Evidence for God from Science

People's interpretation of heaven tend to vary greatly. As far as I am aware, there is no solid consensus on what heaven could be like. The Bible doesn't seem to be all that forthcoming with information regarding our next life. What do you picture when you think of heaven?

Personally, I would want a world similar to this one, without sin and pain. Imagine experiencing all the joys of life without any negatives. I'd like to a place to gain infinite knowledge and wisdom and understanding. I've always thought I'd love to learn all the earth's many languages - shame I'd need many lifetimes to do it! A place where family and friends exist together free from pain and the inevitability of death and suffering, and a place where one can explore and continue learning and experiencing. I imagine this sounds whimsical but this would be an ideal existence.

What knowledge do we have of heaven and how do you interpret it?

Disciplical wrote:People's interpretation of heaven tend to vary greatly. As far as I am aware, there is no solid consensus on what heaven could be like. The Bible doesn't seem to be all that forthcoming with information regarding our next life. What do you picture when you think of heaven?

Personally, I would want a world similar to this one, without sin and pain. Imagine experiencing all the joys of life without any negatives. I'd like to a place to gain infinite knowledge and wisdom and understanding. I've always thought I'd love to learn all the earth's many languages - shame I'd need many lifetimes to do it! A place where family and friends exist together free from pain and the inevitability of death and suffering, and a place where one can explore and continue learning and experiencing. I imagine this sounds whimsical but this would be an ideal existence.

What knowledge do we have of heaven and how do you interpret it?

The Got Questions website has the basics:

http://www.gotquestions.org/heaven-like.html

To understand heaven, look at Genesis chapters one and two before the fall. There you will notice heaven and earth were united with God’s will. God and Adam and Eve were untied as well in fellowship. So from this, heaven is a place of restored fellowship with God himself as it was meant to be now made possible thru the blood of Christ Jesus.
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I would highly suggest Randy Alcorn's book simply titled Heaven. It's by far, one of the best books I"ve ever read on the subject.

I'll look into it. Is it based on Scripture support for heaven or simply all guessing and wishful thinking?

It's based largely on scripture, Alcorn to me at least, does an outstanding job at conveying the ideas on heaven while giving scripture support to his claims.

Here is a good video presentation by Alcorn on the topic of heaven that you can view that can give you a really good idea on his style and his ideas. He's good VERY GOOD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJitsfLpXkY

As long as we remember that Heaven is not for US, at least not our final destination.
We have been promised a New Earth and that the kingdom of God will be here and that WE will be resurrected to a new Earth, here.
Our final destination is not Heaven but HERE.

Post by PaulSacramento » Wed Aug 05, 2015 8:30 am

As long as we remember that Heaven is not for US, at least not our final destination.
We have been promised a New Earth and that the kingdom of God will be here and that WE will be resurrected to a new Earth, here.
Our final destination is not Heaven but HERE

... i need some more meat on them bones ... what are you saying, that heaven is not our final destination ? John 14:2

EssentialSacrifice wrote:

Post by PaulSacramento » Wed Aug 05, 2015 8:30 am

As long as we remember that Heaven is not for US, at least not our final destination.
We have been promised a New Earth and that the kingdom of God will be here and that WE will be resurrected to a new Earth, here.
Our final destination is not Heaven but HERE

... i need some more meat on them bones ... what are you saying, that heaven is not our final destination ? John 14:2

ES,
I think he's saying that you'll be stuck in eternal purgatory.

I think my mansion is going to come equipped with a nice guitar and huge loud amp so that I can praise the Lord.

ES,
I think he's saying that you'll be stuck in eternal purgatory.

as incredible as it may sound, the news could have been worse...

EssentialSacrifice wrote:

Post by PaulSacramento » Wed Aug 05, 2015 8:30 am

As long as we remember that Heaven is not for US, at least not our final destination.
We have been promised a New Earth and that the kingdom of God will be here and that WE will be resurrected to a new Earth, here.
Our final destination is not Heaven but HERE

... i need some more meat on them bones ... what are you saying, that heaven is not our final destination ? John 14:2

I assume you have read Revelation, right?

In whatever way death happens to us the (my) Church teaches that at the moment of death we come to "The Particular Judgement". The "Catechism of the Catholic Church", from which all the following quotations will be taken, describes it this way:.

"Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. The New Testament often speaks of Judgement in terms of the final accounting with Christ at his second coming but it also affirms that each of us will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with our works and faith (1021). Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgement that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven - through purification or immediately-, or immediate and everlasting damnation (1022)." In other words, if our lives merit it, male or female, we are rewarded with life in heaven immediately or, life in heaven after having been purified or, eternal damnation in hell.

Where in revelations must I go to see what you want me to ?

Revelations, Isaiah, Daniel, they all speak of a new heaven AND a new earth and we will be on this new earth in a new Jerusalem.

Revelation 21New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The New Heaven and Earth
21 Then I saw (A)a new heaven and a new earth; for (B)the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw (C)the holy city, (D)new Jerusalem, (E)coming down out of heaven from God, (F)made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, (G)the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will (H)dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will (I)wipe away every tear from their eyes; and (J)there will no longer be any death; (K)there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; (L)the first things have passed away.”


http://www.gotquestions.org/new-heavens-earth.html

Isaiah 65:17-25New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “For behold, I create (A)new heavens and a new earth;
And the (B)former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
18 “But be (C)glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
19 “I will also (D)rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of (E)weeping and the sound of crying.
20 “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who does (F)not live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of one hundred
And the (G)one who does not reach the age of one hundred
Will be thought accursed.
21 “They will (H)build houses and inhabit them;
They will also (I)plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 “They will not build and (J)another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For (K)as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will (L)wear out the work of their hands.
23 “They will (M)not labor in vain,
Or bear children for calamity;
For they are the (N)offspring of those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.

and so forth

There is life after death in Heaven.
There is life AFTER life after death, the resurrection and it is on a New Earth.

I think there are very good Scriptural reasons to believe that the heaven to come will be a PHYSICAL place composed of a physical merging of the present heaven and the future purged/restored/re-glorified earth.