LIFE IN HEAVEN – PART THIRTEEN
Saturday – July 21, 2018, Av 9, 5778
TIME FRAME FOUR
Genesis 3:6 to Hebrews 1:3
Again, welcome back to this wonderful study of “Life in Heaven”. What a marvelous topic to contemplate all the while understanding it is our home. We are even now seated in Heaven at the right hand of the Father in Christ Jesus. The Father has us on assignment in the earth to expand His Kingdom (our Kingdom), bringing those who will into the wonderful realities of God. The wonder of Heaven and all that is to follow this current creation may well be beyond the capacity of current human language to describe. Likewise, the awfulness of Hell, the lake of fire, is also beyond current language to fully convey. Heaven is for those who have faith in God and Hell (Lake of Fire) is for those who do not. Do you have faith in God, are you saved?
I will now pick up with the account of “a certain rich man” and “a certain beggar” from Luke chapter sixteen. Notice as you look in your Bible or the teaching from the 7th of July that the words are in red, meaning they are uttered by Jesus Himself, who is the Word, who is God. As we look again at the text, notice that the rich man lifted up his eyes. What eyes is Jesus talking about? After all his physical eyes are decaying in a grave near the surface of the earth. Never forget that we are principally a spirit (of God) which is housed in a physical (of the earth) body. The spirit man has eyes just as does our physical man. Our spiritual eyes can see clearly in the spiritual and physical realm much like Adam at his creation. Our physical eyes have severe restrictions of sight even in the physical realm. You and I are not conscious of all the spiritual being and activity occurring all around us except by knowledge. The eyes of the rich man and Abraham from our Bible text are spiritual eyes. Many Christians are unaware of the spiritual equivalents to our physical being. We learn of these things in the Word of God and act on that knowledge by faith which is the necessary start to our pleasing God. Another interesting point is this. It is clear that the rich man could see into the Bosom of Abraham but it is not equally clear in the text that the people in the Bosom of Abraham could see into Hell.
Notice that the rich man’s memory is perfectly intact. Not only is the memory intact for those who go to Hell but those who go to Heaven (at that time Abraham’s Bosom). Our memories are housed not only in our physical brains, but our mind which is a spiritual organ free of any defects or impairments which may be present in the physical brain. The spirit man gives rise to the expressions of the physical man. All things present in the physical realm first existed in the spiritual realm. Consider for a moment that a person with Alzheimer’s does not enter Heaven or Hell without their memories. There memories are very much intact including those which occurred during the illness.
The rich man in Hell is in torment and wants water. What water is he talking about? None of this is physical, all of it is spiritual. What good do you think physical water, H2O, would do the rich man? Absolutely zero, so what is he talking about. What is the living water? It is the Word of God, he wants the Word of God, and in fact if you keep reading he wants Lazarus to take this living water, the Word of God to his family as a witness of its Truth. It is very important as we read the Word of God, as we think about these things, that we properly categorize things as physical, of the soul (mind, will, emotions), or of the spirit man.
I will take the opportunity here to make a comment about nomenclature or terms used to describe the composition of our whole being. If you review Genesis 2:7 you will see that our body was fashioned by God from the dust of the earth and our spirit man was from Him (Genesis 1:26) and He breathed the breath of life (Holy Spirit) into that man. Paul describes us as a three part being which is spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). This can be confusing at times. I have found it useful to think of our existence as two part which is the spiritual comprised of spirit and soul which is housed in a physical body. Our spirit man has many parts just like our physical but primary among them is the spirit which is where the Holy Spirit (breath of Life) resides and the soul which is our mind, will, and emotions. Both the spirit man and the physical man have eyes and ears and so on. That is why when you read any number of reports of persons who have visited Heaven and returned they describe the people appearing just as in the earth except more vibrant and free of all the curse.
This fourth period of time we are now evaluating regarding Life in Heaven is what we commonly refer to as the Old Testament period. This period of time extends up until the Blood of Jesus is deposited on the Mercy Seat of Heaven. So as these four thousand years of the Old Covenant pass the Bosom of Abraham receives more and more ‘Old Testament’ saints and Hell is likewise filling. The filling of the Bosom of Abraham and Hell requires periodic expansions. It seems that what is going on in Heaven is unchanged until the very end of this time period with two perhaps three notable exceptions. I will start with those exceptions next Saturday the Lord willing.
Until our next publication, confess the following passage and walk before Whom we have to do with great rejoicing and thanksgiving. This physical body is our humiliation but soon it will be no more for the glory of God and our eternal benefit.
Philippians 3:20-21 (MSG)
20 But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
PARTNERSHIP AND GIVING – Those of you who are not Partners of this Ministry and you find this ministry to be of value to you and perhaps others with whom you share it, we ask you to consider becoming Partners. A Partner is one who prays for the Ministry on a regular basis and contributes to the Ministry on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, annually). Thank you and may the Lord be pleased with your decision.
CONTACT E-MAIL: pastordavidwood@gmail.com
BLOG: https://awakeariseandtriumphministries.org
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/awakearisetriumphministries
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/PastorDavidWood
MAILING ADDRESS: 10 Village Green Circle, Oakland, Maine 04963
MY BOOKS: https://awakeariseandtriumphministries.org/shop/
