Keraz
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- Jun 20, 2018
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Preposterous claim? I repeat: Nowhere does the Bible say that God will take His people to heaven.Which Bible do you have in order to make this preposterous claim? Even before Christ was crucified, He made it perfectly clear that God does indeed intend to take His people to Heaven (John 14:1-3).
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
So let's ask ourselves some pointed questions:
1. Who is "my Father" in this context? It is God the Father
2. Where is "my Father's house"? It is in Heaven (God's Heaven, the third heaven)
3. Where are those mansions? In the New Jerusalem, which is a heavenly city, and presently in Heaven.
4. Where is Christ at this very moment? Seated at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven.
5. What is "I will come again"? It is the event known as the Rapture, or more precisely the Resurrection/Rapture.
6. Where will Christ take His saints? To where He is, which is in Heaven.
7. Why did Jesus say "Let not your heart be troubled"? He was already anticipating all the nonsense about the Church going through the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation.
So how can anyone with even the slightest acquaintance with the Bible make such a PREPOSTEROUS CLAIM -- "Nowhere does scripture say God intends to take His people to heaven."
As a matter of fact ALL THE OT AND NT SAINTS ARE IN HEAVEN AT PRESENT, within the New Jerusalem.
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, [THE NT SAINTS] and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, [THE OT SAINTS] And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. (Heb 12:22-24)
Here Paul draws aside the veil and reveals to us the reality of Heaven, and the heavenly city within Heaven. What do we see as presently in Heaven?
1. An innumerable company of angels.
2. All the NT saints -- "the Church of the firstborn"
3. God the Father, the Judge of all
4. All the OT saints -- "the spirits of just [justified] men made perfect"
5. Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant
6. The blood of Christ -- "the blood of sprinkling"
Frankly, I get really annoyed when people come along and make categorical statements which have no basis in Scripture. That is really harmful to those who may be new to the faith.
John 14:1-3 does NOT say it.
1,2,3,4 Correct
5/ Refers to the glorious Return of Jesus for His Millennium reign.
6/ His saints go with Him, to Jerusalem.
7/ Let not your heart be troubled.....For the Lord will protect and help you during all that must happen. Isaiah 41:13, Psalms 23
Hebrews 12:22-24 does NOT say it.
Paul was talking about how we Christians don't have to face the frightening spectacle that the ancient Israelites did. Hebrews 12:18-21
Then Paul goes on in Hebrews 12:25-29, to say how there is coming a tremendous shaking of all things and how God is a devouring fire, which refers to the terrible Sixth Seal Day of fire, earthquakes, storms and tsunamis.
Your 'cherry picking' of verses 22-24, only say that we Christians have our names enrolled in heaven. In the Book of Life. Malachi 3:16-18
What is REALLY harmful to those new to Christianity, is to teach them they don't need to do anything; we will all be whisked off to heaven at the first sign of trouble. A doctrine that has absolutely no basis in scripture.
I note in Hebrews 12:7-13, that the Lord's discipline must be endured by every Christian. In fact; if you wish to escape it, then you are illegitimate and not a child of God at all. verse 8