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HEAVEN:
What will it be like and who
will be there?
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This information is for people who think they are going to
heaven, who think their good deeds will outweigh their bad deeds and that God
will therefore grant them entrance to His eternal kingdom. Many such
people will want to run out of heaven, since it will be so foreign to them and
to their way of thinking. They will want to run from the King of Heaven if their
sins have not been forgiven and if their hearts have not been supernaturally
changed. |
Most
people want to go to heaven someday. After all, who really wants to go to hell?
But the Bible tells us heaven is a place of absolute moral purity and
holiness, where no sin can be allowed. So why would an unholy person ever
want to go to heaven? Surely they would be miserable there without the ability
to indulge in the kinds of activities that they were engrossed in here on earth.
Why would they want to live with the author of the Bible after having
continually violated His commandments all their lives? The truth is, such people
[the unholy] will never go to heaven. Only those who have the righteousness of
Jesus Christ will be there. They are the only ones who will want to be
there. Do you possess the righteousness of Christ? Have you received the gift
of God - eternal life - as evidenced by a changed attitude about sin and
holiness?
Just
as a pig by nature is happy wallowing in the mud and mire, so an unsaved sinner
is happy reveling in his sins. Without the mud of sin to enjoy in heaven, the
unsaved would be quite miserable there. And just as a cat by nature hates to get
wet, so a saved sinner hates to commit sin once he has the spirit of God in
him. With a new spirit and a new heart, living and dwelling with a holy,
sin-hating God will be a great joy and a real pleasure for the true Christian.
Jesus
Christ is Lord of heaven. He is holy and righteous. He hates sin and can have
no fellowship with those who die in their sins. If he does not become Lord of
your life on earth (Lord of your thoughts, words and deeds), do not expect him
to welcome you with open arms into heaven. The Bible paints a very grim picture
of the fate of those who die without the salvation that Christ alone provides:
"And I
say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after
that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear:
Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I
say unto you, Fear him." [Luke 12:4-5]
"And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire." [Revelation 20:15]
"And
the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have
no rest day nor night" [Revelation 14:11]
"But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part
in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death." [Revelation 21:8]
"He that
believeth on him [Jesus] is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God." [John 3:18]
How we
are made holy and fit for heaven:
"except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish" [Luke 13:3]
"The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the
gospel." [Mark 1:15]
Only by an
act of God (being "born from above") and through the power of the Holy Spirit
can a person truly repent (turn from sin and have an imparted desire to be holy
and live holy, being preoccupied with pleasing God).
Read the
Bible carefully, asking God to show you the truth about how sinful He
sees you and about how holy He is. Find out why Jesus Christ left heaven and
came to earth to suffer the full fury of the wrath of God. Was it for YOUR sins?
If not, then you will indeed be damned because there is no other Saviour:
"for there
is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved" [Acts
4:12]
Jesus is
not your Saviour until He has converted you:
"Except ye
be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom
of heaven." [Matthew 18:3]
Seek the
Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near.... Cry out to God to
have mercy on you and to save your lost soul from the wrath to come before its
too late - before you end up in hell forever, with all those who have no hope,
all those who weep and wail and gnash their teeth.
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"The
harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved"
[Jeremiah 8:20]
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This is what it will be like for those who end up in
heaven: |
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BEAUTIFUL FELLOWSHIP with their blessed Redeemer - Jesus Christ -
who suffered and died for all their awful sins. |
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EXTREME
JOY & GLADNESS that there will be no sin in them or around them any
longer, no more taking of our Lord's name in vain, no more ungodly
thoughts or speech or actions. |
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WONDERFUL COMPANIONSHIP with all the godly saints who died before
them, who love God and His laws as they do and who hate sin as God
hates it. |
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AWE &
WONDER for the holiest Being in the Universe, God Almighty, the
Alpha and Omega, the Lord of Hosts, the King Of Glory, who did
something for man that man could never do for himself, pay the awful
penalty for sin that we could only pay if we were to spend eternity
in hell. |
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IMMENSE
GRATITUDE for God's grace and mercy for having saved them from
eternal wrath in Hell at such a terrible price to Himself - the
sacrifice of His beloved Son, Jesus. |
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PREOCCUPATION WITH BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF such a holy, righteous,
and sinless Creator who came up with such a glorious plan of
salvation that showed His love and mercy in the most powerful way
imaginable. |
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PRAISE,
WORSHIP AND SINGING to God about His incredible love for saved
sinners like them. |
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UNENDING THANKFULNESS for the opportunity to serve and worship such
a gracious God and Savior for all eternity. |
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Do you
think you will want to be in a heaven like this?
Do you think God will want you there? |
"And I
beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And
the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men,
and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said
to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of
his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" [Revelation 6:9-17]
Friend, if God has not made you
ready for heaven, to the point where you long to be in a sin free world and in
permanent fellowship with a HOLY GOD who
hates sin, then you will be among those mentioned above who will be screaming
for the rocks to fall on you to hide you from God's wrath.
SEE ALSO:
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