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By Pastor J.D. Link

Abundant Grace Fellowship, Blanco, TX

When a loved one or acquaintance passes on, it usually causes us that are left behind to ponder our own mortality, as well as our eternal destiny. Big questions like “Who am I?”, “Why am I here?”, and “Where am I going when I die?”, often come to the forefront of our minds. Unfortunately, many people don’t know where to go to find the answers to these questions. I have good news, though.

There is a Book, made up of sixty six individual books, penned by forty-plus authors from all different walks of life over fifteen hundred-plus years, Divinely inspired and directed by Almighty God, that fit perfectly together to answer these questions. You would think this Book, full of God’s own Words, must cost a fortune. You would think such a special treasure must be hard to come by. You may think only the most wealthy and important people would get the chance to see some of these Words. Surely me, an average Joe, wouldn’t ever get the privilege of reading The Very Word of God. Yet, you can get one at Dollar General for a couple of bucks. “Impossible! How can one get the priceless jewel of God’s Word for so little?”. “What is this Book?” you ask. The Holy Bible.

The Bible has the answers you are looking for. Sometimes it answers your question directly, sometimes indirectly; but it will guide you through life. For instance, the question of Heaven. Is it a real place? Where did it come from? Who is there? What is it like? What must I do to get there? Does everyone go there? How long are you there once you go? The Word of God has answers for all of theses questions, but there are two things we must do on our end. The first thing is to read The Bible for yourself, preferably everyday. The second thing is to believe, put faith in, & trust what it says. If you can do those two things, you are on your way.

Is Heaven a real place? Absolutely. Some will scoff at that statement, but it’s true. Heaven is not just a state of mind. It’s also not some cosmic blob of bliss that we all “become one with” when we die. It has location. Job 22:12 says “Is not God in the height of Heaven?”. Ps. 33:13 says “The Lord looketh from Heaven; He behold all the sons of men.” We also see from these verses that God Almighty dwells there. It’s where His throne is (Ps 11:4). Of course from Scripture we know that God is omnipresent (Ps 139:6-16, Prv 15:3, Jer 23:24), yet Heaven is His specific dwelling place (Ps 102:19).

God is the One who created Heaven (Gen 1:1, Ex 20:11, Jn 1:3, Acts 4:24). Just to be clear, for this study I am referring to the third Heaven, where God dwells (2Cor 12:1-4). I do not wish to be dogmatic, but the other two heavens the Bible speaks of seem to be our atmosphere (Gen 1:6-8) and the galaxies ( Gen 1:14-18), which God also created. That sounds laughable to some people, but telling me I evolved from an ape gives me the chuckles as well.

So who’s in Heaven? Well, we’ve already determined that God is there, but He is not alone. The Word says Jesus is there as well. Our Lord and Savior sits in Heaven at The Father’s right hand (Eph 1:20, Col 4:1, Heb 9:24, 1Pt 3:22). If our Father and our Savior were the only One’s there, that would be plenty reason enough to want to go, but they’re not the only One’s there.

In Mt 8:11, Jesus said “…many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Imagine, all of the Old Testament faithful, and the New Testament believers as well, whose lives we read about in The Bible, we will get to sit down and talk with them! That will be quite an experience. Heaven is going to be a really interesting place! If you think you’re going to turn into a chubby baby with wings, sit on a cloud, and play the harp all day, you have the wrong idea about Heaven! Lord willing, we’ll continue this next week. Until then, rejoice in the Lord!

IS HEAVEN REALLY REAL? PT 2

By Pastor J.D. Link

Abundant Grace Fellowship, Blanco, TX

Last week we started to look into the subject of Heaven. Many times when someone we know passes on, questions about our eternity arise. We saw that the Bible, God’s Word, addresses these questions, but we have to first read it, then believe what we have read. We all believe something, the question is what is your belief system based on? We saw based on the Scriptures that Heaven is a real place that God created, and it is where He dwells upon His throne. We also learned that Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, dwells there with Him at His right hand. All those that have died, being in the faith, are there; as well the angels (Mt 18:10, 22:30, 24:36).

So what is Heaven like? Well, we know it is a place where God’s perfect will is perfectly carried out (Mt 6:10). We also see a picture of it in Revelation chapter 21 & 22, where it tells us that God wipes away all tears. There is no more death; no more sorrow; no more crying; no more pain; no more curse. It is a beautiful place of gold and precious gems. It is a place where the only source of light is the glory of God, and there is never any darkness. Although we get glimpses of the glory of Heaven through the Word, our natural mind will never be able to fully comprehend it, because it is just too awesome (1Cor 2:9-12). We can only start to grasp these truths through the Spirit of God that dwells in us.

Did you know, if you’re a believer in Christ Jesus, that you have a mansion already prepared for you there (Jn 14:2-3)? What a wonderful promise, that Jesus has prepared a place just for you. We have a wonderful Savior. I pray that if you have not given your life to Christ, that you would do so right now. In light of eternity, this life is a vapor; a snap of the fingers, and it is over (Jam 4:14). So what is more important than where you spend eternity? The good news is Heaven is forever (Rev 22:5). The bad news is, so is Hell (Rev 20:10-15). There is no in between, and no second chances: but rest assured, as a Christian, as soon as your body dies, you are present with the Lord (2Cor 5:8). Do not hesitate another moment, today is the day of salvation (2Cor 6:2).

So what difficult set of hoops must you jump through to get into Heaven? None. There are no hoops, and it is not difficult. The only way God could have made it easier, is to just make you get saved against your will, which He will not do. God seeks those that will worship Him in Spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24). You must humble yourself as a child (yes, pride will keep you out of Heaven) as Jesus said in Mt 18:3-4. You must come to Jesus with child-like faith, and simply believe. You must be born again (Jn 3:3) by the grace of God through faith in His Son (Eph 2:8-9).

You also must be a church member to get into Heaven. You mean you didn’t know that? Oh yea, you better read Hebrews 12:23. You have to be a member of the church of the firstborn (that’s Jesus’ church, you know {Col 1:18}), which are written in Heaven. Where exactly is your name written as a member of the church of the firstborn? The Lamb’s Book of Life (Phi 4:3, Rev 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15, 21:27, 22:19). I tell you what, you definitely want your name written in this book. If your name is not written in this book, you will not enter Heaven, it’s just that simple. I didn’t write it, I’m just telling you what it says, so don’t shoot the messenger. Read God’s Word for yourself, and make your own decisions.

There is one last thing you have to do. You have to die. 1Cor 15:50 says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. You cannot go to Heaven in the body you have now. It either has to die, or be supernaturally changed (like it will be when Jesus comes back {1Cor 15:51-53, 1 Thes 4:16-17}). Your physical body is just for this time on earth, but your spirit is eternal. I pray this has helped you, so until next time, rejoice in the Lord!