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| Mike Hosey, Elder |
In last week’s
blog we learned that Heaven is a real place where God dwells in all of his
fullness. Nelson Plasencia taught us in
his sermon that some people will find themselves there after they die, and some
people won’t. We have learned that the earth is separated from Heaven in
profound ways that we don’t understand. And
because of this Damon Baudoin visited a developing country last week so that
people can know Jesus and find their way there.
So Heaven,
indeed, is a fascinating place. Here are
some other things you might not know about it:
1) There Are
Three Realms Called Heaven: The English bible uses the word heaven to describe
three realms. Notice in Genesis 1:1 it
uses the plural form of heaven. The ancient Hebrews saw the First Heaven as the
very natural realm of the sky, the clouds, and the atmosphere of the earth
(Judges 5:4). This understanding also was shared by the early Christians (Acts
14:17). The Second Heaven referred to the natural realm of outer space, where
the stars hang and shine, and the planets move in their orbits (Isaiah 13:10,
Matthew 24:29). And the Third Heaven, or the highest Heaven, was the
supernatural dwelling place of God (1 Kings 8:27, 1 Kings 8:30, and Matthew
5:16).
2) Heaven
Might Be Like A Beautiful Garden: In 2
Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul recounts being supernaturally transported to the third
Heaven. He describes it as paradise. The
Greek word in verse 4 which translates to the English word “paradise” means a park
that is splendid, beautiful, and wonderful. Perhaps Heaven will in some ways look a lot
like the Garden of Eden.
3) There
Will Be a Tree of Life: Just like in the
Garden of Eden, there will be a Tree of Life (Genesis 2:9 and Revelation 22:2).
But the
greatest fact of all is that God will be with us directly (Revelation 21:3),
and we will enjoy true eternal pleasures untainted by sin (Psalms 16:11)!
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