Lets talk about Heaven

Are you asking if someone can believe in heaven but not hell? I don't think so. The reality of hell (Gehenna/Hades/Death/whichever) reflects the truth and character of our God just as the reality of heaven does.

Or in other words: How can we trust God to give us a 'good' heaven if this is His idea of a 'good' earth? Perhaps He doesn't know us very well?

So maybe He is doing something else. Something better than untouched bliss.

What I have seen on my own path is that I had to go through hell before I got anywhere near heaven. (Listen to me. I used to think Steve Miller Band was the height of blasphemy. lol) And that may very well be true in the macro sense, too.

Norah63 said:

Having been over on that 'other' thread, and it is getting beyond me.
How about a little conversation about a better option.
Heaven is real, heaven is wonderful, heaven is available to whosoever
will. Heaven will last and last. I look forward to seeing all of my loved ones who made that choice, and accepted Jesus as their personal Lord of Lords. What a wonderful future awaits.
If a person can't believe in one option, can they believe in the other?
(as eternal of course)

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Let's give a rousing hoo-ray for heaven.

Hip-Hip-hooray.

Norah63,

As you envision heaven, what will it be like? What will we do there?

It will be on a new planet without any sea -- probably Mars.

Norah63 said:

My vision of heaven is what my Heavenly Father has already revealed to me, plus so much more that my mind can't yet comprehend. I may not know a lot about heaven, just that learning in the perfect place will make our home so comfortable. Learning without strife, no time limits to hamper us in any way.
What do you think it's like?

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I think it will be surprisingly similar to our lives now. Meaning, we will be with our families, we will be busily engaged in the Lord's work, and we will experience many of the same things.

Of course, we will be doing so without the constant influence of satan. And we will be doing these things in closer proximity to Heavenly Father, gaining strength and comfort from Him.

Take the good portions of our lives now and increase that about ten-fold and that is what I think it will be like.

interpreter said:

It will be on a new planet without any sea -- probably Mars.

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Why will it be like that?

Hard to say what heaven will be like. I don't think it will be anything like our lives now. I don't even think we will see people we knew when we were alive. Not in the sense that we know them now anyways.

Of course I have no clue. Just some thoughts I have is all.

Wait! I had a revelation (just a personal revelation) that there will be no lawyers in heaven. Okay, just kidding.

Norah63 said:

Having been over on that 'other' thread, and it is getting beyond me.
How about a little conversation about a better option.
Heaven is real, heaven is wonderful, heaven is available to whosoever
will. Heaven will last and last. I look forward to seeing all of my loved ones who made that choice, and accepted Jesus as their personal Lord of Lords. What a wonderful future awaits.
If a person can't believe in one option, can they believe in the other?
(as eternal of course)

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What are we going to do in Heaven?

How do you explain these Scriptures?

(Psalm 37:10, 11) 10 And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; And you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. 11 But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.

(Psalm 37:29) 29 The righteous themselves will possess the earth, And they will reside forever upon it.

(Proverbs 2:20-22) 20 The purpose is that you may walk in the way of good people and that the paths of the righteous ones you may keep. 21 For the upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. 22 As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.

I think your Idea of Heaven is slightly of track, if you study your Bible properly.

In regards to a 'heaven'. I always wonder when I hear people speak about seeing old relatives and stuff. I seriously doubt 'heaven' will be anything like that. You can tell by the way the afterlife is spoken about in religions in such symbolic ways that it is quite indescribable. And then there is the question if our ego, as in our personality and memories, even survives death or if family is even a concept in 'heaven' that is important.

gordRedeemed said:

In regards to a 'heaven'. I always wonder when I hear people speak about seeing old relatives and stuff. I seriously doubt 'heaven' will be anything like that. You can tell by the way the afterlife is spoken about in religions in such symbolic ways that it is quite indescribable. And then there is the question if our ego, as in our personality and memories, even survives death or if family is even a concept in 'heaven' that is important.

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What does the Scriptures say here of those who are dead.

(Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6) 5 For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten. 6 Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they have no portion anymore to time indefinite in anything that has to be done under the sun.

Also how can someone who has died go to this place of fiery torment called hell?

(Romans 6:7) 7 For he who has died has been acquitted from [his] sin.

If you have been acquitted of all your sins when you die how can you go to a place called Hell.

As the Bible also says at (Romans 6:23) For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.

Also Jesus said this at John 11

(John 11:25, 26) 25 Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life; 26 and everyone that is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?”

Question why would Jesus resurrect Lazarus on Earth, why didn't he say to Martha when the opportunity arrived, your Brother has died and gone to Heaven and you will see him later when you go Martha, but he didn't, I'm sure Jesus would have revealed that fact to her then, if that was the truth.

I think it would be good, to listen to what Jesus is saying.

(John 10:27) My sheep listen to my voice,

Norah63 said:

gordRedeemed, what do you think it will be, would you not want to see anyone you were related to here on earth, or any of your Christian bro or sis?
Seeing the face of the Lord Jesus and all the faithful that have gone on before us, brings joy to my spirit.

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I just don't think mundane concerns of your past life will really matter in whatever is next. I think eyes will be opened and people will not look on each other as Norah or Gord, but as something entirely different. I don't think people will go 'oh hey there's grandpa'.

spiritandtruth2 said:

What does the Scriptures say here of those who are dead.

(Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6) 5 For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten. 6 Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they have no portion anymore to time indefinite in anything that has to be done under the sun.

Also how can someone who has died go to this place of fiery torment called hell?

(Romans 6:7) 7 For he who has died has been acquitted from [his] sin.

If you have been acquitted of all your sins when you die how can you go to a place called Hell.

As the Bible also says at (Romans 6:23) For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.

Also Jesus said this at John 11

(John 11:25, 26) 25 Jesus said to her: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life; 26 and everyone that is living and exercises faith in me will never die at all. Do you believe this?”

Question why would Jesus resurrect Lazarus on Earth, why didn't he say to Martha when the opportunity arrived, your Brother has died and gone to Heaven and you will see him later when you go Martha, but he didn't, I'm sure Jesus would have revealed that fact to her then, if that was the truth.

I think it would be good, to listen to what Jesus is saying.

(John 10:27) My sheep listen to my voice,

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I definitely think that upon death people do have no consciousness. That they sleep until a general resurrection or something like that. Which is nice to think you get to snooze for a while.

gordRedeemed said:

I definitely think that upon death people do have no consciousness. That they sleep until a general resurrection or something like that. Which is nice to think you get to snooze for a while.

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Yes Jesus, when going to see Lazarus, he told his disciples this.

(John 11:11-13) 11 He said these things, and after this he said to them: “Laz′a·rus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.” 12 Therefore the disciples said to him: “Lord, if he has gone to rest, he will get well.” 13 Jesus had spoken, however, about his death..

Jesus did liken Death to being asleep unconscious as you say.

But at John 5:28 it says this.

(John 5:28, 29) 28 Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practised vile things to a resurrection of judgement.

Even the one's who have supposed to have gone to Hell, get a resurrection to be judged on what they do during the reign of Jesus in his Thousand Year Heavenly Kingdom arrangement, when New Scrolls will be written down that those one's will be judged by, so those resurrected get a second chance.

What a loving God we have.

(Revelation 20:12) But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds.

What a lovely hope we have to see our dead loved ones again on the earth.

The greatest thing about heaven is God's Presence. Nothing else matters. The book of Revelation talks about hymns of praise.

LDS talk about singing in choirs:

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 2:28
28 I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments of your blood, at this period of time when I am about to go down to my grave, that I might go down in peace, and my immortal spirit may join the choirs above in singing the praises of a just God.

Doctrine and Covenants 133:56
56 And the graves of the saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right hand of the Lamb, when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon the holy city, the New Jerusalem; and they shall sing the song of the Lamb, day and night forever and ever.