"The Reality Of Heaven" by Betty Rychlik

Common Sense Commentary: When I was about five, my older sister, Betty, was six or seven and couldn't really read  but was very attached to the Bible and was unusually God conscious. After the lights were turned out at night, Mom and Dad were in bed and all was quiet, Betty would get up for her Bible and an extension cord with a light bulb at the end of it. She would pull the covers over our heads, make a tent, turn on the light and read our younger sister, Alta, and I Bible stories. She wasn't actually reading but just telling a Bible story as she remembered it and pretend to be reading it. She has been a Christian since early childhood and at 82, still teaches a ladies Sunday School Class.  Her husband, Bill, died a few months back and her focus on heaven has captured her interest and passion more than anything in this life. It is her longed for home.

The Reality Of Heaven
Betty Rychlik

I. "In the beginning God created..."The Creator (Gen.1:1-2).

Almighty God, the Heavenly Father, Creator of all things in heaven and earth is pure Spirit of infinite perfection (Jn.4:24). He is not limited to a body, and is not like any created being; yet He has personality. He is spoken of as a Person, and possesses all the attributes of a personality, such as life, intelligence with self-consciousness, self-determination, and sovereignty (1 Cor.2:10-12). God's love for man is beyond knowing or comprehending (Eph.3:7-21). His abundant grace surpasses our finite knowledge ... abundant to all who call on Him for the saving of their souls. God is not an impersonal force or power, but a Spirit. As a moral being, He is intelligent, and the scripture says, "His eyes are in every place beholding the good and bad." Pr.15:3.

God is the Beginning and the End, Alpha and Omega, the great "I AM", Jehovah, Yahweh. There is absolutely no one like Him! Glorious in holiness, fearful in praises and wonders!

The created world in all its magnificence, magnifies His works. Therefore, to harden ones heart against His existence and His creation, is to be "without excuse". Rom.1:19-21.

II. The Heaven of heavens - God's Dwelling Place.

The Jews of old recognized three heavens. (1) Where the birds fly, airplanes fly and where the clouds float. (2) The region of the sun, moon, stars, and planets, where the astronauts went to walk on the moon and where rocks and bits of soil have been taken from other outer space places. (3) The Heaven of heavens, the region spoken of as the dwelling place of God, angels, and all the other heavenly creatures God created. It's the place God has prepared for His people, the saints of all ages who have put their trust in His Son, Jesus, for eternal salvation; It is a the place of unimaginable Divine Glory ... in the immediate presence of God Almighty! The third Heaven is the habitation of His Holiness; the place where "His Honor dwelleth" (Psm.26:8). This sacred place of mansions of light, where joy and glory are and the place to which Paul, the Apostle, was caught up (2Cor.12:2).

There is ample scripture about the location and character of Heaven's real, prepared Abode. It's a definite place where departed believers are abiding ... Elijah, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, the Prophets and Saints are all there.

Scriptures pertaining to: (Matt.17:3, Acts 1:3, Zech.4:3,11-14, Rev.11:3-6).

God's Abode is UP. Jesus lifted his eyes upward to heaven, to the Mount of God's throne. (Isa.14:12-14, Rev.14:1, 21:10, Psm.97:9, 11:4). It's a place prepared and reserved for a prepared people; where the saints of God from all the ages are waiting (1Pet.1:4)... a guaranteed place for our eternal abode. Jesus promised and He cannot lie (Heb.6:17-19).

This dwelling place of God is referred to in four different concepts:

(A) As Paradise, God's Heavenly Garden, the Garden of Eden restored, a Paradise where the pure river water of life flows from the glorious, brilliant Throne of God and the Lamb. On both sides of the crystal clear river there are trees of life which bare twelve manner of fruit every month. The leaves of the trees are for the "healing of the nations". The original Garden of Eden that God planted for Adam and Eve has been restored to perfection in the city of New Jerusalem in Heaven. A garden of Paradise for all God's redeemed people to enjoy.

(B) The Father's House, God's Heavenly Housing in the New Jerusalem. The Father's House is a palatial abode of heaven possessing a blaze of such glory ... so radiant and of such celestial splendor it will overwhelm all who enter in! Once we reach the realm of eternal bliss, we shall discover that it's glories far surpass the most magnificent descriptions ever given by man here below. The Father's House (John 14:2) is adorned with illustrious beams of glory. The palace is rich and sumptuous, containing many rooms (mansions) of such beauty one cannot describe it. The joys of heaven are without example; above any experience we've had, and beyond imagination.

(C) New Jerusalem, God's Heavenly City (Rev.21:2) ... John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God's heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Within this city is the Father's House of many mansions, The Garden of Paradise, and Zion, the ruling and reigning area of the Heavenly City.

(D) Zion - God's Heavenly Governmental Place. The Place originally known as the "City of David", Zion was situated in the lower eastern hill of Jerusalem, and was the first "Temple Hill". Later, the Ark of the covenant was moved out of the City of David to Mt. Moriah where the Temple was built. The name "Zion" was transferred there. This "Zion" became the most significant of all sacred places to the prophets and others of those centuries of old. (Isa.4:5, Jer.31:6, Zech. 8:2,3). "Zion" became/was the equivalent of Jerusalem, as the religious capital of the people of God. (Isa.28:16, Rom. 9:33, Psm.48:1-14). God's Dwelling Place is referred to in the four different concepts as, Garden, Father's House (mansions), the City of New Jerusalem, and Zion, the religious governing center. Heaven is, in a way, similar to the organized system with which we are familiar. If we could take the most beautiful portions of this earth and make them completely perfect with no imperfections, no aging, no insects, it might be somewhat similar to what God, the Father, has created for the children of His Kingdom. (1 Cor.2:9) "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him."

III. Why God Created Man - The scripture states in Rev.4:11, "God created man for His pleasure and for fellowship." When God created man, forming him out of the dust of the earth, He said, "Let us make him in our image" (Gen.1:26-27). God breathed into the body of man the breath of eternal life and man became a living soul. As a triune being like God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, man is body, soul and spirit. (2 Thess. 5:23). Justin Martyr spoke of man's trinity this way, "As the body is the house of the soul, so the soul is the house of the spirit." (A) The Body of Man. Man's body of flesh, bone and blood is the visible and temporal part of man. The body is made up of physical functions and senses, such as, hunger, hearing, taste, sight, sex, will to live, smell, touch etc. The body's inheritance of man's genetic background contains his race, talents, looks, bone structure, height, eye color, all body parts and physical appearance are the genetic combinations. (B) The Spirit of Man. The spirit of man is the part that is eternal and invisible. It's the part of man that God has made known the knowledge of His existence. (Rom.1:19-25). The spirit is the deepest eternal part of man. With our spirit we serve God. God is spoken of as the Father of spirits. (Heb. 12:9). Within the spirit there is the capacity for worship, communion, adoration and praise. It contains our conscience, values, beliefs, attitude. Fellowship with God is possible through the spirit and can be said to stand for being God-conscious. The spirit is the essential part of man's nature, the heart of all human life. God is Spirit and eternal. Man, made in His likeness, has an eternal spirit too ... that is invisible to the eye. God intended the body of man to be the servant of the soul, and the soul the servant of the spirit. All three were to be servants of His and channels through which He could reach the spiritually lost world. (C) The Soul of man - Another part of man that is eternal and invisible is the soul. The soul is the personality of the man. All of God's creatures have a flesh of some kind, but man is the only creature with an eternal soul. The soul is the central part of man, the hub of his little universe. Within the soul there are all the powers that go to make up what is called the personality. The soul is the... 1. heart, 2. the mind, and 3. the will of a person. Your soul is the real you, and represents self-consciousness. 1. The heart is our source of love, affection, conscience and consciousness (Heb.10:22). Man can harden his heart or keep it soft and pliable by obedience, and a close walk with God. When God operates on our heart, cleanses the heart of evil deeds and desires, we become "a new creature" through the work of the Holy Spirit of God. This "new creature" is called a "saint", a child of God's Kingdom (Col.26-12). 2. The will of man gives him the power to choose, act, and decide. Man makes choices and has the will and means to strive to obtain (Matt.16:24-26, Heb.10:39, 1 Pet.4:19, Psm.66:16). IV. After Death, What Happens to the Soul and Spirit of a Saint? (The child of God or an unbeliever). The Bible scripture states, "Precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints" (Psm. 116:15). If a man is not a saint before death, he/she will never be one in the hereafter. At death the body dies, but the spirit/soul of man neither dies, nor falls asleep, or goes into a state of unconsciousness. No one ceases to be! A conscious survival after death is clearly taught in the scriptures. The human soul is transferred to the afterlife abode, whether it's Heaven or Hell ... like the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-23). At the physical death, the saint's soul and spirit leave the house (body) in which they lived and are immediately in the presence of Christ (Phil.1:23). Christ Jesus told the thief on the cross, "today you will be with me in paradise". (Luke 23:43, Heb.12:22-23, 2 Cor.5:8, Psm. 15:1). A soul purged by Christ's blood needs no fire of purgatory, but goes immediately from the death bed into a "glorified state". That person still possesses his personality (soul) and his spirit, but he is now in a perfected form. The saint still retains his memory, has many of the same attributes as before; thinks, feels, has emotions, talks, asks questions, can see, eat, drink and function (Rev. 6:9-10). V. Rapture - At the blast of the angel's trumpet, all the Old Testament saints and all the dead New Testament, Church Age saints of Grace will come with our Lord God Almighty in the clouds ... first ... "In the twinkling of an eye" those N.T. saint's dead bodies will be caught up ... changed into their celestial bodies. Then the saints who are still alive will be instantly changed into a new glorified body too (1 Thess.4:13-18, 1 Cor.15:39-40, 42-44, 50-58). The saints will have bodies like Jesus' resurrected body. In Luke 24: 36-43, after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples saying, "Behold my hands and feet, it is I myself; touch me and see; I'm not a spirit, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones like I do". Jesus then took honeycomb and broiled fish and did eat before them (John 20:26-27, John 21:10-15). The resurrected, celestial body is flesh and bone, it can be seen, touched and can eat. Jesus dined on fish and drank water. Even the angels can eat. In the Old Testament the three angels who came to Sarah and Abraham's tent ate Sarah's cakes, and Abraham dressed and cooked a calf for them. Abraham served them water, butter, milk, and the meat and the angels did eat (Gen.18:1-8). VI. Judgment Seat of Christ and Tribulation.... Immediately after the rapture of saints, they stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, not the Great White Throne of God, to be judged for reward. At the same time, the tribulation is taking place on earth. In Rev.2, Apostle John wrote to the seven churches what God revealed to him on "The Lord's Day", in the spirit, he was told to write the things which are (present) and things which shall be hereafter (future Rev.1:19). In the second and third chapters of The Revelations, John wrote about the different spiritual conditions of the churches during the church age of grace. In the fourth chapter, the Church Age has ended. The rapture has taken place, and the "hereafter" has begun (Rev.4:1). John's spirit was immediately caught up to heaven to see and hear about the tribulation time to come upon those who were left behind, on the earth, after the saint's were caught up. He sees the saints in white raiment, wearing crowns of gold, sitting around the throne of God. The saints join the other heavenly creatures in worshiping the Lamb of God who has redeemed them. He has made the saints Kings and Priests to rule and reign with Him (Rev.4:4-5, 5:9-10). In most of the book of Revelation, John records the events taking place in the world during the tribulation time. Israel will realize the promised Messiah had already come and they will become the evangelists.