August 1, 2001
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#9 Heaven
![bloomingrose[1]](http://x53.xanga.com/b87077737363084633083/z3898.gif)
Heaven
In Romans 12:12, Paul tells the Roman believers that they should be "rejoicing in hope." He was referring to the hope of heaven, which ought to fill us with joy. In contrast, the preacher of Ecclesiastes said, "The day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth" (7:1). He was being cynical because life was meaningless to him, but as Christians we can agree with what he said because we have the hope of heaven. Paul said, "To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21). The prospect of heaven made him joyful even in the face of death.
A. The Inhabitants of Heaven
1. God - Heaven is the dwelling of God. Although He is present everywhere at all times, heaven is uniquely His home. Everything that is precious to us is there: our Father, Savior, fellow believers, name, inheritance, reward, treasure, and citizenship. Heaven is our home.
2. Holy angels - Isaiah 6 pictures the Lord exalted on His heavenly throne, surrounded by holy angels (vv. 1-2). Matthew 22:30 and Luke 15:10 also state that the holy angels dwell in heaven.
3. Saints - Heaven is where saints who have died now dwell and where believers who are alive will be someday. Although we are not in heaven, we live in the heavenlies--that is, we have a foretaste of heaven because the Holy Spirit lives within us and works through us. In Christ, God has given us something of heaven's joy, love, power, and blessedness through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in every believer (Gal. 5:22-23), but those traits will not come to fruition until heaven. So the Spirit is the down payment of future blessings. The Christian life is like the hors d'oeuvres; the main course will be served in heaven. Believers already enjoy heavenly blessings--but someday they will actually live there.
Both Old and New Testament believers who have died are in heaven, waiting until the Second Coming when they will receive their glorified bodies. All those who in faith accepted God's way of salvation--whether in Old or New Testament times--are now in the presence of God.
B. The Intermediary State of Old Testament Saints
1. The refutation - After many years of study, I believe that the moment any believer died, he went immediately to heaven. Some Medieval theologians taught that when an Old Testament saint died he entered what was later called limbus patrum--"the limbo of the fathers." According to that teaching, he entered a place where he had to wait until Christ died, when he could finally enter heaven. But the Bible nowhere verifies such an intermediary state. On the contrary, the evidence indicates that when a believer died, he entered the presence of God.
2. The evidence
a) In the Psalms
(1) Psalm 16 - Here we find the psalmist hopeful even as he faced death: "Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay. Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever" (vv. 10-11). The psalmist anticipated that when he left this world, he would enter the presence of God, finding pleasure and fullness of joy.
(2) Psalm 23 - Psalm 23 says, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." In the last verse the writer assumed that once his life was over, he would dwell in the house of the Lord, which can refer only to heaven. The hope of the psalmist was exactly the same as Paul's: "to be absent from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8).
b) In Matthew 17 - When Christ was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared with Him (v. 3). Although Christ's death and resurrection hadn't yet occurred, Moses and Elijah were obviously safe in God's presence and were summoned to that wonderful occasion.
c) In Luke 16 - We read that when the beggar Lazurus died, he "was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom" (v. 22). I believe that the place of blessedness where Abraham and Lazurus were seen was the presence of God. The Greek word translated "bosom" literally means "chest." The imagery is of an eastern banquet. Banquets were occasions for feasting, music, and conversation. They often lasted for days. In fact, a wedding could last seven days! The guests usually stayed at the host's home and frequently reclined at the table. They leaned on their elbows and reclined with their heads together, so that to someone across the table it could appear that one person's head was resting on the other's chest. Apparently that was the positioning of John and Christ at the Last Supper (John 13:23). They positioned themselves that way so they could converse while they ate with the free hand.
So being in Abraham's bosom meant reclining at a banquet table in a celebration of joy. In addition, Abraham is the most honored man in Jewish history. Being seated next to him meant you were seated next to the guest of honor. Lazurus, an ordinary beggar, was reclining at the table with the greatest man in Jewish history! The picture is of the house of God and the feast He prepares for those who come into His presence. Even though Lazurus had a diseased earthly life and had to beg to exist, he shared the place of honor with the greatest father of Israel.
d) In Luke 23 - One of the thieves crucified with Christ said, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom! And [Jesus] said to him, Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in paradise" (vv. 42-43). Where is paradise? Some people say Christ is referring to an intermediary state or limbo. But another New Testament reference where the same word occurs clarifies its meaning. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 Paul discusses an experience he had that he didn't fully understand: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago- -whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows--was caught up into Paradise." It's reasonable to conclude that whatever paradise was before Christ's resurrection, it was the same thing. Second Corinthians 12 makes it clear that paradise is a synonym for heaven.
When a saint died, he entered the presence of God--heaven itself-- for the celebration and banquet that the Father had prepared. There the saints know all the joy that God can possibly provide His children. Whether a believer died before or after Christ's resurrection, I believe he went home to be with the Lord.
Heaven is a place where God lives with His holy angels and believers who have died. Heaven is also a sphere. Although many Christians still live in this world, they also live in the heavenlies. They enjoy a taste of heaven's benefits, such as eternal life and the fruit of the Spirit.
