Southern Heights Baptist Church

Heaven

How Much Do You Know About IT?

“Plato: “That city of which we are the founders, and which exists in idea only; for I do not believe that there is such an one anywhere on earth. In Heaven, I replied, there is laid up the pattern of it methinks, which he who desires may behold, and beholding may settle himself there” (Republic, 592). The Greeks did not believe in heaven. (They were wrong as in many other cases about the God). To them, the gods were evil, wicked and immoral. They fought and killed for their own personal gain.
In the Bible heaven has two meanings: Un-cloudy Day!

A. (1) The sky above, (2) the dwelling place of God, (3) the eternal destiny of Christians, called paradise, or “garden.” (2 Cor. 12:2). “The Garden of God”

B. Created by God, “In the beginning, God” (Gen. 1:1).

1. The Old Testament speaks of “God creating new heavens and earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22).

2. What does the New Testament say about heaven?
A. Matt. 5:18 future dissolution of heaven
B. Mark 13:31”Heaven and earth will pass away; but my Word…”
C. Its destruction (2 Peter 3:7, 13)
D. Heaven’s replacement (Rev. 21:1; Rom. 8:21)
E. Heaven is the divine abode in the Old Testament, the place where God dwells (Ezra 1:2; Neh. 1:4; Dan. 4:26), “The God of Heaven.”

3. Heaven is the divine abode in the New Testament.
A. Place were God and his angels dwell.
B. The Son came from heaven, ascended back to heaven, the Holy Spirit came from heaven and lives in believers (I Peter 1:12).
“Heaven is the place of unimpaired communion with God and perfect harmony with others.”—P. S. Johnson, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology: T. Desmond Alexander, Ed. Pg. 540—
Heaven is the destiny of Christians, a celebration banquet (Matt. 8:11; 22:2); an inheritance (Matt. 25:34 cf Rev. 19:9; a secure city (Heb. 11:10; 12:22-24) and above all, “eternal life.”
4. Why is heaven important to Christians? “The future life of believers is called heaven: God dwells there, believer’s reward is there (Matt. 5:12; 6:20; Mark. 10:21); Apostles speak of “unspoiled inheritance” (2 Peter 1:4; Heb. 10:34); disciples rejoice because their names are written in heaven (Lk. 10:20); believers’ comfort and encouragement are there (Heb. 12:23; Rev. 21:27); the believer’s citizenship is there (Phil. 3:20); Jesus promised to take his disciples there (John 14:2-3); Jesus promised “paradise” to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43); Paul realized the blessedness of heaven and the contrast between our present state (2 Cor. 5:6; Phil. 1:23) and John’s breathtaking vision of God and the lamb enthroned in heaven reveals the future worship of all (Rev. 4-5).

5. What is the “intermediate state?”
A. Isaiah 26:19; Dan. 12:2
B. John 11:24, Martha.
C. Luke 16:23 Sheol/Hades different compartments (Lk. 16:23)
D. Heb. 12:1 Cloud of witnesses
E. Rev. 6:9-10 “rest and peace” disembodied precedes resurrection as a spiritual animated body (I Cor. 15:44). 08/0209

Myrtle Erickson wrote,
“The Homeland”
THINK—
Of stepping on shore and finding it Heaven;
Of taking hold of a hand and finding it God’s hand;
Of breathing a new air and finding it celestial air;
Of feeling invigorated and finding it immortality;
Of passing from storm and tempest to an unbroken calm;
Of looking up – and finding it HOME!

How much do you know about heaven? II

1. Heaven was made by God Gen. 1:1; Psalms 19:7; Jeremiah 51:15; Ps. 8:4

2. Manna came from heaven to fed the children of Israel and to fed us today (Ps. 78:23)

3. Heaven is an enduring place (Deut. 11:21)

4. Heaven is the “abode of God” (I Kings 8:30-32)

5. God sits enthroned in the heaven *(Ps. 2:4; Isaiah 66:1)

6. Bread comes from heaven (Exodus 16:4; Neh. 9:15)

7. God rained “fire and brimstone from heaven” (Gen. 19:24)

8. “God looks down from heaven (Deut. 26:15); “hears his people when they pray” (Ps. 20:7)

9. God “thunders” from heaven (I Sam. 2:10; Ps. 18:14; 2 Sam. 22:14).

10. God has to “bend” to come down to earth (Ps. 18:10; Ps. 144:5).

11. How big is God?: “The highest heaven cannot contain him” (Deut. 10:14; I kings 8:27= 2 Chron. 6:18; 2:5; Neh. 9:8; Ps. 148:4).

12. He is called “the God of heaven” (Ezra. 1:2; 9:6; Neh. 1:4, 5, 9; 2:4, 20; 9:6, 13, 15, 23, 27, 28; 2 Chron. 36:23).

13. Solomon’s prayer (2 Chron. 2:5, 11, 13, 14, , 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 30, 33, 35, 39).

14. Elijah was “taken up to heaven in a whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:1, 11).

15. Lucifer was thrown out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12).
16. Jesus came from heaven and went back to heaven (John 3:14; 14:1-2; Acts 1:8-11).

17. Believers in the rapture will take them to heaven (I Thess. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:50-51; Titus 2:13-15).

18. Enoch was taken to heaven (Gen. 5:24).

19. Moses and Elijah were seen in heaven (Matt. 17:1-5).

20. Paul was taken up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:1-10).

21. God’s glory is above the heavens (Ps. 148:13; Hab. 3:3 “covers the heavens”

22. God is in the heavens (Ps. 113:4, 6; Ps. 115:15, 16).

23. The “Lord has prepared his throne in the heavens” (Ps. 103:11, 19).

24. God’s mercy is great above the heavens” (Ps. 108:4)

25. “Thou art exalted, O God, above the heavens” (Psa. 108:4-5).

26. Eternity will be one long time of worship (Rev. 4-5).

References: Brown Driver and Briggs, Hebrew Lexicon, 1029; J. P. Green, New Englishman Hebrew Concordance pg. 1286; L. Harris Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr. Bruce K. Waltke, II:958.

A true servant succeeds his master (Moses, Joshua (Exod. 24:13; 33:11; Joshua 1:1; 2 Kings. 4:43; 6:15). Elisha and succeeded Elijah and was expected to be better than his master. Joseph was a steward to Potiphar (Gen. 39:4, 8, 9). Joseph knew all that was in the master’s house. A servant was used in two ways: (1) as one who rendered service to his master and (2) as one who had a special ministry of worship in relation to God. (Exod. 28:35, 43; I Chron. 6:17; 16:4; Number 4:123; 2 Chr. 24:14).
This is designed to help us to grow in God’s grace and knowledge (Pet. 3:18).