Reposted for kriss(winsome;54790)
It is you who err in not knowing the power of God, and the generosity and love of God.How can those in heaven hear all our prayers?Heaven is out of time at least the sort of time we know on earth. Those in heaven are not constrained by time as we are. They are part of the Body and more closely bound with Christ and the Holy Spirit than we are. Everything that they know is known through Christ. It is not that they hear our prayers but that they know them. A Saints ability to know of several prayers “at once” doesn’t imply omnipresence. It just means they are outside time.Jesus prays that we will be one in him, just as he is one in the Father and we will also be in the Father. In other words we will be united in to the divine life of the Trinity. This comes to perfection in heaven.“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (Jn 17:20-23). As Paul says in 1 Cor 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.”Whatever Christ does we will be able to do – though Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. What do the scriptures say Jesus is doing in heaven?“… he is for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.” (Heb 7:25).Now, we, on earth, are to be imitating him, what he did while on earth. “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1Cor 11;1)Why would we stop imitating Jesus just because we go to heaven? Why would we sit around and twiddle our thumbs while our Lord and King is interceding for those on earth?Does our service to our Lord end when we go to heaven?Or is the body doing what the Head is doing?God will raise us up with him and seat us with him in the heavenly places in Christ (see Eph 2:5-6) And what are we to do when raised up with him in heaven?“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Eph 2:10). Why should those good works not include intercession just as Jesus is doing? Everything we do will depend on Christ because we are in him.If we look at Revelation we can see what the saints in heaven are doing:“When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev 5:8)And “Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne.” (Rev 8:3)If the saints and angels in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us.You say that in heaven we are as angels of God in heaven. And what do angels do?“Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”(Heb 1:14) So those in heaven are in the divine service They serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation – us here on earth. How do they do that? Well one way is by interceding for us.Consider also this scripture:“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…” (Heb 12:1). The Greek word used for 'witness' means to give testimony to a judge. What Judge are they giving testimony too? - There can be only one Judge, God Himself, and they are speaking to Him on our behalf.
It is you who err in not knowing the power of God, and the generosity and love of God.How can those in heaven hear all our prayers?Heaven is out of time at least the sort of time we know on earth. Those in heaven are not constrained by time as we are. They are part of the Body and more closely bound with Christ and the Holy Spirit than we are. Everything that they know is known through Christ. It is not that they hear our prayers but that they know them. A Saints ability to know of several prayers “at once” doesn’t imply omnipresence. It just means they are outside time.Jesus prays that we will be one in him, just as he is one in the Father and we will also be in the Father. In other words we will be united in to the divine life of the Trinity. This comes to perfection in heaven.“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (Jn 17:20-23). As Paul says in 1 Cor 13:12 “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.”Whatever Christ does we will be able to do – though Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. What do the scriptures say Jesus is doing in heaven?“… he is for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.” (Heb 7:25).Now, we, on earth, are to be imitating him, what he did while on earth. “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1Cor 11;1)Why would we stop imitating Jesus just because we go to heaven? Why would we sit around and twiddle our thumbs while our Lord and King is interceding for those on earth?Does our service to our Lord end when we go to heaven?Or is the body doing what the Head is doing?God will raise us up with him and seat us with him in the heavenly places in Christ (see Eph 2:5-6) And what are we to do when raised up with him in heaven?“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Eph 2:10). Why should those good works not include intercession just as Jesus is doing? Everything we do will depend on Christ because we are in him.If we look at Revelation we can see what the saints in heaven are doing:“When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev 5:8)And “Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne.” (Rev 8:3)If the saints and angels in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us.You say that in heaven we are as angels of God in heaven. And what do angels do?“Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”(Heb 1:14) So those in heaven are in the divine service They serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation – us here on earth. How do they do that? Well one way is by interceding for us.Consider also this scripture:“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…” (Heb 12:1). The Greek word used for 'witness' means to give testimony to a judge. What Judge are they giving testimony too? - There can be only one Judge, God Himself, and they are speaking to Him on our behalf.
