Will we read our Bibles in heaven?

[david_x]

you actually believe that people in heaven will be rejoicing about those in hell?

We wouln't feel sad so.... I guss that still sounds bad though.


Why read when their's food!!!

 

[Ceridwen]

you actually believe that people in heaven will be rejoicing about those in hell?

Well, this certainly is a standard Christian teaching, found both in the Bible and in writings of Christian theologians. God's punishment of sin is an expression of his just personality which delights his children.

 

[Uphill Battle]

Well, this certainly is a standard Christian teaching, found both in the Bible and in writings of Christian theologians. God's punishment of sin is an expression of his just personality which delights his children.

so... we'll delight in others being lost forever.

That is TWISTED.

 

[sawdust]

so... we'll delight in others being lost forever.

That is TWISTED.

It isn't twisted when understood properly. First off, men don't go to the lake of fire as punishment for their sin. The debt owed for sin has been paid on the cross.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. Col.2:13 & 14

The lake of fire was created for Satan and those who follow him.

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matt.25:41

The type that go into the eternal fire are the sort who call "good, evil and evil, good".

So we will be very grateful the justice of God prevails and there will be absolutely no remorse over those who end up there.

peace

 

[Uphill Battle]

It isn't twisted when understood properly. First off, men don't go to the lake of fire as punishment for their sin. The debt owed for sin has been paid on the cross.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. Col.2:13 & 14

The lake of fire was created for Satan and those who follow him.

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matt.25:41

The type that go into the eternal fire are the sort who call "good, evil and evil, good".

So we will be very grateful the justice of God prevails and there will be absolutely no remorse over those who end up there.

peace

lack of remorse =/= delight.

 

[JimfromOhio]

I vote "no" because we will be with the AUTHOR in PERSON !!!!!

 

[God_of_Mercy]

Hehe, I wonder what books will be in the Bible in heaven.

But I don't think there would be a reason to read the Bible in heaven.

 

[TheListener]

Hehe, I wonder what books will be in the Bible in heaven.

But I don't think there would be a reason to read the Bible in heaven.

Diamond encrusted leather bound duo-tone.

 

[rkymtnjesusfreak]

I voted no. I think that since we will be with the Author, there will be no need.

 

[TheListener]

I voted no. I think that since we will be with the Author, there will be no need.

If you were with Mozart, wouldn't you like to listen to him play?

 

[light_eclipseca]

Ok, I'll step in here a little bit and throw a thought out there for everyone to chew on. What is the Bible? Is it a mere book telling us how to get to heaven? I could write a book myself with no specific Scriptural references telling people how to get to heaven (when I say heaven, I do not mean an abstract reality; I mean the place where the saints of God will dwell forever with God after the day of redemption); but, that would not put my book on par with the Scriptures.

This question may have more to do with the essence of what the Bible is, rather than what it is good for. Paul states that the Bible is good for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. These are just some purposes for the Word of God. Does it serve other purposes, though? Clearly the Bible is more than a good book.

Will there be physics books in heaven? Math, maybe? How about a good godly novel to read once in a while?
If God will allow us to read those books, how could the Word of God, which is elevated far above all other books not be in heaven. That is only assuming that there will be any books in heaven though. If you don't believe there will be any books, then I would think that this argument would be naught for you.

What about this thought, though?

What is the Word of God? Is there a difference between the Bible and the Word of God? Is the Bible greater than prophecy? If not, then why don't we hold prophecies that we recieve to be true as canonical? What is the Bible?

On a Side Note:
Eze 18:23
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord GOD: and not that he should turn from his ways, and live?
(Rhetorical question, answer is "no")

and

Proverbs 17:5
To mock the poor is to insult his creator,
he who laughs at distress shall not go unpunished.

If we were to be glad at the calamity which were to fall upon the unbeliever, then we will not go unpunished. Only sin is punishable. So if we rejoice at the punishment of the sinner, then there will be sin in heaven.

Some might say that the context in which Proverbs 17:5 is written is talking specifically about the poor and misfortune. Maybe so (I might disagree on opinion, but I would grant this), but if our Creator does not take pleasure in the wicked suffering, then how could he take pleasure in us who do take pleasure in the suffering of the wicked?

Premise (1) The attributes of God are good.
Premise (2) An attribute of God is that he does not take any pleasure in the death of the wicked at all.
Therefore, (3) Not taking pleasure in the death of the wicked at all is a good attribute. [Conclusion from (1) and (2)]

I would desire to have this attribute above the alternative, because I know that this attribute is good, whereas I do not know this about the negation of the attribute, whether it be good or not.

 

[Ave Maria]

Yes, I believe we will. Of course it'll only be for enjoyment and pleasure.

 

[Spence06]

Of course we will not read our bibles in heaven. Just as there are no sacraments in heaven. There will be no sacramentals(the bible is one of them), in heaven.

 

[freeindeed2]

Absolutely NOT! We will be with the Word who was from the beginning (Jesus)!

I don't have a Bible in front of me, but Jesus said (my paraphrase), "You search the Scriptures because in them you think you'll find eternal life. But the Scriptures testify of me!"

Jesus is God's final and complete Word. He is the exact representation of God. (Hebrews 1:1)

 

[ScottBot]

so... we'll delight in others being lost forever.

That is TWISTED.

No, what it means is that we will be delighting in God's perfect justice, just as we bask in His perfect mercy.

 

[light_eclipseca]

No, what it means is that we will be delighting in God's perfect justice, just as we bask in His perfect mercy.

I like this explaination better.

 

[Uphill Battle]

I like this explaination better.

ditto.

It doesn't sound like the "Ha, Ha.... they're in Hell" posts.

 

[Ceridwen]

On a Side Note:
Eze 18:23
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord GOD: and not that he should turn from his ways, and live?
(Rhetorical question, answer is "no")

and

Proverbs 17:5
To mock the poor is to insult his creator,
he who laughs at distress shall not go unpunished.

If we were to be glad at the calamity which were to fall upon the unbeliever, then we will not go unpunished. Only sin is punishable. So if we rejoice at the punishment of the sinner, then there will be sin in heaven.

Obviously, God punishes non-christians. He does this because he intends to do it. He does it because it produces an achievement. Although the Bible says that God takes no pleasure that the wicked should die (Ezekiel 18:23), the Bible also says that it will please God to destroy the wicked:

Deuteronomy 28:15, 20-24, 63
If you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you.
​

The Bible also says that the righteous will rejoice at the observation of this cursing:

Psalm 58:10-11 (King James Version)
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
​

The righteous in heaven shall rejoice, and they shall also laugh and mock:

Proverbs 1:24-26 (New International Version)
But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you.'
​

In other words, it is not a sin to experience joy from witnessing the punishments of the non-Christians. Rather the opposite is true -- God commands us to have this emotional reaction:

Revelation 18:8, 20
In one day [Babylon's] plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.
​

This emotional reaction is a distinguishing mark of God's very own people, as Jonathan Edwards says in the sermon, "The End of the Wicked Contemplated by the Righteous":

The sight of this strict and immutable justice of God will render him amiable and adorable in their eyes. They will rejoice when they see him who is their Father and eternal portion so glorious in his justice.

Divine justice in the destruction of the wicked will then appear as light without darkness, and will shine as the sun without clouds, and on this account will they sing joyful songs of praise to God, as we see the saints and angels do, when God pours the vials of his wrath upon antichrist; Rev. 16:5-7 They sing joyfully to God on this account, that true and righteous are his judgments, Rev. 19:16. They seeing God so strictly just will make them value his love the more. . . .

It will occasion rejoicing in them, as they will have the greater sense their own happiness, by seeing the contrary misery. It is the nature of pleasure and pain, of happiness and misery, greatly to heighten the sense of each other. Thus the seeing of the happiness of others tends to make men more sensible of their own calamities; and the seeing of the calamities of others tends to heighten the sense of our own enjoyments. . . .

When they shall see how miserable others of their fellowcreatures are, who were naturally in the same circumstances with themselves; when they shall see the smoke of their torment, and the raging of the flames of their burning, and hear their dolorous shrieks and cries, and consider that they in the mean time are in the most blissful state, and shall surely be in it to all eternity ; how will they rejoice!
​

I suppose that we may not have the Bible in heaven, but if we didn't have it there, we would know what it is that the Bible said about God's purposes in punishing non-Christians: We would remember on a continual basis that he is punishing them without the intent of correcting them thereby. Because on this basis we understand the nature of God's holiness.

 

[light_eclipseca]

Obviously, God punishes non-christians. He does this because he intends to do it. He does it because it produces an achievement. Although the Bible says that God takes no pleasure that the wicked should die (Ezekiel 18:23), the Bible also says that it will please God to destroy the wicked:

Deuteronomy 28:15, 20-24, 63
If you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you.
​

The Bible also says that the righteous will rejoice at the observation of this cursing:

Psalm 58:10-11 (King James Version)
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
​

The righteous in heaven shall rejoice, and they shall also laugh and mock:

Proverbs 1:24-26 (New International Version)
But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you.'
​

In other words, it is not a sin to experience joy from witnessing the punishments of the non-Christians. Rather the opposite is true -- God commands us to have this emotional reaction:

Revelation 18:8, 20
In one day [Babylon's] plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.
​

This emotional reaction is a distinguishing mark of God's very own people, as Jonathan Edwards says in the sermon, "The End of the Wicked Contemplated by the Righteous":

The sight of this strict and immutable justice of God will render him amiable and adorable in their eyes. They will rejoice when they see him who is their Father and eternal portion so glorious in his justice.

Divine justice in the destruction of the wicked will then appear as light without darkness, and will shine as the sun without clouds, and on this account will they sing joyful songs of praise to God, as we see the saints and angels do, when God pours the vials of his wrath upon antichrist; Rev. 16:5-7 They sing joyfully to God on this account, that true and righteous are his judgments, Rev. 19:16. They seeing God so strictly just will make them value his love the more. . . .

It will occasion rejoicing in them, as they will have the greater sense their own happiness, by seeing the contrary misery. It is the nature of pleasure and pain, of happiness and misery, greatly to heighten the sense of each other. Thus the seeing of the happiness of others tends to make men more sensible of their own calamities; and the seeing of the calamities of others tends to heighten the sense of our own enjoyments. . . .

When they shall see how miserable others of their fellowcreatures are, who were naturally in the same circumstances with themselves; when they shall see the smoke of their torment, and the raging of the flames of their burning, and hear their dolorous shrieks and cries, and consider that they in the mean time are in the most blissful state, and shall surely be in it to all eternity ; how will they rejoice!
​

I suppose that we may not have the Bible in heaven, but if we didn't have it there, we would know what it is that the Bible said about God's purposes in punishing non-Christians: We would remember on a continual basis that he is punishing them without the intent of correcting them thereby. Because on this basis we understand the nature of God's holiness.

Very good post!

 

[chucklesgalore]

Which bible?