By Elizabeth Prata
The discussion revolves around whether pets will be present in heaven, from a Christian perspective. Although humans uniquely reflect God’s image, there is speculation about the fate of animals post-New Earth. The article emphasizes God’s care for animals and suggests trust in His intentions, ultimately asserting joy in heaven will be fulfilled in Christ.
By Elizabeth Prata
I visited heaven last Sunday.
Am I going to write a book about it? No. A book has already been written about what I saw there. It’s called the Bible.
I’m fascinated with glimpses of heaven. I love to read the visions Ezekiel had, and Isaiah, and John. (Ezekiel 1, Isaiah 6, Revelation 1, 4, etc). Interestingly, the details all three men recorded are consistent with each other. None of the details that other alleged visitors to heaven who allegedly visited there are consistent with each other nor with the Bible.
I read and re-read those glimpses because that is our home! It is where we believers are headed and will dwell for eternity. Be heavenly minded. It’s more than OK.
Though I’ve read through Exodus before, I had not previously ‘seen’ this little nugget nestled in Exodus 24:9-11.
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, And they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
WOW!
Well how beautiful, another glimpse of His holy habitation! Jamieson Fausset Commentary says,
“sapphire—one of the most valuable and lustrous of the precious gems—of a sky-blue or light azure color and frequently chosen to describe the throne of God.”
Let’s compare that scene with Ezekiel’s in chapter 1:26,
And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance.
Barnes notes says of the Exodus scene, “The pure blue of the heaven above them lent its influence to help the inner sense to realize the vision which no mortal eye could behold.“
When I read these and get to the jewels part it’s hard to visualize (how did he know it as sapphire when it’s clear?) but I envision sparkle, brightness, and purity. With the world becoming more and more wretched, I delight to ponder the purity that awaits.
One final thought, Nadab and Abihu saw, supped, and were blessed to behold. Yet that was not enough! They still failed to do as the LORD commanded and they offered strange fire in worship. They got lazy and would not worship as He had commanded. Perhaps they took their eyes away from the LORD, though it’s so hard to believe, since they had seen Him, or at least, His majestic abode.
Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. 2And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. (Leviticus 10:1-2).
How easy is it for us to do the same, we who have not seen? O, keep your eyes on the Lord! Behold Him always. And when you need a pick-me-up, read of the visions of heaven as recorded in the Bible. What a wonderful day awaits us believers!
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
I reflect on my fascination with glimpses of heaven through biblical accounts from Ezekiel, Isaiah, and John. I illustrate their consistency. I contrast these with other modern claims of heavenly visions which are not consistent. I rejoice in the excitement and purity of heaven as believers’ eternal home.
Continue reading “How to Visit Heaven”By Elizabeth Prata
I was speaking with a lady recently who seemed to think that the only person we will know in heaven will be Jesus. I thought about that for a while, then I did the usual thing: I consulted the scriptures. I came to the conclusion that no, we WILL know everyone in heaven. There will be no introductions, no name tags, no mnemonic devices to remember who is who. WE WILL KNOW.
Why do I think this? Well, let’s look at scripture and the biblical scenes which led me to this conclusion.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12).
The verse less speaks to recognizing people than it does to our being freed from darkness and obscurity of knowledge; of God, of His ways, and wants. Matthew Henry says,
Now we can only discern things at a great distance, as through a telescope, and that involved in clouds and obscurity; but hereafter the things to be known will be near and obvious, open to our eyes; and our knowledge will be free from all obscurity and error. God is to be seen face to face; and we are to know him as we are known by him…We shall know how we are known, enter into all the mysteries of divine love and grace. Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible.
But … if we are freed from darkness and obscurity of the fuller knowledge of God and enter into the mysteries of the universe, and if we will see God ‘face to face’, then it stands to reason we will also know each other.
But more specifically, at the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter immediately recognized Moses and Elijah, even though both men had passed away long before Peter ever lived.
And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter responded and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Matthew 17:3-4).
Though some interpret the scene of the Rich Man and Lazarus as a parable, others take it as actual. Either way, the scene involved the unnamed Rich Man and the beggar at his gate named Lazarus. They died. The Rich Man went to Hades, Lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom AKA Paradise. The Rich Man looked across the great gulf that is fixed, where none may cross from one side to the other, and he recognized Abraham.
John MacArthur says of recognizing people in heaven,
In the Old Testament, when a person died, the biblical writers said he was “gathered to his people” (cf. Gen. 25:8; 35:29; 49:29; Num. 20:24; Judg. 2:10). In 2 Samuel 12, when David’s infant child died, David confidently said, “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (v. 23). David evidently expected to see the child again–not just a nameless, faceless soul without an identity, but that very child.
It will be a glorious day when we finally see our Savior in person. It will be wonderful to be reunited with loved ones we knew on earth. It will also be fabulous to sit with Moses, Paul, Rahab, Abigail, Dorcas…and all the other believers who are in heaven waiting for the Day of full completion.
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14)
Andrew Bonar: “I have been endeavoring to keep up prayer…every hour of the day, stopping my occupation, whatever it is, to pray a little. I seek to keep my soul within the shadow of the throne of grace and Him that sits thereon.”
Isn’t that descriptive, keeping one’s soul in the shadow of the One who sits on the throne. Prayer does that for us. Spurgeon said,
Prayer meetings are the throbbing machinery of the church
Prayer straddles our lives both on earth and in heaven. I need to do better in my life, and I can’t imagine a Christian who doesn’t think they can do better at prayer either.
Spurgeon’s reference to machinery got me thinking of another of Spurgeon’s sermons, one called God’s Providence. (#3114). Spurgeon likened the cherubim’s acts near the throne and the wheels within wheels as described by Ezekiel as machinery of Providence. He described, hypothetically of course, the wheels going up and down and left and right in tandem as the machinery of Providence carrying out God’s will and decrees. It’s an interesting thought, and Spurgeon is vivid about his descriptions. Here are a few-
So in God’s Providence, there is an axle which never moves. Christian, here is a sweet thought for thee! Thy state is ever changing; sometimes thou art exalted, and sometimes depressed; yet there is an unmoving point in thy state. What is that axle? What is the pivot upon which all the machinery revolves? It is the axle of God’s everlasting love toward his covenant people. he exterior of the wheel is changing, but the center stands forever fixed. Other things may move; but God’s love never moves: it is the axle of the wheel; and this is another reason why Providence should be compared to a wheel.
My firm belief is, that angels are sent forth somehow or other to bring about the great purposes of God. The great wheel of Providence is turned by an angel.
That you will see by the text: “Behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.” The wheel had “four faces.” I think that means one face to the north, another to the south, another to the east, and another to the west. There is a face to every quarter. Providence is universal, looking to every quarter of the globe.
And so on. Neat, huh?
In further imagining this ‘throbbing machinery’ of prayer, I created some scripture pictures of my interpretation of prayer machinery of heaven. I enjoy imagining how God works and thinking about what things look like in heaven, given the glimpses we have been given in scripture. My favorite doctrine is Providence. Combining that with the imagined ‘machinery’ of prayer is intriguing. This is one of the ways I mull over scripture and doctrinal concepts.
Please enjoy.
Further Reading
Let’s pray for the persecuted and the missionaries around the world. Read this story, I hope it moves you-
Banner of Truth Magazine: He Gave His Life So Another Might Live
The Spurgeon Center- Just as near to heaven, the death of Annie Dunn
The Master’s Academy International (TMAI) Prayer Guide
Voice of the Martyrs: Pray Today App (free)
Voice of the Martyrs: Global Prayer Guide (free)
By Elizabeth Prata
There is a social media story going around that alleges a man died in a hospital and spent 11 hours in heaven. It’s an older story, 6 or 7 years old, but getting traction now. The man said he got a full tour, complete with glowing-eyed monsters, demons climbing out of the pit to claw his back, fires, green grass so beautiful and symmetrical, feathered angels hugging him, and Jesus face to face.
“Jim was never a religious man. When it came to matters of God and faith, he was ambivalent. But as he lay in the hospital bed, clinically dead for more than 11 hours, his consciousness was transported to the wonders of Heaven and the horrors of hell. When he returned to this world, he brought back the missing peace his soul had been longing for.“
He told his story on Youtube, saying he was never particularly religious, if anything, he was agnostic. He said, “I hoped that someone was in charge of the chaos but I never sought it out.”
Stop and think, if the people who Jesus has chosen from the foundation of the world to be one of His, and this man was a Jesus-rejecting sinner, why would Jesus give him, and not others the opportunity to preview what he would be missing if he continued in his unsaved state?
The man has traveled around North and South America, having spoken to about 20,000 people so far.
“James, my son, this is not yet your time. Go back and tell your brothers and sisters of the wonders we have shown you. While he now attends church, Woodford doesn’t affiliate with any denomination, eschewing labels. ‘Labels do not matter to God. He knows your heart better than you do,’ he states. For Woodford, it boils down to living a life of kindness and service. “That’s how simple the love of God is. It requires nothing more of you other than a dedication to doing good for others.” source.
Didn’t the Rich Man in Hades beg Abraham to send his servant Lazarus to his brothers to warn them of their impending doom? And didn’t Abraham say,
‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.‘” (Luke 16:19-31).
Was Abraham wrong? This man’s friends will listen to him since he rose from the dead? You see how the contradictions mount up.
It is not your time? Doesn’t the precision of God dictate perfection in birth and death? Was his entrance to heaven a mistake?
The man said that the experience apprised him of how wasteful his life had been, accumulating wealth, being unkind, unhelpful. These are normal things a convert says when truly converted, we recognize that. But the method of his alleged conversion is distinctly false. Jesus is not giving guided tours of heaven, personal messages or warnings, and then sending the person back to their body. In normal life, a near-death experience often changes people, but the change is not sourced from the blood of the Lamb to His elect. It’s a moral decision from inside the person.
And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment, (Hebrews 9:27)
Tim Challies said of one particular book during the height of the heaven tourism era 12 years ago, “I am not going to review To Heaven and Back. It’s pure junk, fiction in the guise of biography, paganism in the guise of Christianity.”
In fact, there came to be such an outcry against the spate of these books being pumped out, that in 2014, “LifeWay Christian Resources has stopped selling all “experiential testimonies about heaven” following consideration of a 2014 Southern Baptist Convention resolution on “the sufficiency of Scripture regarding the afterlife.”
Paul reluctantly, very reluctantly described some of his experience in heaven, not for titillating or self-serving purposes, his trip to third heaven. He refused even to name himself as the ‘traveler’, and he said specifically there were some things man was not even permitted to say.
And yet all these people allegedly return from ‘heaven’ and gush about their experience. And make money off them…
Did Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus write a parchment and travel around telling his story of being dead for 4 days and his experience of the afterlife? No.
One minute after you slip behind the parted curtain, you will either be enjoying a personal welcome from Christ or catching your first glimpse of gloom as you have never known it. Either way, your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchangeable. Erwin Lutzer, One Minute After You Die
Our eternity should be taken seriously. It is a weighty matter, and not one for merchandising, flippantly joking about, or bearing tales about. Lutzer again,
And so while relatives and friends plan your funeral- deciding on a casket, a burial plot, and who the pallbearers shall be— you will be more alive than you have ever been. You will either see God on His throne surrounded by angels and redeemed humanity, or you will feel an indescribable weight of guilt and abandonment. There is no destination midway between these two extremes; just gladness or gloom.
The scriptures are sufficient to tell us how to prepare for the moments after our bodies cease, and our souls go to its place, awaiting judgment and a fitted body for heaven. Failing to prepare, which means failing to repent and believe in the resurrected and ascended Jesus, a person will be fitted with a body for hell.
A way to determine that these stories are false, aside from the time that one author came out and said he had been lying all along, is that the people who claim to have gone to heaven claim to have spoken with grandma or seen family or been hugged by friends, and had been shown green grass and beauty…fail to mention the ONE THING that will capture our attention: Jesus on his throne.
Here is Todd Friel with a one minute comment on that: Auto-start at 5:07- ends at 6:29
https://youtu.be/o_pmjd0Zggg?si=yxLroACZO5_2GKP1&t=307
For a longer treatment on the issue, here is a biblical talk by Justin Peters, Mysticism: The Deadly Dangers of Trusting Personal Experience Over Biblical Authority
Anytime somebody tells you they’ve been to heaven, do not believe it. This is mysticism. This is trying to get in touch with the divine, with deity through subjective experience and disengaging the mind
Source
Just as visions are not happening today, just as God isn’t directly speaking/whispering to anybody today, trips to heaven are not happening. They either come from a lying tongue or a deceived mind.
By Elizabeth Prata
It is pretty simple. There are only two options, accept the Lord’s offer of pardon for sins by repenting and gain heaven, or refuse it and gain hell and eternal judgment. Stay strong. I have observed that the longer people go in Christianity the wobblier they get on the basics. Some of them. For example, here are three quotes from people in their unscriptural beliefs which you may not be aware. Who said it? None of these are from Rob Bell or Joel Osteen. The answers may surprise you.
This first quote speaks of Annihilationist doctrine, the doctrine that Hell is not eternal and punishment does not happen-
1. “Scripture points in the direction of annihilation, and that ‘eternal conscious torment’ is a tradition which has to yield to the supreme authority of Scripture.”
2. “All who live a just life will be saved even if they do not believe in Jesus Christ … “The gospel teaches us that those who live in accordance with the Beatitudes… ‘the poor in spirit, the pure of heart, those who bear lovingly the sufferings of life’ will enter God’s kingdom.”
3. “…there’s the Body of Christ. This comes from all the Christian groups around the world, outside the Christian groups. I think everybody that loves Christ, or knows Christ, whether they’re conscious of it or not, they’re members of the Body of Christ … And that’s what God is doing today, He’s calling people out of the world for His name, whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ, because they’ve been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don’t have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think they are saved, and that they’re going to be with us in heaven.”
These are the people who said it:
1. Prominent and influential Evangelist John R.W. Stott, in the book, Essentials pp. 306-326, discussed here.
2. Pope John Paul II, the pope everyone liked.
3.Billy Graham, American evangelist
Are you surprised that Billy Graham, formerly the world’s most famous evangelist, thought that Muslims who don’t know Christ are in the body of Christ? That people who live a good life with a longing heart knowing they vaguely ‘need something they don’t have’, will meet Jesus as his friend? I listened to the interview where Graham had said that. He went on to say that his ‘views had softened with age’, that he ‘used to be more fiery and brimstone-like’, but he’d ‘mellowed’.
If people who enter the kingdom not knowing Jesus as Graham stated, (which is actually impossible) makes a lie of this verse: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Mt 7:21-23).
You HAVE to know Jesus.
People who believe that hell isn’t eternal and that there is a way to heaven aside from Jesus suffer from one problem: a high view of sin and a low view of His holiness. It is simple. It all boils down to sin, holiness, repentance – and eternal justice for the unrepentant. It began with sin in Genesis 3, it ends with sin in Revelation 20:11-15 at the Great White Throne judgment of sinners for all time. Sin-judgment-repentance-salvation, that is the foundation of His work in the world. Period.
Be careful of incremental chipping away of your faith and belief in the foundational doctrines Jesus taught us in the bible. There is one way to heaven. It is narrow. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Stay praying and stay in the Word and stay being built up by brethren at regular worship services! It is a dangerous time for us all, spiritually.
“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life…. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” (Rev 22:17, 20)
By Elizabeth Prata
I love to linger in thoughts of the supernatural. God is supernatural, of course. He is above us here in the natural world. The Trinity is supernatural. Who can understand it? The creation in 6 days is supernatural, and amazing too. His omnipotence is surely on display right from the first verses of Genesis.
Angels are supernatural. Sometimes invisible hordes are all around us (2 Kings 6:17). And demons (unholy angels) are supernatural. They are real, led by satan, formerly the highest angel. The Bible depicts demon possession. Jesus spent quite a bit of time casting them out. Just because 2000 years have gone by does not mean the demons are gone. They are still around, and will make an even more prevalent appearance during the Tribulation. (Rev 9:3, Rev 16:14, Rev 18:2, Matthew 24:37).
Heaven is absolutely a real place, it has physical properties, inhabitants, and activities within it. Bible verses say that it is above the earth, or people are called to ‘come up here.’ Or that they ‘went down’ from heaven to earth. But that could be language indicating that its heights are gloriously high because of the One who dwells there.
Do you ever wonder where heaven is? Is it right there, in a nearby dimension we can reach out and touch? The unseen gathering chariots at Elisha’s battle were there and became visible after Elisha prayed and God graciously opened his servant’s eyes. (2 Kings 6:17-20).
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus was changed as His glory shone out, and ‘suddenly’ He was speaking with Moses and Elijah personally and bodily at the same time He was speaking with Peter and John. Is heaven parallel with us, alongside with us the whole time? After all, Jesus is omnipresent, and always ‘near.’ As Daniel was praying, before he even finished his request, Gabriel appeared. (Daniel 9:21). Is heaven that close?
There is a story told by Dr. David Leininger at The Presbyterian Pulpit about heaven.
I love the old story of the rich man who, on his death bed, negotiated with God to allow him to bring his earthly treasures with him when he came to heaven. God’s reaction was that this was a most unusual request, but since this man had been exceptionally faithful, permission was granted to bring along just one suitcase. The time arrived, the man presented himself at the pearly gates, suitcase in hand – BOTH hands, actually, since he had stuffed it with as many bars of gold bullion as would fit. St. Peter said, “Sorry, you know the rules – you can’t take it with you.” But the man protested that God said he could…one suitcase. St. Peter checked, found out that this one would be an exception, prepared to let the man enter, then said, “OK, but I will have to examine the contents before you pass.” He took the suitcase, opened it, saw the gold bars and asked quizzically, “You brought PAVEMENT?”
Certainly this cute story makes the point to us that what we value here on earth will not be what we value in heaven, wherever heaven may be now or in the future. We will value Jesus above all, His glory, His ways, His nail-scarred hands and riven side. We will value each other as HIS trophies of grace, having no pride, love and care for our brethren as Jesus cares for us. We will value past salvations borne from His grace, the cross, His plans and ways.
The most precious commodity currently on earth, gold, will then be just dusty matter under our feet, our eyes not upon its glitter any longer, but upon the glorious Light shining from every corner of the Universe, Jesus.
These are fun things to ponder. One of our Elders always says ‘Think Eternally!’ and, “We’re almost home!”
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Further reading
My essay was just a few thoughts, not an exhaustive or scholarly treatment of the location of heaven. Others have written aobut that, in the following links that may be of interest to you:
Grace To You: Where is Heaven?
Randy Alcorn at Ligonier: Heavenly Mindedness
Randy Alcorn: Our Most Destructive Assumption About Heaven
eBook at Monergism: A String of Pearls: The Best Things Reserved Until Last
By Elizabeth Prata
I’m fascinated with heaven. Aren’t you? It is our home, the next destination for us, and where Jesus is. We SHOULD be fascinated with it.
Jonathan Edwards is known for his monumental sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, with its vivid focus on the terrors of hell, but he actually wrote about heaven much more. Here in his sermon The Christian Pilgrim, or The True Christian’s Life A Journey Toward Heaven, he observed:
That we ought not to rest in the world and its enjoyments, but should desire heaven. We should “seek first the kingdom of God.” (Mat. 6:33) We ought above all things to desire a heavenly happiness; to be with God and dwell with Jesus Christ. Though surrounded with outward enjoyments, and settled in families with desirable friends and relations; though we have companions whose society is delightful, and children in whom we see many promising qualifications; though we live by good neighbors, and are generally beloved where known; we ought not to take our rest in these things as our portion. We should be so far from resting in them, that we should desire to leave them all, in God’s due time. We ought to possess, enjoy and use them, with no other view but readily to quit them, whenever we are called to it, and to change them willingly and cheerfully for heaven.
For a while in Christian publishing we had a spate of books that were classified as “Heaven tourism.” That is, books whose authors had recounted an alleged trip to heaven. Their books were filled with gushing, breathless descriptions of what heaven looks like, what people were doing there, even the smells and sounds. And of course, many times, it was Jesus guiding the person around. Thus, ‘Heaven tourism’.
I understand the curiosity about heaven but we cannot look to man’s alleged visits there to satisfy our need for knowledge about the place that’s really our home. Only the Bible has that information. These heaven visits are ‘extra-biblical’, and cannot be trusted. Only a few people in the Bible were given a glimpse into heaven while they were alive and told about it: Stephen as he was dying, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micaiah, and Paul. Paul said it wasn’t permitted to tell what he heard. And he didn’t.
There were several views of activity in the second heaven, or the sphere above ours, such as Elisha and his servant seeing the chariots all around, and Jacob seeing the ladder from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending.
But the Lord did give us several ‘permissible’ glimpses of the “third heaven” or God’s abode. He obviously wanted us to know about these because they are in God’s word. Ezekiel’s vision, Isaiah’s vision, John’s book of Revelation are biblical places to see true information about heaven.
Of these glimpses into heaven we see that heaven is an active, busy, and loud place.
There are seraphim surrounding the throne of God proclaiming “holy holy holy is the Lord God almighty” so loud the pillars shake and the place fills with smoke. (Isaiah 6:3-4).
There are people singing and worshiping. There are harps and trumpets. Angels are busy proclaiming. There are living beings with 4 faces rushing left and right. “And the living beings ran back and forth like bolts of lightning.” (Ezekiel 1:14).
And I also heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of abundant waters as they went, like the voice of the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. And a voice came from above the expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings. (Ezekiel 1:24-25).
In Revelation 5 there is much activity. There are proclamations in a loud voice, myriads of angels:
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:” (Revelation 5:11-12)
In Job 1 and in 1 Kings 22:19-21 we see the myriads of angels assembling, reporting, discussing. Angels are constantly coming and going from heaven to earth.
Heaven is busy and it’s loud. Not bad-loud, but loud. Activity, whirring, proclaiming singing, bustling, flashing, shaking…Which makes the next verse all the more significant.
As the seventh seal is about to be opened,
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (Revelation 8:1)
EVERYTHING STOPS
The grim significance of the moment has stunned all into silence. There are no words. God is about to speak in wrath, and the fury unleashed upon the world in the previous seal judgments will be as nothing compared to the coming fury of his righteous anger.
When we think of heaven we may think of bucolic pastures and green lushness and peace and quietude. Perhaps talking quietly with Abraham or Paul on a bench by the Tree of Life. And I’m sure that beauty and peace will be present, certainly.
But God’s current administration of His universe is busy and active. It’s stunning that all the sounds stop when the 7th seal is about to be opened.
Saints, judgment is a fearsome thing. We should be in awe of it, and eager to tell the GOOD NEWS that will release a lost soul from its coming certainty to one of peace with God and a blissful eternity in heaven.
Our citizenship there should also give us comfort and gratitude. We will be “up there”, “over yonder” when that seal is unsealed, stunned into silence ourselves, not down here about to endure the worst time on earth there shall ever be. No, the Lord graciously had mercy on our souls and transferred us from the domain of darkness and judgment to the domain of glory and bliss.
Thoughts of heaven can’t some at the expense of gratitude that we escaped judgment, either on earth during the Tribulation or in hell for all time. And as Edwards said of any pleasures or comforts of earth, we should be “readily to quit them, whenever we are called to it, and to change them willingly and cheerfully for heaven.“
Our cheerfulness resides in the fact that we know heaven is where Jesus is. Someday we shall see His face. If you are in Him, it will be a smiling face, saying, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’” (Matthew 25:23)
By Elizabeth Prata
I am working my way through a course called Heaven and Hell led by Dr. Kevin Zuber. The first half of the course focuses on hell and those false philosophies that try to explain hell away. The second half focuses on heaven. I’m almost there.
I’ve learned a lot, but mainly I’ve decided that we do not talk about hell enough.
When you mention ‘Jonathan Edwards,’ people immediately think of his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” a sermon that sparked an awakening in the pagans who heard it, an awakening which spread throughout New England and beyond, thanks to George Whitfield who pushed it on. Edwards is also known for his sermon titled “A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton (1737),” a treatment on justification by faith. This sermon was reprinted and read widely across America and in Britain.
But Edwards was more than just the hellfire preacher. He was genuinely concerned for the sluggish, apathetic, sleepy pagans and the nominal Christians who professed but likely didn’t possess the Spirit. One of his goals was to awaken them to both heaven’s bliss and hell’s agonies. He actually preached on heaven more than hell, but his preaching on hell was startling and made deep impressions.
The following is from his 16 part series (16 parts!!) called “Heaven, a World of Love”. It is from part 16, the last part. Edwards contrasted the bliss of heaven he had already preached on in previous parts, with the holiness of God’s wrath in hell.
I know hell isn’t the most comfortable subject, but it is a big part of the Christian life. When we say ‘I’m saved!’ we should ask, FROM WHAT? From the just penalty of eternity in hell, paying for the sins we performed in this life against a holy God. Every person born on this planet is destined for hell by default because of our sin nature. (Babies and the cognitively unable are another subject). Please, please, gird up your loins, take a deep breath, and read on. We must confront the uncomfortable subject of hell. We must!
When you share the Gospel, DON’T leave out hell.
Here’s Jonathan Edwards:
What has been said on this subject may well awaken and alarm the impenitent. — And,
First, by putting them in mind of their misery, in that they have no portion or right in this world of love. You have heard what has been said of heaven, what kind of glory and blessedness is there, and how happy the saints and angels are in that world of perfect love. But consider that none of this belongs to you. When you hear of such things, you hear of that in which you have no interest. No such person as you, a wicked hater of God and Christ, and one that is under the power of a spirit of enmity against all that is good, shall ever enter there. Such as you are, never belong to the faithful Israel of God, and shall never enter their heavenly rest.
It may be said to you, as Peter said to Simon (Acts 8:21), “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God;” and as Nehemiah said to Sanballat and his associates (Neh. 2:20), “You have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.” If such a soul as yours should be admitted into heaven, that world of love, how nauseous would it be to those blest spirits whose souls are as a flame of love! and how would it discompose that loving and blessed society, and put everything in confusion! It would make heaven no longer heaven, if such souls should be admitted there. It would change it from a world of love to a world of hatred, and pride, and envy, and malice, and revenge, as this world is! But this shall never be; and the only alternative is, that such as you shall be shut out with “dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie,” (Rev. 22:15); that is, with all that is vile, and unclean, and unholy. And this subject may well awaken and alarm the impenitent,
Secondly, by showing them that they are in danger of hell, which is a world of hatred. There are three worlds. One is this, which is an intermediate world — a world in which good and evil are so mixed together as to be a sure sign that this world is not to continue forever. Another is heaven, a world of love, without any hatred. And the other is hell, a world of hatred, where there is no love, which is the world to which all of you who are in a Christless state properly belong. This last is the world where God manifests his displeasure and wrath, as in heaven he manifests his love. Everything in hell is hateful. There is not one solitary object there that is not odious and detestable, horrid and hateful. There is no person or thing to be seen there, that is amiable or lovely; nothing that is pure, or holy, or pleasant, but everything abominable and odious. There are no beings there but devils, and damned spirits that are like devils. Hell is, as it were, a vast den of poisonous hissing serpents; the old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and with him all his hateful brood.
In that dark world there are none but those whom God hates with a perfect and everlasting hatred. He exercises no love, and extends no mercy to any one object there, but pours out upon them horrors without mixture. All things in the wide universe that are hateful shall be gathered together in hell, as in a vast receptacle provided on purpose, that the universe which God has made may be cleansed of its filthiness, by casting it all into this great sink of wickedness and woe. It is a world prepared on purpose for the expression of God’s wrath. He has made hell for this; and he has no other use for it but there to testify forever his hatred of sin and sinners, where there is no token of love or mercy. There is nothing there but what shows forth the Divine indignation and wrath. Every object shows forth wrath. It is a world all overflowed with a deluge of wrath, as it were, with a deluge of liquid fire, so as to be called a lake of fire and brimstone, and the second death.
Further Resources
The sermon excerpt above, source is here.
The entire sermon contained in a short booklet you can download free or read online, is here.
A six-part series on the Life of Jonathan Edwards is here at Ligonier. I took this class, it’s good. First message is free, successive lessons are behind a paywall. Or, you can get Nichols’ book Jonathan Edwards: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought in paperback (used) for $1.99 at Amazon.
Institute for Christian Life: Heaven & Hell by Dr. Zuber is here.
the-end-time.org 