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#Post#: 88--------------------------------------------------
Heaven Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 6, 2012, 6:08 pm
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You say heaven is the reward of the saved. Are you certain? Have
you sought proof?
Almost all professing Christians believe the saved go to heaven
upon death. Why? What assurance do they have? By what authority
have countless millions believed that they are bound for heaven
when they die?
Be honest. You probably consider yourself a Christian. You
certainly want to be saved. You have probably also been assured
that you will go to heaven some day. Should you not demand proof
that heaven is really what you seek—and where you will go?
It is about time you know if you will spend all eternity in
heaven!
realtruth.org
#Post#: 89--------------------------------------------------
Re: Heaven Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 6, 2012, 6:08 pm
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An Easy Formula
Romans 10:9 states, “That if you shall confess with your mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has
raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Verse 13 adds,
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved.”
Certain popular verses are routinely cited to validate the
simplicity of just believing in Christ to be saved. This makes
salvation seem routine and easy. Heaven becomes little more than
an assumption in a formula that virtually every professing
Christian takes for granted: “Believe in Jesus, go to heaven.”
Yet when a famous evangelist was asked, “What will we do when we
get to heaven?” he answered, “I don’t know, but it will be
wonderful.” Such ignorance!—and if he does not know, how can he
“know” it will be wonderful?
Answers like this are why people assume that they will “ride
clouds in heaven”—“walk the streets of gold in front of the
pearly gates”—“play harps”—“grow wings”—or generally “roll
around heaven all day.” All of these ideas are man-made,
fiction. The Bible teaches none of them—yet almost everyone
believes them as fact.
So, let’s get the facts—the truth—of what God teaches.
We have many booklets explaining in detail the real reward of
the saved. Though this article will address some of the truth on
this matter, it will not and cannot cover everything about the
truth of salvation. This is not the purpose or focus here. This
article is written to examine whether heaven is the destination
of the saved.
One of the fundamental rules of Bible study is to always start
with the clearest scriptures on any subject. Then fit all less
clear scriptures into the basic overall picture that has been
established.
The subject of going to heaven is a classic example of the need
to start with the most plain, obvious verses. We will examine a
number of them. After doing this, we will examine all the
supposed “proof texts” about going to heaven. They will be
correctly understood and the false idea of the saved going to
heaven will collapse!
realtruth.org
#Post#: 90--------------------------------------------------
Re: Heaven Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 6, 2012, 6:10 pm
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Plain Scriptures
Perhaps the plainest scripture in the Bible about going to
heaven is in the Sermon on the Mount—and it does not even
mention the word heaven. While most know of this Sermon, few
know of this most important verse. Christ said, “Blessed are the
meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5).
Have you ever heard even one minister say that God’s purpose for
Christians is to “inherit the EARTH”? I doubt it. And yet there
it is—at the very beginning of the New Testament.
What may be more amazing is that Christ was quoting Psalm 37:11.
It states the exact same thing. It would not have been strange
for Him to reference Psalms, since all His listeners would have
been familiar with this scripture. To have said that “the meek
shall inherit heaven” certainly would have been strange to their
ears!
Let’s examine another plain scripture, which adds another
element.
The apostle John recorded the following: “And has made them [the
saints] unto our God kings and priests: and they [the saints]
shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10).
The reward of God’s saints is to inherit future rulership “on
the earth”—as “kings and priests.” This is plain!
I’ll ask again: Have you ever heard a minister say that God’s
purpose for you is to “reign on the earth,” as “kings and
priests”?
Be honest—of course not! You must at least admit that becoming a
king is more appealing than riding clouds, playing harps or
rolling around heaven.
Now, will you believe the plain words of the Bible—or continue
in popular but baseless assumptions?
realtruth.org
#Post#: 91--------------------------------------------------
Re: Heaven Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 6, 2012, 6:10 pm
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What Daniel Knew
Now go to the Old Testament. The prophet Daniel, amplifying the
saints’ role as kings and priests, writes about the Return of
Christ and the establishing of God’s kingdom on earth. Before
examining three key verses, some background is important.
Before Christ’s Return, God will officially grant Him the
authority to rule the world. Notice: “And there was GIVEN Him
[Christ] dominion, and glory, and a kingdom” (Dan. 7:14).
Where will this kingdom be? Daniel answers, “…that all people,
nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed.”
It will be on earth.
But how will God rule the peoples and nations of earth? Daniel
explains: “But the saints of the Most High shall take the
kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even forever and
ever” (vs. 18). The Christian’s ultimate destiny is to join
Christ and share rulership in the kingdom of God over all
nations and peoples ON EARTH!
Now read verse 22: “…and judgment was given to the saints of the
Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the
kingdom.” And verse 27: “And the kingdom and dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given
to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is
an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey
Him.”
Christ and the saints will rule peoples and nations on earth.
You have surely heard Christ referred to as “KING of kings and
LORD of lords.” Now you know why!
Let’s confirm where this rulership takes place. Christ states,
“And he that overcomes, and keeps My works unto the end, to him
will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with
a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken
to shivers: even as I received of My Father” (Rev. 2:26-27). A
few verses later, He adds, “To him that overcomes will I grant
to sit with Me in My throne…” (3:21).
Christians are overcomers. They do not sit idle, “just
believing” in Jesus and waiting for heaven. They recognize that
they are in training to become teachers and rulers! This is why
the apostle Jude wrote, “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam,
prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten
thousands of His saints, To execute judgment upon all…” (vs.
14-15).
Did you notice Christ “comes” to earth rather than we “go” to
heaven? And the saints assist Him in “executing judgment.”
The phrase “in My throne” (Rev. 3:21) is used because Christ
understood that His throne is on this earth—unlike the Father’s
throne, which is in heaven. Luke 1:32 shows that Christ will sit
in Jerusalem on the throne of David.
Now notice Revelation 20:4, 6: “And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given unto them…and they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years…Blessed and holy is he that
has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has
no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and
shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
What could be plainer than these verses? When Christ returns,
the saints rule with Him! Together, they will reign over the
entire world!
realtruth.org
#Post#: 92--------------------------------------------------
Re: Heaven Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 6, 2012, 6:11 pm
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What Christ Did Say About Heaven
Let’s turn the coin over. We have seen what Christ says IS the
calling and reward of a Christian—but did He ever say what it is
NOT? Did Jesus make any plain statements about men in heaven? He
did—in stunning clarity!
He said, “And no man has ascended up to heaven, but He that came
down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John
3:13).
There it is! Jesus did address people going to heaven. Take this
verse for exactly what He said, neither adding to nor taking
from it. He said, “NO MAN” (not a single one) has gone to
heaven!
Do you believe Him? Or do you believe the ministers of this
world who virtually suggest, with their ideas about salvation,
that Christ was misleading or did not know what He was talking
about?
Now think of all God’s servants who had lived during the 4,000
years prior to Christ’s statement. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Daniel, and many more, cannot be in heaven. So says
Christ!
If heaven is the reward of the saved, then none of these men
made it. They all must have FAILED! Every one of them missed out
on salvation.
But, of course, they did not fail. Heaven is not the reward of
the saved—inheriting rulership over earth is, as we shall learn.
Notice that verse 13 comes only three verses prior to the most
universally quoted passage in the Bible—John 3:16: “For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.”
Why is almost everyone willing to believe this verse while
virtually no one believes what is said just three verses
earlier?
Now ask: If all the above men are not in heaven, where are they?
realtruth.org
#Post#: 93--------------------------------------------------
Re: Heaven Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 6, 2012, 6:13 pm
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Where is David?
King David reigned over the nation of Israel about 1,000 years
before Christ. Christ knew exactly where David was when He made
His statement in John 3. He was not confused or misinformed.
Since we know David was not in heaven, then where was he?
Here is plain proof.
The apostle Peter answers this question in his sermon delivered
on the day Christ built His Church: “Men and brethren, let me
freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both
dead and buried, and his sepulchre [tomb] is with us unto this
day” (Acts 2:29).
David is literally “dead and buried.” You have almost certainly
heard this common phrase. It comes from this verse and is a
reference to David’s whereabouts!
Some believe Peter’s statement was incomplete or he just forgot
David was in heaven. This is a ridiculous twisting of the verse.
Here is what he said five verses later, removing all doubt: “For
David is not ascended into the heavens…”
This is a direct statement. David is not in heaven. Yet God said
that David was “a man after Mine own heart” (Acts 13:22). If
heaven is the reward of the saved, and David did not make it,
then nobody is going to make it.
David is in the grave awaiting the resurrection of the dead,
when the just receive their eternal inheritance.
The Bible is quite specific about David’s coming
resurrection—and his position as a ruler over the tribes of
Israel. It adds further proof that David is not alive now but
is, in fact, “dead and buried.” Centuries after David died, the
prophet Jeremiah said he would be resurrected: “But they [the
twelve tribes of Israel] shall serve the Lord their God, and
david their king, whom I will RAISE UP unto them” (30:9). To
“raise up” is to resurrect.
The prophet Ezekiel also foretold David’s resurrection: “And I
will set up one shepherd over them [the tribes of Israel], and
he shall feed them, even My servant david; he shall feed them,
and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their
God, and My servant david a prince among them; I the Lord have
spoken it” (Ezek. 34:23-24). Also see 37:24.
Carefully read this verse with the whole chapter. It is obvious
that Ezekiel 34 is talking about the physical tribes of Israel
(vs. 2, 3, 30, 31) and how David will shepherd them after he is
resurrected from the dead.
The Apostles Rule Under David
Consider the twelve apostles. They heard Peter’s sermon (Peter
was the lead apostle, so he gave the sermon). They knew what
their own role would be after the resurrection.
Christ had previously explained to them “That you which have
followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit
in the throne of His glory, you also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28).
The apostles knew that they will report to David in the kingdom
of God. Each will rule one tribe, with David over all twelve
tribes.
Much more needs to be understood—but first read where you may
some day fit in.
realtruth.org
#Post#: 94--------------------------------------------------
Re: Heaven Article
DIR By: Mentor
Date: December 6, 2012, 6:17 pm
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Joint-heirs With Christ
When God calls people to repentance, and they are baptized, He
gives them His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). It is God’s Holy Spirit
within the mind that makes one a Christian. Paul stated, “For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”
(Rom. 8:14).
This much is clear. What is NOT so clear—or even known—to most
is what Paul added in verse 17: “And if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we
suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
A true follower of Christ and the Bible is an heir with Christ!
Heirs are not yet inheritors. An heir is one who later inherits
what has been promised to him.
We have read that Christians are to “inherit the earth”—and
“rule with Christ.” How, when, where and why does this take
place? Once the answers are known, the counterfeit salvation
about heaven, taught by almost every professing Christian
church, collapses for the fiction that it is!
realtruth.org
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