If This Isn't Heaven, I Don't Know What Is

Biblical Reasons Why We Should
And Practical Suggestions on How We Can

Create Heaven on Earth


If you're like most Christians, you're expecting to go to heaven. Either when you die, or when you get raptured, you're expecting to go to heaven.

Id like to suggest to you that you haven't really thought about what heaven is like, and if you did, you might not want to go there.

But I'm not here to try to convince you to not want to go to heaven. Quite the opposite.

My point is that if you expect to go to heaven later, you better start acting like it now.

You should live your life on earth as if you were already in heaven.

Let me go back to that first point: that if you thought about heaven, you might not want to go there.

Heaven is not harp-playing and bouncing on fluffy clouds. Heaven is a place where you meet a completely holy and righteous God face to face. Isn't that what you believe? Have you ever read what the Bible says about people who have confronted God? It's a terrifying experience. There are no excuses, no masks, no rationalizations, no "I was just following orders."

If you were in heaven and God ordered you to sing a song or play a harp, could you say, "Later God, I'm busy right now."

Here's my point: if you can't sluff off God in heaven, what makes you think you can do so in this life? If you're unwilling to obey God completely, perfectly, instantaneously, and continually here on earth, why do you want to go to heaven, where obedience is more totally demanded?

Most people want to go to heaven because they believe heaven is care-free, life-of-ease, no more troubles. It means a re-union and eternal gab-fest with old friends. It's complete self-indulgence.

But the Biblical picture of heaven is nothing short of rigorous. Very few people can read the description of heaven in the Book of Revelation and honestly say, "I want to be there."

After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
(Revelation 7:9-12)

Very few people are comfortable with physically bowing before God. Very few are even comfortable with spiritually bowing before God in this life. Why would they want to be in heaven where there is no escape from God, and perfect obedience is demanded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

There are other reasons why longing for heaven is a mistake. If you really think about it, most people's idea of heaven is fictional, not Biblical. Millions of people have substituted a longing for a fictional heaven in place of a Biblical world-view. They are ignoring Christ's commands in this life and dreaming about something that really won't exist in the next life.

Click here to begin thinking about what heaven is really like.

If you really want to go to heaven, you should start living as if you were already in heaven, here on earth.

I would like to suggest that many people who believe that Christ is going to return to earth and set up a physical kingdom have ideas which are incompatible with heaven. Their conception of the kingdom is Jewish, the same conception that Peter and the Apostles had, which Jesus rebuked saying, "Get thee behind Me, Satan!" In short, many people hold a demonic conception of the kingdom, and they live their present lives in an unheavenly manner.

What Makes You Think YOU Get to Go to Heaven?
Those who seek to "bring in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth" are accused of ignoring heaven. How many of those who are pining away for heaven and ignoring earthly duties even have a right to think they're going to heaven when they die? The Bible says some people who expect to go there will be surprised and disappointed.
Everyone Wants to Go to Heaven
Justification by Allegiance
Christ is a King - This is His Kingdom
Who is the Anti-Christ?
A Gospel of Victory
Are You a Christian?
Anarchy in Heaven?

 


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