
Presently
5a.
Spiritually in Heaven while living on earth
Jesus gave His life, physically died on
the cross, so He could forgive our sins. His spiritual being then descended
into Hell, where the suffering of His soul completed the only sacrifice our
Heavenly Father would accept as atonement for our sins.
*And although you were formerly alienated and
hostile in mind, engaged in
evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond
reproach— Col 1:21-22 NASB+
*he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the
resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh
see corruption. Ac 2:31 NKJV+
*Yet it was the Lord's will to crush
him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord
makes his life a guilt offering, he
will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied; by his knowledge my
righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:10-11 NIV+
Our eternal spiritual being, our soul
and spirit, is made holy through the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross. We
were made one with Christ, when we were given the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit. The Ways Our Sins Are Forgiven
*If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Ro 8:9-10 NASB+
*And you also were included in Christ when you heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
Eph 1:13 NIV+
We are sanctified, kept holy, by the
Spirit. The Spirit enables us, through faith, to love our God more than
anything else, and our neighbors as ourselves. And by this faith our sins are
forgiven, and our Father has promised to remember them no more.
*And such were some of
you. But you were washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by
the Spirit of our
God. 1Co 6:11 ESV+
*that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that
the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by
the Holy Spirit. Ro
15:16 NKJV+
*This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into
their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. Heb 10:16-17 KJV
We spiritually come into the Kingdom of
God when we have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts (our spiritual being).
The Spirit gives us the spiritual peace and joy which only those who are
children of God, are part of His Kingdom, can receive. Baptisms Of The Holy Spirit
*Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us,
and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what
is to come. 2Co 1:21-22 NIV+
*nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See
there!' For indeed, the kingdom
of God is within you." Lk 17:21 NKJV+
*for the kingdom
of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Ro
14:17 ASV
There is no question we are part of the
Kingdom of God, when our Father and Jesus make Their
home within us, the spirit dwells within us. For where our God’s home is, there
His Kingdom is also. And if anyone does not have the Spirit dwelling within
them, they are not children of God, do not belong to Christ, are not in the
Kingdom of God.
*Jesus answered and said
to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My
word; and My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our home
with him. Jn
14:23 NKJV+
*However,
you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if
indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.
But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to
Him. Ro 8:9-10 NASB+
The simple truth is this. All people
living on earth are either spiritually holy children of God in the Kingdom of
Heaven. Or they are spiritually sinful children of satan, an enemy of God, and part of this evil world.
We are spiritually either one with our God or spiritually one against Him.
There is no middle ground.
*Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever
does not gather with me scatters. Lk 11:23 ESV+
*By this the children of God and the children
of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. 1Jn 3:10 NASB+
We remain on earth to do the work of the
Lord, doing what He would have us do. Though physically dying and spiritually
being with Christ in Heaven is a far better place to be.
*For not
one of us lives for himself, and for not one dies himself; for
if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die
for the Lord; therefore whether
we live or die, we are the Lord's. Ro 14:7-8 NASB+
*For to
me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which
I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ,
for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Phil 1:21-24 ESV+
*Therefore, being always of good courage, and
knowing that while we are at home in the
body we are absent from the Lord
— for we walk by faith, not by sight
— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from
the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent,
to be pleasing to Him. 2Cor 5:6-9 NASB+
5b.
Physically die, believers’ spiritual being goes to
Heaven
The New Covenant of grace began with
Christ’s atoning sacrificial suffering and death for all believers. Now all the
spiritual beings, the souls and spirits of all Old Covenant believers’ in
Abraham’s bosom, could be made holy, perfect.
*because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Heb 10:14 NIV+
*And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided
something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made
perfect. Heb
11:39-40 NASB+
After Jesus physically died on the cross,
His soul and spirit descended into the Abyss to proclaim His victory to the
demons there. His spiritual being then ascended into Heaven, bringing all the
spiritual beings from Abraham’s Bosom behind Him, in a train bound for Heaven.
*For
Christ also died for sins once for all, the
just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh,
but made alive in the spirit ; in
which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 1Pe
3:18-19 NASB+
*But to each
one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned
it. This is why it says: "When he ascended
on high, he led captives in his
train and gave gifts to
men." (What does "he
ascended" mean except that he also
descended to the lower, earthly
regions? He who descended is the
very one who ascended higher than all
the heavens, in order to fill the
whole universe.) Eph 4:7-10 NIV+
For salvation, the spiritual Kingdom of
Heaven would be first for the Jew, then for the gentile.
*I am not ashamed of the
gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone
who believes: first for the Jew, then for
the Gentile. Ro 1:16 NIV+
*And I say to you that
many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. Matt 8:11 NKJV+
Later that day, after Jesus had
spiritually ascended into Heaven, the soul of the criminal on the cross was
also welcomed into Paradise by Jesus. He was the first believer we were told
about to physically die under the New Covenant of grace, and have his spiritual
being taken into Heaven.
*Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed
Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save
Yourself and us." But the other,
answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we
indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You
come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly,
I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Lk 23:39-43 NKJV+
Believers
will continue to have our spirits and souls safely taken into Heaven, where our
God now rules. All who have physically died in Christ have been eternally
saved, will be in the presence of our God forever. They will remain in the
presence of Jesus as they are changed, reunited with their physical body which
has been glorified, and taken to a new Heaven, from where our Father will rule.
*Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with
an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1Pe
1:8-9 NIV+
*The Lord
will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be
the glory forever and ever. Amen. 2Tim
4:18 NASB+
Physical death is not our greatest
enemy, for our eternal home is in the Kingdom of God, where we will reside
forever. Our physical lifetime, even if it is 100 years- is as quick as a blink
of an eye compared to eternity. For eternity is more than a billion, more than
a trillion years, it is forever.
*For whoever desires to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit
a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Mk 8:35-36 NKJV+
*The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever
serves me must follow me; and where I
am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one
who serves me.
5c.
Physically die, unbelievers’ spiritual beings go to
Hades
Only unbelievers have to fear death, for
they will get no second chance. When their physical bodies die their spiritual
beings are separated from the presence of God forever. Their soul and spirit go
directly into the torment of Hades, to await the White Throne judgment. When
their physical bodies will be reunited with their spiritual being and they are
thrown into the second death, the eternal Lake of Fire in Hell.
*if this is so, then the
Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for
the day of judgment,
while continuing their punishment. 2Pe
2:9 NIV+
* and the living one. I died, and
behold I am alive forevermore, and I
have the keys of Death and Hades. Rev 1:18 ESV+
*But
I will show you whom you should fear: Fear
him who, after the killing of the
body, has power to throw you into
hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Lk
12:5 NIV+
6.
In the future
6a.
Unbelievers heard – not accept Jesus - eternally lost
There are different times believers
think Jesus will return to gather us to Heaven. Yet no one knows when Jesus will
return, and though we hope Jesus will come sooner, we must be prepared to wait
if He comes later. We will base the future on when we believe Jesus will return
to gather us to Heaven (rapture). Which is after the antichrist’s reign
is over, and before the 30 days of God’s wrath comes upon the earth. Tribulation
*"But of that day or hour no one knows, not even
the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Mk 13:32 NASB+
Unbelievers will be condemned, who were
taught the gospel, had a chance to know about Jesus, but did not accept Him as
their Lord, when the antichrist comes. Our God will delude them into following
the antichrist, and all who follow the antichrist, receive His mark, will go to
Hades when they die. This will happen 3 1/2 years before we are gathered to
Heaven, as the antichrist begins his reign over the earth.
*Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who
did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2Thess
2:11-12 ESV+
*Then a third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, "If anyone
worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark
on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in
the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Rev 14:9-10 NKJV+
6b.
Gathered to Heaven – 1st resurrection – believers eternally saved
Jesus
told us:
*"Behold,
I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according
to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End. Rev
22:12-13 NIV+
Jesus alone, by Himself, will return
again, to take all believers’ home to be with Him in Heaven. He will descend
from Heaven, with all the saints, the eternal spiritual beings of those living
in Heaven with Him, and come into the clouds over the earth. Jesus will shout
with the voice of an archangel, like the trumpet of God.
*For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet
of God, and the dead in Christ will
rise first. Then we who are alive
and remain will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 1Thess 4:16-17 NASB+
*I was in the Spirit on
the Lord's Day, and I heard behind
me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, Rev 1:10 NKJV+
*After this I looked,
and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had
heard speaking to me like a trumpet,
said, “Come up here, and I will show
you what must take place after this.” Rev 4:1 ESV+
And when the last angel, the 7th angel,
will sound his trumpet, the kingdom of the world will become the Kingdom of our
Lord and His Christ. And all the heavenly saints’ dead physical bodies and
minds on earth, will rise up, be resurrected, as perfect, holy, eternal
physical beings. They will be caught up in the clouds to Jesus, to be reunited
with their eternal spiritual being from Heaven, making all heavenly saints a
perfect, holy, live, eternal person.
Then all believers who still are alive
on the earth, still have our spiritual and physical beings united, will
likewise have our physical being, our body and mind changed. In the “twinkling
of an eye,” we will be given a perfect holy, eternal body, for our holy,
eternal, spiritual being to live in. And then we will likewise be “caught up”
into the air, the clouds to be with Jesus. And He will take all of us up to
Heaven to be with Him forever.
* Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven,
saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ ; and He will reign forever and ever." Rev 11:15 NASB+
*Listen, I tell you a
mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trumpet. For
the trumpet will sound, the dead will be
raised imperishable, and we will be
changed. For the perishable
must clothe itself with the imperishable, and
the mortal with immortality. 1Co 15:51-53 NIV+
Our physical bodies will be glorified,
will be made like Jesus’ glorious body.
*The Spirit Himself bears witness with our
spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified
together. Ro 8:16-17 NKJV+
*But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will
transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all
things to himself. Phil 3:20-21 ESV+
This is the first Resurrection, when we
are gathered to Heaven just before the wrath of God begins. After the
antichrist loses his power over us, and the earth becomes the Kingdom of God
and Jesus, over which Jesus will reign.
*He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into
his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
But the court shall sit in judgment, and his
dominion shall be taken away, to
be consumed and destroyed to the end. Da 7:25-26 ESV+
*Then I saw another
sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven
angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete. Rev
15:1 NKJV+
*Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom
of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ;
and He will reign forever and ever." Rev 11:15 NASB+
Jesus will take us to Heaven, where we
will be rewarded with blessings for all the work which we have done out of love
for our God.
*For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which
is Jesus Christ. Now
if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be
revealed by fire; and the fire will test
each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved,
yet so as through fire. 1Co 3:12-15 NKJV+
*For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ, so that each one
may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what
he has done, whether good or bad. 2Cor
5:10 NASB+
We will come into the New Heaven, the
New Jerusalem, as we celebrate the wedding supper of the Lamb, with our Savior.
*"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." Rev
19:7 NASB+
*And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. Rev 21:2 ESV+
*Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues
and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will
show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried
me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city
Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, Rev 21:9-10 ESV+
Our home is in the New Jerusalem, where
Jesus has prepared a place for us to dwell.
*And God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes; there shall be
no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Rev 21:4 NKJV+
*"In My Father's house are many
dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. "If
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I
am, there you may be also. Jn
14:2-3 NASB+
John
was given a revelation of the future Heaven, the New Jerusalem, and was told to
reveal it in God’s Word.
*Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard
a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with
them, and they shall be His people. God Himself
will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;
there shall be no more death, nor
sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no
more pain, for the former things have passed away." Rev 21:2-4 NKJV+
*Then
the angel showed me the river of the water
of life, as clear as crystal, flowing
from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street
of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit
every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the
Lamb will be in the city, and his
servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
There will be no more night. They
will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they
will reign for ever and ever. Rev 22:1-5 NIV+
Jesus tells us there are 2
resurrections. The first resurrection is for believers only, those who have
been blessed and made holy by our God. We will be priests of God and Christ in
the New Jerusalem, and our Father will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
*Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and
they will reign with him for a thousand years. Rev 20:6 ESV+
*Therefore they are before the throne
of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will
dwell among them. They shall neither
hunger anymore nor thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And
God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes." Rev 7:15-17 NKJV+
After the first resurrection, all
believers will have been eternally saved. Either when we physically die in the Lord,
and have our spiritual being, our soul and spirit taken into Heaven. Or if we
are still physically alive, when Jesus returns in the clouds, and gathers us up
to be with Him in Heaven. Since all of us will have now been eternally saved,
further prophecy in the Word only tells us how and where we will spend eternity
with our God. What will happen during the 1,000 years of Christ’s Kingdom on
earth, as Israel and others will be saved, until the final White Throne
Judgment takes place.
6c.
Unbelievers’ spiritual beings go to Hades – Await White Throne Judgment zz
All
unbelievers, except those chosen by God to come into Christ’s Kingdom on earth,
will be killed. This will start during the 30 days of God’s wrath, and be
completed when Christ comes in all of His power. The angels will gather
unbelievers and throw them into the winepress of God’s great wrath. Jesus will
come back as the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” and with commands, the sword
of His mouth, destroy all the armies of the nations who gather against Him at
Jehoshaphat, Jerusalem, and Armageddon. Then He will tread the winepress of
those gathered by the angels, destroying all who are not going to be part of
His Kingdom on earth.
*So the angel
thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the
earth, and threw it into the great
winepress of the wrath of God. Rev
14:19 NKJV+
*Now I saw
heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.
And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges
and makes war. Rev 19:11 NKJV+
*From
His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations,
and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press
of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. Rev 19:15 NASB+
And
blood will come out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles, the
whole length of the nation of Israel. And the birds will gather to eat the
flesh of all those killed in battles.
*And the winepress
was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles,
for one thousand six hundred furlongs. Rev 14:20 NKJV+
*And the rest
were killed with the sword which
proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all
the birds were filled with their flesh. Rev 19:21 NKJV+
satan will be bound up, cast in the Abyss,
the bottomless pit, and will kept there for 1,000 years, then released for a
little while.
*He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of
old, who is the
Devil and Satan, and bound him for a
thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more
till the thousand years were finished.
But after these things he must be released for a little while. Rev 20:2-3 NKJV+
Evil ones for the first time will be
cast into the Lake of Fire. It will be the antichrist, also known as the beast,
along with his prophet. They are both demons, who will each come into, take
over a human physical body, when God allows them to rule the world for 3 1/2
years. They will be destroyed when their time is up, and while living in their
physical body, they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, the eternal Hell.
*Then
the beast was captured, and with him
the false prophet who worked signs
in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast
and those who worshiped his image. These two
were cast alive into the lake of
fire burning with brimstone. Rev 19:20 NKJV+
*And I saw, coming out
of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth
of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean
spirits like frogs. For they
are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the
whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. Rev 16:13-14 ESV+
7.
People will physically live in Jesus 1,000 year Kingdom on earth; some will
physically die
7a.
Believers in eternal glorified Bodies will be priests to God, others rule with
Jesus
Jesus will establish His Kingdom on
earth for 1,000 years after He returns in power. We will be priests to God and
Jesus in the New Jerusalem, and also reign with Jesus over the earth.
*And
the Lord
shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be-- "The Lord is one," And His name one. Zech 14:9-10 NKJV+
*Blessed
and holy is the one who has a part in the
first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will
be priests of God and of Christ and
will reign with Him for a thousand years. Rev 20:6 NASB
*Then I saw
thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had
been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of
God, and those who had not worshiped
the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their
foreheads or their hands. They came
to life and reigned with Christ for
a thousand years. Rev 20:4 ESV+
We
do not know exactly how we will reign with Jesus, and it will probably depend
upon the duties all will be given. We do know we will be priests of God and
Jesus in Heaven, offering spiritual blessings, praising and worshipping our
Father and His Son. Yet some may also come to earth to help Jesus reign over
it. Though there will be other mortal priests and Levites on earth for the Temple
at Jerusalem.
*and He
has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be
the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Rev 1:6 NASB+
* you also, like living stones, are being
built into a spiritual house to be a
holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1Pe
2:5 NIV+
*And I
will also take some of them for priests and Levites," says the Lord.
Isa 66:21 NKJV+
We
also know some of us with glorified bodies will help Jesus judge those who come
into His earthly Kingdom, probably their status in it, for our Father and Jesus
alone will judge who will be given eternal life in Heaven.
*And
Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the
regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious
throne, you also shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matt 19:28 NASB+
*Do you not know that the saints will judge the world.
And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial
cases? 1Co 6:2 NIV+
In Christ’s new Kingdom, the earth and
its heavens will be made new. We know this new earth is not connected with the
New Jerusalem, for it will be light all the time, there is no moon, and all
flesh refers to mortal people.
*"For
behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And
the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. Isa 65:17 NASB+
*For
as the new heavens and the new earth Which
I will make shall remain before
Me," says the Lord, "So
shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one
Sabbath to another, All flesh shall
come to worship before Me,"
says the Lord. Isa 66:22-23 NKJV+
Life on this
new earth will change with Jesus as its King, life
will be so much simpler, joyous, and beautiful for all people. Yet it is not
Heaven, for there will still be sin on this new earth. And the people living on
it will still be mortal, will die, and then
have their eternal soul go to either Heaven or Hades.
*I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer
be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying. "No more
shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not
fulfilled his days; For the child shall
die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall
be accursed. Isa 65:19-20 NKJV+
*Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf
and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust
shall be the serpent’s food. They
shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” Isa 65:24-25 ESV+
All who remain
on earth after Jesus comes in all of His power, and who will then come into His
Kingdom on earth, will be physically mortal people, who have an eternal spirit
living within them. With a
free will to obey and follow Christ or reject Him. Including:
Jewish people (plus maybe a remnant of Gentiles with the Jews), who will accept Jesus after the gathering, in the
wrath of God, or when Jesus comes in all of His power. They will have endured
tribulation, will be kept safe during the 3 ½ year rule of the antichrist in
the great tribulation, and will be brought through the wrath of God.
*and
the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. Rev 12:6 ESV+
*I do not want you to be ignorant of this
mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a
hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And
so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will
come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
Ro 11:25-26 NIV+
It will
include those survivors who will call on the name of the Lord after the
battles, and those survivors whom the Lord will call.
*And
it shall come to pass that everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved. For in Mount Zion
and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors
shall be those whom the Lord
calls. Joel 2:32 ESV+
It will also
include those who will survive, and all the survivors they will bring to
Jerusalem from all the nations. The many survivors who have not heard or seen
the glory of our God.
*"I
will set a sign among them, and I will
send some of those who survive to the nations--to Tarshish,
to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to
Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. Isa 66:19 NIV+
*And they will bring all your brothers, from all
the nations, to my holy mountain
in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord--on horses, in chariots and wagons,
and on mules and camels," says the Lord.
"They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to
the temple of the Lord in
ceremonially clean vessels. And I
will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,"
says the Lord.
Isa
66:20-21 NIV+
It will
include Gentiles from all nations which will attack Jerusalem. It is not clear
whether all these survivors have completed accepted our God, for He has to make
a threat to make sure they will come worship Him in Jerusalem.
*Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem
will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. Zech 14:16-17 NIV+
*8. White
Throne Judgment Second Resurrection –
Second Death for all Unbelievers
All
demons-satan-unbelievers in their resurrected evil physical
bodies; cast eternally to Hell, Lake of Fire
There will be a final battle on earth,
when satan is turned loose,
after his 1,000 years of confinement are over. Man will always be deceived when
they trust their own intelligence to guide them. And satan, being his evil self, will easily deceive the
nations, bring them for a final battle against the saints and the beloved city
of Jerusalem. Our God will make short work of all those who come against Him
and His saints. He will completely destroy them, by sending down fire which
will devour them.
* Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released
from his prison and will go out
to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them
together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. Rev 20:7-8 NKJV+
*They went up on the breadth of the earth and
surrounded the camp of the saints and
the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. Rev 20:9 NKJV+
The second resurrection will take place.
All who were not part of the first resurrection,
will have their physical body raise from the grave, united with their eternal
spiritual being, making them a live person once more.
* 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. Rev
20:13 ESV+
Then
the White Throne Judgment will begin, with our God seated on His throne. The
earth, its heaven, the sky, will disappear, and there will no longer be a place
for them. Then all of those in the second resurrection, along with those who
are still living will be judged.
*Then I saw a great white throne and Him
who sat on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. Rev 20:11 NKJV+
*And I saw
the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was
opened, which is the Book of
Life. And the dead were judged according to their works,
by the things which were written in the books. Rev 20:12 NKJV+
All
who love our God, who have their name written in the “book of life” will come
eternally into the New Jerusalem to be with our God. They will be given holy,
eternal, glorified physical bodies for their eternal spiritual beings to live
in.
*And if anyone’s
name was not found written in
the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev 20:14-15 ESV+
*and nothing unclean, and no one
who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only
those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. Rev
21:27 NASB+
All
those in Hades, from the past, present and future, will be part of the second
resurrection. They will have their mortal, sinful, physical beings raised from
the dead, then made eternal, and reunited with their eternal, sinful spiritual
beings from Hades. This makes them an eternal, living, sinful person. And those
who have rejected God, are still alive on earth with mortal bodies, will also
be changed, given eternal sinful bodies, so they are likewise an eternal,
living, sinful person. All of them will be judged,
their names will not be in the book of life. They will be cast into the Lake of
Fire, which is the second death, the death which will last eternally in
Hell.
*Then Death
and Hades were thrown into the lake of
fire. This is the second death,
the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of
life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev
20:14-15 ESV+
*And
do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body
in hell. Matt 10:28 NKJV+
We
do not know exactly where the Lake of Fire is, for heaven and earth will have passed
away. Except that it will be in the presence of Jesus and His angels, forever
and ever.
*Then I saw a great white throne and Him
who sat on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. Rev 20:11 NKJV+
*he also will drink of the wine of the wrath
of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be
tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels and in the
presence of the Lamb. "And the
smoke of their torment goes up forever and
ever; they have no rest day and
night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark
of his name." Rev 14:10-11 NASB+
The
devil and all of his angels (demons), any demonic spiritual being on earth, or
locked away in chains of gloomy darkness in the Abyss, will also be judged, and
thrown into the eternal Lake of Fire.
*And the angels
who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains
under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— Jude 1:6 ESV+
*“Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal
fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matt 25:41 ESV+
*9.
All Believers in Glorified Bodies Come to live eternally in God’s New Heaven
and Earth
All
believers in eternal glorified spiritual bodies; will come into God’s eternal
New Heaven and Earth. A Kingdom so large and beautiful, that our human minds
are unable to fathom the magnitude or beauty of it. Here we will live eternally
with our Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit; in a glorified
body which will never have any pain, or grow old. We will live in the peace,
joy, and bliss, which only our great God can give us. We will visit and be with
all of God’s children; including our family, friends, and all the millions of
new brothers and sisters we will meet in God’s New Heaven and Earth. Hope to see you there.
*And
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself
will be with them as their God. He
will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall
be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for
the former things have passed away.” Rev
21:3-4 ESV+
He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is
in the midst of the Paradise of God." ' Rev 2:7 NKJV+
10.
Paul’s glimpse of Heaven
Paul was given a glimpse of our Father’s
universe when spiritually he was taken up from earth, through the first and
second Heaven into the third Heaven. His revelation gives us a conceptual idea
of the difference places our God has planned for us to go.
*I
know a man in Christ who fourteen
years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or
out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into
paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 2Co 12:2-3 ESV+
Paul was taken from earth where Heaven can be found within a believer’s heart. Our
bodies though sinful become the temple of our God, when the Spirit lives within
our hearts. We become one with Jesus, one with our Heavenly Father, and where They are, the Kingdom of Heaven is also.
*Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that
the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the
temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is
what you are. 1Co 3:16-17 NASB+
*In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Jn
14:12 ESV+
The first
heaven Paul went through was not really heaven, but a rest, Abraham’s Bosom.
This was within the realm of earth, was where all believers had to wait, until
Jesus atoned for our sins upon the cross.
*For this reason Christ is
the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised
eternal inheritance--now that he has
died as a ransom to set them free
from the sins committed under the first
covenant. Heb 9:15 NIV+
*And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided
something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made
perfect. Heb
11:39-40 NASB+
Paul went through the second Heaven, our Father’s present
Heavenly Kingdom. This is where all believers’ spiritual beings, our souls and
spirits, are now living, as they await Christ’s return to give us glorified
bodies.
*But
you have come to Mount Zion and to the city
of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable
company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits
of just men made perfect, Heb 12:22-23 NKJV+
Then Paul came into the third Heaven, and saw the final Heaven,
the New Jerusalem. Paul, and later John, were spiritually
taken to see the new Heaven, our final home, which has already been prepared
for us in the third heaven. Paul saw the glories of God,
he heard inexpressible things about what our Father has planned for us. Things
Paul was not permitted to tell anyone, yet John was told to tell all.
*And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether
in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 2Co 12:3-4 ESV+
*Then I, John, saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Rev 21:2 NKJV
John tells us about things which will
far exceed any expectations our feeble human mind can comprehend. Heaven is
real, will be waiting for all, who will love our God above all things, our
neighbors as ourselves.
*But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of
the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is
its light. And the nations of those who
are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their
glory and honor into it. Rev 21:22-24 NKJV+
*The construction of its wall was of jasper;
and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall
of the city were adorned with
all kinds of precious stones: the
first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony,
the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx,
the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the
ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one
pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Rev
21:18-21 NKJV+
*The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will
reap eternal life. Gal 6:8 NIV+
Copyright 2010 amended 2013-Edited 2023
by Ron Borkey
+ ESV “Scripture quotations
marked [ESV] are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version,” copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good New
Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
+ NEW AMERICAN STANDARD
BIBLE (1995 Update) Copyright © 1981, 1998 The Lockman Foundation, A Corporation Not for Profit,
+ NIV Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible
Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
+ NKJV "Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
All rights reserved."
Some words in the verses from these
Bibles may be emphasized with bold letters.