By William Holland Jr.
When we were young we seldom thought about the afterlife since we were so focused on this one, but as we grow older, we become more curious. I believe in visions and dreams, but I do not know anyone personally who claims they have been to heaven, however, I’ve heard a few people say they have.
Even though near-death and out-of-body experiences about heaven are common, I’m not going to discredit those who really believe they have encountered a glimpse of the other side. May we realize that all we have to base our theology on is the Bible and it’s worth noting that Jesus makes a profound statement about this in John 3:13.
Years ago I was studying about the end times as I was teaching some eschatology classes and began focusing on what the next life will be like. There are a few places in the Bible that give hints as to what we will see and do in heaven. Still, like other subjects much of it is controversial because of different interpretations and whether the text should be understood as literal or symbolical.
We read in I Corinthians, Chapter 2 that, “Eye hath not seen, not ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him” but if we keep reading within the context of the passage we see that God does reveal spiritual truth through the Holy Spirit.
I praise God for all the letters I receive from those who are blessed by these messages, but we all know the minute I start talking about doctrines many feathers will be ruffled. So, to prevent anger and hard feelings, I try to focus on subjects about the Christian life that most of us can agree with.
Even though many believers do not study on their own, have never graduated from seminary, or are daily prayer warriors, Christians are not lacking in the area of having strong opinions about what they believe. For the majority, the religious knowledge they have accumulated throughout their lives has come from what they heard someone else say, but we have been commanded by God in Second Timothy the second chapter to rightly divide the scriptures for ourselves through unbiased research and diligent study.
There is also a faithful group of truth seekers who attend adult Sunday school classes and Bible studies and study on their own which gives them confidence to draw their own conclusions. I admit that my views have changed over the years as the more I learn, the more I see things differently.
I do not think this is a bad thing seeing that as we mature, we are developing and expanding in our wisdom and understanding. When talking about our eternal abode with God, let us agree as His children, that where we are going and what it will contain is not as important as being with the one we love more than anyone or anything.
We are to be revealing the nature and character of Christ within our lives here on earth now since we are made in His image to reflect His glory. Likewise, the earth is a type and shadow of heaven according to Hebrews Chapters 8 and 9 and was made after the pattern of where God lives.
We recall the first verse of the Bible in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth” and from the mention of both realms in the same sentence we see a connection between the spiritual domain of God’s throne and the natural realm which was made later that reflects similar attributes such as a tabernacle, sanctuary, priest, light, worship, rivers, trees, fruit, streets, banquets, cities, and so on. Cities? Yes, the Bible says the holy city of Jerusalem will come down from heaven and literally sit upon the earth.
We are told in Revelation Chapters 21 and 22 about how God will one day do away with the old heaven and earth and will create a brand new heaven and earth. In Christian eschatology, the New Jerusalem, represents heaven coming down and sitting upon the new earth.
We should be filled with excitement to know that one day we will be with Him when our spirit and new body are united and we will live in His presence forever. Spending eternity with our Lord is so encouraging and next week we will continue this conversation. I welcome your thoughts about this fascinating subject … Psalmz103@gmail.com.
William Holland Jr. is an ordained minister, chaplain, and author. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com.
