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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Going to Heaven, #2
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (II Corinthians 5:8)
Where do Christians go when they die? The true saints go to be with the Lord Jesus, for they belong to Him.
As for the destiny of those who are not true saints, such as the lukewarm believers, or the wicked, there are enough warnings in the Scriptures to encourage us to avoid their fate by seeking the Lord with all our strength.
What will it be like to pass into the spirit realm? We do not know. The Scriptures have little to say concerning what happens to us when we die.
The concept of the "many mansions in Heaven" is based on a mistranslation of the Greek term for abode. In fact, Jesus' comments in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John are not referring to Heaven. Christ is telling us here that He is returning to the Father (not stressing Heaven), and that the Father and He will return to the faithful saint and take up Their eternal abode (the same term translated "mansions" in John 14:2) in him (John 14:23).
The entire Scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament, never once portray the spiritual Heaven as being a paradise of lawns, trees, fountains, lakes, children, birds, flowers, where we can stroll peacefully with our loved ones.
This author has no doubt that God's Heaven indeed includes a glorified park, a realm of righteousness, beauty, peace, joy, and love beyond our ability to describe. Nevertheless the Scriptures do not present the spiritual Paradise as the eternal home of the saints.
At some point in the history of the Christian Church the Gospel of the Kingdom of God changed to the gospel of going to Heaven. The goal of redemption became that of going to Heaven when we die. This concept certainly was not emphasized by the Apostles, who preached continually the return of Christ in His Kingdom (that which John the Baptist and Jesus also preached).
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (II Thessalonians 1:7)
John the Baptist:
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2)
The Lord Jesus:
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)
One of the main sources of our concept of Heaven as a spiritual paradise is the dreams and visions of the saints, including the testimonies of the godly as they lay dying. It is our opinion that all or most of these are true.
There are many books available today that portray the spiritual paradise. One of the best of these is Visions Beyond the Veil (H.A. Baker, Springdale, PA: Whitaker House, 1973). From our point of view, Visions Beyond the Veil describes a true vision from the Lord. It satisfies and corresponds to our deepest feelings concerning what takes place when the righteous die.
To be continued.