Matt. 5:51 Cor 12:13, 13:12Matt. 25:23Dan. 7:13, 14, 18, 27Eph. 2:6-7Gen. 2:15John 5:17Titus 1:7Luke 16:9Ps. 50:10-11Ps. 16:11Luke 19:11-27Ps. 30:11-12Luke 6:21, 23Ex. 25-40 (craftsmanship)Rom. 11:29 (gifts and talents are irrevocable)Eph. 3:20Gal. 6:7-8Phil. 3:13-14Heb. 12:28Rev. 21:1, 3-5 (the whole story)

“Set your heart on things above, whereChrist is seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1).

This study is based on the following selections from the Bible. Please read each one.

Col. 3:1-17Rev. 20-22Rev. 5:4-5, 9-11, 7:9, 15Acts 7:55-561John 3:2Luke 16:23-26Heb. 11:10, 16, 13:141 Cor. 15:40-44Rev. 14:13Gen. 3John 14:2Isa. 65-662 Pet. 3:11-14Isa. 60Eph. 1:10John 20-21Acts 1:6-11Rom. 8:16-17Luke 16:9

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,

and there was no longer any sea.And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘Now the dwelling of God is with men,and he will live with them.

They will be his people, and God himselfwill be with them and be their god.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.There will be no more death or mourning

or crying or pain, for the old orderof things has passed away.’

He who was seated on the throne said,‘I am making everything new!’Then he said, ‘Write this down,

for these words are trustworthy and true.”(Revelation 21:1, 3-5).

As the song says,“This world is not my home, I’m just-a-passin’ through.”

The evidence abounds! Jesus Christ rose from the dead and walked thisearth for forty days before He ascended into Heaven. In addition to the disciples there were hundreds who saw Him. Not one of them ever re-canted their testimony of what they saw, even though it meant torture and death. Historians have traced the lives of some. Stephen was stoned to death outside of Jerusalem. James, the elder brother of John, along with manyothers including Timon and Parmenas, were killed by Herod Agrippa in Judea. Matthew was killed by the sword in Ethiopia. Philip was scourged and crucified in Phrygia. Mark was dragged to pieces in Alexandria. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome. There were many, many more, people from all walks of life. Not one recanted that they had seen the resurrected Jesus Christ. “As Mary looked into the tomb she saw two angels in white sitting -- where the body of Jesus had lain. (John 20:11-12) Then one of the angels who was sitting outside the tomb proclaimed the greatest mes-sage the world has ever heard. ‘HE IS NOT HERE FOR HE IS RISEN.’ (Luke 24:6).” Those few words changed the history of the universe. Darkness and despair died; hope and anticipation were born in the hearts of all of us. If you are seeking the truth, this is where you start.

FIRST...Why did God (the Creator) create us?The Creator created you and me so He could warmly and gently love us and for us to perfectly, joyfully and peacefully love Him for eternity in His Heaven.

He created us to be a part of his close spiritual family.

He created us to unconditionally love one another.

This, then, is what people in Heaven are like: wonderfully loved and completely accepted in the Creator’s family. Everyone is humble, always considerate, kind and helpful. Life is completely relaxed and comfortable and there is no stress or anxiety.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has...planted eternity in the human heart.” (Heart: speaking of our inner person, emotions, etc.) Therefore, when we return to our Creator we will become the beautiful individual person He created us to be. We will have only good emotions, such as love, laughter, taking delight and rejoicing, joy, etc. We will have been reconstituted, we will be incorruptible (1 Cor. 15:43).

1

Life on earth offers many choices. Eternity offers only two: Heaven or hell.

In Luke 16:23-28, Jesus was teaching and told this parable as an explana-tion of hell: He described a wealthy man who had not allowed any room in his heart for God. “He was in torment in hell. The man looked up and saw Abraham in heaven, so he called to him and said, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus (also in heaven) to dip the tip of his fin-ger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.” But Abraham replied, “-- between us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to here.” He answered, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment.”

Will Heaven be boring?

We will arrive empty-handed and when we get our first glimpse of Heaven we will be stunned!

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him, but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit: (1 Cor. 2:9)

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever”...(Deut. 29:29)

What will Heaven be like? What will we be like? We have only been given small glimpses, but let’s see what the Bible reveals.

Humbly ask Him to come into your life, be your friend and help you alongthe path to Heaven. Talk to Him. Laugh with Him.

Example:Each morning talk to Him about your schedule for the day. Pray over eachitem. Ask for wisdom and guidance. Thank Him for things that go right andalso when things go wrong (there is a reason even if you can’t see it now).

Daily read about Christ in the Bible to build love between the two of you.Picture Him blessing all the little children around Him and tell him in prayerhow gracious and kind He is.

Picture Him stopping the funeral procession for a young boy, the only child ofa woman who had also recently lost her husband, bringing the child back tolife and giving him back to the mother. She was no longer alone. Bow inprayer and thank Him for His loving compassion and insight.

With the vision of heaven in mind, learn to live with Christ deeply involved inyour life.

Study the biblical* (see below) account of Christ’s crucifixion (Luke 22:1-24; 53), which records the beatings, lashings, being spat upon and finally spiked to a wooden cross. There He suffered and died. To make sure they ran a spear into His side. Realize He loves and cares for you so much He suffered all this for you. He took your place and paid for the sins you committed so that when you ask Him for forgiveness (be specific), He can forgive you and through Him you can find your way to Heaven and eternal life. His kind of all-encompassing love is beyond our ability to understand.

*The Bible contains over 300 prophesies (predictions written over many centuries) of Christ coming to earth, including many specific details such as His crucifixion and resurrection. What are the odds of so many predic-tions coming true? The Bible is a phenomenal collection of God’s inspired writings.

29

“I pray also, that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you” (Ephesians 1:18).

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,Calling for you and for me;

See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,Watching for you and for me.

Come Home, come Home,Ye who are weary, come Home;

Earnstly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,Calling, O sinner, come Home!

Keep the vision of Heaven in your mind. Add to it as you learn more. Slowly you will find your life leveling out, your sense of humor increasing. You will be on the path with Him.

The path will bring you to a close heartfelt relationship with God.

You will be a part of His family.

You will be reflecting His love for you by gently loving those around you.

The Bible is Clear (1 Corinthians 15:35-58)1. We will receive new, strong, powerful and beautiful spiritual bodies,easily recognized physically as who we were on earth. We will be foreveryoung! The only difference will be that as Christ, after His resurrection was capable of appearing even in locked rooms before the Disciples, we will be capable of moving in dimensions beyond the dimensions we presently live in (John 20:19). This is not surprising. Scientists lately have calculated there are six dimensions beyond the four we know (height, width, depth, and time). Heaven and hell obviously are in different dimensions from these four because we cannot comprehend them with our five senses.

2. We will receive new hearts (the emotions of our souls), hearts that have only good emotions and feelings and are capable of forever loving our God (that wonderful and mysterious Trinity of our Creator, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit)....and all the people in His perfect family!

3. We will receive new minds, far more intelligent and creative than we are at present. However, when we meet our Creator, we will instantly realize that He is thousands of times more intelligent and creative than we are. Think of the pleasure of watching and studying Him for eternity.

John 14:3 gives us another glimpse: Jesus said to His Disciples and to us, “I go to prepare a place for you.” Because of His tremendous powers of creativity, this place will be everything we have dreamed of as our home - and so much more. It will be a home with no mortgage, no taxes, free and clear.

We will greet old friends and family members, if they were believers. With great pleasure we will be greeted by those we helped bring to Christ. We will enjoy even deeper friendships and family closeness. We will be able to have new and old friends and family over to our place for pleasurable times together. Fully given and satisfying spiritual relation-ships will be among God’s greatest gifts (Thess. 4:16-18).

3

Getting Ready for Heaven

The Message:

“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).So, where are you coming from? Read Luke 8:4-15 (Jesus’ parable of thefarmer planting seed). The seed is God’s message to you. You have heardthe message (John 3:16). How did you receive it?Did you hear it but the devil took it away from you so you could not believe it and go to Heaven,Or, perhaps you accepted it gladly, but didn’t allow the message to go deepenough into your life and when trouble came you gave up,Or, maybe you heard God’s message with a good, honest heart and obeyed it and patiently produced a full life, humbly given to Christ.Where are you in this? Some uplifting thoughts from The Inspirational Bible: Only when I reach the point where I solemnly place a great store upon what He says will it ever become a powerful force in my life. Only when I really take Him seriously will His word be made Spirit and life (supernatural life) to me. Only when I recognize that what I am hearing is in fact and in truth divine revelation, designed by God for my own good, will I hear it as a word from above.With the vision of Heaven in mind, learn to live with Christ deeply involved in your life. Tell Him you need Him. Humbly and sincerely confess and renounce your sins to Him (self-love,super-ego, cheating, denying Jesus Christ, infidelity, theft, etc). He willforgive those sins if you are honest.This cleanses the soul.

8

Another glimpse, Psalm 50:10-11, “For every animal of the forest is mine,I know every bird in the mountains...”Isaiah 11:6, “The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; and a little child shall lead them.” Will we have pets?Our Creator, like a father with his child, loves to see us happy and enjoying ourselves. Does that mean pets will be in heaven? There certainly will be animals, so why not?

Will there be sports?God gave to many the talent of athletic ability, some more than others. Hedoes not take away these talents. So there will be games, perhaps not the games we now play, but certainly there will be competition and all in the spirit of great fun.

Will we continue to learn?We will be learning constantly, improving our talents,our creativity, watching and learning fromGod and Jesus Christ.

Will there be rest?Absolutely. (Revelation 14:13b)

Who will we meet and talk with?(Revelation 19:6-9)

5

Will we be doing things for Christ?

Rev. 22:3: “The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city, and Hisservants will serve Him.” We will all serve Christ in all areas of HisCreation. God and Christ have always been busy. Accomplishment is fulfilling. Therefore, we will voluntarily work, using our increased creativity and abilities to serve Christ in all areas of His Creation, the New Earth and the New Heavens (the Universe).

Ps. 37:11: “But the meek shall inherit the land and enjoy great peace.” God will pick those who will be in charge, but it won’t be the boss situationwe have known. Remember, “The meek will inherit the earth.” Thesepeople, under Christ’s leadership, will quietly enable, equip and guide,offering wisdom and encouragement to those under their authority. Wewill have plenty to do in our particular field of expertise - craftsmanship,art, music, engineering, caring for nature, exploring the “New Heaven,”etc. Men and women have developed in many areas since Adam and Eve,and those good areas of expertise will be used and expanded in Heaven.

Another glimpse: Romans 11:29“For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.”

Will there be entertainment, shows, art exhibits, and new inventions?

We must remember that God, through Christ, created all the poets, singers, artists, craftsmen, composers, actors, writers, scientists, engineers, musicians, etc, and blessed them with various talents. These talents will never be taken away (Romans 11:29). All those who have become followers of Jesus Christ will be in Heaven, and all with far greater talent. There will be an endless flow of talent, far beyond what we have here, for us to enjoy. And, most important of all, there will be great laughter. Those of you who have walked with Christ here on earth know that God has a great sense of humor.

Relax and let yourself consider this:

First, our soul’s heart goes far deeper than our mind. It is the seat of deeppassions. Important things happen in our soul... Out of it flow the issues oflife. The human heart has had lots of experience. It is restless and raging,trying this and dabbling in that, hoping to find fulfillment, to fill that sense ofemptiness in our soul, something that will give us innocence, identity - andheaven. Our poor bruised heart, though, does not really want to possessheaven so much as to be possessed by it. Our hearts want somethingglorious that lasts forever.

An explanation: We are all made up of two parts. We have a NATURAL HUMAN (material) side and a SPIRITUAL side. Unfortunately, in most of us through the years, our spiritual side has been neglected and has become quite small. We all have in our heart (emotions, etc) both natural human love and spiritual love. We all know that natural human love is unstable and often changes and even disappears. God and Jesus’ deep love for us is SPIRITUAL. It never varies or changes. It lasts forever. Even if we choose to reject Him or if we choose to respond to His great love for us and come to spiritually love Him in return.

Now let your imagination try to picture this: the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit together (in any context you like). Please meditate. Between them flows (and will flow for eternity) a tremendously pure and perfect love, a love that is wonderfully beautiful and filled with joy.

Now picture Christ turning and beckoning to you and saying, “Come to us.We want you to be with us and become part of this beautiful love thatflows between us.”

When you go to Him, finally your heart has found its home. Yes, your heart’shome is in the heart of God. He has placed within you a yearning for Himself, a desire to know Him and understand what He is like. Every soulfeels that void and emptiness until it connects with its Creator.

4 7

The wedding supper of the Lamb (Christ) to the church (faithfulbelievers from all time) will be the ultimate gala celebration. We will not only meet and talk with our loved ones, we will also meet and talk with Moses, David, Abraham, Peter, Paul, John, Luke - and other people who lived in different cultures and times. Our final Home. (John 14:2)Home. Heaven will be our final, permanent home, a beautiful place; a placewe will share with loved ones; a place of fond familiarity and comfort andrefuge; a place of marvelous smells and tastes, great conversation; a place of contemplation and instruction and a place of expressing gifts andpassions that God has given us; a place of unprecedented freedom andadventure.

Will the dreams we have on earth be fulfilled in Heaven?Dreams fulfilled? The famous author and lecturer, Joni Eareckson Tada, who as a beautiful and active 17 year old became a quadriplegic, writes on “being glorified:” (Luke 5:26) “I know the meaning of that now. It’s the time, after my death here, when I’ll be on my feet, dancing!”For the follower of Jesus Christ, death is not theend of adventure, but a doorway from a worldwhere dreams and adventure shrink, to a world where dreams and adventure forever expand.

Wonderful?Yes! But we have barely scrached the surface.There is a great deal more we don’t know. Thereis much more still far beyond all this. What is it?This is going to require imagination and searchingfor some “no restraints” emotion within you. Are you ready? Joni Eareckson Tada

6

The wedding supper of the Lamb (Christ) to the church (faithfulbelievers from all time) will be the ultimate gala celebration. We will not only meet and talk with our loved ones, we will also meet and talk with Moses, David, Abraham, Peter, Paul, John, Luke - and other people who lived in different cultures and times. Our final Home. (John 14:2)Home. Heaven will be our final, permanent home, a beautiful place; a placewe will share with loved ones; a place of fond familiarity and comfort andrefuge; a place of marvelous smells and tastes, great conversation; a place of contemplation and instruction and a place of expressing gifts andpassions that God has given us; a place of unprecedented freedom andadventure.

Will the dreams we have on earth be fulfilled in Heaven?Dreams fulfilled? The famous author and lecturer, Joni Eareckson Tada, who as a beautiful and active 17 year old became a quadriplegic, writes on “being glorified:” (Luke 5:26) “I know the meaning of that now. It’s the time, after my death here, when I’ll be on my feet, dancing!”For the follower of Jesus Christ, death is not theend of adventure, but a doorway from a worldwhere dreams and adventure shrink, to a world where dreams and adventure forever expand.

Wonderful?Yes! But we have barely scrached the surface.There is a great deal more we don’t know. Thereis much more still far beyond all this. What is it?This is going to require imagination and searchingfor some “no restraints” emotion within you. Are you ready? Joni Eareckson Tada

6

Will we be doing things for Christ?

Rev. 22:3: “The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city, and Hisservants will serve Him.” We will all serve Christ in all areas of HisCreation. God and Christ have always been busy. Accomplishment is fulfilling. Therefore, we will voluntarily work, using our increased creativity and abilities to serve Christ in all areas of His Creation, the New Earth and the New Heavens (the Universe).

Ps. 37:11: “But the meek shall inherit the land and enjoy great peace.” God will pick those who will be in charge, but it won’t be the boss situationwe have known. Remember, “The meek will inherit the earth.” Thesepeople, under Christ’s leadership, will quietly enable, equip and guide,offering wisdom and encouragement to those under their authority. Wewill have plenty to do in our particular field of expertise - craftsmanship,art, music, engineering, caring for nature, exploring the “New Heaven,”etc. Men and women have developed in many areas since Adam and Eve,and those good areas of expertise will be used and expanded in Heaven.

Another glimpse: Romans 11:29“For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.”

Will there be entertainment, shows, art exhibits, and new inventions?

We must remember that God, through Christ, created all the poets, singers, artists, craftsmen, composers, actors, writers, scientists, engineers, musicians, etc, and blessed them with various talents. These talents will never be taken away (Romans 11:29). All those who have become followers of Jesus Christ will be in Heaven, and all with far greater talent. There will be an endless flow of talent, far beyond what we have here, for us to enjoy. And, most important of all, there will be great laughter. Those of you who have walked with Christ here on earth know that God has a great sense of humor.

Relax and let yourself consider this:

First, our soul’s heart goes far deeper than our mind. It is the seat of deeppassions. Important things happen in our soul... Out of it flow the issues oflife. The human heart has had lots of experience. It is restless and raging,trying this and dabbling in that, hoping to find fulfillment, to fill that sense ofemptiness in our soul, something that will give us innocence, identity - andheaven. Our poor bruised heart, though, does not really want to possessheaven so much as to be possessed by it. Our hearts want somethingglorious that lasts forever.

An explanation: We are all made up of two parts. We have a NATURAL HUMAN (material) side and a SPIRITUAL side. Unfortunately, in most of us through the years, our spiritual side has been neglected and has become quite small. We all have in our heart (emotions, etc) both natural human love and spiritual love. We all know that natural human love is unstable and often changes and even disappears. God and Jesus’ deep love for us is SPIRITUAL. It never varies or changes. It lasts forever. Even if we choose to reject Him or if we choose to respond to His great love for us and come to spiritually love Him in return.

Now let your imagination try to picture this: the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit together (in any context you like). Please meditate. Between them flows (and will flow for eternity) a tremendously pure and perfect love, a love that is wonderfully beautiful and filled with joy.

Now picture Christ turning and beckoning to you and saying, “Come to us.We want you to be with us and become part of this beautiful love thatflows between us.”

When you go to Him, finally your heart has found its home. Yes, your heart’shome is in the heart of God. He has placed within you a yearning for Himself, a desire to know Him and understand what He is like. Every soulfeels that void and emptiness until it connects with its Creator.

4 7

Another glimpse, Psalm 50:10-11, “For every animal of the forest is mine,I know every bird in the mountains...”Isaiah 11:6, “The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; and a little child shall lead them.” Will we have pets?Our Creator, like a father with his child, loves to see us happy and enjoying ourselves. Does that mean pets will be in heaven? There certainly will be animals, so why not?

Will there be sports?God gave to many the talent of athletic ability, some more than others. Hedoes not take away these talents. So there will be games, perhaps not the games we now play, but certainly there will be competition and all in the spirit of great fun.

Will we continue to learn?We will be learning constantly, improving our talents,our creativity, watching and learning fromGod and Jesus Christ.

Will there be rest?Absolutely. (Revelation 14:13b)

Who will we meet and talk with?(Revelation 19:6-9)

5

Getting Ready for Heaven

The Message:

“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).So, where are you coming from? Read Luke 8:4-15 (Jesus’ parable of thefarmer planting seed). The seed is God’s message to you. You have heardthe message (John 3:16). How did you receive it?Did you hear it but the devil took it away from you so you could not believe it and go to Heaven,Or, perhaps you accepted it gladly, but didn’t allow the message to go deepenough into your life and when trouble came you gave up,Or, maybe you heard God’s message with a good, honest heart and obeyed it and patiently produced a full life, humbly given to Christ.Where are you in this? Some uplifting thoughts from The Inspirational Bible: Only when I reach the point where I solemnly place a great store upon what He says will it ever become a powerful force in my life. Only when I really take Him seriously will His word be made Spirit and life (supernatural life) to me. Only when I recognize that what I am hearing is in fact and in truth divine revelation, designed by God for my own good, will I hear it as a word from above.With the vision of Heaven in mind, learn to live with Christ deeply involved in your life. Tell Him you need Him. Humbly and sincerely confess and renounce your sins to Him (self-love,super-ego, cheating, denying Jesus Christ, infidelity, theft, etc). He willforgive those sins if you are honest.This cleanses the soul.

8

The Bible is Clear (1 Corinthians 15:35-58)1. We will receive new, strong, powerful and beautiful spiritual bodies,easily recognized physically as who we were on earth. We will be foreveryoung! The only difference will be that as Christ, after His resurrection was capable of appearing even in locked rooms before the Disciples, we will be capable of moving in dimensions beyond the dimensions we presently live in (John 20:19). This is not surprising. Scientists lately have calculated there are six dimensions beyond the four we know (height, width, depth, and time). Heaven and hell obviously are in different dimensions from these four because we cannot comprehend them with our five senses.

2. We will receive new hearts (the emotions of our souls), hearts that have only good emotions and feelings and are capable of forever loving our God (that wonderful and mysterious Trinity of our Creator, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit)....and all the people in His perfect family!

3. We will receive new minds, far more intelligent and creative than we are at present. However, when we meet our Creator, we will instantly realize that He is thousands of times more intelligent and creative than we are. Think of the pleasure of watching and studying Him for eternity.

John 14:3 gives us another glimpse: Jesus said to His Disciples and to us, “I go to prepare a place for you.” Because of His tremendous powers of creativity, this place will be everything we have dreamed of as our home - and so much more. It will be a home with no mortgage, no taxes, free and clear.

We will greet old friends and family members, if they were believers. With great pleasure we will be greeted by those we helped bring to Christ. We will enjoy even deeper friendships and family closeness. We will be able to have new and old friends and family over to our place for pleasurable times together. Fully given and satisfying spiritual relation-ships will be among God’s greatest gifts (Thess. 4:16-18).

3

“I pray also, that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you” (Ephesians 1:18).

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,Calling for you and for me;

See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,Watching for you and for me.

Come Home, come Home,Ye who are weary, come Home;

Earnstly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,Calling, O sinner, come Home!

Keep the vision of Heaven in your mind. Add to it as you learn more. Slowly you will find your life leveling out, your sense of humor increasing. You will be on the path with Him.

The path will bring you to a close heartfelt relationship with God.

You will be a part of His family.

You will be reflecting His love for you by gently loving those around you.

Life on earth offers many choices. Eternity offers only two: Heaven or hell.

In Luke 16:23-28, Jesus was teaching and told this parable as an explana-tion of hell: He described a wealthy man who had not allowed any room in his heart for God. “He was in torment in hell. The man looked up and saw Abraham in heaven, so he called to him and said, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus (also in heaven) to dip the tip of his fin-ger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.” But Abraham replied, “-- between us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to here.” He answered, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment.”

Will Heaven be boring?

We will arrive empty-handed and when we get our first glimpse of Heaven we will be stunned!

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him, but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit: (1 Cor. 2:9)

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever”...(Deut. 29:29)

What will Heaven be like? What will we be like? We have only been given small glimpses, but let’s see what the Bible reveals.

Humbly ask Him to come into your life, be your friend and help you alongthe path to Heaven. Talk to Him. Laugh with Him.

Example:Each morning talk to Him about your schedule for the day. Pray over eachitem. Ask for wisdom and guidance. Thank Him for things that go right andalso when things go wrong (there is a reason even if you can’t see it now).

Daily read about Christ in the Bible to build love between the two of you.Picture Him blessing all the little children around Him and tell him in prayerhow gracious and kind He is.

Picture Him stopping the funeral procession for a young boy, the only child ofa woman who had also recently lost her husband, bringing the child back tolife and giving him back to the mother. She was no longer alone. Bow inprayer and thank Him for His loving compassion and insight.

With the vision of heaven in mind, learn to live with Christ deeply involved inyour life.

Study the biblical* (see below) account of Christ’s crucifixion (Luke 22:1-24; 53), which records the beatings, lashings, being spat upon and finally spiked to a wooden cross. There He suffered and died. To make sure they ran a spear into His side. Realize He loves and cares for you so much He suffered all this for you. He took your place and paid for the sins you committed so that when you ask Him for forgiveness (be specific), He can forgive you and through Him you can find your way to Heaven and eternal life. His kind of all-encompassing love is beyond our ability to understand.

*The Bible contains over 300 prophesies (predictions written over many centuries) of Christ coming to earth, including many specific details such as His crucifixion and resurrection. What are the odds of so many predic-tions coming true? The Bible is a phenomenal collection of God’s inspired writings.

29

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,

and there was no longer any sea.And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘Now the dwelling of God is with men,and he will live with them.

They will be his people, and God himselfwill be with them and be their god.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.There will be no more death or mourning

or crying or pain, for the old orderof things has passed away.’

He who was seated on the throne said,‘I am making everything new!’Then he said, ‘Write this down,

for these words are trustworthy and true.”(Revelation 21:1, 3-5).

As the song says,“This world is not my home, I’m just-a-passin’ through.”

The evidence abounds! Jesus Christ rose from the dead and walked thisearth for forty days before He ascended into Heaven. In addition to the disciples there were hundreds who saw Him. Not one of them ever re-canted their testimony of what they saw, even though it meant torture and death. Historians have traced the lives of some. Stephen was stoned to death outside of Jerusalem. James, the elder brother of John, along with manyothers including Timon and Parmenas, were killed by Herod Agrippa in Judea. Matthew was killed by the sword in Ethiopia. Philip was scourged and crucified in Phrygia. Mark was dragged to pieces in Alexandria. Peter was crucified upside down in Rome. There were many, many more, people from all walks of life. Not one recanted that they had seen the resurrected Jesus Christ. “As Mary looked into the tomb she saw two angels in white sitting -- where the body of Jesus had lain. (John 20:11-12) Then one of the angels who was sitting outside the tomb proclaimed the greatest mes-sage the world has ever heard. ‘HE IS NOT HERE FOR HE IS RISEN.’ (Luke 24:6).” Those few words changed the history of the universe. Darkness and despair died; hope and anticipation were born in the hearts of all of us. If you are seeking the truth, this is where you start.

FIRST...Why did God (the Creator) create us?The Creator created you and me so He could warmly and gently love us and for us to perfectly, joyfully and peacefully love Him for eternity in His Heaven.

He created us to be a part of his close spiritual family.

He created us to unconditionally love one another.

This, then, is what people in Heaven are like: wonderfully loved and completely accepted in the Creator’s family. Everyone is humble, always considerate, kind and helpful. Life is completely relaxed and comfortable and there is no stress or anxiety.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has...planted eternity in the human heart.” (Heart: speaking of our inner person, emotions, etc.) Therefore, when we return to our Creator we will become the beautiful individual person He created us to be. We will have only good emotions, such as love, laughter, taking delight and rejoicing, joy, etc. We will have been reconstituted, we will be incorruptible (1 Cor. 15:43).

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Matt. 5:51 Cor 12:13, 13:12Matt. 25:23Dan. 7:13, 14, 18, 27Eph. 2:6-7Gen. 2:15John 5:17Titus 1:7Luke 16:9Ps. 50:10-11Ps. 16:11Luke 19:11-27Ps. 30:11-12Luke 6:21, 23Ex. 25-40 (craftsmanship)Rom. 11:29 (gifts and talents are irrevocable)Eph. 3:20Gal. 6:7-8Phil. 3:13-14Heb. 12:28Rev. 21:1, 3-5 (the whole story)

“Set your heart on things above, whereChrist is seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1).

This study is based on the following selections from the Bible. Please read each one.

Col. 3:1-17Rev. 20-22Rev. 5:4-5, 9-11, 7:9, 15Acts 7:55-561John 3:2Luke 16:23-26Heb. 11:10, 16, 13:141 Cor. 15:40-44Rev. 14:13Gen. 3John 14:2Isa. 65-662 Pet. 3:11-14Isa. 60Eph. 1:10John 20-21Acts 1:6-11Rom. 8:16-17Luke 16:9

This booklet not for sale. For additional copies contact roxjack2@att.net

There are thoughts and quotes in this brochure from three wonderful books on Heaven -Randy Alcorn’s Heaven , Joni Eareckson Tada’s Heaven - Your Real Home andBilly Graham’s Unto the Hills. All can be purchased at Amazon.com

ARTWORK BY DANNY HAHLBOHM: Reproduced courtesy ofThe Mill Pond Press Companies, Inc., Venice, FL 34285, 800-535-0331.For more information regarding art prints by Danny Hahlbohm,go to www.visionsoffaith.net or www.millpond.com.

COVER PHOTO: @ amygdala imagery