Exodus 6:2-3 "God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them."
Why knowing the Lord is central to the Christian's faith-walk
We see God revealing His identity to Moses in the passage above. He uses the Holy Name "Yahweh" (translated "LORD" in all capital letters, same as Jehovah or "I AM" which we looked at yesterday). In verse 2 we find the phrase rendered by the New American Standard Bible "And God spoke further". That is a pretty good translation of the Hebrew, since God is literally giving Moses further insight into the revelation of His character, authority and reputation.
God is intentionally making Himself known to Moses, and desires Moses to know Him in a profound way. God makes mention of the three patriarchs of Israel - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the level of their acquaintance in comparison to what He was revealing to Moses. Amazingly, the level of acquaintance Moses was going to have with God would exceed the patriarchs! When God reveals Himself to people in the scriptures, two things are occurring:
1. He is making Himself known
2. He is aiming for them to know Him
When He states at the end of Exodus 6:3 - "but by my name, LORD (Yahweh), I did not make Myself known to them", it is not that God was not Yahweh in Genesis and then suddenly became Yahweh to Moses in Exodus. Rather as God was making Himself known to the Patriarchs. Their level of illumination that was affected by His revelation to them was at a more fundamental level than Moses'.
The Patriarchs "Knew God" in the level of understanding and experience of Him as "El-Shaddai" or "God Almighty". They knew what kind of God that was making Himself known to them. In their given-level of light, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob walked out their faith-walk. However, as you go throughout the scriptures, God is slowly but surely "increasing the level of understanding" for His people each time He reveals Himself. Knowing God is an ongoing activity in the life of the saint - since there will never be a time that the believer ever fully comprehends all of God in who He is. As Jesus states in John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
The experience of knowing God proceeds from knowing the works of God, to the ways of God to God the Way
As we think about what it means to progress in our relationship and knowledge of God, we can consider it in terms of progressing levels of illumination - with Christ being of course the apex of such illumination.
The first level of illumination is knowing the works of God. God tells Moses that He "appeared" to the Patriarchs as "El-Shaddai" or "God Almighty" in our English Bibles. Five particular texts are in mind where we see God appearing to the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and (we'll include) Joseph:
Genesis 17:1 "Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless."
This is the first mention of God's name "El-Shaddai" (God Almighty in our English Bibles). Clearly it was indeed the LORD (Yahweh) appearing here, however He expressed to Abraham the name "El-Shaddai" (God Almighty). Recall that all the names of God with "El" are expressions of the main name "Elohim", which answers the question: "What kind of God is God?" In this instance He is revealing to Abraham that He is mighty enough to follow through in the promises He made to Abraham in his faith-walk. Four other passages are listed below without commentary, and the reader is encouraged to look at them and draw further conclusions: Genesis 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3.
The next level of illumination knowing the ways of God. Abraham and the other patriarchs knew God in the degree as the God who was mighty enough to fulfill all of the promises He had made. Yet the level of illumination needed in seeing how exactly He was going to do that would not come until the days of Moses. As Psalm 103:7 states - "He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel".
In Christ, the fullest level of knowing God is knowing Him who is the Way
When we speak of our Christian experience, we understand that we come to know God by the scriptures through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1-2 notes "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world." Christ of course is the fullest level of illuminating light by which we can truly know God - since He is the LORD, Yahweh Himself.
So as we can see, we proceed in a deepening cycle of becoming acquainted with God's works, ways and Christ-Himself. It is in Christ we find the culmination of every work and way revealed by God in the scriptures.
The name "Yahweh" or "LORD" signifies the purpose of the faith-walk - to know God
2 Corinthians 3:18 says this about our knowing God the Way (Jesus Christ) in comparison to Moses: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." As we said in the beginning, God in the scriptures makes Himself known in order to prompt His people to further know Him. By God revealing Himself as Yahweh, God's people could not only know the works, but also the ways of God. As a result of Christ coming as God in Human flesh, God's people could truly know God the Way (John 14:6). That dear friend, is the chief concern of the Christian life - to Know Him.
Romans 1:7-8 "(T)o all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.
Introduction:
The story is told about the man who was looking to improve his health. A friend suggested that he purchase a home gym, and so the man did that. A few months the man told his friend that he was going to sell his home gym. When his friend asked "why", the man responded that the gym did not deliver the results he thought it would. When his friend asked whether the man had actually followed the directions and placed himself "in the gym" so-to-speak, the man hung his head in shame and said: "I never thought about that"! The Gospel of Jesus Christ must be trusted in (i.e believed) and then lived out following that trust if we are to experience the powerful results spelled out by Paul in Romans.
In his commentary on Romans, theologian Robert Picirilli quotes the great theologian Thomas Aquinas regarding the spiritually practical value of studying Romans:
“A Christian life nourished on the Epistle to the Romans will never lack the three great requisites of clear perception, strong conviction, and definite usefulness.”
As Paul introduces his marvelous Epistle to the Romans, he first of all lays out in Romans 1:1-7 why the Gospel is so powerful. The Gospel is powerful due to the words upon which it is based - namely sacred scripture (Romans 1:1-2). Then the second reason why the Gospel is so powerful is due to how the living Christ is brought forth in His Person and work (Romans 1:3-7). This is all to lend support to the key verses of the entire letter, Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Having focused upon explaining why the Gospel is so powerful, Paul is going to shift to explaining the powerful results brought by the Gospel into the life of a person who believes it. In today's post we will focus upon four such results that the Gospel can produce in the heart of someone embracing it by faith.
1. Produces a new identity. 1:7-8
We can first note how once believed, the sinner's position before and with God changes. The positional change goes from that of sinner to saint and from enemy to beloved. In Romans 1:7 we find the Apostle addressing his readers as "saints" and "beloved", testifying to their ongoing enjoyment of the benefits that come with having embraced the Gospel. Ephesians 2:5-6 states: “even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
The private transaction of faith that occurs between the believer and God at salvation produces a public testimony. The new-found position is not only a title, but a real living public testimony. To realize the kind of environment the Romans lived, consider this sample testimony about Rome from antiquity, as detailed by the church historian Philip Schaff:
"Never was there any age or any place where the worst forms of wickedness were practiced with a more deliberate visibility than in the city of Rome under the Caesars."
Schaff of course wrote his observations in the late nineteenth century and thus never experienced the atrocities of the twentieth century. Nevertheless, the glory of Rome was eclipsed by it darkness and debauchery. To find any spiritual hope or a people trusting in the Gospel, thriving in such an environment, spoke of the new found position brought to them as a result of the Gospel. So the Gospel's first powerful result is that it produces a new identity. But notice secondly...
2. Prayer-life. 1:9-10
Paul next focuses upon how he had prayed many times for the Romans. Their testimony of salvation and ongoing Christian growth as a result of the Gospel spawned him onto pray. Truly prior to conversion, no man can claim any sort of effective prayer-life. Paul makes reference in Romans 1:9 of "serving God in his spirit". The spirit of a man is the center of God awareness. It is that innermost place inside every person that must have lit within it the uncreated fire of God's Holy Spirit. When He comes to inhabit a person in saving faith, He illuminates and warms the otherwise stone-cold tomb of the darkened human condition. Following the reception of the Gospel, the Christian learns that their chief aim in life is to know God.
Prayer ought to grow in persistence and power as the Christian moves along with God (Luke 18). Only in giving oneself regularly to Bible reading and mediation, church attendance, prayer and active obedience will the prayer-life persist. The Devil's work is to discourage us in prayer. As we embrace the Gospel and reminds ourselves of it on a daily basis, prayer will accompany our thoughts, our actions and decisions. We will increasingly realize that we are not independent, but dependent on God. The life of prayer is not easy and at times can grow frustrating when we have to wait or when we don't see answers forthcoming. However, like the prophet Elijah, we persist until the cloud of rain the size of a man's hand appears on the horizon to indicate the end of the drought in our walk with God (see 1 Kings 18:41-46).
As 1 John 5:13 reminds us: "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." The Gospel results in a brand new position with God and a prayer-life. We can notice a third powerful result...
3. Progressive Christian growth. Romans 1:11-15
The Gospel is not only about bringing about the conversion of sinners but also the making of saints. Following one's conversion, we find that the Christian life is to be about a progressive, onward and upward direction of life that is called "sanctification". I will only point out a few words in Romans 1:11-15 that remind us of the importance of progressive Christian growth. First, Paul wants to see these people "established" in Romans 1:11. Next, Paul desires to bring unto them a "spiritual gift" (presumably the mutual Christian growth that comes about by living around and meditating upon the richness of the Gospel). Thirdly, Paul desires to see his readers "encouraged" in Romans 1:12. Then finally, we see that the Gospel ought to bring about progressive sanctification by the way Paul emphasizes the desire to see continued "fruit" in Romans 1:13.
As far as we know, Paul had not up to this point paid a personal visit to the Roman church. He indicates in Romans 1:13 "brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far he had been). Such hindrances could be viewed negatively. However, further reflection yields this observation: God’s divine hindrances can lead to greater opportunities. Imagine if Paul had gotten to go to Rome, we might not have had Romans! Clearly we see that The Gospel's powerful results include a positional identity, a prayer-life and progress in spiritual growth. Now let's consider one final powerful result that ought to be the case when the Gospel is embraced by faith...
4. Power for living. Romans 1:16-17
My parents used to tell me as a kid to “straighten up”. When I heard that admonition, that meant I had went to far. Now when I would "straighten-up", I would modify my behavior to satiate them so as to avoid a possible punishment. Do you know though that even though I would "straighten-up" on the outside, there was in my heart this resounding objection: "who are you to tell me what to do?" We discover in Paul's letter that the Gospel is not about behavior modification, but more so about heart transformation.
In Romans 1:16-17, the concern is about righteousness. We could translate the Greek word rendered as "righteousness" as having to do with "straightening-up". That’s what it means to be righteous. Only in and by the Gospel can a man have the power to “straighten-up”. How long does this power last? From “faith” to “faith”. From saving faith (John 1:12-13; Eph 2:8-9); through sanctifying faith (2 Thess 2:13); to faith made sight. I love what Peter writes about the Christian loving Jesus who is empowered by the Gospel in 1 Peter 1:8-9 "and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."
Closing thoughts
As we wrap up today's post, we find there are four powerful results brought about by the Gospel to those who believe it:
1. Produces a new identity. Romans 1:7-8
2. Prayer-life. Romans 1:9-11
3. Progressive Christian growth. Romans 1:12-15
4. Power for Living. Romans 1:16-17
2 Corinthians 12:1-4 "Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 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. 3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— 4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak."
Introduction:
These last couple of posts have featured what the Bible has to teach on the subject of Heaven. We began considering the Apostle John's visions of the Heavenly throne room in Revelation 4-5. In the last post we expanded our study to include as many relevant Biblical references as space permitted. These last couple of posts have only skimmed the surface of a subject that can easily turn into a book-length treatment. Today's post will close out this short series of studies, answering how the topic of Heaven practically relates to the Christian.
Thinking a little-bit further on Heaven
It is in 2 Corinthians 12 that the Apostle Paul refers to this realm as the "third heaven" (hence the reason for terming the first two realms of the sky as "1st heaven" and the universe as "2nd heaven"). According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the third heaven or "current abode of the redeemed" is described as a place of:
1. Joy. Luke 15:7,10
2. Rest. Revelation 14:13
3. Peace. Luke 16:19-25
4. Righteousness. 2 Peter 3:13
5. Service. Revelation 7:15
6. Reward. Matthew 5:11,12
7. Inheritance. 1 Peter 1:4
8. Glory. Romans 8:17,18
Further reflection upon heaven demonstrates it to be literally:
1. Place - John 14:1-3
2. Prioritizing Jesus - Acts 7:55
3. More beautiful than the natural mind can comprehend - 1 Cor 2:9; 2 Cor 12:2
4. Palatial entryway for every Christian. 2 Peter 1:11
With that brief survey of the believer's destination that is called by the name "heaven" or "paradise" in the scriptures, we can turn our attention to drawing-out some life applications for the reader.
Why the Doctrine of Heaven is crucial for the Christian
1. Eternal perspective.
The doctrine of Heaven puts into sharp focus eternity and the need to trust in Christ. It should raise the burden to get the gospel to as many people as possible.
2. Emphasizes the need for Grace.
For the Christian, the doctrine of Heaven has the positive benefit of helping us praise God for His grace and to rely ever more on such grace.
3. Emphasizes Christ's righteousness, not my own.
Only through Christ can I have confidence before the Just and Holy God. The thief on the cross evidenced the Spirit's saving work through his faith and repentance in Jesus Christ.
4. Emboldens perseverance.
The wonderful truth about Heaven emboldens perseverance. Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:11-12 "for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. 12 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you."
5. Entrance into Heaven is through only One-way, Jesus Christ
In this final thought, we understand from the Bible that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, thus, no one can come to the Father but through Him (John 14:6). Jesus did not come to bring a way to Heaven, rather, He came as the way. Unless we trust in Him by grace alone through faith alone, none of what we have discussed these last few posts can be accessed by moral living, religious devotion nor good intentions.
Emphasizing the doctrine of Heaven points us to why it is that Heaven is Heaven to begin with - because Jesus Christ Himself is the dominating focus. May we become so Heavenly minded so as to be more earthly good to those around us.
1 Corinthians 2:9 "but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Introduction:
In yesterday's post we began considering what the Bible has to teach on the subject of Heaven. The focus yesterday was on John's particular vision of heaven in Revelation 4-5. We had noted that before diving into that vision, we were going to explore in brief the scripture's teaching on heaven. Today's post will aim to discover what the scriptures have to teach us on this subject. My thoughts veer towards Heaven today in light of the two-year anniversary of my father's passing. His love for Jesus will ever resonate in my mind. My prayer is that this current series of posts encourages people and makes us all think more closely about eternity.
The Bible teaches that there are 4 places called heaven.
The subject of heaven in the Bible is immense to say the least. According to Dr. John MacArthur, the Bible uses the word "heaven" 582 times in 550 verses.1 Obviously we won't be able to cover all of those instances, however we can glean a fundamental sense about what the Bible has to teach about the four main places or "realms" called heaven. When the Bible says God "created the heavens and the earth", the word "heaven" in the text is rendered plural - telling us that there are multiple realms (physical. non-physical and future) with the designation "heaven".
A. The 1st heaven - the sky
In Genesis 1:8 we see reference to what is called "The first Heaven" or, what we know to be "the sky" - i.e "And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day." The word translated "firmament" comes from a Latin root, "firmamentum", which is a translation of the Hebrew original meaning: "a stretched canopy or covering".
This idea of a stretched canopy give the sense of pitching a tent and stretching the canvas over a frame. In making the sky or "1st Heaven", God took the atmosphere of Nitrogen, Oxygen and other gases and stretched them around the globe he had made. Psalm 147:8 reminds us - "Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains." Already He had set the earth rotating about its axis as it was illuminated by His glory. With the first heaven, the sky, now in place, Earth would be ready for the Sun He would create on day four and the birds He would create on day five.
B. The second Heaven - The Universe
The first picture on the left was taken by the Cassini spacecraft orbiting the planet Saturn on July 19, 2013. The picture captures the "pale blue dot" of earth suspended in the blackness of the universe nearly a billion miles from the Cassini probe's location. This photograph is a fine example of what we could call - the second heaven - the universe. In Genesis 1:14 we see the first reference the details of second Heaven or "universe" - "And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years".
The second heaven is the domain of stars, planets, moons and space itself. By the time of Genesis 1:14, God had already created the space in which the earth was suspended. (Job 26:7-10)
In continuing the stretching forth of the universe, God made the sun, the moon and later on the stars (Genesis 1:16). Astronomers estimate our earth and moon, along with the seven other planets and other objects going around the sun, with their attendant moons, are sweeping through our Milky Way Galaxy at 500,000 m.p.h. Our Galaxy is composed of over 100 billion stars, with over 100 billion galaxies populating our universe. If you were to take a spaceship and travel at an average speed of 17,000 m.p.h, it would take you several days to reach our moon and nearly a year to reach our sun. To get to Saturn at the same rate of speed (like the Cassini Space probe above) would take you over five years!
To measure the distances in space, the ruler used by astronomers is what is called "the light year", which measures the distance traveled by light in one year. Any signals sent by spacecraft such as Cassini travel at the speed of light, and take on average 80 minutes to reach receiving stations here on earth. To get to the nearest star traveling at the speed of light (670 million m.p.h) would take you four years (or over 100,000 years in the space shuttle!) However as you travel deeper into space, even the light year (some 6 trillion miles long) begins to lose significance, with our Milky Way Galaxy alone being 100,000 Light Years across, and our visible universe being composed of an estimated 100 billion such galaxies of smaller or greater size! As you study each of these "heavenly realms", each one gets larger and more different from common, everyday experience.
C. The Third Heaven - God's Throneroom
Clearly we don't have any photographs of what the Bible terms "the third heaven" in 2 Corinthians 12:2. No other book in the world but the Bible gives us the necessary, sufficient and accurate description of this third realm. As we travel through Genesis, we see another 30 or so mentions of the word "heaven" with most references to either the first heaven (sky) or second heaven (universe).
In Genesis 28:12 we read: "And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to the heavens. And behold, angels of God ascended and descended upon it." Though scripture up to this point indirectly alludes to the existence of a distinct realm in which God occupies as Sovereign and Lord over His creation (Genesis 2:1-3), as well as the existence of angels, yet this verse shows the activity of the third heaven touching down here on earth.
According to John 1:51, what Jacob saw was none other than an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ. It is in 2 Corinthians 12 that the Apostle Paul refers to this realm as the "third heaven" (hence the reason for terming the first two realms as "1st heaven" and "2nd heaven"). From what we see in the Bible's descriptions of the third heaven, that realm of God's abode must be far larger and more grander than the second heaven - the universe. It is to the third heaven that believers go who die in the Lord. 2 Peter 1:10-11 includes this phrase: "for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you."
What John will be describing in Revelation 4-5 confirms this notion - being that from the present third heaven, the Father and the Son are and will be orchestrating all of the events and coming judgments that will impact both the second heavens and the world living under the first heaven in Revelation 6-19. More could be said but for now we must move on to the the fourth major type of realm, a realm that is referred to as "the New Heavens".
D. The "Fourth" place called Heaven - The New Heavens
Admittedly the the "New Heavens and New Earth" described in many Old and New Testament passages is a realm that is in one sense future to us, and yet in another sense is impacting our current lives as Christians. Its main time of manifestation will occur when Christ has ruled and reigned for 1,000 years and sets up the Great White Throne Judgment.
Bible Scholar George Eldon Ladd summarizes how the reality of the "New Heavens and New Earth" is partially impacting us presently as a result of Jesus' resurrection from the dead in the following chart:2
Many Bible teachers call this Biblical pattern an "already/not yet" experience, meaning that we are "already" experiencing a foretaste of the age to come, even though it is clearly "not yet" here. We can also say that when we as Christians experienced the New Birth, that greatest of all realities described at the end of the Bible is being "previewed" in us, since the Bible describes the Christian as a "new creation in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The Bible tells us in Revelation 20-22 that following the Great White Throne Judgment, a New Heaven and a New Earth will be established by God. Some have suggested that God will do away with this present order completely and re-create a whole new earth and a whole new Heaven. However it appears, from other scriptures such as Romans 8:21-25 and 2 Corinthians 5:17, that God will somehow (in a way we don't completely comprehend) transform our current world and perhaps the third Heaven into that incredible reality spoken of at the end of Revelation. More could be said on these two thoughts, but I want to hasten onto the main point of Revelation 21.
God's goal in the Bible: for heaven and earth to be together
The point of Revelation 21 is that the New Heavens and the New Earth are no longer separated from one another. The Glory of God will indeed flood the New earth and Heaven will touch down upon our planet. All those who by grace through faith have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ will be in that august company of the redeemed as ordained by the Father and promised by the Son (John 14:1-3; Jude 24-25). Just as the second heaven exceeds the first, and the third heaven far exceeds the second, this "New Heaven" will exceed them all. The "New Heavens and New Earth" will be saturated with God's unending glory (Habakkuk 2:14; Revelation 21-22). Furthermore, the "New Heavens" will saturate the "New Earth" with God's unending glory, literally fulfilling His ultimate will of "the earth being filled with His glory". (Habakkuk 2:14)
Endnotes:
1. John MacArthur. "The Truth About Heaven, Angels and Eternal life".
2. George Eldon Ladd. "The Gospel of the Kingdom."
Revelation 4:1-2 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.
The story of a King who was fascinated by heaven on earth
The story is told of how the King of Russia, Vladimir the Great, brought Christianity to his Russian homeland in the year 988 A.D. With a mixture of truth and fable, historians recount how this immoral, pagan prince was looking for a way to unite the empire over which he ruled. Vladimir felt the best way to achieve his goal was to select a singular religion.
Vladimir dispatched ambassadors to investigate major world religions at that time. Upon their return, each of Vladimir's ambassadors relayed their findings. Some noted that they saw laws and prohibitions on what to eat and what not to eat. Another said that the religion he witnessed did not seem to convey any real benefit to the people one way or another. However there was one ambassador who is recorded saying these words to King Vladimir: “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. We cannot describe it to you. Only we know that God dwells there among men, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. We cannot forget that beauty.”
In our 21st century post-Christian culture, I wonder sometimes that whenever people visit our churches, should they not come away with a similar response: "We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth". How often have you heard it said: "That person is so heavenly minded they're no earthly good." The only response I can give to that is this thought: "Unless a Christian becomes more heavenly minded they cannot accomplish God's earthly good" (Matthew 5:16; Colossians 3:1-3). Why is Heaven and immortality so central to understand life in general and Christianity in particular? Today we will explore what the Book of Revelation and other scriptures have to teach us about Heaven.
Seeing Heaven unfold in the Book of Revelation
We could nickname the Apostle John as the man who saw heaven by virtue of the fact that no less than eleven heavenly visions are recorded through the book of Revelation.1 Out of all the 66 books of the Bible (with the exception of Matthew), the book of Revelation exceeds all other Biblical books, accounting for roughly 10% of the total times we find heaven mentioned in the Bible. The Apostle John is transported in vision by the Holy Spirit to behold the court of heaven. In that vision, we see God the Father on His throne in Revelation 4. In Revelation 5 we then behold the Lamb of God is seated in equal glory with the Father in Revelation 5.
If we were to characterize Revelation 1-3 as being about Christ and His church, we could assign Revelation 4-5 as referring to Christ and His Heavenly Throne. John's particular vision of heaven here in Revelation 4-5 is the second heavenly vision of the book. Before diving into the vision that will follow in Revelation 4-5, we will explore the Bible's overall teaching on Heaven in the next post.
Endnotes:
1. Revelation 1; 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-13; 11:15-17; 12:10-12; 14:2-3; 15:3-4; 19:1-10; 21:1-9 and 22:16-21.
John 20:31 “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you may have life in His name.”
Introduction:
The aim of today's post is to summarize the first six chapters of John's Gospel. In times past we have explored John's Gospel is various posts. In recent months we have periodically worked our way through the first six chapters. Today we want to pull together what we can understand about Jesus and His identity, ministry and mission in John chapters 1-6.
I. The Son of God is God the Son
John 1:1-9.
II. The Son of God is God the Son in the flesh. John 1:10-18
III. Amazing Testimonies about Jesus – John 1:19-51
A. Lamb of God = Son of God’s Mission. 1:19-36
B. Christ = Son of God’s Ministry. 1:37-42
C. King of Israel = Son of God’s Majesty. 1:43-49
D. Son of Man = Son of God as Mediator. 1:50-51
IV. The mediator, a wedding, a miracle & you. John 2:1-11
V. Jesus’ cleansing power – John 2:12-25
VI. The enabling power of the New Birth
John 3:1-21
VII. Enjoyment of Jesus Christ. John 3:22-36
VIII. Treasure, Lord, Savior. John 4:1-43
IX. The Miraculous Jesus. John 4:44-54
X. Where Jesus works and your response. 5:1-18
XI. Four truths that save the soul. 5:18-30
A. One Sovereign God, Who is Father. John 5:18-24
B. One Lord Jesus, equal to the Father. John 5:19-30
C. One revealed book(s) - the Bible. John 5:31-47
D. One Gospel. John 5:24,33-34,40
XII. The Glorious Provider: Jesus Christ
John 6:1-14
XIII. He is Lord before, in and after your storm. John 6:15-21
XIV. God's bread from heaven. John 6:22-70
Closing thoughts
Today we considered the first six chapters of John's Gospel. As we close out today's post, why ought someone study John's Gospel as a whole? In considering the key verse of John 20:31 (see the opening of today's post), we can note five such reasons:
1. Increases trusting confidence in Him
2. Knowing Jesus is the Christian life
3. Persuading others about Jesus
4. Growth in sanctification or the process of becoming more and more like Jesus
5. Defeating doubt
Romans 1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake
Introduction:
What does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ? As the Apostle Paul begins his great letter to the church at Rome, the mark of genuine saving faith is demonstrated by the willingness to live out God's word. When you see that phrase "obedience of faith", that little word "of" tells us that there is a relationship between "obedience" and "faith". The relationship in this verse is that of a specific effect arising from a particular cause. The effect in this case is obedience - willingness to follow Jesus Christ in what He says in His word. So what is the cause? Faith. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone unto a walk of faith that is never to be alone - but rather accompanied by works flowing from faith.
Faith is the doorknob of the Gospel that God points me to enter into a saving relationship with Him
The idea of "faith" being described by the great Apostle Paul is that of "saving faith". Faith in the original language refers to "firm persuasion" or "trust" in the truth of a matter. Ephesians 2:8-9 describes this saving faith as a gift that is expressed as a prompt response on our part to the voice of Jesus calling us to Himself by the Word of God. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 describes what takes place at saving faith:
"Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior."
Passages such as Psalm 19:7, Romans 10:17 and James 1:18 detail how faith occurs by the agency of God's word.
To illustrate this point, we could liken God's grace brought to me by the Holy Spirit as the setting up of a doorway - a doorway called "grace through Jesus Christ". The Holy Spirit points out to me in my sinful condition that there is a doorknob on that door called "faith". He informs me that unless I turn the doorknob of faith, I cannot enter into salvation.
The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3:23 "But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed." Adherence to morality or clinging onto one's self-made righteousness will not gain access into salvation. At our home we have a door through which we gain entry into the house. If we have groceries or some other item in our arms, we have to lay such items down to use the doorknob. If we don't "let go" of what we have, we'll be stuck outside.
Once the Holy Spirit shows me the door marked "grace through Jesus Christ" with its doorknob marked "faith", the response necessary to turn the doorknob is left to me. Letting go of one's self-confidence, self-righteousness and plain-old reliance on self is involved in saving faith. Once I act in response to His working and turn the knob of faith, I immediately begin participating in the very life of God (2 Peter 1:3-4). What God then does is take the doorknob of faith and places it in my hand.
From the moment of saving faith, every opportunity will be presented to me whether I will follow through in obedience to God or try to go at it on my on strength. As long as I apply the doorknob of faith, which God tells me is now mine to use and develop, I can walk through any doorway of challenge, opportunity and trial that stands on God's ordained pathway of Christian growth.
