Christianity

Heaven is the new Jerusalem. Is it real?

The New Jerusalem

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Many people believe heaven is a wishful fantasy that weak-minded people cling to in order to cope with, or escape from, the tough realities of life here on earth. Some assume that eventually everybody will end up in heaven. But others say very few people will make it there. And nearly all argument about heaven typically generate more heat that light and more controversy than understanding.

So much confusion! So many opinions! But why all these different opinions and theories when the Bible is full of details about heaven? Yes, God wants us to know what heaven is like so that we will want to be there! Heaven is not a place He is trying to keep secret from us.

According to a Harris poll taken in January of 2003, 82 percent of Americans believe that a heaven does exist. But the truth is that these days most people–including Christians spend very little time thinking about heaven. From the moment we wake up in the morning till we collapse  in exhaustion into our beds again at night, we’re running, going, doing, eating working and doing all manner of things.

Meanwhile we Christians believe that somewhere inconceivable in the universe is an unseen place that we’ve been taught about and it’s called heaven. It’s part of the distant future, not the here and now. And though we can see and touch the immediate environment we live in every day, heaven is out of sight and out of reach. Therefore, it hardly seem real. Besides, our lives move so fast and are so full that we can barely keep pace with what’s happening around us, much less stop to contemplate a place to which we’ve never been.

Part of the problem is what many of us typically believe about heaven leaves us considerable  less than impressed. What if, for example, you are just not into playing harps all day? What if fleecy white clouds and halos and singing in heavenly choir leaves you cold? And do you really have to run around in a white robe all the time?

Undoubtedly one reason so many of us have a hard time getting excited about eternity is that we carry around a stunted and juvenile view of heaven as a spectacular setting in which we float around endlessly doing bland things and “being holy.”

But John tell us exactly what heaven will be like. “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:1,2).

This city is not just something that John saw and know about–God’s people have been aware of it throughout the ages. God tells us that all of His holy prophets had spoken about God’s plan to deal with a sin damaged world. Peter told the people of old Jerusalem that God would “send the Christ, who has been appointed for you–even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets” (Acts 3:20,21)

Let God direct your footsteps into the future

Scroll of the Book of Proverbs

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None of us can live without a vision for our future. If we don’t have one, we flounder aimlessly. Without a vision, life seems pointless and we die a little every day. “Where there is no vision the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18)

Having a vision doesn’t necessarily means  knowing the specifics about what is going to happen next. It has to do with sensing the general direction you are moving in and having hope that something good is on the horizon. It is knowing that you do have a future and a purpose, and that it is bright.

Not every man have that certainty. When he doesn’t, you can almost see life draining from him. Even the ones who do, do not necessarily have it all the time. Even the most spiritual man can get overtired, burned out, beaten down, distanced from God, confused about who he his and why he is here, and lose his vision for the future. He can misplace his sense of purpose and become overwhelmed and hopeless because of it. If he loses sight of his dreams and forgets the truth about himself and his situation, he can end up believing destructive lies about his future. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

God says not to listen to voices that speak lies, for “they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:16). Any vision for the future that is full of failure and empty of hope is not from God (Jeremiah 29:11). But God can restore vision where it has been lost. He can give hope to dream again. He can give His truth to bear upon the lies of discouragement. He can give assurance of a promising future. Prayer is the avenue through which He can accomplish it.

We have to remember that father God has drawn up His will. His estate is divided equally among His children. All that He has, we will have. “We are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ: (Romans 8:17).  I have read my copy of the will and it says we do not have the slightest idea of what God has in store for us. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the thing which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). It promises that “the blameless will inherit good” (Proverbs 28:10). It says that not only will we have everything we need in this life, but the most significant part will be ours. Then we will be with Him and we will want nothing more.

God does not want us to know the future, He wants us to know Him. He wants to trust Him to guide us into the future one step at a time. In order to understand God’s leading , we must t seek him for every step. “Those who seek the Lord understand all” (Proverbs 28:5).

God’s Word Is The Source Of Faith

ScriptureSeedsLogo

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where does faith comes from? How can faith be increased? The word say “Faith comes by hearing , and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Since this is true, faith is increased as believers fill their lives with the Word. This is quite revealing because it exposes the opposite truth. The reason believers have so little faith to exercise is the lack of the Word of God filling their livers.The application from these thoughts is, that the more Christians exercise themselves in Scripture the more their faith will grow.

There is one disclaimer to this application, some believers make it a ritual to read the Bible, some even memorize it, but their faith doesn’t seem to grow. Does this nullify the truth that the Word of God brings faith? No. The bible says it is “it is not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). It also adds, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63)

Exercising oneself in the Scripture without the illumination of the spirit is less effective or as the Bible say ineffective, to increase faith. Two Greek words are often translated as the Word in the Bible, logos and rhema. Logos speaks of the expression of God and is used in John 1:1 saying “In the beginning was the Word.” It refers there to Jesus or to the whole council of God elsewhere. Rhema  is often used to speak of a particular passage of Scripture that is illuminated by the spirit for a specific application. Some have called it a word from the Word. With this in mind, it would be a rhema from the  logos that the spirit would used to build faith.

Believers who experience faith rising as they engage in God’s Word are usually inspired by the Spirit in a particular passage which specifically speaks to illuminate their situation. That is a rhema from God’s logo, a word quickened by the spirit from the Word of God. So what should Christians do, wait with their Bible in hand till the spirit inspires them? No. Believers should search the Scriptures for passages which speak accurately and directly to their needs or situation. By meditating on these sections of Holy Scripture they are filling their minds, hearts and spirits with God’s thoughts, His Word.

As believers work with the Word, searching it and applying it in this way, the spirit will illumine some part and faith will come forth. Rather than waiting passively and praying for faith, believers can dive into God’s promises and then experience the spirit bringing light to their needs and faith to their hearts. Believers who understand this begin to stand up and say, “God’s Word say it, and I am believing it to happen.”

Beware Of False Christs And Prophets

the Gospel of Matthew

In Matthew 24 Jesus gave His disciples the signs that precede His return at the end of human history. “For many will come in my name, claiming , I am the Christ.’ and will deceive many,” (Matthew 24:5).

The last days will not be characterised by voices coming from different corners of the religious world declaring , “This is the way.” Follow me.” “I am a voice from heaven.” Many people will claim divine light, prophetic powers, and even equality with the Son of God. Men and women will perform amazing miracles and great wonders to “to deceive even the elect–if that were possible” (Verse 24). Such deception will be so overwhelming that even God’s people will be misled.

Cult groups have grown exponentially throughout the world during  recent decades. In survey results first released by USA Today in the mid 1990s some 20,ooo in a sample of 113,000 claimed they accepted the theories of the New Age movement. False religions have increased phenomenally in our generation. Books on paranormal sell in the multimillion  throughout America. Universities offer students classes in nontraditional religions. Many young people who were raised in Christianity have begun to explore non-Christian religions and teachings. Cult especially target those who are searching.

Whether it be the New Age movement admonishing its followers to develop the god within them or cult leaders claiming they are divine, the result is the same deception. The gradual increase of interest in alternative religions and the proliferation of religious leaders claiming divine powers reflect the accuracy of our Lord’s prediction.

Deception is part of Satan’s plan: “They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:14).

One thing is certain–such people will not come with a sign around their necks saying, “We are false christs and false prophets.” they’ll simple lead and those who are looking for a leader will follow them.

In March 1997, 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate cult produced a farewell video and then took their own lives. They believe that trailing the Hale-Bopp comet was a spacecraft coming to take them to the next level of existence. Investigators found the victims with purple cloth over their head and shoulders.

In trying to identify the bodies, police set up toll free numbers for relatives to call. In 24 hours they field calls from more than 1,500 anguished  relatives who had been out of contact with their loved ones for months or even years and suspected they might be part of the cult.

Such false christs and false prophets do not limit themselves to any one part of the world. On the continent of Africa religious leaders who claim to heal the sick and raise the dead have arisen. they presents themselves as the new Messiah. Mary David Christ purported to be reincarnation of divinity in Russia. She attracted more than 15,000 followers whom she called the “White Brotherhood.” Central and South America have their  share of counterfeit messiah, Jesus’ words are being fulfilled.

Validity and Authority of Scripture (Inerrant Word of God)

Jesus resurrected and Mary Magdalene

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The validity and authority of  Scriptures is often called into question, mostly by those who believe there is no God.

In an age where skepticism prevails, Pentecostals affirm the Bible as the divinely inspired and inerrant Word of God. Scriptures is the result of God moving upon holy men to carefully record His revelation of truth to all humanity (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 ; Matthew 5:18; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; John 5:39), a source the Church has always considered final and authoritative for doctrine.

Besides this critical claim as the source of infallible truth, there are two other alternative stances taken by others toward the Bible: (1) absolute error and (2) a composite of both truth and error. The first alternative is clearly understood and rejected by Pentecostals, though the second poses a more complex problem. Liberal scholars often point to contrived inconsistencies and contradictions in the Bible; however, if only discreet parts are accepted as true, then the whole must be judged as ultimately unreliable.

Further, it is argued, if the divinely infallible Christ is related to fallible Scripture, how can an errant word of God reveal an inerrant Christ who is believed to be the incarnate Word? Such logic is contradictory and inconsistent with the foundation necessary for strong Christian faith. Therefore, Pentecostals categorically reject all perspectives of Scripture opposing that of absolute inerrancy and divine inspiration.

In addressing this issue, Pentecostals offer further logic as notable evidence for this stand. First, it is of inconsistent character for a trustworthy God who desires reconciliation with lost humanity to offer a flawed revelation of the divine plan. Second, the power of life-transformation attests to the truth of the Bible; the lives of countless millions have been miraculously changed by the word of God.

Finally, that a pervasive unity and harmony exist in Scripture, despite the diversity of authors and centuries separating them, lends strong support to the Bible as the infallible word of God.

Though a majority of mainline protestant denominations reject the Bible as accurate and divinely inspired, Pentecostals hold steadfast to that claim and faithfully depend upon its truth as the foundation for their beliefs and practice.

http://kevinnunez.org/2011/11/20/authority-god-governs-his-people-through-scripture/