Man was created on the earth and this is where God wants him. God wants a man with a physical body living on a physical earth. Of course the physical body and the physical earth will be covered with Divine Glory, just as the wooden Ark of the Covenant was covered outside and inside with refined gold.

It is the evil teaching of Gnosticism that desires to forfeit man's right to be in a physical body on a physical earth. This is Satan trying to keep Christ and those who belong to Christ in the spirit realm so he and his demons can inherit the earth.

However, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein. The inheritance of Jesus Christ and His coheirs comprises the nations and the farthest reaches of the earth.

You can sit up in Heaven if you want to with the four-headed creatures and the angels. You can recline at your ease on a sea of glass mixed with fire.

But as for me and my house, we are destined to return to the earth. This is where God will be, His Throne having been established forever in the hearts of His saints.

Every Believer When He or She Dies Will Live in a Mansion and Walk on a Street of Gold

Our condition between the time we die and the time we are raised from the dead is not dealt with at length in either Testament. The Bible focus is on the Day of the Lord, the Day of Judgment, the appearing of Christ, the coming of the Kingdom to the earth, the time of the resurrection from the dead. We have a rather extensive tradition concerning the present state of the dead but our understanding will probably be modified in the days to come.

Our hope of a mansion comes from an unfortunate translation of the Greek term for abode, in John 14:2. The golden street is found in the new Jerusalem, and may be symbolic of the way of faith. It seems unlikely that there would be only one street in such a huge city. Anyway, I myself would rather walk on a dirt path than on a street of gold. This proves it is easier to get the boy out of the country than the country out of the boy.

I guess I own most of the books that deal with the visions of Heaven the saints have had. I love to go over them from time to time. It refreshes my spirit to think about Paradise. I like to set my affections on things above. Do you?

However, when I was saved during World War Two, I was taught by the Navigators to learn the Word and live by the Word. Then I would be prosperous and then I would have good success.

I have tried to do this over the past fifty-three years.

As much as I would like to think I will go to such a paradise when I die, I have to set my hopes on what the Scripture actually states. How do you feel about this?

To be continued.