It has been helpful to read the responses of those that posted on the questions from section 1. Thanks for posting and I encourage more folks to interact with the questions and each other. I will also print these questions and have them available this weekend for you to pick up and reflect upon.
Questions for Section 2.
Chapter 5:
Do you agree/disagree/understand/misunderstand what Alcorn is saying on pages 42-43 under the section Will We Live In Heaven Forever? Give any thoughts on this in light of the importance he speaks of on this topic.
At the bottom of page 45 the author says about the reality that God is going to come down to earth ultimately again when He brings the New Earth and he states: "This is a picture of God's ultimate plan - not to take us up to live in a realm made for him, but to come down and live with us in the realm he made for us." Does this change or impact how you live now, day to day, by knowing what God is going to do in the future?
Chapter 6:
Have you ever thought about the difference of the "present" heaven and the "new" heaven? Are you resistant to the idea that the "present" heaven is a physical place? Why or why not?
Does the possibility of the "present" heaven being a physical place give you comfort or scare you when you think about loved one's that have died before you or as you dwell upon your own existence upon death here on earth?
Chapter 7:
State the 2 observations that caused you to think the most that he listed at the beginnig of chapter 7 from Revelation 6. Give reflection upon those two observations.
If those in heaven are able to know what is going on right now here on earth, does this give you comfort? Why or why not?
I am finding the book extremely helpful and I pray you are as well. I am looking forward to reading your comments on these questions and any other thoughts you would like to post. Read section 3 and I will post questions for section 3 next week.
After those questions are posted, I will take a week off from posting questions to allow anyone to catch up on the reading. I will also be scheduling a time after the 4 section for anyone to meet and discuss the material up to that point. Stay tuned for the day and time of that meeting.
Blessings to each of you as you read and study!
Bro. Matt
3 comments
Got behind in my postings...but I'm still here.
Chapter 5:
As far as will we live in Heaven forever, I have to say that I never thought much of the subject presented. My thinking was that if you got to Heaven then that is where you would stay. I had read and heard stated that a New Heaven and Earth would be a reality but, I just didn't think of these places physically coming down to replace what is here. That's why we have these studies I guess.
Chapter 6:
It doesn't bother me that there is a "present" Heaven and that there is going to be a "new" heaven. What I have a question about is this...once in the present Heaven does this move you into the new Heaven. At first reading I was getting the impression that the new Heaven was accessed by "works". But, the more I have thought about it and re-read that chapter I can see that we are first judged based on our faith and the second judgement will be the works we did because of the faith we have in God. This does sound scary.
Chapter 7:
1.When these people died on Earth, they relocated to Heaven. Puts an end to spirits roaming the Earth until the find there place. I'm apt to think that if 'these people are relocated to Heaven then others have been relocated to Hell. When you die on this Earth you either go to Heaven or Hell, no wandering.
8. Here they are wanting to know when their deaths are going to be avenge. I know it doesn't mean this but, on the surface it sounds like revenge....just the type of item that would be taken out of context and used against believers.
I'm enjoying the reading. I'll work a harder at commenting on individual's posts.
David Locker
Before I started reading this book the answer would have been yes We will live in Heaven forever. Now after realizing that we do not go stright to Heaven the answer is a definate no. I do understand this now and did not before due to a lack of study and knowledge of the Bible.
As far as changing the way I am going to live my life the answer is no. I do not think that the way I used to view Heaven or the way I view it now has an affect on that. The ultimate goal is to go to Heaven and to live by Gods law while I am here on earth. I think that what I am commanded to do here is exactly the same.
This is where the difference in my thinking has changed. Before there was only one Heaven. I am not resistant that the presant Heaven is a physical place at all. Why should I be? I live by faith and this is the same. I have faith that this is the way it will be. It does give me comfort that loved ones who have passed may be able to see me now, but I must say I am ashamed of many of the things that they have seen. I do think that they would be very proud of me now. This is not saying that I don't make mistakes.
They called out means they could talk. I had not put much thought into this before. I know on this earth if we can talk we can sin. If we can talk in Heaven is it possible to sin? I don't know. Get with me on this one! The other one is that people were asking God to intervene on earth. I can only imagine how many times in my life as someone looked down upon my past life that this may have happened. I found this very interesting.
I do not think that comfort is the word here. Knowing they are looking down raises all kinds of questions. I could go for days on this. If interested we will have to talk in person about this. Know the perfect one is looking down on me is one thing but knowing that others are is something different. My thinking is that only God and Jesus are perfect.
Glenn Grisham
Section 2 Chapters5-7
It is hard for me to separate the various questions and statements so my answers well run together.
I disagree about an intermediate heaven. What is forever? Somewhere in my mind is the statement that he would return and rule for 1,000 years. I had the opportunity to go and listen to Don Piper and his 90 minutes in Heaven. He talked about it being physical and meeting people from his past as also being physical.
As to Gods ultimate plan changing the way I live day to day. My answer is no. I try to live a Christen life every day, as it makes no difference as to where Heaven is as long as I am with my Lord.
Chapter 6.
I have never given any thought to the present and/or new heaven. As to physical Heaven I have always looked at Heaven as being physical.
Chapter 7
3 and 11
3.
It is real nice to know that your works here on earth well be known.
11 .Neither God nor we will be satisfied until his enemies are judged and Satan defeated.
AS to people in heaven watching me, I think that my watching me I give them a good laugh every now and then.