It does not appear from his writings that Paul had any great desire to go to Heaven as to a place. But he does indicate his desire to be with the Lord.

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (Philippians 1:23)

If Christ had returned to Heaven in order to make a way for us to go to Heaven, then one type of program of redemption would be necessary in order to accomplish this objective.

But if Christ has returned to God in order to prepare a place for us in God and in Himself, and comes to us in all the ways necessary for the establishing of an eternal union with Himself, then a different type of program must operate.

To dwell somewhere in the country called Heaven is one matter. To dwell eternally in Christ in God in the most intense, the most personal manner conceivable, being compared to physical marriage, is a different matter.

To dwell somewhere in a nation requires adherence to the specific requirements of citizenship in that country. But to marry the son of the president of the country, thus becoming a permanent part of the president's immediate family, is a different situation. The demands on the candidate would be greater. The president would be interested in every aspect of her background and personality, which would not be the case if she merely applied for citizenship.

Christ did not state that He would come again and receive us into Heaven. He promised that He would come again and receive us to Himself. There is a great difference here.

Our God is a consuming Fire. Christ dwells in the center of the Divine Fire. That is where He is. To be with Him where He is, is to be in the center of the Divine Fire.

If we would fulfill the highest purposes of God we must be willing each day to take a step further into the holy Fire. The path becomes increasingly narrow.

Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. (Nehemiah 2:14)

"No place for the beast that was under me to pass"!

Every saved person at the time of his or her physical death will be met by the Lord, or angels, or deceased relatives, and conducted to Heaven. Every wise human being realizes that the Son of Man may come to him or her suddenly and unexpectedly, in physical death, and require an accounting of all the things done and said during his or her lifetime. The Son of Man may come in an hour that we "think not." We must live each moment as though Jesus were coming the next moment.

But John, Chapter 14 is not emphasizing our acceptance into Heaven or our banishment into outer darkness. Rather, this passage is referring to our becoming one in Christ in God.

To be continued.