heaven

Angels and Demons

Posted on April 30, 2026 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

A reader asked about the spiritual realm. She wisely noticed that though the Bible is clear that there is a spiritual realm, she was hesitant to delve into its study because of all the wacky, outlandish and downright bizarre books and posts about it.

It is a huge subject! Angels are interesting, and I am like my reader, wondering why not many preachers preach on the subject. Though, if you are fortunate to be in a church that preaches expositionally (verse by verse through a book of the Bible), then perhaps the preacher will credibly address it when it naturally arises. It IS a legitimate feature of most Systematic Theology divisions, it’s called Angelology.

What ARE Angels?

Angels were created by God before He created the world. We know this from Job, because the angels shouted with joy when God did create the universe and worlds. (Job 38:6). In Genesis 1:31 by the end of creation week they had not fallen and were still holy, because God declared everything at that point, “very good”.

They are spirit beings, but they have a personality and a personal will. Some are named in the Bible- Michael and Gabriel for sure, probably Lucifer (Satan), and possibly Apollyon/Abaddon. The mentions of “The Angel of the LORD” are usually interpreted to be a pre-incarnate Jesus.

Then the 6-day creation happened, including earth and God making man. By the next verse after the 2 humans He made, Genesis 3:1 shows us a cunning serpent, which most take to be satan, questioning God’s goodness with the woman. So, by then, some angels had fallen into sin and rebelled. Satan visited the woman in the garden, and Adam was with her. We do not know exactly how long between the end of creation day 6 and the angels’ fall happened, just we know between Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1 things were not ‘very good’ any more because the serpent duped the woman by questioning God’s standards. Satan (a title meaning Accuser or Adversary) was one of them who fell. Most theologians believe his name is Lucifer. According to most interpretations of Revelation 12:3–4, satan convinced about a third of the created holy angels to follow him into rebellion against God, now becoming unholy, AKA demons.

Lucifer was found to have sin in his heart. (Ezekiel 28:15). This is how we know angels have a personal will. He was discontent, and started up rumors doubting God’s goodness. He was internally filled with violence (Ezekiel v. 16). His desire and intent is mentioned in Isaiah, a section known as the “5 I Wills”. Isaiah 14:12-15 says-

Ezekiel 28:12-16 mentions satan as one of the highest cherubs who became proud and fell.

“How you have fallen from heaven,
You star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who defeated the nations!
13“But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15“Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.”

Lucifer/Satan and his cohorts are now unholy angels, or better known as demons. The demons oppose God by attempting to thwart His plans. They incite sin, make war, lay traps for the unwary, foment chaos, hinder God’s holy angels as one of them did to Daniel in Daniel 10:13 by preventing the angel to reach Daniel in answer to Daniel’s prayer, and more. They also have the ability to possess an unsaved person’s body (they cannot possess a Christian, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, (Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 John 4:4).

What do angels do?

What do holy angels do? A LOT! I was surprised when I heard a sermon by John MacArthur and he outlined all the things angels do and I had not known how busy they are! Did you know they execute judgment? They brought the Law? They are priests to God, they minister to God’s people, they bring messages, comfort, and more. They worship God in the temple, they guard things, like the entrance to Eden. John MacArthur preached on what the angels do in a 3-part series I linked below. Once you listen to that and then see in the Bible how much angels do and how much they are around, you can’t unsee it!

Angels: God’s Invisible Army, Part 1 https://www.gty.org/sermons/1361/angels-gods-invisible-army-part-1

Angels: God’s Invisible Army, Part 2 https://www.gty.org/sermons/1362/angels-gods-invisible-army-part-2

Angels: God’s Invisible Army, Part 3 https://www.gty.org/sermons/1363/angels-gods-invisible-army-part-3

More resources:

Satan: What is he like? https://www.gty.org/sermons/1355/satan-what-is-he-like

Satan: How does he operate? https://www.gty.org/sermons/1356/satan-how-does-he-operate

Good Angels: https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/great-biblical-doctrines/good-angels/

“The Devil and the Fallen Angels”: transcript, audio was lost. follow up to Martyn Lloyd Jones’ first part called Good Angels, https://the-end-time.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/fallen-angels-sermon-transcription-lloyd-jones.pdf

Wackiness abounds

Angelology and Demonology are fascinating subjects, but a student of Jesus is wise to be cautious about what is real and what is not. Both those subjects, particularly demonology, have a LOT of crazies preaching wrong stuff. Those subjects seem to invite a lot of extra-biblical speculation, experiential anecdotes, and just plain weird doctrines that have no place in any serious discussion.

John MacArthur preached for nearly 60 years, actively. He said there were only two times he came across a demon-possessed person. John Piper preached for nearly that long, and encountered a demonic possession only once. We cannot see demons, they are spirit beings. If a ministering angel incarnates and walks among us, we most often are unaware of their presence (Hebrews 13:2), but there seem to be rare occasions that a person could detect him. If so, it’s most likely an unholy angel, since the holy angels obey God and as Hebrews says, we are unaware of entertaining them.

There seemed to be a lot of demonic possession in the Bible but you see that the demons intensify their activity when God’s plan is coming to fruition. For example, in Genesis 6, during the time of the Prophets, and especially during Jesus’ earthly ministry. They will again be given opportunity to do their worst during the Tribulation of the last of the last days. But demonic possession is not rampant and most Christians never encounter it.

Demons ONLY do as much, no more or less, than Jesus orders them to. When God told satan he could harass Job, satan was also told not to take Job’s life. Satan obeyed that command. When the legion of demons in Gadara met Jesus they begged Him not to send them into the pit (which they knew He could.) They didn’t demand, they begged. He sent them into the pigs instead. Demons only do what is in God’s plan. A few early on that disobeyed His orders were locked up in the abyss (Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4).

So demons are allowed by God to do certain things as part of His desire to push forward His redemptive plan, to test Christians, to sanctify us through trials, to hand over the sinning ungodly to His wrath, and so on.

Angels have incredible power

2 Thessalonians 2:9 says of the Antichrist, that “the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and wonders”

Satan has power to deceive the elect, if that is possible (Matthew 24:24), with his lying signs and wonders. Remember, the magicians of Pharaoh, named in the New Testament as Jannes and Jambres, kept pace with God’s signs done through Moses, until the plague of gnats. There, they failed, their power unable to match the increasing complexity of the signs. They eventually conceded that God is the greater power, but failed to convince Pharaoh.

Here is Randy Alcorn on the topic of why satan keeps opposing God when he obviously knows God’s word and the ending- https://www.epm.org/resources/2025/Jun/25/ultimate-outcome-oppose/

Do demons harass us?

Spiritual battles take place every day, but normally a battle is against our own sin and against the world that wants us to sin. We defeat sin by refusing to sin, praying, relying on the Holy Spirit, and staying in the word of God.

We may at times be influenced directly by a demon, but more likely they influence us in general by formulating false societal constructs (‘love is love’, feminism, liberal theology, etc.), tempting us with porn, putting ungodly television shows on, inserting ungodly ideas into books, and so on.

If someone says they have seen a demon, perhaps they are making it up. Or sometimes it can be seemingly real to the person but they are being influenced by books or movies, or dreams that seem real.

Occasionally we hear of outbreaks of alleged demonic possession. These are called “mass hysteria outbreaks”. They almost affect females of adolescent age. Malaysia is a Muslim country with Islam being the state religion. It’s called the mass hysteria capital of the world. The BBC wrote this article about demonic outbreaks:

An outbreak of mass hysteria usually begins with what experts call an “index case”, the first person to become affected. In this story, that is Siti. “It doesn’t happen overnight,” says Robert Bartholomew. “It starts with one child and then quickly spreads to others because of an exposure to a pressure-cooker environment of stress.” And all it takes is a major spike in anxiety in a group situation, like seeing a fellow classmate faint or have a fit – to trigger a reaction in another person.

In Salem, the location of the famous witch trials of the late 1600s, an indigenous slave who dabbled in sorcery had filled some adolescent girls’ heads heads with stories and showed them how to perform certain magic. One story goes of how the witch hysteria began was that several of the Puritan adolescent girls tried repeating what the slave, traditionally named Tituba, had shown them. When they were caught, they accused Tituba of bewitching them. The events ran from there. As it went along, the girls had to keep up the story and a mass hysteria event spread, all from the girls aged 9-20. They fell down, had fits, barked, and other displays of alleged demonic possession, whether real or imagined,

There are many reasons to be cautious about any tales of the demonic.

Conclusion

There are numerous holy angels and fallen angels. Myriads upon myriads, an uncountable number to the ancients, are said to have been created. The holy angels work for God diligently and worshipfully. The fallen angels will be cast into the lake of fire forever after being judged.

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? (1 Corinthians 6:3).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says of the verse: “judge angels—namely, bad angels. We who are now “a spectacle to angels” shall then “judge angels.” The saints shall join in approving the final sentence of the Judge on them.”

What a day that will be!

encouragement, God, impressionism, painting, pointillist

Seen from Heaven’s Distance

Posted on January 28, 2026January 28, 2026 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

SYNOPSIS

The church is one body, formed by the Spirit, who places each believer intentionally. Like a pointillist painting, individual lives lived further afield may seem indistinct, yet from God’s perspective every placement contributes to a unified, beautiful masterpiece completed in heaven according to His sovereign design.

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jesus, new earth, pets, rapture

Animals & Pets in Heaven: Biblical Perspectives

Posted on September 4, 2025September 4, 2025 by elizabethprata

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.

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theology

I Visited Heaven and You Can Too

Posted on August 20, 2025 by elizabethprata

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!

theology

How to Visit Heaven

Posted on May 23, 2025 by elizabethprata

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.

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theology

Will We Recognize Each Other in Heaven?

Posted on March 26, 2025 by elizabethprata

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.

Uncategorized

The Power of Prayer: Connecting Earth and Heaven

Posted on March 21, 2025 by elizabethprata

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)

theology

The Truth Behind Heaven Tourism: Biblical Perspectives

Posted on March 11, 2025March 11, 2025 by elizabethprata

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).

some heaven tourism books, still popular

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.

Annihilationist, false doctrine, wider mercy

Two options: heaven, or hell

Posted on September 25, 2024 by elizabethprata

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)

heaven, theology

Where is heaven?

Posted on April 23, 2024 by elizabethprata

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!”