WHAT IF ALL YOU OWN WAS TAKEN FROM YOU?

The writer of the biblical book of Hebrews is unknown.

This letter was probably written between A.D. 64 and 68.

“The recipients of this letter were believers (3:1) who had come to faith through the testimony of eyewitnesses of Christ (2:3). They were not novices (5:12), and they had successfully endured hardships because of their stand for the gospel (10:32-34). Unfortunately, they had become ‘dull of hearing’ (5:11) and were in danger of drifting away (2:1; 3:12). This made them particularly susceptible to the renewed persecutions that were coming upon them (12:4-12), and the author found it necessary to check the downward spiral with ‘the word of exhortation’ (13:22).”

[from The Wilkinson and Boa Bible Handbook, pp.455-6]

“Many Jewish believers, having stepped out of Judaism into Christianity, wanted to reverse their course in order to escape persecution by their countrymen.” [Ibid. p.453]

With this background addressed, we can see that this letter was written at a crucial time to encourage new Christians who had been dispersed from Jerusalem to various parts of the surrounding environment. The persecution was growing intense and they were suffering!

The unknown author of this letter is deeply concerned and dedicated to encourage these New Testament Christians. The author seems well-acquainted with the degree and nature of their suffering and wants to encourage them not to give up, but to persevere in their faith in Jesus!

The author writes:

Remember those days in the past when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with many sufferings, but you continued strong. Sometimes you were hurt and attacked before crowds of people, and sometimes you shared with those who were being treated that way. You helped the prisoners. You even had joy when all that you owned was taken from you, because you knew you had something better and more lasting.   [Hebrews 10:32-34 NCV]

That last line [printed in bold letters] stopped me!

I found myself wondering:

If all I owned was taken from me because I was a Christian,

would I have joy because I knew I had something better and more lasting?

It didn’t take me long to produce an answer.

No. I would be overwhelmed with feelings of injustice, shock, despair and sorrow. I would be looking for some recourse that might restore what was rightfully mine! I would be angry! I would probably be feeling sorry for myself. I can’t imagine myself being joyful in the face of losing everything that I owned!

I would need an intervention! I would need someone – like the author of Hebrews – to give me a strong, direct, corrective word!

I would need to be told:

• God sees you, Hal, and is on your side!
• The Lord will provide!
• He will make a way where there seems to be no way!
• The Lord is your shepherd – you shall not want…
• Put your trust in Him and He will deliver you.
• God is good – all the time!

I would need to be reminded that my true reward will come in Heaven! I would desperately need to recall the truth I’ve known and taught: that something better and more lasting waits for me in Heaven!

I would very much need to hear the author of Hebrews’ very next words:

So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. For in a very short time,

“The One who is coming will come

and will not be delayed.

Those who are right with me

will live by faith.

But if they turn back with fear,

I will not be pleased with them.” Habakkuk 2:3–4

But we are not those who turn back and are lost. We are people who have faith and are saved.

[Hebrews 10:35-39 NCV]

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TWO THOUGHTS BEFORE WE CLOSE

1.    It could happen!

I’m writing this on the morning after a 23-year-old gunman shot through the windows of a Catholic Church in Minneapolis killing two young children and wounding seventeen others!

Our culture is disintegrating!

The decades-long-assault on the family has produced a generation of youth who are angry. They were not prized and loved. They were not taught and nurtured. Love, honor and hope were not modeled for them. Guardrails were not in place! In many instances, they raised themselves and each other. And we reap what we’ve sown!

As a parallel, the influence of the Church has been waning for decades! The fact that this shooting took place while the victims were attending a mass, screams disdain and disregard for Christianity!

One could easily postulate that the magnitude of these problems will not be solved by an election or a political party.

If this sentiment continues to grow unrestrained and unchanged, we could eventually see the day when we would suffer the same losses as the people that the author of Hebrews was writing to in the first century – just 2,000 years later!

 2.    The hardest thing for us to do!

We live in the here-and-now, but someday we hope to live in the there-and-then!

The here-and-now is real to us! The there-and-then seems ethereal and imaginative. We struggle to think of a place that could go on for all eternity!  It’s one thing to say that we believe our loved ones have gone to Heaven, but where is it? What is it really like? What is life there like? Will we be bored? Will it be like being in church forever? Will I worship non-stop? Will it be a fun place? Will there be humor? Will I be able to travel the universe? Will we eat there? Will my former pets be there? Will I have a body?

So many questions and so few answers.

And yet most of us believe in Heaven – at least to some extent. We may not know specifics, but we do believe there will be ‘something more’.

Perhaps we should invest a bit more in a study of Heaven and its assurances? If it’s all true, then I’ll be there FAR LONGER THAN I’LL BE HERE!

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LORD GOD: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

I want to be faithful to You!

I believe Your Word!

I have accepted You as my Lord!

I’m trying to live my life to honor You!

There is a war going on!

Evil is real and rampant!

It impacts me daily.

I must continually choose You and Your way.

It’s not always easy.

Temptation is real!

I’m not always strong.

I falter and fail.

But You are faithful to forgive!

You always hear my prayers of confession.

Your restore me again and again.

You have many ways of protecting me.

I want to be so committed to You that if I lost everything I own,

I would still choose to be faithful to You and to trust in You!

I want to think of myself in the words of the ‘rock pioneer’, Larry Norman, who sang:

“I’m only visiting this planet!”

I am already a citizen of Heaven!

I read in Philippians 3:20-21

“…our homeland is in heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, 

the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. 

By his power to rule all things,

he will change our humble bodies and make them like his own glorious body."

Help me to be more heavenly-minded, Lord!

Help me to look forward to it with anticipation and not to lament those who have left this life after living faithfully for You. Rather, help me to humbly rejoice that they are enjoying You, people, and experiences that I can only long for and try to imagine!

And may I continually remember that none of the things that are so precious to me here will make it through to Heaven! So, I probably ought to worry far less about my possessions. Right?

Amen!

CAN THERE BE A SAD DAY IN HEAVEN?

I have been struck with what must have been a horribly sad day in Heaven. [Give me a little literary license here - I'm aware that Heaven is a place of eternal joy! 🙂]

I've been on 'pause' for several days trying to assimilate the content of II Kings 17. This chapter records the end of Israel - the northern kingdom [later known as Samaria]. God had warned them for years that He would raise up an army from the north [Assyria] to utterly destroy them. Their rebellion finally pushed God to the limit [720 B.C.] and Assyria's King Shalmaneser came in with force and defeated Israel He deported many of the people to distant lands while importing people-groups from far distant areas to repopulate the land of Israel. [Read the chapter for remarkable details.] 

[Consult yesterday's blog for a recap: https://hal-lelujah.blogspot.com/2025/08/learning-from-samaritans.html]

This project of God's had begun with creation and progressed through the development of a special people through Abraham and Sarah. He gave them laws through Moses to maintain their priorities and focus. While allowing for free choice, God tried to cultivate a people who would love and serve Him and be a spiritual influence on their entire world. 

Even during difficult trials - like the 400 years in Egypt - God gave them leaders like Joseph and Moses to guide and provide! Gradually, His plan unfolded and God introduced them to the long-promised land of Canaan. God gave them victory over the inhabitants of Canaan and the twelve tribes eventually overcame the native population and divided the land between the twelve tribes. 

But, in spite of God's command to worship only Him, the people worshipped the gods of the Canaanites. When confronted with their profligate spiritual practices, they asked God for a king - an earthly ruler. Then came a succession of kings:

• Saul
• David
• Solomon
• Rehoboam

We have to pause here to recognize that Solomon began with an apparent determination to be faithful to God - like his father, David. However, his wives [700 wives and 300 slave women] distracted him and had him build temples to their gods. 

Upon Solomon's death, his son, Rehoboam, became king. He was young and foolish [read his story in I Kings 12]. A man named Jeroboam turned the hearts of many of the tribes of Israel against Rehoboam. These tribes refused to serve Rehoboam! They made Jeroboam their king! This was the initial separation of Israel into the northern kingdom [Israel - later Samaria] and the southern kingdom [Judah or Judea]. Jeroboam was as notoriously evil as David was righteous! [For more details about his rule and reputation see: https://hal-lelujah.blogspot.com/2025/02/unrealized-potential.html]

Samaria's die was cast by these historical events and would culminate with its utter destruction less than a hundred years later with Shalmanezer's seige of Samaria!

Judea would unfortunately follow in Samaria's pattern of disobedience and rebellion. Judea fell to the Babylonians a little over a hundred years later in 587 B.C. Both countries were decimated and abandoned except for a few who were left to tend the land. Judea's captivity had been declared by God through many prophets who promised that they would be held captive for seventy years! 

Ezra and Nehemiah - at the end of the 70 years - led some of their people back to the land of Judea with hopes of rebuilding the city and temple. This was due to God's grace exhibited through the Persian ruler Cyrus who granted the refugees permission and funding to return to their land and rebuild their temple! [See Ezra 1:1-4]

__________________________________

Have you ever worked really hard on a project, but when it was all finished - you were not satisfied? Somehow, it just didn't turn out the way you had planned. All the investment of time, creativity and money produced something that fell short of your expectations!

Imagine God's disappointment when His grand human experiment totally failed and He had to send His people into exile as punishment for their chronic disobedience. Imagine His sorrow in seeing the magnificent temple that Solomon had built for His worship - being totally decimated! 

COULD IT HAVE BEEN A SAD DAY IN HEAVEN? 

My nephew, Zac Calhoun, taught this year at Family Camp. He reminded us that when Solomon dedicated the temple he had built, "a cloud filled the Temple of the LORD. The priests could not continue their work, because the Temple was filled with the glory of God." [I Kings 8:10-11] He then reminded us that when Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the temple after the seventy years in Babylon [Ezra 6:13-18], there was no similar indication that God had accepted the Temple! [His reasoning for this point was sound and convincing!]

It is apparent that God had the longer view in mind!

He foresaw the arrival of His Son, Jesus! He anticipated the initiation of a new covenant that would be consummated on the Day of Pentecost when "something like flames of fire...stood over each person there" [Acts 2:3]. This sign - like the sign given Solomon - signified God's approval!

May His divine approval continue to rest on those who are wholly dedicated to Him and His purposes! TO GOD BE THE GLORY! AMEN!

TRAINING FOR HEAVEN

I just read a line from a devotional book this morning that declared: "this life is the training ground for eternity."  It stopped me since it was presenting me with a new thought.  For a few moments, I pondered the statement, debating its veracity and questioning the proposition...

It raised a whole new list of questions to consider:

• Is this statement true?
• How is this life a training ground for eternity?
• Will I have assignments to fulfill in heaven?
• Will we still have free will in heaven?
• What will I do with all the time in eternity?
• Do I really need to prepare for eternity?

I'll soon turn 73.  The prospect of entering Heaven can't be much more than five or ten years away [few in my family have lived beyond the age of 85].  Is this something I should fear?  

This makes me think of Matthew 6:27, "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" [NIV]. The implied answer is 'No'!  

The only thing I can propose in answer to my query seems too simplistic.  Wisdom seems to imply that I might want to use my time on earth to prepare for an eternity in heaven.  After all, if I make heaven, I will most assuredly be there for a LONG TIME!  😉

I'll share some scattered thoughts from my brief consideration of this new thought.  You can feel free to add your own.

FIRST, the scriptures reveal heaven to be a place of ongoing worship!

Therefore, as part of my 'training for eternity', should I be maximizing my worship time?  

Now, don't just think of what happens at 10:30 AM on Sunday morning [you didn't do that, did you?]  My worship is a daily practice!  I'm in-and-out of the sanctuary of heaven many times in one day [You are too, right?]  

After all, I Corinthians 6:19 reminds us: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" [NIV].  We can worship anywhere - anytime!  Paul and Silas worshipped at midnight in a jail: "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." [NIV].  

If I want to prepare for heaven, I might want to focus on genuine, heartfelt worship!

SECOND, the general impression I get from reading the scriptures is that heaven will be a conflict-free environment.

Therefore, as part of my 'training for eternity', perhaps I should be proactively working on relationships that are conflictual or oppositional.  

C'mon, we all have people with whom we just don't align [nicely put, don't you think?].  People that aggravate us; people that we would sooner avoid.  But what am I going to do if they wind up being my next-door-neighbor in heaven?  

Why not start trying to improve those relationships now, so that arriving in heaven will be less of a shock?  😊  

A layman gave me a plan to make a friend out of an enemy.  I'd like to share it with you:

1. Deliberately and consistently pray for this person!
2. Don't avoid them!  Look for opportunities to spend time with them.
3. Be courageous and ask if you can pray with them!

THIRD, speaking philosophically, eternity is a LONG TIME!  

I don't think boredom or stagnation are going to be an issue in heaven.  I think the opportunities will be overwhelming!  

Think it through: if I am going to be in a timeless environment without the possibility of boredom, then I am going to have the opportunity to learn and grow and expand my skills and understanding.

I sat in a seminary class one day at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.  The professor mocked former students by indicating that the last book they read was during their last class at seminary.  His implication was that seminary students stopped growing when they graduated.  I found his remark to be negative and caustic.  I challenged myself that day to be a lifelong learner.  My goal was to read a book-a-week for the rest of my life.  

[I heard your question.] No, I didn't maintain that goal through the years, but I have read hundreds of books and still read daily as a re-retired pastor.  It's one of the best things I can do to prepare for an eternity in heaven!  😊

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Keep thinking on your own!  

What changes could you make in the way you are living your life to bring you more in line with training yourself for heaven?

A REMARKABLY PERSONAL PSALM

Psalm 16 would probably be considered an unremarkable one.  If MANY have memorized Psalm 23, I imagine that very few have made any attempt to memorize Psalm 16.  Yet, as I read it this morning, I experienced God's blessing.  Let me unpack some of it for you.

In verse 1, David acknowledges:

"Protect me, God, for the only safety I know is found in the moments I seek You."

[All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted]

I realized that the calmest moments of my day are when I sit in the darkness of my study early in the morning and have a talk with God.  Even then, however, my mind is beginning to churn with thoughts about my day and things on my 'to-do' list.  Repeatedly, I have to return to my conversation with Him apologizing for my wandering mind.  But He's patient with me.  :-)  It's a cuddling time and I highly value it!

In verse 2, David speaks directly to God:

I told You, Eternal One, "You are my Lord, for the only good I know in this world is found in You alone."

I was taught to pray when I was quite young by my mother.  "God is good.  God is great!"  He has never let me down!  In spite of living a blessed life, Debbie and I have faced some pretty serious challenges.  I could start to enumerate them here, but you'd quickly get tired of reading.  Suffice it to say that I used to always open worship with the phrase:

GOD IS GOOD - ALL THE TIME!

 The congregation quickly learned to respond:

AND ALL THE TIME - GOD IS GOOD!  😊

 In verse 3, David expresses gratitude for his fellow believers.

"The beauty of faith-filled people encompasses me.  They are true, and my heart is thrilled beyond measure."

Our Christian family and friends have proven to be faithful to us over the years!  

• They've blessed us with financial help so many times!
• They've comforted us in times of deep sorrow!
• They've shared their resources with us!
• They've inconvenienced themselves so many times to help us!
• They've proven their love for us so many times and in so many ways!

Verse 5 is David's testimony of confidence in God!

"You, Eternal One, are my sustenance and my life-giving cup. In that cup, You hold my future and my eternal riches."

Although I don't know for certain, I suspect that David may be an older man when he writes this.  As I grow older, I find my trust in God growing more and more significant.  I'm more aware now than I've ever been that my days are limited.  Debbie and I have had 'the talk' repeatedly about who will go first, and what life will be like for the one who remains.  

But we mutually agree that God has been so good to us! And we know - with certainty - that according to John 11:36, [Jesus speaking] "...And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”  You see, we believe we have built up treasure in Heaven AND the possibility of rewards as well!  

In verse 6, David speaks of his home.

"My home is surrounded in beauty;  You have gifted me with abundance and a rich legacy."

After living most of our lives in parsonages, we now - in retirement - have our own home!  We can put a nail in the wall anywhere we want!  We're currently remodeling our living room!  Our home is nestled into a hillside of pines and other trees.  We look out over two lovely ponds and fields of grazing sheep!  David would love this place!  

Our kids love and serve the Lord!  We have so much to be thankful for!  

In verse 8, David senses God's presence.

"He is ever present with me; at all times He goes before me.  I will not live in fear or abandon my calling because He stands at my right hand."

Although I am not aware of God's presence in my life every minute - or even close to that.  However, I believe His Word and trust in His protective and guiding hand!

In verse 9, David is satisfied.

"This is a good life - my heart is glad, my soul is full of joy, and my body is at rest.  Who could want for more?  

True contentment is a wonderful thing!  All is well!  This experience is never more complete than when you have experienced peace with God and are walking in His ways!

Well, this has gone on long enough.  Oh, just one more!  😂

In verses 10-11, David's peace is based on the fact that he is eternally secure in the promises of his God!

"You will not abandon me to experience death and the grave or leave me to rot alone.  Instead, You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life. As I walk with You, the pleasures are never ending, and I know true joy and contentment."

David's walk with God has brought him to a place of assurance that has taken away any fear of death!  His mind seems to be on Heaven as he writes these words.  Although - at this point in his life - David does not have much to go on regarding Heaven, he seems to intuit that he will somehow not be separated from God.

We - on the other hand - have loads of information about Heaven in our Bibles!  Detailing that information is for another time and place.  However, just a hint from I John 3:2,

"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."

PROGRESSIVISM HAS FAILED

Have you ever had the experience of loose ends eventually being connected?

Way back in 1973, I was a new student at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.  In my first semester, I was enrolled in a philosophy class with Dr. Harold Kuhn. 

Although I had an undergraduate degree in Religion/Philosophy, I remember feeling absolutely lost in this class.  For several weeks he insisted that we talk about ‘progressivism’.  He asked us if we believed in progressivism.  He wanted us to declare one way or the other and be able to defend our position.  I don’t think I was the only one who was confused by this incessant challenge.

It was clear that Dr. Kuhn felt this was a viable topic and worthy of our consideration as developing pastors. 

Vowing long ago to be a lifelong learner and continual reader, I recently purchased a book by a leading, current religious and biblical scholar – N. T. Wright.  I feel like I’m in philosophy class again. J

I’m a fourth of the way through the book and am enjoying it in spite of the challenging arguments that he raises and discusses.  He’s been addressing the belief that has been mixed with Christianity over the last century that mankind can raise itself up and establish a utopia. 

Read Wright’s perspective:  [p.88]

“The Platonist, the Hindu, and following Plato, the Gnostic, the Manichaean, and countless others within variants of the Christian and Jewish traditions all say that these are the signs that we are made for something quite different, a world not made of space, time, and matter, a world of pure spiritual existence where we shall happily have got rid of the shackles of mortality once and for all.”

On first reading, it sounds good and acceptable.

Except for places like Romans 8:18-25 or Revelation 21 and 22 [look them up if you need to]. 

This world and its physicality is not evil.  We are all on a journey that we are not in control of – including our world. 

Romans 8:22-25 [TM]

“All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.”

Take a good look around.  Our belief in human potential and progressivism have brought us – at least in America – almost to a point of anarchy and global doom. 

Sorry!  My intention is not to be pessimistic but redirecting.  Genuine believers know that we await something that is real!  A Heaven reinstituted here on a purged earth with glorified bodies like that of Christ’s after His resurrection.  It is not a figment of our imagination!  It is the fulfillment of God’s promise since the day Adam and Eve were barred from the Garden of Eden.  That garden still exists and will – at God’s command – be brought down to a renewed earth where His redeemed ones will enjoy life forever in His presence.

Progressivism has failed.  Hope reigns eternal. 

Dr. Kuhn saw this many years ago and tried to awaken us to a dangerous threat to human society.  Tonight, I finally got it! 

How about it?  "...the longer we wait...the more joyful our expectancy."  Right?  Don't you dare lose hope!!!!

GOD'S PROMISE!

I know that nobody cares about the message of Zephaniah’s three chapters.  I’m not going to bore you with a long treatise about this almost unknown Old Testament prophet.  I’ll give you its essence in abbreviated form.  Here it is:

Chapter 1  -  Judgment Day is coming!

Chapter 2  -  So, get ready!

Chapter 3  -  You don’t want to miss out on what GOD has in store for you!

Let’s remind ourselves that this message was delivered about 2,700 years ago!  Generation after generation have passed with no resolution of God’s promise – YET! 

However, one look at Zephaniah’s last word spoken on behalf of GOD, reassures us!  The old King James Version renders these last words as “Thus saith the LORD.”   The New American Standard Version updates it:  “Says the LORD.”  The Message paraphrase brings it current:  “GOD’s Promise!”

God has promised a final resolution that will be totally satisfying to all who have suffered, but who have continued to trust in Him! 

And through the years many have suffered.  They have suffered injustices, prejudice, hatred, persecution, pain, death, war, imprisonment, and SO MUCH MORE!  Yet, many have remained faithful throughout these trials!  They have earned a great reward that they have not yet received. 

In our current world, many have been experiencing these same atrocities for a long time.  However, we in the United States, have been cocooned from most of these painful conditions.  We are only now beginning to feel the birth pains of genuine suffering.  Most of us feel that the pain and suffering will only increase.  It is a fearful time as we watch a stalwart nation begin to crumble from within – victims of an enemy that has been stealthily gaining more and more power and control for decades.  And now – the trend seems irreversible.

What do we do?  To whom do we turn?  Where do we place our hope?  Can this trend be reversed?  Will an election reverse the destruction we are witnessing?  We hold on to whatever hope we can find…

But this is nothing new!  It’s just new here!  Other nations have gone down this painful path scores of years ahead of us!  Whole generations have lived and died with little or no hope for rescue or improvement. 

Yet Christians in all of these places have sustained hope even in the midst of peril!  Matthew 7:13-14 tells us that there are two gates.  One gate is wide and leads to destruction;  this gate is easy to locate and many pass through it as a result!  The other gate is narrow and leads to life, and few are those who find it. 

Every person who has ever lived chooses one of these gates!  You have chosen one of these gates! 

And as a result, your eternal destiny depends on your choice! 

Some say, “Aw, phooey!  That’s all nonsense and spiritual mumbo-jumbo!”  Someday, they will regret that they took this attitude.

Others choose the narrow gate and strive to walk in a way that is God-honoring.  It’s not easy and they’re not perfect.  They struggle.  They fall.  They repent.  They return.  They grow.  They trust.  They persevere!  And God watches it all – looking not at their bodies, but into their hearts!  And He knows! 

And the amazing thing is:  you can travel the wide gate’s path for much of your life, and then suddenly decide to enter the narrow gate.  And that’s okay!  God allows you to do this! 

So, if you’ve exhausted your stubbornness and just want some peace and assurance in your life – CHANGE PATHS! 

Believe me on this:  God really wants you to experience the amazing place that He has been preparing for us!  GOD wants you there! 

As of yet, it’s still a future reality!  When GOD is ready, all believers will inherit this heavenly home at the same time – and it will be GLORIOUS! 

GOD’S PROMISE!!!!!!

WHAT WILL OUR HEAVENLY BODY BE LIKE? - PART TWO

This is a really hard topic to just jump into;  there's so much background teaching that lays a foundation for exploring this topic.

For instance, do you realize that to some extent, we are already in heaven?  The Bible teaches that the 'ultimate heaven' will be a renewed earth!  That's right!  This earth will be purged by fire and the 'present heaven' will come down and all people of all time will TOGETHER enter the 'ultimate heaven' AT THE SAME TIME!

It may surprise you then, that this ultimate heaven will be a real, physical place where we will live forever in God's presence in our heavenly bodies.  That's likely different from what you've been taught and believed.  

So, simply acknowledge that a WHOLE LOT of teaching needs to be digested before you are likely to believe what I'm about to share.

But, here goes anyway.

A full understanding of what our heavenly body will be like is largely based on the following verses: 

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when He [Jesus' second coming] appears, we shall be like Him..."             [I John 3:2]

The Lord Jesus Christ...will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.  [Philippians 3:20-21]

I said in the first article that we are given lots of hints in the Bible about heaven.  I also quoted scripture that seems to encourage us to use our imagination and creativity to speculate about heaven.

This being the case, then, what do we know about Jesus' post-resurrection [heavenly] body?  

Fortunately for us, particularly John's and Luke's gospels give us a good amount of information to go on.  

So, what do we know about His resurrected body?

> In Luke 24:39 (NLT), Jesus said to His disciples, “I am not a ghost”.

> Jesus walked and talked and ate on Earth after His resurrection.  (Luke 24:13-35, 41) 

> He was capable of teaching and guiding His disciples after His resurrection.  (Luke 24:13-35)

> His voice and form was the same as it had been before He was crucified.  His body even bore the scars from His wounds!  (John 21:4-19)

> He apparently caught fish and cooked a meal in His resurrected body.  (John 21:4-19)

> He invited others to eat with Him.  (John 21:12)

> He breathed.  (John 20:22)

> His body could be touched.  (John 20:27)

> He had relationships:

            o  with His disciples (Acts 1:4-8)
            o  with Mary Magdalene (John 20:10-18)
            o  with Thomas (John 20:24-29)
            o  with Peter (John 21:15-22)

> He seemed to be able to just appear at certain times.  (John 20:19)      [It could be that some aspects of His resurrection body are unique because of His divine nature;  however, we’ll no doubt have some welcome surprises when we receive our new bodies!]

If you're thinking right now that I'm some kind of heretic teaching unfounded things, consider the major creeds of Christendom:

}   The Larger Westminster Catechism (1647) states:  “The self-same bodies of the dead which were laid in the grave, being then again united to their souls forever, shall be raised up by the power of Christ.”

}    The Westminster Confession, one of the great creeds of the Christian faith, says, “All the dead shall be raised up, with the self-same bodies, and none other.” 

Think about funerals you may have attended where the family and friends accompanied their loved one to the burial site for the 'Committal Service'.  The pastor, at some point, reads:

Inasmuch as Almighty God, in His wise providence, has taken out of the world our deceased brother (sister, or child), we therefore commit this mortal body to the ground, looking for the general resurrection in the last day and the life of the world to come, through our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose second coming in glorious majesty to judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give up their dead;  and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in Him shall be changed, and made like unto His own glorious body, according to the mighty working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself.   

You see, we believe that at the appointed time, our loved one’s body will come together again, be resurrected, and be glorified for an eternal life in the 'ultimate Heaven'!

The implications of all this are fantastic:

• we'll have real, physical bodies that are recognizable.
• we'll enjoy relationships with others who believed and were saved to eternal life.
• we'll eat and enjoy fellowship - even preparing meals (if we like).
• for those interested, you’ll be able to go fishing.
• we'll be able to touch and be touched.

AND SO MUCH MORE...

WHAT WILL OUR HEAVENLY BODY BE LIKE?

 I've just taken three mornings to read through I Corinthians 15 in The Message Bible.  

A word about The Message Bible:  I know some don't like it.  I understand that.  As a pastor, I have some opinions about it - some favorable, others less so.  

This paraphrase by Eugene Peterson - who, by the way, was a teacher of Greek and Hebrew - is in the language of the 1990's.  It's common and earthy. 

Two things it has done that I appreciate:

1.  It has gotten people to read the Bible!

2.  It has helped us to understand difficult passages.

If, however, your intent is to study the Bible, then use a more trusted version like the New American Standard Version. 

I placed a post on Facebook yesterday about Isaiah 35 where the prophet speculates [under the inspiration of God] about Heaven.  My nephew and I have had a few back-and-forths about that post while I've been reading Paul's clarification about our heavenly bodies in I Corinthians 15.  

Some skeptic is sure to ask, “Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this ‘resurrection body’ look like?” If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a “dead” seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don’t look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.  [vs.35-38 TM]

I've probably read at least fifty books about Heaven.  Some are priceless while others are rubbish.  The scriptures say a lot more about Heaven than most of us realize.  Yet, specifics are harder to come by.  We are left to speculate, but that's okay to do.  I Corinthians 2:9 says:  (NASB)

Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.

Then I John 3:2 says:  (TM)

Who knows how we'll end up!  What we know is when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him - and in seeing him, become like him.

You see, the Bible is full of hints.  We have permission to play with those hints and speculate and wonder...

C. S. Lewis did just that!  He speculates about Heaven big time in his series of books, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.  Others like his friend, J. R. R. Tolkein have done the same.  

In recent years we've had a flurry of books about supposed accounts of visiting Heaven during out-of-body experiences related to 'after death' experiences.  A few have been completely debunked.  I've read several of these.  In my humble opinion, they weigh an ounce while verses from the scripture weigh a ton!  

The more important matter here is one that I think is grossly missed by so many, in spite of the fact that Jesus said it repeatedly.  [John 11:26 NASB]

...everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.

 John 8:51 (NASB)

Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone keeps my word he shall never see death.

Paul talks about it later in I Corinthians 15:50-52 (TM):

But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand.  We're not all going to die - but we are all going to be changed.  You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes - it's over.  On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death

What does this "going to be changed" imply?  I love speculating about what this will be like.  My nephew, Marshall, and I have been playing with it.  I know I've probably raised more questions than provided answers, but it's a topic worth thinking about.  

What seems clear is that what looks like death from our living end of things, is not really death.  Rather, a change has taken place!  That person who appears to us to be dead, has - if a believer - been transformed in a moment, the twinkling of an eye, to something NEW!  Something that is in some ways, like Jesus in His resurrected body!  [More about that to come...]

Keep in mind:  these glorious occurrences are only for those who believe.  The destination for those who did not believe is less desirable - certainly to be feared!  We must work while we still can to convince those who don't yet believe to change their hearts and embrace Jesus and His truth!  It's a matter of eternal consequence!

 

 

 

 

 

LONGING FOR HEAVEN

I've recently been mulling over II Corinthians 5:1-10.  [Read it if you like...]

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

In my notebook I summarized this teaching as follows:

• While in this body, we groan and are burdened.
• Christians live by faith, not by sight.
• Christians long to be at home with the Lord (v.8).
• Consequently, we make it our goal to please Him (v.9). 
• Finally - ultimately - judgment will come (v.10)!

I've been trying to evaluate myself in light of these truths.  It's been a challenge.  

Do I groan and feel burdened in this world?

It's an easy answer - YES!  I do.  

I deal with disappointments and frustrations nearly daily.  

• rude people
• disillusionment with our government
• stress
• physical pain
• loneliness
• despair
• fear

Do I live by faith, not by sight?

Another easy answer - Not to the extent that I should!

It's easy and natural to respond to what we see.  It takes more effort to live by faith!  It takes intentionality, focus, time, priority...

I'm usually Lyft driving now.  Instead, I'm in my home office communing with God, studying His Word, and sharing my thoughts.  It is part of a deliberate attempt to reconnect vitally with the Lord!  It is an attempt to give Him an opportunity to help me live by faith...

Do I long to be at home with the Lord?

Everything in me wants to say 'Yes', but to be honest, I must admit that I don't think about Heaven every day.  I'm not sure I fully understand or appreciate the desire to be finished here and move on to the glories of Heaven.  

I've studied Heaven in the scriptures.  I've preached about Heaven.  During my growing-up-years, many of the hymns we sang focused on Heaven.  I have family and friends who - I believe - have gone there ahead of me.  I believe in the reality of Heaven as a real place that is beyond our ability to imagine.  

When I consciously review the above list of disappointments and frustrations, I can feel the urging and relief that can emerge from thoughts of being in Heaven.  

We just celebrated Juneteenth - a day to remember the end of slavery in our country.  These precious people left us a legacy of faith through music that helped them endure:

Soon I will be done with the troubles of this world, the troubles of this world, the troubles of this world.  

Soon I will be done with the troubles of this world - going home to live with God!

No more weeping and wailing...

I want to meet my mother...

I want to meet King Jesus...

The horrendous injustice they experienced deepened their faith in a God who would someday deliver them!  

That same God will also deliver us from the things that burden and discourage us!

Am I making it my goal to please Him?

The world wants us to believe that Heaven is our default setting.  They're wrong!  Hell is our default setting!  

Going to Heaven is for those who have lived to please Him and who know Him as their personal Lord and SAVIOR!  

I have answered this question and it has driven me to make some changes in my life.  

Each of us has to come to a similar place of evaluation.  

    Would Jesus give me an 'atta-boy' for the ways I'm living my life?  

    Would He be pleased with my priorities?

    Would my actions gain His approval?

    Do my words bring Him honor?

    Are my thoughts honorable?

    Is He pleased with the way I treat (or think about) others?

I think Sunday - the Lord's Day - was intended to be a day in which we would have time to reflect on these kinds of questions...

Do I fully realize that someday I WILL stand before the judgment seat of Christ?

He knows my heart.

He knows my thoughts.

He knows my intentions.

He loves me and forgives me.

He is gracious and kind.

But He cannot be fooled.  

 My Lord,

Thank You for being merciful and kind!

Thank You for Your patience and persistence in pursuing me! 

Meet me here daily as I search Your Word and seek Your will.

Strengthen my resolve to be Your man for this season!

           Help me to be a positive influence on my family, friends, neighbors,        and even the strangers that You allow me to intersect with on a daily basis.

May my love for You grow and become infectious in my interactions with others.

For Your Kingdom's sake.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

DO DOGS GO TO HEAVEN?

Consider the following evidence and make up your mind.  [Much of what follows is taken from Randy Alcorn's book, HEAVEN]] 

When God made the animals, He made “The wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.  And God saw that it was good”   (Genesis 1:25).

Isaiah 65 and 66 specifically speak about the New Earth (Heaven).  Here we read, “‘The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox…They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,’ says the Lord”  (65:25). 

When God saved Noah, He also included the animals.  God commanded Noah, “You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.  Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive”  (Genesis 6:19-20).

After the Flood, God made a covenant with Noah, and in that new covenant God included animals: 

“I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.  (Genesis 9:9-10)

Are animals important to God?

• God ordered ravens to feed Elijah  -  I Kings 17:4,6
• God “…provided a great fish to swallow Jonah…”  -  Jonah 1:17
• God sent a fish with a coin in its mouth to teach Jesus’ disciples a lesson  -  Matthew 17:27
• In Numbers 22, God enabled Balaam’s donkey to speak to him and save his life!
• When God sent Jonah to rescue Ninevah, God expressed His concern not only for the people in Ninevah but for its “…many cattle as well.  Should I not be concerned about that great city?”  -  Jonah 4:11
• God’s care for animals even appears in the Ten Commandments:  “Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.  On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you”  -  Exodus 20:9-10
• Even the sacrificial system elevates animals.  God repeatedly revealed His messianic Redeemer as a lamb.  It was because of their value that their sacrifice revealed sin’s horror and the exorbitant cost of redemption.  Millions of lambs were slaughtered in Israel’s history, each pointing to Christ’s redemptive work.

Psalm 148 commands all of creation to praise the Lord, including the animals:  “Wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children.  Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;  his splendor is above the earth and heavens”  (vv. 10-13).  Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

Revelation 5:13, Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:   “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

We’re told that in Eden the serpent was “more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made”  (Genesis 3:1).  More crafty suggests that some of the other animals were also crafty.  Animals were smart, probably smarter than we imagine;  the most intelligent animals we see around us are but fallen remnants of what once was.  The serpent’s intelligence was demonstrated in reasoning and persuasive speech.  People typically imagine that Satan possessed a dumb animal, the snake, but the text doesn’t say that.  The fact that he spoke through an animal in Eden suggests the animal had the capacity to speak.  There’s no suggestion Eve was surprised to hear an animal speak, indicating other animals also may have spoken.

In Revelation 5:13, “every creature” in the universe is said to sing and give praise to the Lamb.  The word for creature in that verse is ktsima, which clearly means “animals” in its only other appearance in Revelation 8:9.  

When God created Adam, He surrounded him with animals!

When God saved Noah and his family, He surrounded them with animals!

When Jesus was born, He was surrounded with animals!

Joni Earickson Tada writes:  If God brings our pets back to life, it wouldn’t surprise me.  It would be just like Him.  It would be totally in keeping with His generous character…Exorbitant.  Excessive.  Extravagant in grace after grace.  Of all the dazzling discoveries and ecstatic pleasures heaven will hold for us, the potential of seeing Scrappy would be pure whimsy – utterly, joyfully, surprisingly superfluous…Heaven is going to be a place that will refract and reflect in as many ways as possible the goodness and joy of our great God, who delights in lavishing love on His children.” 

John Wesley argued that animals originally had greater understanding, wills, passions, liberty, and choice.  He said, “How beautiful many of them were, we may conjecture from that which still remains…It is probable they sustained much loss…their vigor, strength, and swiftness.  But undoubtedly they suffered far more in their understanding…” 

C. S. Lewis’ fantasy writings regularly include animals that can talk.  We know that Lewis had a creative and imaginative view of a renewed Earth (Heaven)! 

Humorist Will Rogers said:  “If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”  

GOOD SATURDAY

 I know, you've never heard of 'Good Saturday'.  I just made it up.  :-)

But, I would like to defend my postulation:  that we have something significant to reflect on during this day.  A day of massive conversions.  A day unlike any that had ever occurred before!  A day when the gates of Heaven were rushed by throngs that surely numbered in the tens of thousands - if not more!  

But, I'm already ahead of myself.  Let me try to bring you along on this journey of discovery...

We know the truth of Good Friday.  Jesus died on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for all our sins before and after.  It was one sacrifice for all time!  He was the spotless Lamb of God!  He did what no one else could ever do.  The Son of God laid down His life for everyone who chooses to believe in Him.

I think you probably agree with me so far, right?  

But let's look at the word "everyone".  

First, it meant everyone who was alive at the time of Christ.

Second, it meant everyone who would ever live from the time of the crucifixion and for the rest of the existence of humanity.

Third, it meant everyone who had lived and died before Christ's crucifixion.

Wait a minute...what did you say, Hal?

"It meant everyone who had lived and died before Christ's crucifixion."

That's what I thought you said.  But how could they all be saved?

How does anyone get saved?  They hear (or become aware of) the 'good news' and place their faith in Christ as their Savior.

Well then, how could all the people who had lived and died hear the 'good news' and respond [or not respond] to it?

That's easy.  The answer is right there in scripture.  Upon His death, Christ went and preached to these dead souls and they were given an opportunity to place their faith in Him.  Those who did, He led in a joyful procession into the gates of Heaven!  

No!  Where is that in the Bible?

Let's look at the evidence:

I Peter 3:18-19

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago...

I Peter 4:6

For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

 Ephesians 4:8-10

This is why it says:

[taken from Psalm 68:8]  "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men."

(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower earthly regions?  He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

Now, although we may not understand every implication of these passages, it seems to make it remarkably clear that upon His death, Jesus went to the place where all the dead had accumulated and preached to them.  Those who chose to believe in Him were then led from the place of the dead into the celestial city!   

 Even our Apostle's Creed gives a nod at this truth when it says, "He descended into hell" which is immediately followed by "the third day He rose again from the dead:  He ascended into heaven, and sittith on the right hand of God the Father Almighty."  [Apparently it was a three-day revival!]

We should note again here that this was a one time caveat!  Those who have died since the crucifixion will NOT be extended this privilege.  They, like us, have had the opportunity to hear and know the truth of the gospel.  Those who have responded in faith and obedience will be eternally saved.  Those who reject or ignore the gospel message (or fail to take it seriously) will be eternally lost.

So, today, we remember 'Good Saturday' when Adam and Eve, those who perished in Noah's flood, the wicked and oppressive Egyptians, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Romans, - literally EVERYONE who had lived and died before the crucifixion - heard the GREATEST SERMON EVER PREACHED from the very One who had paid the price for their redemption!  And many were saved!

This - perhaps more than anything else in scripture - shows us Christ's love and concern for lost people!  Do we mirror that love?  Do our churches?

If you needed a reason to say "HALLELUJAH" tomorrow morning, now you have it!