Scripture for Today, 8-6-19: Heaven Report

Eight Fake Stories About Heaven
Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. v6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. V11 This is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

John 14:3, 6, 1 John 5:11-12; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9
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7-29-19, * -- Unfortunately, we hear fake stories about heaven; it’s no surprise that few believers feel excited about heaven. Heaven is real [Isaiah 6:3] God's word describes it in many ways and the Lord Messiah Jesus Christ is the ‘Door’ [John 10:9] to Heaven. We receive eternal life with Him solely because of God’s love and mercy based upon our repentance trusting on the blood Jesus shed on the cross and His forgiveness. [Luke 13:3] It’s His righteousness alone, applied to us, that saves us. If we had to depend on our own goodness to gain entrance to heaven, we would fall far short.

The apostle John wrote: “And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:11-12

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In his book “Heaven,” Randy Alcorn [1] wrote, “As long as the resurrected universe remains either undesirable or unimaginable, Satan succeeds in sabotaging our love for Heaven.” The enemy uses the following fake stories to sabotage our desire for God's heavenly home the Lord Jesus is preparing [John 14:3] it for us:

1. Heaven is Not Real - The Bible, our infallible source of truth, verifies that both heaven and hell do indeed exist. Jesus repeatedly promised eternal life to those who believe in Him and many times warned about the awful fate of hell. [Matthew 23:33; Luke 13:3; Revelation 21:8] There are those who say that the New Jerusalem was an allegory of God’s presence on the new earth. 
2. Heaven Consists Just the New Jerusalem - Saints of all the ages will dwell and enjoy the glorious New Jerusalem and the wonders of the new earth. The fact that the apostle describes it as the “new earth” indicates a similarity to the present one, only without the curse of sin. [Revelation 21:27] The apostle John described the New Jerusalem in detail it's not just a symbol; it is a real physical city of immense proportions – it’s a cube 1,500 miles in all directions. [Revelation 21:10-14, 17, 22:5] There will be a visible continuity with our current world. [Revelation 21:1, 22-27]
3. Heaven will be Boring – That’s heresy; almighty God is not boring. In creation He made our taste buds, adrenaline, sex drives, the nerve endings that convey pleasure to our brains and wonderful animals. Are we so arrogant to imagine that human beings came up with the idea of joy & fun? Doesn't sound like sitting around on clouds. We will be in the Lord’s presence for all of eternity (1 Thess. 5:17) where we will find “fullness of joy.” [Psalm 16:11]
4. We will be Solitary Saints Playing Harps Seated on Clouds - Scripture never paints a lonely and dull picture of our future paradise. The Lord promises that we will live forever with immortal bodies enjoying the beauty of the new earth while we live joyously in the most beautiful city imaginable. Isaiah 64:1-4
5. Heaven will be an Endless Worship Service - When we see Jesus in all His glory fully realizing the price He paid for our salvation worship and thanksgiving will pour from us. However, the Lord has much more in mind as we will reign with Jesus after His return to earth. The Lord will assign a variety of activities during His thousand year reign on earth and then in the eternal state. (Rev. 5:9-10)
6. We will be Angels Seeking Wings - Jesus said we would be “like angels in heaven” (Matt. 22:30), He made the comparison in terms of marriage. He never said we would become angels. The apostle Paul later said that we will “judge angels” someday (1 Cor. 6:3). I am not sure of all that implies, but it certainly distinguishes us from them. Many other passages clarify that angels and believers in many ways differ.
7. Our Dreams Die When this Life Ends - The millennium and eternal state (heaven) will be the wondrous time of renewal and restoration that Jesus promises us in Matthew 19:27-29. Our dreams and aspirations in this life do not fade away when we stop breathing on this earth or are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The earthly desires of our hearts that do not reach fulfillment in this life come to full fruition when we go to the Lord. (Matt. 19:27-29) Without an eternal perspective & understanding the reality that the best is yet to come we believe eternity with Jesus will be far better than anything this life has to offer.
8. Apostle Peter Allows Entrance into Heaven Based Upon Our Good Works – Lie of the devil! No way can the best person on earth who has done many altruistic good deeds without being born again in Christ; earn eternal life. It's a free gift; the only requirement is repentance and faith in Jesus. [Ephesians 2:8-10] This fake story is the most fatal of all as it contradicts the clear teaching of God’s word. AFTER faith in Christ THEN we are enabled to do HIS good works earning crowns. [1 Corinthians 9:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; Philippians 4:1; 1 Timothy 4:7-8; 1 Peter 5:2-4; James 1:12]

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Yes, heaven exists; and once there, the Lord will forever shower us with the kindness of His love and grace (Eph. 2:7). This life is just the warmup for what lies ahead. Today we experience disappointment, rejection, pain and  many times the tears flow.
​A much, much better day is just ahead. Jesus is coming soon for His church to take us to the place He is preparing for us. All sorrows, tears, frustrations and death will forever end in eternity. Revelation 21:4
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*Excerpted and adapted full report from Jonathan Brentner here 
[1] Randy Alcorn ‘Heaven’ here