Can we be so heavenly minded that we impact the inhabitants of this world dramatically? Absolutely! Can we be so earthly minded that we have zero impact in God’s kingdom? Absolutely! The word heaven is found 622 times in the NIV Bible, however, in my 40 years of attending church, I cannot recall one sermon on heaven. Preachers teach us what NOT to do so we can arrive safely in heaven, but how are millions going to be excited about heaven IF we hear nothing about what heaven will be like? “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” – the things God has prepared for those who love Him -these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 — WOW, our Father is saying “you cannot even imagine how truly wonderful it will be – but go ahead and use the imagination I gave you and My Spirit will give you understanding! My imagination flourished with wings! All things about this eternal place is so much better than I ever imagined!

Randy Alcorn wrote a marvelous book called “Heaven” and since reading it my imagination is on fire! His book is Scripture focused on what God says about Heaven. IF you wonder that your final, eternal destination will be boring, you need to read this book! Randy draws us in with a fascinating illustration. Christians have been in Bible studies, and in training on how to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ for years. In all our years of schooling, few can say that we have been adequately informed of what to expect when we arrive. What will we be doing for eternity? What can we expect to find? Who will be there? Will we just be singing non-stop in a celestial choir forever, and ever, and ever? Jesus said “Be of good cheer” in John 16:33 – and we would be cheering whole heartedly if we were better equipped to know what our roles will be when we get to Heaven.

This post includes many scriptures to ponder and meditate on. God does not tell us everything as He delights in maintaining many extravagant surprises for us. Our Father does however, encourage us with this command “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1-2 Our Lord’s next verse makes it perfectly clear as He repeats His command “Set your hearts on things above, not on earthly things.” Yes indeed! Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven! Will God’s kingdom on earth be like that which is in heaven? “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 Our Teacher the Holy Spirit will do His job as He opens up the Scriptures with a depth of understanding that is out of this world! Our Father encourages us to ask! “Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of?” Deuteronomy 4:32 The world’s most famous song writer David wrote “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory in the heavens.” Psalm 8:1 Picture God on His throne looking down upon you like David did. “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” Psalm 14:2 We also were told “Therefore we must give the more ‘earnest heed’ to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” Hebrews 2:1 We know that Jesus the Son of God radiates the exact glory of God in His being. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.“ Hebrews 1:3 Oh Lord, Holy Spirit give us a word of how we will be sustained in heaven. “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows — was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.” 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 Oh Lord, how exciting it will when we meet Jesus in the clouds! “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Oh Lord, we have many questions. Is heaven all puffy clouds and translucent light? Will we be flying around or walking on solid ground?

His promise is that He will reveal all things to us by His Spirit. God’s Word gives us 622 references to heaven, because He wants us to think on heavenly things. Why do people raise their hands to accept Jesus in church? What transpired in that supernatural moment? Listen to Jack!

William Barkley said “There can be no salvation without God, but what God offers, man must receive by faith. It is never God who withholds salvation; it is always man who deprives himself of it.” Jesus said “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever —the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” John 14: 15-18 The Holy Spirit resides in the believers of Jesus. He is the deposit on our eternal life in heaven. He is our Helper, our Comforter, our Teacher. “For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.” Hebrews 4:2 Unbelief cancels the ability of God’s Word, and His power to transform lives. Every heaven bound believer is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. The deposit of the Holy Spirit is the action by which God takes up permanent residence in the body/mind/soul of the believers walking this earth. Man or woman cannot become ‘acceptable to God’ by good works. The Holy Spirit will not reside in any person who has not yielded themselves to God. God is only at work in those who invite Him. “Therefore, My beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in My presence only, but now much more in My absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from Me, or seen in Me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Phillipians 4:9 – Millions of citizens on this planet currently boast that they will be going to hell to party with their friends. Contrastingly, there are millions of Jesus followers who trust they are going to heaven. Perhaps many citizens have hit the snooze button on the Bible because they do NOT understand how the Word of God in the Old Testament and the New Testament connect. This 5 minute presentation will help anyone understand the extremely GOOD NEWS of the Gospel.

“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:22-23 “Know the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and now we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:3 “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” Jude 1:24 “The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:26-27

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may (continue to believe) in the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:13 “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” 2 Timothy 2:7 “For it is God who works.” Philippians 2:13 “For it is God- God alone, who is with you, He who is in you, that worketh in you according to what pleases Him. Not by merit of yours. Yet His influences encourage us in our personal efforts. To work out your own salvation is your duty to cooperate with His ongoing work in us. For it is God that worketh in you.” Jonathan Edwards October 5, 1703 – March 22, 1758 was an American revivalist preacher – Our Father is the Source, He is the Originator of all things. He is our Cause and our effect. Just like electricity runs through a wire, so the power of God runs through and in the believer. It is not by our sweat, but by His working in us and through us. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5 Reflect, meditate, ponder on all the Scriptures that mention heaven. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.” Psalm 119:18 Ask and it will be given, pressed down to overflowing. “Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to His anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of His right hand.” Psalm 20:6 Surely we know God through His living and active, ever refreshing Word. “Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His son? Surely you know!” Proverbs 30:4 Yeshua, Jesus, King of kings!

THE ALTERNATIVE FINAL, ETERNAL DESTINATION is HELL.

What does God’s Word say about Hell?

” a place of eternal torment” Luke 16:23 A person is forever tortured and tormented

“a place of unquenchable fire” Mark 9:41 You burn with the inability to stop burning

“Where people will gnash their teeth in anguish and regret” Matthew 13:42

“A place from which there is no return even to warn loved ones.” Luke 16:19-35

“A place of outer darkness” Matthew 25:40 There is zero light, you alone scream eternally without rescue

“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 (The lawless one is the Anti-Christ)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7

The book of Deuteronomy chapter 38 gives us a list of blessings and curses for obedience and disobedience. “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God” After leading the people for 40 years, the short temper of Moses disqualified him from going into the promised land. “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” —James 1:3–4 What will happen in our future? Our Father tells us exactly “This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven.” 2 Thessalonians 1:8 — Run the race and virtually travel to Athens, Greece to discover more evidence of God and His plan for us.

Take a trip to the Ark Encounter. A life size Noah’s Ark will thrill the young and old as they also tour the Creation Museum that has scientific evidence that verifies TRUTH. A link to Noah’s Ark Encounter is found in the comment section. Read the Bible and find out what WILL HAPPEN next. God is faithful and every Word will be fulfilled. God says what He means, and does what He says. We must come to expect that whenever we are living in the will of God, the devil will try to trip us up. The devil may be there to challenge or tempt us after a great sermon. Or he may tempt us after God has done a great work in our lives. ❤️ Remember Jesus was tempted too and He responded with Scripture. We must know God’s Word and use it as our sword when faced with temptation. After the Spirit, like a dove, came upon Jesus following His baptism, the Bible says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil” Matthew 4:1 We have mountaintop experiences in life with God, but at the bottom of every mountain, there is a valley. The ultimate pit or valley would be living in HELL for eternity without escape. The devil seeks to devour, destroy and test our faith in God. Don’t dread the challenge, rejoice in the Word of God to cancel and destroy his empty threats. Keep standing firm, use the Sword God gave you to slay giants as you think of the glory awaiting in heaven for your solid faith in Jesus. Everywhere you are God is. Soberly see the problems and difficulties and rejoice in knowing you are not alone and that God will faithfully transform all that was meant to harm, into a blessing. God always develops our faith during trials. We always get the VICTORY as we trust God in His ways and perfect timing. Our little faith becomes great faith, when we are forced by circumstances to apply it. We must use our faith and trust in God. We must stretch it. And we must avoid the temptation of spiritual slumber and laziness so that we don’t miss out on what God is doing in us and through us.