Tag Archives: heaven

Why Lying Is So Bad

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I don’t know why, but I have never thought of lying as a really bad sin—such as murder or adultery. I remember when I was little and told a lie; I really didn’t think it was that bad or that anyone would be hurt by it. I couldn’t understand why my mom and dad thought it was so bad and why they told me that I should never tell a lie.

Well, as the years went by, I grew to understand why it was bad and how you can really get yourself into trouble over it. Yet some people never get that understanding. They still say, what’s the harm in a little white lie? I have heard people say that lying is just part of life; everybody does it.

In my study of heaven, in three different verses where God is describing the glory and holiness of heaven, it also emphasized who would not be allowed in heaven—those sinners who would end up in hell. Here are those verses:

Revelation 21:8

8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Revelation 21:27

27 and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 22:15

15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

Notice that in each of the verses, those who are liars are on the list (bold for emphasis). Hence, those who practice lying will definitely be disqualified from heaven. I know lying is bad, but I found myself still wondering why it made this list. Why would lying disqualify one from heaven? Here are a few ideas I came up with—reasons why lying is so bad:

  • It is deceptive and seeks to deceive others.
  • It is against truth and righteousness—which is what heaven is.
  • Lying is the beginning of corruption and the basis of it.
  • Lying is a political sin: it seeks to win self and makes self look good. It will take down and corrupt a whole nation.
  • It begins in the life of a child and if not corrected will form the life and corrupt that entire life.
  • It is of the devil. He is the greatest liar, and like the devil will pervert the whole life and the life of many others.
  • It cannot be allowed in heaven or else all of heaven with its truth would be corrupted. For this reason, liars must be kept in hell forever.

Who are the liars?

They must be found out and stopped. The courts must try to reveal them. It is so important for a continuing and lasting society. I would say that it is important to find and cut off lying in one’s own life as well as in the leadership of cities and countries. But it must start in my life. If we can’t recognize it in our life, how can we see it in others. Judges must esp. be able to see and stop it—and to punish it severely. It must be seen as a terrible evil.

Wishing for Heavenly Dreams

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It’s snowing outside. About time! It looks good to me. It warms my heart to see those huge white flakes come down.

I thank the Lord that I have been having better sleep the last couple of days. I’ve been taking melatonin. I think that is the reason. Now I just need to improve my dreams. I want dreams that are more godly, more heavenly. That would be so great. Maybe when I start writing my new book on heaven that will happen. I’m so excited about it. I’m still in the reading and note taking stage. Soon I will be ready to start writing. And, as usual I will be blogging all along as I write.

In my daily bible reading I’ve been noticing more and more passages on heaven. Hebrews 11 is that way. Each faith character mentioned has a heavenly goal—they looked for a better place, a heavenly city. And that moved them ahead through all their suffering. They looked not for earthly comfort, but for the hope of heaven. And even Christ endured the cross for the joy set before Him. I would like to have dreams of heaven and dreams where I am rejoicing in my anticipation of heaven.

Thinking of Heaven

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Reading a book on heaven by John MacArthur has really got me thinking about God’s omnipresence, and how He will always be with us, always be with all of us individually at the same time. I haven’t been able to find any verses about this—only that He will be with me always. Here are a few quotes from MacArthur’s book:

  • [We will have] unbroken fellowship with God.
  • [We will have unity with God] much like the unity that exists between Father and Son.
  • Perfect fellowship with God is the very essence of heaven.
  • In heaven we will continually be seeing God.
  • From 1 Cor. 13:12: “Now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face…”
  • David said in Ps. 17:15, “As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness…” (in his resurrection).

It’s hard for me to grasp the idea that I will be in God’s presence always, and that will also be true of everybody else in heaven. I know that He will not be split apart. Each of us will get Him in full. And since God the Father is pure spirit, we will really be looking at the person of Jesus the Son—He is the manifestation of God.

And then how will it be when I am with a small group of friend’s? Will Jesus be there with us? I suppose. And will He also be in every other small group of people—at the same time?

Will His physical presence always be with me, with us? Or sometimes will He be present only in His spirit? Whatever it is, I’m sure we will all be satisfied with it.

And since I will have a glorified body, I will be able to go and be with Him whenever I want—to travel miles and miles in a second. We will have a body like the resurrection body of Jesus was on earth. He was appearing and disappearing and going through walls.

The city of New Jerusalem, our heavenly home, will be huge. And if I had my apartment on the top floor, I think I will be able to somehow fly up there in a second. And what a view I will have! Looking over the whole new earth!

Life is Good

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In my last post I gave you all my complaints. This morning I have been thinking and feeling how good my life is—pretty good. I really have very little to complain about. I am well fed, feeling good, healthy. I have no debts, just day to day expenses. God is good!

The sun is shining, and I know that God has been merciful to me.

I am feeling more and more like writing my next book on heaven, and I have an idea for the outline. I think at this time in my life the best thing I can do is to think every day on heaven. Maybe that is why I feel so good today—because I have been reading about it—what it will be like.

Some people say that if you are too heavenly bound you are no earthly good. But I think that if you are too earthly bound you are no earthly good; for thinking on heaven is the best way for a Christian to feel good about life. Knowing where we are headed and knowing that it will be wonderful, tends to brighten ones day on earth and give him a motivation for living a holy life.

Cloud Formations

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When the sky is bright and partly cloudy with gusts of wind, cloud formations can be very beautiful. Lately, I have been thinking of writing on the subject of heaven. And when I look heavenward through the clouds it gives me a greater incentive to write on that subject. For when He comes in His glory and when we go to meet Him it will be “in the clouds.” (1 Thess. 4:17; Acts 1:9; Rev. 11:12)

Pondering Heaven: Dreams Fulfilled

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After seeing the movie Field of Dreams last night (for the one-hundredth time), I gave great thought to the question that was asked by Shoeless Joe Jackson and by Costner’s father, “Is this heaven?” Then I also watched the short slip at the end, the making of the movie, and I was surprised to hear the producer say that the lines regarding heaven could really be the theme of the movie—that the ball players who had gotten kicked out of baseball were given a second chance to come back to earth and play baseball—and that was their heaven.

I immediately pulled from my book shelf the book Heaven, by Randy Alcorn, to ponder the subject. I found that one of his chapters was entitled, “Will Our Dreams Be Fulfilled and Missed Opportunities Regained?” It seems that Alcorn thinks that heaven will be a chance for every Christian to extend or perfect what we do now; that in the New Earth we will have the chance to finish what we started now and to perfect—and even sort of grow in it. That thought excites me. Everything I always wanted to do but didn’t get a chance to do, I will get a chance to do in heaven, or on the New Earth. For instance, I think I am gifted as a teach, but haven’t had a chance to do it. In heaven I will have that chance. And I will be good at it. And the books I have written (not very well), in the New Earth those books will be wonderfully revised and many people will read them. And I will teach from those books.

Now I’m motivated to study this subject of heaven—to keep those kinds of books on my reading list, and to study it in the Bible.

The First Interlude: The Great Multitude (Revelation 7:1-17) – Part 3

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Stephen Nielsen's avatarStudying Bible Prophecy

After John sees the vision of the witnesses and the angels that will protect them, he next sees a great multitude of people standing before the throne in heaven and before the Lamb. They are clothed in white robes and they are praising God with palm branches in their hands. And many angels and the twenty-four elders and the four cherubim were also worshipping God saying,

Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever.

Then one of the elders asked John about the great multitude: “Who are they and where have they come from?” As if he didn’t know.

But he did know, and John knew it. So he said to him, “My lord, you know.”

Then the elder told John who they were.

1. They have come out of the Tribulation.They apparently were not saved…

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Comfort One Another With These Words

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If there ever was a bible verse that is being ignored it is this one: “Therefore, Comfort One Another With These Words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

And for some reason I have been putting the blame mostly on pastors, because in their preaching they don’t very often preach to comfort their people with the news that Jesus is coming soon, and that the dead, as well as the living, will be translated and taken up to heaven to be with Him.

But Paul, in this verse, is not speaking to pastors; he said, “comfort one another with these words.” Hence, every Christian has the command to comfort others.

And how are we to comfort out fellow believer? Are we to put our arm around them and tell them that all will be well, that things aren’t as terrible as they seem?

NO!

The way we are commanded to comfort them is “with these words.”

What words?

Though Paul gives them ample instructions in chapter 4, and in earlier chapters, I believe he is referring to verse 13-17, because the Thessalonians were so concerned about those believers who had died; for he says, “Lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”

And the words that Paul wants us to comfort others with is the entire teaching here on the Rapture of the church, which is found in verses 13 through 17. Yes, if our brethren are to be comforted, they must hear the entire teaching. We are not just to say the words, Jesus is coming soon! We should tell them all of it. I think people are tired of short clichés. That mean very little to them. They want the whole story. They want to know in detail what is going to happen. So here it is as Paul teaches it.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Here is the teaching in my words:

1. We are not to be ignorant concerning those who have died. For just as Jesus died and rose again, all our Christian friends who have died will also rise and be with Him. 

2. Very soon He will come to us from heaven. And the angels will declare His coming with a shout and with a trumpet sound.

3. And the dead will be the first to be resurrected and taken up to Him.

4. Then those who are alive will rise up next; and they will meet the resurrected dead in the sky.

5. And all believers, the resurrected dead and the living, will be with the Lord in the air.

6. And from that time on, we will always be with the Lord.

This is the teaching that God wants us to bring to our fellow Christians—in case they are ignorant or confused about such things. This is the teaching that Paul says will give them comfort. And perhaps it would be better to read the verses or quote them from memory, so that they will not miss anything; for every word of Scripture is so powerful. As Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “The word of God is living and powerful, and shaper than any two-edged sword…”

I wonder how many of us need to be comforted by “these words.” All of us!

And I wonder how many of us need to say “these word” to others so as to comfort them. All of us!

Yes, we really need to be comforters. We really need to bring “these words” to others—words of hope and encouragement. I challenge you as I challenge myself to do it!

The Meaning of The Crowns Rewarded Us at The Judgment Seat

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Stephen Nielsen's avatarStudying Bible Prophecy

Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”  The key word we are looking for here is “recompensed.”  It means to be rewarded for. It is God’s praise to us for our good works. It is the way He will bless us for eternity.

A word used to describe our blessed reward is “crown.” In one respect, we may see this word as a reference to rulership. For because we will receive crowns, He will make us rulers alongside of Him in His kingdom.

In another respect we may see our crowns, generally, as our eternal life; and yet each crown given may represent certain characteristics of our eternal life. The following are five different examples…

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