HEAVEN is the abode of God and of the hosts of angels
although the Almighty’s presence is not really confined to any region (1Kings 8:27). In Isaiah 66.1 the Lord asserts “Heaven is my
throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as
that? Besides, Could you build me such a resting place?” Psalm 11:4 says
“the Lord is in His holy Temple;
the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely,
examining every person on earth. St. John’s vision in Revelations 4:2 reports
‘’And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven,
and One sat on the throne’’.
Heaven is also, the abode for the redeemed dead in the afterlife--usually a temporary stage before the resurrection of the dead and the saints'
return to the New Earth. In popular concept, it is the desired final
resting place for every regenerated Christian.
The structure of heaven itself is never fully discussed in the
Bible. Old Testament envisioned the heavens as having multiple layers. St. Paul describes
three layers. There is almost no mention in the Old Testament of heaven as a
possible afterlife destination for human beings, as the eternal home of the righteous
dead. These are instead described as "resting" in Sheol (Genesis 25:7-9, Deuteronomy 34:6, 1 Kings 2:10). Genesis
1:1 indicates
heaven and earth came into being together, created by God. Information on
heaven is sparse and far in between in the Holy Bible. We get a bolder glimpse
of heaven in Rev 21 and 22.
A Christian is bound to heaven through seven golden links namely:
1.
Your
Father is there (Matthew 6:9)
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy
The preceding complex discussions about heaven must not let us
lose sight of the primary aim of this essay – the seven golden links that bind
us to heaven. The concept of God as our Father did not seem to be very popular
in the Old Testament. There are only about a dozen occasions you find this
mentioned, but primarily in the sense of "God the Father (Almighty)", in His capacity as "Father and creator
of the universe". But the Father Jesus Christ introduced to His
followers is a God who is a father personally interested in the affairs of His
“children”, not unlike our earthly father on whom we are dependent, who is
responsible for our welfare. We believe we can communicate with Him and
fellowship through prayers, He listens to our prayers and answers us.
Ephesians 1:5 says God predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons
through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will. According to Peter,
we are born anew into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of
change and decay, imperishable, unsullied, and unfading (1Peter 1.4). There is yet another dimension as well to the theme of
God as Father. He is the Father and the first person in the Holy Trinity. Our
Sonship is distinctly different from Jesus’ Sonship. He is the Son as the Logos,
the Second Person in the Trinity. Jesus has referred to the ‘Father’
165 times in the gospels, in both senses. Jesus’ calling God His Father was one
of the contentious issues the religious leaders had with Him.
2.
Your Saviour is there (Hebrews 9:24)
Christ did not enter into a holy place made with
human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into
heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.
The Old Testament High Priest went
before God once a year for the forgiveness of the nation’s sin. Christ makes
perpetual intercession for us before God for us. Christ’s continuous presence
with the Father in heaven assures our sins have been paid for and forgiven.
This wonderful assurance frees us from guilt and fear of failure. Christ has
paid for your sins once and for all.
According to the author of the
book of Hebrews, the “original” (heaven) was shown to Moses in the Mount Sinai, and then a corresponding model of a
tabernacle was built on earth by him. It corresponded in regard to the matters
under consideration; the most holy place denoted heaven; the
mercy-seat and the Shekinah were symbols of the presence of God, and of the fact
that he shows mercy in heaven. The entrance of the high priest was symbolical
of the entrance of the Redeemer into heaven; the sprinkling of the blood here
was a type of what the Redeemer would do in heaven.
3.
Your name is written there (Luke 10:20)
But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because
your names are registered in heaven.
Though it is an honor to be able to work
miracles, to be blessed with talents, and influence, and learning, yet it is a
subject of "chief" joy that we are numbered among the people of God,
and have a title to everlasting life.
It was the practice of the old to
enter names of citizens of a city or state in a book, from which they were
blotted out if anyone became unworthy, or forfeited the favor of their country.
The church in Sardis was
assured that their names would never be erased from the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5) as a reward for their purity.
That their "names were written in heaven," means that they were
"citizens" of heaven; that they were friends of God and
"approved" by him, and would be permitted to dwell with him. This was
of far more value than all earthly honor, power, or wealth, and "in"
this you should rejoice more than in possession of
wealth, pleasure, position or power.
4.
Your life is there, hidden in Christ (Colossians
3:2, 3)
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you
died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
“For you died to this life” means
you should have as little desire for improper worldly pleasure as a dead person
would have. A Christian’s real home is where Christ lives. This truth provides
a different perspective on our lives here on earth. To think about things of
heaven means to think at things from God’s perspective and seek what he
desires. By seeking only what Christ desires, we break the attractions of
worldly pleasures.. We also don’t get involved in meaningless religious
exercises. Love and serve to please God and live in harmony with Him.
What does it mean to say a
believer’s life is “hidden with Christ”? Hidden means “concealed and safe”.
This is not just a future hope, but an accomplished fact right here and now.
Our service and conduct do not earn our salvation, but they are the results of
our salvation. Rejoice in the fact your salvation is secure and live each day
for Christ
5.
Your treasure is there (Luke 12:33)
Sell your possessions and give to
those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of
heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can
steal it and no moth can destroy it.
Money can easily take God’s place
in your life. It can become your master. How can you tell if you are a slave to
money? Ask yourself: Do I think and worry about it often? Do I give up what I
should do or like to do in order to make more money? Do I spend a great deal of
time caring for my possession? Is it hard for me to give money away? Am I in
debt?
Money is a hard and deceptive
master. Wealth promises power and control, but often it cannot deliver. Great
fortunes can be made and lost overnight and no amount of money can provide
health, happiness or eternal life. How much better to let God be your master! His
servants have ease of mind and security, both now and forever. “But people who
want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid
and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. For the love of
money is a root of all kinds of evil……..”(1Ti 6:9, 10).
6.
Your citizenship is there (Philippians 3:20)
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.
And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.
As the citizen of your country,
you are expected to promote the interest of your country and maintain its
dignity through your talents, treasure, and time. In the same way, citizens of
heaven must promote the interest of heaven on earth and lead life worthy of
heavenly citizenship. Many of us have fail to transfer our citizenship to
heaven, we are neither here nor there. The pull of earthy pleasures is too
strong to resist. Paul reminded Colossian Christians they are citizens of
heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. Have you transferred your citizenship
to heaven? What steps have you taken to promote heaven’s interests on earth?
Heavens are waiting for your
prayers and actions. “Whatever you
bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven”, said Jesus (Mathew 18.18).
7.
Heaven is your destination and destiny (John
14:2, 3).
There is more than enough room in my
Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to
prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get
you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
The earth is not a believer’s
permanent home. We are only aliens and travelers here. God has left us here
until we are saved and sanctified; and to carry on the work Jesus has commanded
us to do, with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is dangerous to develop an
attachment to it, to become too comfortable down here. On His return, Christ will take our weak mortal bodies and change
them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will
bring everything under his control (Philippians 3.21). Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but
they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be
raised in strength (1Corinth 15:43) Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some
to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace (Daniel 12:2)
Revelations
21 and 22 give us some details about our future
home in heaven: God will dwell among those who have arrived there. There will
be no need for a temple. They shall be His people, and He will wipe away every
tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death;
there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;
There will no longer be any curse; the first things have passed away.
Everything will
become new! (Revelations
21.5) Our lives there will not be a replica of
our earthly life. With the sea and sun gone, the part of earth’s crust, waters
and atmosphere that supported our earlier life (the ecosystem that comprised
the entire earth and the organisms that lived in it), our lives will
be drastically altered. The throne
of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve
Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on
their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night;
and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun,
because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
Jesus will return
any time and put into effect His plans for His followers’ future. Until then He
wants us to remain expectant and alert praying constantly for
the Second Coming.
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