Things that are inevitable should always be carefully prepared for.
After someone has made the only adequate spiritual provision for his death by repenting of sins (Lk. 13:3,5; Acts 20:21; 1 Thess. 1:9; etc.) and having a trusting-obedient faith in Jesus alone for his salvation (Jn. 6:47; 1 John 2:3,4; Heb. 5:9; Acts 16:31; etc.) he is then ready to die, that is, if he is still faithfully following the Lord Jesus at the very end (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; Rev. 2:10,11). There is no Once Saved Always Saved. Backsliders are back on the road to hell again, but for those who have Jesus as their king (Lk. 19:27), physical death and being with God is compared to this life as better by far (Phil. 1:23) and is preferred (2 Cor. 5:8).
[Note: not just better, but better by far.]
At that glorious and wonderful time when our race and test are over, the Christian (or the alien and stranger in this world, 1 Pet. 2:11) will finally leave this spiritual battlefield and go home to be with his Lord (2 Cor. 5:8) and the rest of our spiritual family. This world is not the Christian's home—heaven is. Home can be defined as: the place of abode of one's affections, peace, or rest; one's native place or country.
That is certainly not a description of this world for a Christian, who has spiritual weapons, armour, enemies, etc. all suggesting a spiritual struggle (Eph. 6:11-17; 1 Pet. 5:8; Heb. 12:4; etc.). The devil and demons are here! Again, remember the Christian's citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).
I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? (John 3:12)Heavenly things are much different from what we know of now.
Try to imagine the extreme joy and excitement someone who lived for Christ for decades will experience when he first enters God's loving presence in Heaven. The same would hold true even for death-bed conversions, like the repentant thief (Lk. 23:42,43). At that God-chosen time, everything will be changed for the better. Never again will there ever be any lonely moments. No more crying in secret. No more pain of any type. That is what heaven is really like:
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Rev 21:4)
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. (Rev 5:8,9)NOTE: The overcomers sing about Jesus' blood in heaven. It was Jesus' holy, cleansing blood which purchased (redeemed) us. That too shows what is heaven like for a Christian. In heaven, they also sing equal praise and worship to the Father and the Son:
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Rev 5:13,14)
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. (Rev 4:4)The last generation of saints, who are victorious by dying martyrs and overcoming the Antichrist, are mentioned here:
And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. THEY HELD HARPS GIVEN THEM BY GOD AND SANG THE SONG of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages" (Rev 15:2,3).After their death they had MUSICAL talents -- knowing how to play a harp and sing! They didn't have to go to music school for those talents! Again, HEAVEN is musical place.
Of the 24 elders are the Twelve original apostles minus Judas Iscariot, since they were promised thrones in heaven (Mt. 19:28 cf. Rev. 4:4). Hence, though there is NO hint of the apostles having any musical talents during their earthly lives, in heaven they will have MUSICAL TALENTS too (Rev. 5:8-10)!
The 24 other thrones in heaven is another blow to the Catholic view of heaven. Why? There are 25 thrones, but none for Mary. How can we be sure? Because the Greek word translated elders is masculine, which doesn't allow for a female Mary. Moreover, Mary is never the focal point in heaven. She is never sung to, praised or honored. In fact, she is not even mentioned. Those are the truths from scripture, as destructive to Catholic theology as they are. Roman Catholicism presents a totally different image of heaven, which has a major focus on Mary:
"We believe that the multitude of those gathered around Jesus and Mary in Paradise forms the Church of heaven...." (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 1053)That is a horrible misrepresentation of heaven. Furthermore, Mary, the mother of Jesus is not the woman clothed with the sun in Rev. 12.
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil....(1 John 3:7,8)The righteous will be there because of the Lord Jesus. He is the one and only Savior and door to heaven (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; etc.).
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11, NASB)
Hence, there is no universal salvation. Besides not seeing evil people there, you also won't ever see others suffering, as you do now, from blindness, deafness, mental retardation, physical deformities, etc. You personally won't experience any more toothaches, earaches, headaches, sore throats, stomach aches, backaches or any other kind of physical (or emotional) pain. You will have a new glorified body which won't be subject to disease, injury, aging or death. It will be paradise in every way as the worthy dwell in the holy presence of Almighty God. God's kingdom is a prepared place for prepared people. So, what is heaven like? All that and more, but who will enter it? The Bible says it is prepared for the righteous and those who love God:
Then the King will say to those on his right [the righteous], "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." (Mat 25:34)
However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9)
A second reason could be the pain associated with death. Our brothers and sisters in Christ from the past have gone through every form of pain preceding death and God gave them sufficient grace for it, as he assuredly will do for us. Paul wasn't anxious about any of these for he said:
I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far (Phil. 1:23).If we are dedicated to God, our attitude and joyful excitement about our own death should coincide with Paul's. If you fear death, as a Christian, ask yourself why and accept the Biblical truth about death, which will free you. You should have no fear of death. For a Christian to fear death is completely irrational, especially since that is part of the reason why Jesus died, that is, to free us of the fear of death:
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb 2:14,15)
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. (2 Cor 12:2)
was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. (2 Cor 12:4)That person Paul wrote of (probably himself), was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2), which is also called paradise (2 Cor. 12:4). Therefore, heaven is paradise. Also, all who overcome in Christ, that is, all who die with a pure heart are granted this promise:
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the PARADISE of God. (Rev 2:7)All others will perish (Mt. 7:13,14; 25:46; etc.), but notice the tree of life is in Paradise (Rev. 2:7). In Rev. 22:2 the tree of life is in New Jerusalem, which must also be the paradise of God.
In the end, one will either be in New Jerusalem or the lake of fire, based on his name being in the book of life or not:
If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:15)
Nothing impure will ever enter it [New Jerusalem], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Rev 21:27)So heaven or PARADISE is for all the overcomers in Christ. The same have their names written in the book of life, who are also the pure in heart (Mt. 5:8; 1 Tim. 5:22; Rev. 21:27) or the saints. The repentant thief, who was forgiven and made pure, went to paradise after his death:
Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)IF you die as an overcomer in Christ, one day you'll meet that former thief made PURE in heart, seeing as how long eternity is.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev 2:7)I WANT TO GO "HOME" TO PARADISE EVEN NOW! How about you? Stay faithful to JESUS no matter what. It makes NO DIFFERENCE if any man likes it or not! STAY FAITHFUL AND PURE BEFORE GOD. You are battling for eternity and YOUR OWN SOUL.
The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. (Rev 21:18)Gold, jasper, pearl and precious stones are the building materials of the whole city, streets, gates and foundations. It reads like a fantasy, but this one is reality. The occupants will all be spiritually clean:The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. (Rev 21:21)
Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Rev 21:27)God made that city for the redeemed -- the aliens and strangers on earth:
...And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Heb 11:13-16)The word translated longing in v. 16 means reach out after or even covet. They wanted to go ASAP. Can you relate to that?
A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. (Psa 37:10,11)We've all heard people refer to death for the long-time sufferer as, He is better off now that he is dead or His sufferings are over and he is in a better place. That is only true for the Christian.
In contrast, for such an unsaved person upon death, his sufferings are intensified, not lessened. Death is only better for the one who has willingly decided to deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Jesus here and now in this sinful society (Lk. 9:23) till death and is saved (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14). For him it is better than his wildest dreams! So what is heaven like? It is like all of the above and even more. There will even be crowns in heaven for those who are worthy of them!
To view this inevitable thing we label death apart from the light of the Bible is to be deceived. That includes life after death near death experiences.
Finally, for all the Jehovah's Witnesses who read this: Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:11; etc.). He stated his servants would be where he is:
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. (John 12:26)Jesus' servants -- those who go to heaven -- FAR exceeds a mere 144,000, as the Watchtower Society wrongly taught you.
Question: Do you know how to find peace with God? Humbly and sincerely go to Jesus to prepare for death. To learn more about how to become a child of God, click plan of salvation. Remember these truths to know what heaven is like.
Jehovah's Witnesses Beliefs Answered And Exposed
The Image of a Christian in Our Present-Day
Evangelical Outreach Alphabetical Map
Evangelical Outreach
PO Box 265
Washington, PA 15301-0265
EvangelicalOutreach.org
EternalLifeBlog.com
Contact Us Or Join Our Internet Church