What Will Heaven Be Like?

 

                There will come a time when we who are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  When this happens, a paranormal event will occur.  It will be a supernatural event where our bodies will be transformed from mortal physical bodies into glorified spiritual bodies.  We will have ghostlike attributes with all the power associated with the spirit world.  We will be transformed and when this happens we will be under the protection of the Lord forever.

                When we are finally in heaven, in the paradise Jesus referred to while hanging from the cross, the Bible promises that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there won’t be any more death.  Pain and sorrow will be a thing of the past so there will be no more crying. The pain we feel physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually will be gone forever because the Bible says that former things will have passed away.

                The cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will be put to death and God’s preferred method of execution is the use of fire.  The wicked will be gone forever because they will be burned up into ashes in God’s ‘Lake of Fire”.

                God’s eternal city will be the seat of the “Kingdom of the World” present on the earth at that time.  It will have a great, high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels will be posted at each gate.  On the gates will be written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel as a reminder to all who remain of how God does keep His promise to all people.  The wall of the city will have twelve foundations, and on them will be the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  This will signify to everyone exactly what God’s government is now and will be based on. 

                No one will enter the city that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie.  This will include the likes of a lot of people on the earth today.  Only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be allowed to enter this Holy city.  There shall be no more curse, the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in this city, and His servants will serve Him, ruling the entire earth from there.

[1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:35-39; Philippians 3:21; Revelation 21:3,4,12,14; Revelation 22:3,5; John 14:2-3 ]

 

 

 

 

ABSTAIN, RESTRAIN, REFRAIN, WHAT DO THEY MEAN IN RESPECT TO CHRISTIANITY?

@WEPromote It should only matter to yourself. http://t.co/9fYxDSR7ET
— Robert Richard (@tripler5064) July 12, 2013

Abstinence is a word that is used in Christianity that does more to bringing harm in leading people to Christ than it does good.  The reason probably is that when and where it is used it is not with the full understanding of what scripture actually says.  As with many issues in life, a lot of Christians try to boil them down into passages that are taken out of context and then misinterpreted to fit their own agendas.

The definition of abstain from THE MIRIAM WEBSTER ONLINE DICTIONARY - abstain is; "to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice".  To fully understand this definition, refrain needs to also be defined, it has a meaning to "keep under control" " to limit, restrict, or keep under control".  The other word is "refrain" which means "To hold oneself back".

These definitions all dealing with abstaining do not infer the complete lack or absence of an action, they all infer control and moderation within the context of the situation.  Sex and alcohol are two things that Christian doctrines come down heavy on.  In the spirit of the scriptures and the word of God, the Bible does not condemn all sex and drinking as sin.   

This position is untenable because the Bible does not teach this.  Sex and  alcohol themselves are not evil. The problem is they can and in a lot of situations involve abuse.  These abuses lead to poverty, violence, and early death in the short term, but in the long term it leads everyone away from God which will ultimately result in eternal death.  It is not the sex and the alcohol, it is the abuse of these and those who cannot restrain themselves from causing abuse of any type should abstain from any activity that could lead themselves to eternal death.


BIBLICAL OCCASIONS TO DRINK ALCOHOL IN MODERATION:  (http://pastormark.tv/2011/09/14/faq-whats-your-stance-on-alcohol).

• Celebration (Genesis 14)
  
• The Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18)
  
• Medicinal purposes (Proverbs 31:6; 1 Timothy 5:23)
  
• Worship (Exodus 29:40; Numbers 28:14; Matthew 26:27; 1 Corinthians 11:25-26).
  
• Thanksgiving to God (Proverbs 3:9-10)
  
• Happiness (Deuteronomy 14:26)